St. Louis Rams Closing Evaluations: What Grades Do the Quarterbacks Receive?

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Shaun Hill: Considering his status as a career backup who was not by any means expected to be a starter for an extended period going into this season, Shaun Hill did pretty well. That’s not to say he was spectacular—his eight touchdowns and five interceptions over seven starts aren’t exactly “Greatest Show on Turf” passing numbers—but he was a reliable presence for a team that needed a calming presence at the quarterback position following several fourth-quarter blowups by first-year starter Austin Davis in the early part of the season.

The 34-year-old ended the season with a respectable 62 percent completion percentage, 1,414 passing yards, eight touchdowns, five interceptions, and a QB rating of 87.5. Obviously he’s not Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning and is pretty much limited to being a game manager, but under the circumstances, those numbers are solid.

Aside from a terrible interception thrown into the endzone in the closing minutes while the Rams had a chance to win their Week 12 game at San Diego and a bizarre fourth quarter pick intended for the turf that instead ended up being caught by Seattle’s Jordan Hill, Shaun Hill has avoided the costly mistakes that prevented his predecessor, Davis, from being a reliable starter.

Quite frankly, Hill shouldn’t be a part of the Rams’ plans next year, because they will likely bring Sam Bradford back and should draft a rookie to be his successor. But while he won’t be a Ram long-term, Hill deserves respect for the decent effort that he was able to turn in, because he did better than most people probably thought he would when they first found out that he’d be the Rams’ starter in 2014.

GRADE: B-

Next: Austin Davis