If Rams running back Steven Jackson has his way, the team’s second-round pick from Appalachian State will live up to his last name when it comes to making the transition to the NFL.
That’s because wide receiver Brian Quick is going to have a lot on his plate this season. Quick just signed his contract on Tuesday, but Jackson wasted no time making sure that the rookie understood there would be no time for passing out cigars at the good news. Jackson wants him working and working hard before reporting to training camp.
“I’m sure (receivers coach Ray) Sherman will get him right,” Jackson said to Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “But over the next six weeks, he’s going to have to work real hard to be prepared for a long season, because we’re going to lean on him, lean heavily on him. He’s a high draft pick and we’re going to need someone on the outside to make plays and I’m challenging him right now because we’re going to need him to prepare himself over the next six weeks to be a standout on this team.”
Jackson and the Rams have seen Quick’s physical gifts in his short time with the team, but they’ve also seen him struggle to get the playbook down. Jackson also acknowledged worry about the leap from Appalachian State to the NFL for the player drafted with the second pick of the second round in April. Even with those struggles, it is clear that Quick offers the most upside of any Rams receiver this season.
Quick said that he understood what was expected of him this. His ability to meet the challenge will go a long way toward determining the quality of the Rams’ passing attack this season.