To call Rams defensive end Robert Quinn a “beast” would be making a big understatement. Without a doubt, Quinn should be considered not only one of the best defensive ends in the National Football League, but one of the top defensive players period. Don’t think so? Look at the names below:
T.J Yates, Mike Glennon, Carson Palmer, Matt Ryan, Josh McCown, Colin Kaepernick, Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, and Drew Brees. What do all of these quarterbacks, some of whom are in the elite ranks of NFL Quarterbacks, some…not so much, have in common? They all have felt the wrath of the 6’4″, 264-pound Robert Quinn at some point throughout the 2013 season.
In Sunday’s 23-13 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Quinn got a trio of sacks en route to breaking former Rams’ DE Kevin Carter‘s record of 17 sacks in a season, set in 1999, during the Super Bowl Season. He now has 18 sacks, with one game left to play, an away game against rival Seattle.
Despite sitting out his junior season of college at North Carolina, Quinn was still considered to be a top draft prospect, with scouts ranging him from a top-10 to a top-15 pick. With the 14th pick in the 2011 draft, the Rams took a chance on him. A chance well worth taking, and one they surely are happy to have taken now.
Nearly finished with his third season, the 23-year old Quinn has 33.5 sacks and 92 total tackles, and is the anchor of one of the best front four lineman in the NFL. Him and fellow pass edge rusher Chris Long has wreaked havoc on opposing offensive lines since week 1.
At 7-8, the Rams won’t be making the playoffs this year, and this winning streak they are currently in came too little too late, but Quinn still has a chance to achieve something some of the greatest defenders in history have earned: Defensive Player of the Year
All season, fans across the NFL believed Colts DE Robert Mathis to win the award that has been raised by some of the greatest to ever play the game of football. While Mathis is a top candidate, he also has one and a half less sacks than Quinn.
If Quinn remains on top of the NFL in sacks, not only will he be a strong candidate for DPOY, he will also win the first-ever Deacon Jones Award. How fitting that a Rams player wins an award named after one of the greatest Rams’ in history, and one of the greatest lineman.
In a season where both the franchise QB and top offensive lineman went down with torn ACL’s, a season which St. Louis got blown out by Dallas but Beat New Orleans by double digits, and by having four different running backs take snaps until they found the future back in rookie Zac Stacy, it’s safe to say the Rams have not been consistent.
Quinn, however, has been very consistent this season. He has had at least one tackle in every game during the season, at least one sack in 10 games, four of those games he had multiple sacks, and five games with a forced fumble, two of which he was able to recover.
St. Louis is third in the NFL with 49 sacks, and nearly 40% of those sacks belong to Quinn. They lead the NFL with 21 forced fumbles, and nearly a fourth of those fumbles were forced by Quinn. There is no doubt that he has made the biggest impact on the Rams this season, and have helped propel them along with the top defensive units such as Seattle, Arizona, Carolina, Cleveland, and Cincinnati.
Quinn has made a name for himself in St. Louis, and has become a household name in Rams’ Nation. Fans know him and love him, and the city, and team, are lucky to have him on the Rams.
In the 1960’s and 70’s, the Los Angeles Rams’ had a defensive line unlike any other, known as the “Fearsome Foursome”. The line consisted of: Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier, Lamar Lundy, and Deacon Jones.
Now, over 45 years later, a new strong front four has emerged. Chris Long, Kendall Langford, Michael Brockers, and Robert Quinn. This group of lineman causes distress among even the top offensive lineman, and are constantly getting pressure on the quarterback.
And as for Quinn…there is no doubt that he has proven throughout the season, in both wins and losses, against the best QB’s and the n0t-so-great, indoors and outdoors, home or away, that he is one of the brightest young stars in the NFL.
And it’s because of his continued dominance this season that makes Robert Quinn the top contender for the 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award.
