JT on various things: 2 senior bowl qbs, OC search, Britt + contract talks

Petty combines swagger with stats

By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/petty-combines-swagger-

MOBILE, ALA. • If you like your quarterbacks with a sense of humor and a little swagger, Bryce Petty’s your guy.

As he begins the tricky transition from a spread system in college to the NFL, Petty was asked if he ever made a seven-step drop in college.

“At Baylor, the only seven-step I ever did was to …” Petty replied.

And then he demonstrated. He backed up a few steps … into the shotgun position. It was pretty funny. OK, maybe you had to see it.

“No, never did a seven-step drop,” he said, smiling.

With that being the case, has Petty been to one of those quarterback gurus to help with the adjustment to NFL-style offenses?

“No, I’m actually coaching myself,” Petty said.

Petty paused just long enough to sound believable.

Then he added, “No, I’m just kidding.”

It was pretty funny. Again, maybe you had to be there.

Petty wants to be there — in the NFL for sure, but also in the conversation as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2015 NFL draft.

There seems to be little debate here that Petty, competing for the North squad, is the top prospect competing at the Senior Bowl. Which means he’s under scrutiny by the Rams’ scouting department and coaches in their efforts to address the quarterback position.

Part of the battle for Petty is debunking the stigma that “system” quarterbacks in college can’t make it in the pros.

“For me, it’s all about embracing the opportunity of being here,” Petty said. “Trying to show those guys that hey, I haven’t worked on it a whole, whole lot but that I still wanted to come out here and show you guys that I have worked on it.

“So hopefully that says something. I’m willing to compete in that sense. Even though it’s not perfect, it’s not crisp, I’m still working on things.”

Since shortly after Baylor’s Cotton Bowl loss to Michigan State, Petty has been working with well-known west coast QB guru George Whitfield on all things related to dropbacks, working under center and the footwork necessary to run a pro-style offense. It’s been a little bumpy at times this week in Mobile.

“For me, what I want to get out of each day is just not to get down on myself,” he said. “I’m kind of a perfectionist at heart. When I say ‘kinda,’ I mean extremely. So there’s a lot of things that I take to heart. Missing calls. Missing run steps (on handoffs). Things like that.”

Petty called the difference between what he ran in college to what he’s learning with the Tennessee Titans staff — which is coaching the North — like going from checkers to chess.

“You’ve got to be three steps ahead in the NFL,” Petty said. “And that’s the kind of game that I’m excited for. I’m excited to kind of showcase the football (knowledge) just as much as the athleticism. I think without the combination of the two, you’re not going to be very successful.”

Petty mastered the game of checkers at Baylor once he got a chance to play. Petty, who was born in Georgia but played his high school ball in Midlothian, Texas, threw only 14 passes during his first three seasons on the Baylor roster. (One was a redshirt year.)

But when his time finally came in 2013, he made the most of it. As a two-year starter, he threw for 8,055 yards, 62 touchdowns, and threw just 10 interceptions in 25 games. That averages out to 322 yards per game for the Bears, who won the Big 12 title in 2013 and shared the crown with TCU in ’14.

“He’s a fierce competitor,” said wide receiver Antwan Goodley, Petty’s teammate at Baylor and on the North squad. “We came in here (to Baylor), we had to wait our time, we play with a chip on our shoulder.

“And when we got out there, we knew we had something to prove. We went out there with that mindset, that no one was gonna stop us. I love him to death. He’s a great guy to be around. A great leader. So I looked up to him a lot.”

Petty presents a relaxed, almost carefree manner, but there’s more it. At Baylor he had a reputation as one of those first-to-arrive, last-to-leave guys. He spent a lot of time in the weight room. At Senior Bowl media night, one reporter suggested he was built like a safety, not a quarterback.

“It’s the jacket,” Petty said, laughing.

Petty does have some athleticism, and can move around and out of the pocket.

