According to Brian Schottenheimer, Austin Pettis has had the best camp of all the skill players as of now. Schottenheimer also said that Quick has stepped up this year and is doing a lot better. By the looks of it, it’s not necessarily what Brian Quick hasn’t done that’s keeping him from the number two spot, but what Austin Pettis has done to earn the number two spot.  The Rams will enter training camp with Austin Pettis and Chris Givens as the outside receivers with first round pick, Tavon Austin, lined up in the slot.

Austin Pettis has been proven to be reliable in big situations and be a red zone threat. However, he only had 8.7 yards per reception last season which is one of the worst in the league. If Pettis can get that stat up he could serious threat in the offense. After being almost non existent in the first year and a half of his career, Pettis got more opportunities toward the end of last season and took advantage of them. It seems like Pettis has came out of nowhere and by the looks of it he could steal the number two spot. Everyone thought if anyone was going to beat out Brian Quick it would be Bailey, not Pettis to do it, but Pettis has finally seemed to figure it out and is up to speed. The second year in the same offense is going to help him as much as it is going to help Bradford. There is still a lot of offseason left, but if Pettis continues to perform at this level, he may just surprise a lot of people.

Is it time to label Brian Quick a bust yet? Fortunately not quite yet, but we are getting close. If Brian Quick still creates mismatches on the outside with his size and strength. It seems like Brian Quick has improved from last season, but it doesn’t look to be enough. If Quick isn’t careful Stedman Bailey could surpass him and Quick could find himself as the fifth guy barely making the roster fighting for his job everyday. Luckily for Brian Quick there is still a lot of training camp left to impress the coaches and prove that he shouldn’t be ruled out of the equation just yet.

The wide receiver battle in training camp will definitely be one of the more interesting battles in camp. It is pretty much known who the top five guys are going to be, its just a question of who is going to be the other guy on the outside and which two players will be depth guys. Even if Pettis does surprise and beat out Brian Quick, Quick will still get his share of plays, same goes for Stedman Bailey. The Rams have liked to use a committee approach to many different positions, and it looks like the wide receiver position will be no different. Training camp will resume in late July and then the battles to see who will win out at their positions will finally begin.

May 10, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; As seen from right to left St. Louis Rams wide receiver Tavon Auston (11), wide receiver CJ Akins (19), wide receiver Stedman Baily (12) and wide receiver Emory Blake (16) take a short break during rookie minicamp at Rams Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports

Am I going out on a limb here by saying the Rams’ young, inexperienced but talented group of pass-catches will be under a microscope during training camp?

Maybe just a little, right?

With hopes to add a spark to the offense, St. Louis drafted one of the most gifted playmakers in years. That spark is none other than the lightning in a bottle himself, Tavon Austin. The Rams will deploy him in a multitude of ways: inside, outside, in the backfield, and probably on special teams as well. The plan is to get him the ball “as much as possible.”

Although the Rams are smitten with their new target, who is a smooth blend of DeSean Jackson and Percy Harvin, the mixture of talent of the Rams’ receiving core will be jockeying for position for the duration of the offseason.

Besides Austin, St. Louis also drafted the other WR from West Virginia who is a star in his own right. Stedman Bailey finished his season with the Mountaineers totaling 114 receptions, 1,622 yards (3rd in the nation), with a monstrous 25 touchdown receptions. Bailey was the other receiver wearing blue and old gold. 

It’s never easy trying to get a read on someone’s thoughts, but you can read between the lines on certain comments. Jeff Fisher and Les Snead both have said how rewarding it is to watch a player progress from year one to year two. As I absorb that comment, I can’t help but to think they are referring to Brian Quick. Blessed with raw athleticism, strong hands to pluck the ball out the air, and the size and leaping ability to out jump defenders, the development of Quick will play a pivotal part in Bradford’s ascent.

