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Significant Investments: 12 Questionable Checks that Stan Kroenke has Written Since Purchasing the St. Louis Rams

By Patrick Karraker

Nov 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke on the sidelines prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke on the sidelines prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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St. Louis Rams Brian Quick
January 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; St. Louis Rams wide receiver Brian Quick (83) is tackled by San Francisco 49ers free safety Eric Reid (35) for an incomplete pass during the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

10. Brian Quick

So much potential has continually been evident in the game of Brian Quick, the receiver who the Rams were so enamored by that they selected him out of Appalachian State with the first pick of the second round in the 2012 draft. But the 6-foot-3, 218-pounder, who drew comparisons to Vincent Jackson and Terrell Owens after being drafted, either has not been coached well enough or has not grasped the Rams’ playbook well enough to earn a spot in the lineup and make significant contributions.

Over four seasons, Quick has had just one year where he’s made more than 20 receptions. That was the 2013 season, when he became a starter and looked like he was headed for a breakout campaign, catching 25 passes for 375 yards and three touchdowns through seven games. He suffered a serious shoulder injury in the Rams’ seventh game of the year at Kansas City, and he was knocked out for the rest of the year.

Though seemingly healthy at the outset of the  2015 regular season, Quick was inactive for the first three games of the season and was virtually invisible after making it onto the field. Through 13 games, Quick was targeted 32 times but made just 10 catches for a career-low 102 yards and no touchdowns.

It can be annoying to inject 20/20 hindsight into the equation, but the Rams had Pro Bowler Alshon Jeffery (pick 45), a similar talent who’s now had two seasons with 1,000 receiving yards for the Chicago Bears, and Rueben Randle (pick 63), who’s had 2,644 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns through four years with the New York Giants, available to them with that 33rd overall pick. It’s possible that either of those players could have struggled in the Rams’ run-heavy offensive scheme and with the Rams’ coaching, but the fact remains that they’ve had much better NFL careers than Quick has.

Quick was the Rams’ recipient of the team’s Ed Block Courage Award nomination this week, but coach Jeff Fisher wasn’t exactly complimentary of him during his postseason press conference, saying, “I think he was set back. But he’s healthy now; he’s lucky to be playing…He needs to have a really good offseason this year and become much more consistent.” Considering that Quick will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and has yet to establish himself, it’s difficult to envision a scenario where he’d return to the Rams in 2016. It was worth trying to make Quick live up to his draft slot, but it’s difficult to argue that the Rams got the proper value out of the $5.38 million they spent on Quick over the past four years.

Next: 9. Isaiah Pead

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