“I can extend plays if I need to,” he said. “So it’s another dimension that I want to showcase here. And I’m hoping to produce a spark in the sense that, hey, I want to pull for this kid.”

Arm strength isn’t an issue.

“I think Petty is probably the most intriguing guy here,” said one veteran scout. “Because even just watching the first five minutes of practice he clearly has a strong enough arm.

“For those people that saw him in that system at Baylor, and said, ‘I don’t know if he has arm strength,’ he’s clearly shown already the arm’s not the issue.

“Now, he’s gonna have to learn to be in a traditional offense. Make the reads, the protections, all that. But at least just looking here — physically he can do it.”

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Rams checking out East Carolina QB

By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-checking-out-east-carolina-qb/article_ac0056a7-b0e9-5db7-a8ff-43242f82b3b0.html

MOBILE, ALA. • East Carolina quarterback Shane Carden’s favorite QBs are Brett Favre and Philip Rivers.

Favre is an interesting choice because Carden looks a little like the young Favre and even sounds a little like him.

“Growing up, I was always told I looked like (Favre),” Carden said. “And I just loved the way he played the game. He always had so much passion in everything he did. The plays he was able to make outside the pocket — I just always enjoyed watching him.”

And Rivers?

“Same type of deal,” Carden said. “He brings some fire to the field. He looks like an ultimate competitor. I’ve never met the guy, but just from what I’ve seen, how he plays the game, I just love the way he plays football.”

According to one scout, Carden doesn’t necessarily wow you on the practice field, but come game day it’s a different story. He’s a gamer. Carden didn’t dispute the description.

“I try to get the most out of practice,” Carden said. “But yeah, when games start something else kinda switches in me, and I stay after it.”

Carden, who has spoken with the Rams at the Senior Bowl, grew up in Newport Beach, Calif., but moved to Houston when he was 12. A little undersized at a shade under 6 feet 2, Carden has had some good moments on the practice field in Mobile, particularly when throwing on the run on rollouts and bootlegs.

In that sense his style is reminiscent to Jeff Garcia, a feisty four-time Pro Bowler who had a long and productive NFL career. Not only has Carden heard of Garcia and heard the comparison, he has trained with Garcia in California.

“I actually worked out with him this past spring,” Carden said. “He looked at me and he was like ‘Man, you could be my brother.’

“When we were working out, he was doing the drills. He was leading them, and he was getting after it. He can still spin it, man.”

Garcia is 44.

Carden doesn’t have the name recognition of most of the other QBs attending the Senior Bowl because East Carolina isn’t a so-called “Power 5” school. But he put up great numbers in college, including school records for passing yards (11,991) and touchdowns (86) over three seasons.

He’s hoping to make a name for himself this week among the scouts and coaches here in Mobile.

“All the coaches, obviously they want to see me under center,” Carden said. “In my college career I was in the ’gun pretty much all the time. I’m just getting comfortable with that. It’s just being consistent with that footwork. Just little things here and there that each team wants to know about.”

COORDINATOR SEARCH

Nathaniel Hackett wasn’t the first name on everyone’s lips when the Rams began the task of replacing offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

But Hackett is the first candidate known to interview with Rams head coach Jeff Fisher. According to a league source, Hackett was scheduled to arrive in St. Louis on Wednesday night with the interview taking place on Thursday.

Buffalo’s offense hasn’t been scintillating the past two seasons under Hackett, finishing 26th in total offense in 2014, and 19th in 2013. But the Bills did finish second in the league in rushing offense in 2013.

Critics labeled the Bills offense under Hackett as unimaginative, lacking aggressiveness, and without a clear concept. But others pointed out that he didn’t have a lot to work with, was well-liked by the players, and had good ideas and concepts but may have been shackled by the head coach (Doug Marrone).

Hackett, 35, is the son of former NFL and college coach Paul Hackett.

CONTRACT TALKS

The agents for wide receiver Kenny Britt, a pending free agent, met with the Rams in Mobile. Talks were positive, according to a team official.