Without a doubt, speedster and last year’s standout rookie Chris Givens is penciled in as the starter and conventional wisdom points to Quick to starting alongside Givens.  Throughout training camp last season as well as during the season, Snead and Fisher both said they have “envisioned Quick and Givens staring opposite of each other.” As much as Austin Pettis improved late in the season, he is a byproduct of the old regime. The arrival of Bailey, Austin and, a developing Quick will reduce Pettis’ production and time on the field, and not to mention the addition of TE Jared Cook who also will be split out wide a times.

As it stands, here is my prediction for the Rams final WR dept chart:

1. Brian Quick
2. Chris Givens
3. Tavon Austin 
4. Stedman Bailey
5. Austin Pettis
6. Emory Blake

Roger Saffold

Roger Saffold is entering the last year of his rookie contract this season. It has been rumored that Saffold is not pleased with the signing of Jake Long who will be taking over at left tackle. The Rams have the best offensive line that they have had in years, and it is important that Saffold play well to help keep Sam Bradford upright. Saffold also needs to prove that he can stay healthy. After starting every game his rookie season, Saffold played nine games in 2011 and ten games last season. A good offensive line has continuity, and if Saffold is on and off the field due to injury, that continuity would be lost. Saffold is also entering the last year of his contract, therefore if he wants to make a lot of money next season, he needs to perform well. Saffold has been a solid player so far in his career. Last season Saffold only had eight penalties for 50 yards. He had four false starts and two holding penalties. Saffold also only gave up 2.5 sacks last season for a loss of 5.5 yards total.

Sam Bradford

This one is pretty obvious. In order for the Rams to succeed, Bradford needs to play on top of his game. With the departure of Steven Jackson, this is now Sam Bradford’s team, and the team will only go as far as Sam Bradford takes them. Sam Bradford doesn’t necessarily have to throw for 4,000+ yards and 30TD, even though that would be nice, but Sam does need to come up big in big moments and be the leader of this team. There were too many times last season when the offense couldn’t generate anything for a sustainable amount of time, the offense needs to help out the defense and sustain longer drives and come up with points. Sam Bradford now has decent weapons in Givens, Austin, Cook, and Quick, it is time that Bradford produces. Bradford may just be the quarterback with the most pressure this season.

Brian Quick

Brian Quick is a third player that needs to step up this season. The Rams lost two of their best receivers last season in Amendola and Gibson. The Rams front office has put a lot of faith in Givens and Quick to carry the load at wide receiver. Quick needs to prove that he has developed, and can be the Rams number two or maybe even number one receiver. Everybody knows Quick has the capability of doing something special and he can make plays, it is time for Quick to go out and prove it.

Honorable Mentions

 Greg Zurlein is more special teams than offense, but he scores points, so we’ll put him in the offense category. Zurlein  needs to step up this season.He had a good rookie season going 23/31 and making seven 50+ yard field goals. However, while Zurlein went 14/17 on turf, he went 8/14  on grass/outdoor stadiums. The Rams play a lot of close games, and they are bound to play a lot of close ones this season. Zurlein could play a major key in the Rams success.

Tavon Austin also needs to play well. This is putting a lot on a rookie, but the Rams have been searching for a weapon for a long time, and they see Austin as being that. The Rams lost Danny Amendola in free agency, and although Amendola was hurt a lot, the Rams had a better record with him on the field. Austin needs to prove his critics wrong and prove his size is a non issue and be Sam’s security blanket underneath.

Last but not least, Jared Cook needs to play well. Cook is another weapon the Rams went to get. Cook needs to be a Rob Gronkowski/ Aaron Hernandez for the Rams. Cook has to make plays down the field for the Rams in order to open things up for Tavon Austin. Cook could play a major role in the Rams success this season.

Daryl Richardson/Isaiah Pead. Zac Stacy, whoever is starting at running back, needs to step up this season as they are filling the shoes of one of the all time greats. There is no way that any of these guys will be able to do what Jackson did, but they need to prove that they can carry the load, and back up the front office’s decision to let Steven Jackson walk.

I named over half the offense there, but all of these players are key to the Rams success this season, and it is important that these players step up and put up the numbers that they are capable of. The Rams are on the verge of a breakthrough and if these players step up, the Rams will no longer be on the verge, but will have completely broken through and will be a contender come December.