LA press on Rams qbs

Rams position analysis: Quarterback a need, though Case Keenum might disagree

By RICH HAMMOND / STAFF WRITER

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rams-703849-quarterback-keenum.html

The Rams need a quarterback. That’s one thing upon which football fans in Los Angeles and St. Louis (and Bora Bora, for that matter) can agree. But what if that’s not the primary, or most important, question?

This is a run-first team. Squint a little, and Coach Jeff Fisher’s offense could have descended from those that John Robinson and Chuck Knox once brought to Anaheim Stadium. The issue going forward is whether that might change, and what type of impact a change might make on the Rams’ quarterback derby.

“It’s tough bringing a dog bone to a cat,” former Rams quarterback Jim Everett said this week.

Everett elaborated that the selection of a quarterback is more about fit than skill. A system can make or break a guy and, for instance, make a zone-read quarterback look lousy in a more traditional offense.

The Rams have declared Case Keenum their offseason starter, which is nice for Keenum but otherwise irrelevant. They’ve promised former starter Nick Foles a chance to compete (assuming they don’t trade him) and conventional wisdom is that they will lean toward a quarterback with the No. 15 overall draft pick.

“I’m a competitor at heart, and I know I love to compete,” Keenum told reporters at the end of the season. “I welcome competition and I want to compete against guys. I think that makes teams better.”

It seems clear that the Rams have reached a decisive moment. They fired offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti in December, and Rob Boras, his interim replacement, appears to have inherited the job on a permanent basis, although the Rams have not made an official announcement.

Given that the Rams in 2015 finished 32nd (last) in the NFL in yards per game (297.6) and 29th in points per game (17.5), it’s fair to assume that moderate, if not significant, changes could come to the offense.

“We’ve got our work cut out for us this offseason,” Fisher said last month. “That’s where we’ve got to go. We’ve got to score points.”

Rams running back Todd Gurley, who rushed for 1,106 yards last season, will remain the focal point of the offense, but the Rams attempted only 473 passes last season, tied for fifth-fewest in the NFL. They completed the fewest passes (273) and had the second-worst completion percentage (57.7).

Do the Rams need to throw the ball more, or do they simply need a better quarterback throwing it?

It seemed clear that the Rams increasingly lacked confidence in early-season starter Foles, who got benched after Boras took over in December. Then they played it safe. In the season’s last four games, with Boras calling plays for Keenum, the Rams ran the ball on 56 percent of their plays.

The thing is, it worked. The Rams finished 3-1 (with an overtime loss to San Francisco) and scored a total of 91 points. In their final four games under Cignetti, they scored a total of 36 points.

There will be pressure on the Rams to draft a quarterback at No. 15, at least if Jared Goff (Cal), Carson Wentz (North Dakota State) or Paxton Lynch (Memphis) is available, but it’s not unreasonable to think that, if they instead decide to remain a run-heavy team, a lower-profile quarterback might be just fine.

“Let’s say Keenum is the starter, with the offense the way it is now,” said Everett, the Rams’ quarterback from 1986-93. “With some different talent (around him), that might work well. You look at it, and the Rams went 7-9 with a hellaciously good defense. They just need a few more pieces.”

Essentially, anything could happen with the Rams. Reports have indicated they might trade Foles, and days before the Super Bowl, another report had the Rams flirting with the idea of pursuing Peyton Manning.

For now, the job belongs to Keenum, who turns 28 this month. He went undrafted out of Houston in 2012, appeared in 10 games with the Houston Texans in 2013 and 2014 then hopped back and forth between the practice squads of the Rams and Texans before his 2015 breakthrough.

“I feel like I can give this team a great chance to win,” Keenum said last month. “I’m going to continue to work hard and be a better quarterback, to make a few more plays to get us into the playoffs. I think that’s what good quarterbacks do. I don’t just want to be a good quarterback. I want to be a great quarterback.”

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RAMS QUARTERBACKS

• 2015 starters: Nick Foles (11 games), Case Keenum (5 games)

• Others: Sean Mannion, Kain Colter

• Contract status: Keenum is a restricted free agent but is expected to return, while Foles has been the subject of trade rumors but is under contract through the 2017 season.

• Biggest strength: Depending on how they want to tweak their offense, the Rams have some good variety at quarterback. Keenum is a smaller (6-foot-1), scrappier quarterback who is considered smart with the ability to make good adjustments. Foles and Mannion, 6-6, and 6-5, respectively, have good arm strength.

• Biggest weakness: Coach Jeff Fisher has been standing on the sideline, waiting to hand a golden ticket to one of these guys, but nobody seems prepared to grab it. The Rams seem comfortable with the idea of a training-camp competition, but will someone actually dazzle in the fall, or will the job simply fall to the most palatable candidate?

• Help in the draft: Carson Wentz (North Dakota State); Paxton Lynch (Memphis); Connor Cook (Michigan State); Christian Hackenberg (Penn State); Dak Prescott (Mississippi State)

• By the numbers: The Rams ranked among the bottom five of NFL teams in 2015 in pass attempts, completions, completion percentage, passing touchdowns and quarterback rating, but showed moderate improvement in the final five games with Keenum, who had a 60.8 completion percentage and threw four of the Rams’ 11 passing touchdowns.
RICH HAMMOND