articles & vids on players: Gaines, Quick, Hayes, J.Long, Austin

Brian Quick more comfortable than ever
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/115264/brian-quick-more-comfortable-than-ever

EARTH CITY, Mo. — St. Louis Rams wide receiver Brian Quick was one of the team’s most pleasant surprises during training camp and the preseason.

Finally able to string together a series of strong practice outings and find some much-needed consistency, Quick looked the part of the receiver the Rams thought they were getting when they drafted him with the first pick of the second round of the 2012 NFL draft. But performing in shoulder pads and shorts and doing it in games are two very different things.

So when Quick was able to carry over what he was doing in practice to the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings, it was the most encouraging sign yet that Quick has what it takes to be a solid contributor at the NFL level.

“Coming out here every day and playing fast definitely makes it easier for me,” Quick said. “But that’s the biggest thing is translating it to the field from practice.”

Quick’s work in practice translated into career highs in catches (seven) and yards (99). To the top receivers in the league, that’s an average week’s worth of work, but nobody is putting those type of expectations on Quick. Instead, the Rams would like him to be a consistent performer who can be reliable in the passing game and use his 6-foot-3, 218-pound frame to provide stout run blocking on the perimeter.

Aside from a facemask penalty that appeared to be more bad luck than anything, Quick was the lone real bright spot for the Rams’ offense in the loss to Minnesota.

“I was encouraged,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “Brian came on. He made every catch. The only thing that he could improve was the facemask penalty. He’s learned from that. But, he was very productive. Made different types of catches, contested catches — the third down catch where we ended up fourth and 1 and a half was a good catch, it was a good concentration effort.”

Indeed, Quick’s production wasn’t some shallow numbers grab coming after the game was already out of hand. He caught a 23-yard pass from quarterback Shaun Hill on the game’s first play and went on to post 70 yards on four catches in the first half. Simply put, Quick looked as comfortable as he has ever looked on an NFL field, and in turn looked like he belonged.

So what has been the difference? Quick points to the amount of time it took him to learn an NFL offense and route tree after entering the league from tiny Appalachian State. There, Quick played in a rudimentary offense that asked little of him in terms of route running and understanding defenses.

“That was the biggest adjustment was coming in and learning the playbook,” Quick said. “It kept me from playing fast, but now that I really feel that I’m dialed in and I can move fast and know the plays, that’s what I’m feeling.”

It has also helped Quick’s cause that he has entered the season as a starter and knows that he is going to get consistent reps in practice and plenty of snaps in games. Where Quick often found himself thinking through plays as they were happening, he now says he is doing things naturally.

“Sitting on the sideline, not getting reps and then getting in a close game and going in, it’s kind of hard to adjust,” Quick said. “But now being a starter and going in, I’m doing the best I can playing fast and knowing the offense. It’s a lot easier for me.”

Of course, Quick must now turn his consistent practice performances into consistent game performances. The rapport he had with Hill was obvious in the first half last week, but if Hill is unable to play this week because of a quad injury, Quick will have to adjust to working with backup Austin Davis.

In addition, Quick might have been able to take Minnesota by surprise in the first week, but Tampa Bay will be well aware of him in the second. Last season, we saw tight end Jared Cook open with a big performance then disappear for long stretches of time.

The onus falls on Quick to continue to find ways to get open and make plays.

“I’m playing faster and not thinking,” Quick said. “That’s a big change for me. I am just playing fast.”

Hayes ready to step in for his friend, Long
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11580/hayes-ready-to-replace-close-friend-long

EARTH CITY, Mo. — St. Louis Rams defensive lineman William Hayes was a hit in the team’s locker room from the day he first arrived in St. Louis back in 2012. He immediately grew close with most of his teammates, especially on the defensive line.

In his nearly three years with the Rams, there’s nobody Hayes has grown closer to than fellow defensive end Chris Long. When the news came Wednesday that Long would need ankle surgery that would keep him out for eight to 10 weeks, nobody took the news harder than Hayes.

“He’s one of my closest friends on the team so it’s kind of hard when you hear he is not going to be here but we’ve got a next-man-up philosophy around here,” Hayes said.

As it turns out, the next man up in Long’s absence is Hayes. In Hayes, Long’s left defensive end spot lands in more than capable hands. Amongst the free agents whiffs the Rams have had since coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead took over, Hayes has been on the opposite end of the spectrum as a true diamond in the rough find.

Hayes first signed with the Rams in 2012, following Fisher to St. Louis from Tennessee, where he was once a fourth-round pick out of Winston-Salem State. In the time since, he’s become the defensive line’s ultimate Swiss Army Knife, providing a stout presence against the run from his end position while offering pass rush ability from the interior.

Over those two season in St. Louis, Hayes has 63 tackles and 12 sacks while working in a reserve role.

The other side to Long’s absence is the loss of his fiery brand of leadership. That’s another area where Hayes can help provide some cover. Most of the other defensive linemen tend to err on the quiet side but Hayes is the same player who smashed a mirror in the team’s locker room after last season’s loss to Tennessee, a blow that led to him getting stitches in his arm.

Even without Long, the Rams are confident in what Hayes brings to the table.

“We know that Will Hayes can get the job done,” defensive tackle Kendall Langford said. “Whoever we put out there on the field, we are a brotherhood of men and we trust in each other that we’ll get the job done. I don’t think it will be a drop off.”

While Hayes figures to get the first shot at replacing Long, it’s important to note that it will take more than just one player to fill the void. Hayes is still working his way back into football shape from a trio of offseason surgeries, the most serious of which was a hip procedure. He did not play in any preseason games and was admittedly rusty in his return to game action last week.

