Frederickson: did the Rams let Davis go too soon?

Did the Rams let Davis go too soon?

Ben Frederickson

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ben-frederickson/benfred-did-the-rams-let-davis-go-too-soon/article_65a2d25f-fef4-520a-8324-55a13f1e915f.html

On SportsCenter, they’re asking why Cleveland quarterback Austin Davis should get the nod over party-prone Johnny Manziel.

Meanwhile, I’m wondering if the former Ram would be the best option against the Cardinals at the Edward Jones Dome.

Davis, waived by the Rams during September’s final roster cuts, will make his first start for the Browns on Sunday.

He earned the opportunity on Monday night by stepping in for injured starter Josh McCown in the fourth quarter, completing a 42-yard, game-tying touchdown pass, then moving the Browns into position for a 51-yard field goal that would have won the game — if the Ravens didn’t block the kick and return it for a touchdown. Davis finished the game 7 of 10 for 77 yards.

Browns coach Mike Pettine’s job might be on the line, and he’s sidestepping Manziel — at least for another game — to roll with Davis.

“A big part of it with Austin is the mental,” Pettine told reporters. “He’s as prepared as any quarterback that I’ve been around. He’s relentless in that way, so I think he goes into games with processing speed that he’s rehearsed it so many times in his head. He gets the ball out, and he’s decisive, maybe quicker than some other guys.”

Quicker than Manziel, Pettine seems to think. But is Davis better than Rams quarterbacks Nick Foles and Case Keenum? What about rookie Sean Mannion, who beat out Davis for third on the depth chart, but as of Monday was not yet deemed ready for a real game?

For those who understandably blocked last Sunday from their memory, Foles (30 of 46, 228 yards) threw three interceptions and no touchdowns in a 31-7 loss to the Bengals team Davis now faces.

This season, Foles has thrown more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (seven) and completed just 57.9 percent of his passes. Among quarterbacks who have attempted an average of 14 passes per game, Foles’ passer rating is lower than everyone but benched Bronco Peyton Manning.

Keenum, who replaced Foles as the Rams’ starter before he was sidelined by a concussion, completed 46.2 percent of his passes and totaled 136 yards and one touchdown in his lone start against Baltimore on Nov. 22. The concussion has held him out since.

Remind me again why Davis isn’t on the Rams roster?

The undrafted free agent and former Southern Miss walk-on was signed in 2012, cut in 2013, re-signed in 2013, then cut again this fall.

In between came last season’s intriguing nine-game run. Sam Bradford was out for the season. Backup Shaun Hill had been benched. Davis averaged 222.3 passing yards per game, completed 64.7 percent of his attempts, threw 12 touchdowns to nine interceptions and filed a passer rating of 85.1.

Davis won three of the eight games he started, which is one win shy of the 2015 Rams’ total through Week 12. He twice threw for 300-plus yards, a passing total the Rams haven’t reached this season.

There were lowlights, sure. His freelancing got him into trouble. He turned it over too much, and those turnovers had a tendency to turn into touchdowns for the opponent. During a 31-14 loss to the Cardinals, he threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, and coughed up a fumble that was also returned for a score. It was brutal. It also seemed to be Davis’ last real shot here.

Rams coach Jeff Fisher returned to Hill. The Rams closed the season 3-4 while Hill averaged 225 passing yards per game and tossed eight touchdowns to six interceptions.

Foles arrived via the Bradford trade. Keenum, who had been a Rams practice player once before, returned in a trade that cost the Rams a seventh-round pick in 2016. Mannion, the quarterback of the future, was drafted in the third round.

And Davis was forgotten.

Any idea of him legitmately competing with Keenum for the backup job diminished as the season neared. He threw five passes in exhibition games. He played only four preseason series, one per game. In the finale against Kansas City, he was in for eight plays — all handoffs.

“I think I could see the writing on the wall, and I’m excited about what’s next,” Davis said of his time in St. Louis after the Browns picked him up. “I was really looking forward to going back in and competing and trying to build on what I did last year, but really didn’t get that opportunity.”

Should the Rams have kept Davis?

Let’s see how he fares against the Bengals.

But with the current quarterback conundrum in St. Louis, it’s hard not to notice the Browns signed him to a two-year extension in September and now plan to start him over their former first-round pick.

Right now, a Rams backup quarterback capable of a 300-yard game sounds like a dream.