St. Louis Rams Under normal circumstances, Garrett Gilbert's offseason
methods for learning the St. Louis Rams' offense would have put him in hot
water with parents Gale and Kim Gilbert. With no
whiteboard to use, Gilbert spent each night with some dry erase markers going
through the X's and O's on the windows of his parents' Austin, Texas, home. St.
Louis Rams But Gilbert didn't get grounded or have his allowance taken away for
making a mess. That's because he had a partner in crime, his father Gale,
who played 10 seasons in the NFL with Seattle, St.
Louis Rams Buffalo and San Diego. Despite a modest protest from Kim
Gilbert, she was outnumbered by her football-loving son and husband. "My
mom wasn’t too pleased," Garrett Gilbert said. "loves going through
that stuff, so it was fun to go through it and teach him a little about what
we’re trying to do." Of course, the ultimate purpose of the nightly
playbook exercises was meant for the younger Gilbert to learn the Rams' offense
as he embarks on his rookie season in the NFL. A sixth-round choice out of
Southern Methodist, Gilbert is the first quarterback the Rams have selected in
the three drafts guided by coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead. Expectations for Gilbert are minimal with Sam Bradford in place as the starter and
veteran Shaun Hill set as the primary
backup. But the Rams wouldn't mind having Gilbert take hold of a potential
third roster spot for a quarterback and become the type of developmental
prospect worth keeping around so he can one day become a serviceable backup. To
get there, Gilbert, like all rookies, especially quarterbacks, has a lot of
learning to do. And before he can do much of anything, he must learn all he can
about coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's offense. It's a tall order for any
player but especially Gilbert. After playing in seven offenses in eight
seasons, Gilbert has learned enough different language and terminology that he
could create and sell a quarterback version of Rosetta-Stone. Of those many
offenses, the one he ran for the Mustangs was perhaps the most different from
the one he's now learning. SMU was a spread team with Gilbert spending most of
his time taking snaps out of the shotgun and throwing it all over the field. It
was a system he knew well and the results were impressive. He finished his
senior season with 3,528 passing yards and 21 touchdowns with six more scores
on the ground in 10 games. That's a far cry from the run heavy, West
Coast-driven offense Gilbert is now tasked with understanding in St. Louis. "It’s
definitely a transition," Gilbert said. "I think any time you are
playing quarterback at this level there’s going to be a transition from the
collegiate level regardless of where you played college football. You get rare
exceptions like Andrew Luck or Peyton Manning where they
come in and they’re immediately successful, but there’s definitely a transition
period and learning curve. It’s really a lot of fun for me to challenge
myself." As Gilbert is quick to point out, learning a new offense at this
point isn't so much about knowing where receivers are going to go as
understanding the protections and adjustments to be made at the line of
scrimmage. That's why Gilbert didn't have as much "down time" as the
rest of his rookie teammates. So he and his father spent each night going
through a different install with the younger Gilbert making notes on each day
so when that installation comes up during camp, he can ask the appropriate
questions of Schottenheimer and quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti. He also
called Bradford to ask questions and get
clarification when needed. Upon arrival for Tuesday and Wednesday's
rookies-only practice sessions, Gilbert said he felt much more comfortable
getting in and out of the huddle and handling things at the line of scrimmage. St.
Louis Rams It's a basic function for a quarterback but at least it's a start. St.
Louis Rams There's still a long way to go in this training camp and preseason
and if the Rams are to keep a third quarterback, Gilbert will have to fend off Austin
Davis for the job. St. Louis Rams With Bradford recovering from knee
surgery, there might even be additional repetitions available for Gilbert in
camp and preseason games. St. Louis Rams Without the pedigree or draft status
of a first-round pick, Gilbert is well aware that nothing is promised. St. Louis
Rams "I’m out here to compete, learn and just become the best player I can
every single day," Gilbert said, St. Louis Rams.
