The St. Louis Rams are leaning on a pair of rookie receivers to help Sam Bradford awaken a passing attack that slept soundly through most of last season.
Brian Quick and Chris Givens participated in organized team activities this week after missing two sessions last week to attend the Rookie Premiere event in Los Angeles. Bradford is pleased with what he's seen out of the gate:
"Givens, first of all, is extremely fast," Bradford told Howard Balzer of 101sports.com. "I think he's a guy that defenses are going to have to be extremely aware of. If they fall asleep on him for a half second at all, he's going to be by them. I think that's nice to have. Just that added speed.
"Then Quick, I was working with him a little bit after practice today and it's just extremely impressive watching him move. As big as he is, as tall as he is, he gets in and out of breaks really well. He's fast, as well. It's exciting to have those two guys here. We've just got to keep pushing them, try to get them ready to go."
A positive report, but first-year receivers typically struggle to make an impact early. Bradford faces the additional challenge of learning his third offense in three seasons. Coach Jeff Fisher on Thursday told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the Rams have installed approximately 70 percent of the new attack under Brian Schottenheimer.
This is a critical year for Bradford. The hope in St. Louis is that Fisher's arrival has ushered in a period of steady growth. It's time for this quarterback to bloom into what people hoped for when he was taken with the top overall pick two years ago.
