My take on Pead: He is the most gifted RB on the roster, athletically. Can do it all, speed, shiftiness, pass catching, pass blocking. But he seems as if he is trying to force the issue and make a play, instead of letting the play develop and using his talents to do the rest. When he fell out of favor year one, his confidence was shaken, and his lack of maturity got the best of him. (reports of him sulking in his apartment, admitting the game is no longer fun, to missing or being late to meetings). After getting ALL his reps with the 1st unit in last years training camp, even with the looming suspension, IMO, set him up to think, and rightly so, that he would be given every opportunity to carry a heavy workload into the season.
Then, he falls off the map? Not sure if he pulled some stunt in that 2 weeks he was suspended (the week of and week after) to get placed so firmly in the dog house. But the fact that he managed to come back and prove he "wanted" to be a part of this and get on the field anyway possible (Special Teams) was a sign for me that he might just be maturing.
Fast forward to this year's camp. So far, he is part of what appears to be a true competition, at least in terms of splitting reps. He is a fixture on all of the ST, so maybe, just maybe the light bulb has finally turned on for him.
My take on Quick: Again, might just be the most gifted WR on the roster athletically. Size, speed, strength. All there. He is a hard worker, and it has never been said he is a problem. Meaning, he shows up and goes to work. His biggest issue, IMO, is confidence. It's having the confidence in his own ability to play at this level. And its the coaching staff showing they have the confidence in him to keep putting him out there, even when he makes a mental mistake or drops a pass.
His body language even at training camp if he drops a ball, looks like he is defeated. He seems to be constantly "looking over his shoulder" wondering what Coach Sherman is going to do or say next. This camp so far, that hasn't been nearly as evident. Again, does that mean the light bulb has come on? Only time will tell.
Having Kenny Britt here has already paid dividends as far as Brian Quick's confidence. They are paired together, and taking reps together. And if you want to find Brian Quick on the practice field, find Britt and he is ALWAYS within a few feet. And Britt is the most spirited player I have seen on the practice field in the past 4 years of attending these practices. He is always encouraging the others in the WR group, but he seems to be giving Quick extra attention. Is that by design? have the coaches put a bug in his ear? Who knows,, but it seems to be working.