Likewise, the Rams would like to limit his snaps when possible to keep him fresh, as evidenced by his 27 snaps against Minnesota last week. That means the Rams will turn to fellow veteran backup Eugene Sims and undrafted rookie Ethan Westbrooks to ease the burden.

For his part, the always motivated Hayes has even more motivation to play well in Long’s stead. He’s replacing a good player but an even better friend.

“I hate the idea that Chris got hurt but at the end of the day, things happen and the next man has to step up,” Hayes said. “I just don’t want to be a drop off this week, that’s one of the big things. I feel like he would be disappointed in me if I was to go out there this week and just really [struggle].”

Rams unveil Austin in backfield
• By Jim Thomas •

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-unveil-austin-in-backfield/article_ff41394d-a35a-5463-a99e-6a3da7765f09.html

During training camp, coach Jeff Fisher said the Rams wanted to expand Tavon Austin’s role in the offense. And in the season opener against Minnesota, part of those plans were unveiled.

Austin, the No. 8 overall draft pick in 2013, lined up on several plays in the backfield as a running back.

“We’re just trying to get the ball in his hands,” Fisher said. “ ‘Cause he needs the ball in his hands in space.”

Austin lined up at running back for three plays on the Rams’ third offensive series against the Vikings. On the first play, he was the lone back. Quarterback Shaun Hill faked a handoff to Austin, and then pitched to wide receiver Chris Givens going in the opposite direction on an end-around.

The Minnesota defense followed Austin for a moment, and it looked like Givens might end up with a sizeable gain. But the blocking wasn’t quite there and Givens gained only four yards.

On the next play, with Austin in the back of an I-formation, he gained three yards up the middle and might have gained a lot more, but fullback Cory Harkey couldn’t hold his block on linebacker Jasper Brinkley.

And on the next play, Austin was dropped for a three-yard loss running off left tackle, as right guard Davin Joseph couldn’t get to Vikings defensive tackle Shariff Floyd, who got Austin in the backfield.

On the Rams’ fourth series, Austin took a handoff off left tackle, then bounced outside for a five-yard gain and a first down. He was close to turning the play into a larger gain.

On the first series of the second half, Austin was a decoy taking a play-fake from QB Austin Davis on a pass to tight end Jared Cook for a first down.

So, all told, Austin was in the backfield for five plays, gaining five yards on three carries, and producing 19 yards overall when you include the run by Givens and the catch by Cook.

Not exactly an electric start, especially when you consider what wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson was doing running the football for Minnesota, or what Percy Harvin was able to do for Seattle in their Sept. 4 season opener against Green Bay.

But it was a start.

“Obviously, we want to get him touches,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said Thursday. “It’s an easy way to get him a touch, certainly, to just hand him the ball. When the game got to where it went, it wasn’t something we were able to do the whole time.”

When Patterson’s 67-yard touchdown run out of the backfield gave Minnesota a 20-3 lead late in the third quarter, the Rams had to junk their game plan. To wit, 23 of their 27 plays after that were called pass plays.

“This week, there’ll be more of the same,” Schottenheimer said. “We’ll keep giving him touches, getting him the ball. The more spots we can put him, the better off we’ll be.”

Whether the Rams use Austin much in the backfield or not, as the season progresses it’s something opposing teams will have to prepare for — which obviously prevents them from preparing as much in other areas.

“No doubt, no doubt,” Schottenheimer said. “When he’s in there, obviously they’re all on alert, so we can use him a lot of different ways.”

Austin said the first position he ever played in football was running back, in the Pee Wee league, so lining up there comes naturally.

“That’s my first love,” Austin said.

Over the course of his college career at West Virginia, Austin gained 1,040 yards rushing on 110 carries, averaging 9.5 yards per carry and scoring six TDs. He was used most extensively during his senior season with the Mountaineers, gaining 652 yards on 73 carries.

Austin lined up only a couple of times in the backfield as a rookie last season, but it looks like that will change this year.

“If that’s what happens, I can just go with it,” Austin said. “When my number’s called, I’ll do anything they want me to do.”

Even if it means running between the tackles at 176 pounds?

“I definitely don’t mind,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s all football. It doesn’t really matter where Coach Schotty lines me up at. I trust him 150 percent.”

And for those complaining about running Austin inside, that’s just part of the Austin package. The Rams aren’t planning to turn him into Mike Alstott.

“There’s quite a bit more,” Schottenheimer said. “Tell the Bucs maybe that’s all we got — that’d be good. No … we want to use him a lot of different ways. He’s a guy that we know is critical to our success.”

Austin had 11 touches against Minnesota — three on carries, three on receptions, and five on punt returns. Those touches produced only 63 yards, but the Rams are confident bigger days are ahead.

“He was very, very close to going a long way on two punt returns,” Fisher said. “Secure the ball and take off — and trust your blockers. That’ll be another way that obviously we can get some production there.”

RAM-BLINGS

• Hill (thigh) missed practice for the second day in a row, with Davis once again working with the starters. Nickel back Lamarcus Joyner (back) did not practice Thursday.

• The Rams have new practice uniforms this week, featuring a lighter shade of blue. Fisher, sounding strangely like Martha Stewart, said he wanted “to brighten it up.”

• The team officially placed DE Chris Long on the injured reserve/designated for return list. DT Matt Conrath was promoted to Long’s spot from the practice squad. DE Kourtnei Brown, who was with the team in the preseason, was signed to the practice squad.