Thaddeus Lewis Featured on St. Louis Rams Website

ST. LOUIS - Duke football coach David Cutcliffe is widely regarded as one of the finest quarterback tutors in the country. He's the man who once provided guidance to future Hall of Fame signal caller Peyton Manning.

Cutcliffe passed those same lessons on to his latest pupil, Rams rookie Thaddeus Lewis. In his four-year career with the Blue Devils, Lewis went on to set or tie every major passing record in school history.

And for all of his success, Lewis was trained in a pro style offense more along the lines of the NFL than the spread offenses that run rampant in college football these days.

In other words, when Lewis signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent on April 26, he was about as NFL ready as a quarterback can be.

"It helped me a whole lot," Lewis said. "I wasn't fazed at all coming out to these practices because he makes his practices up tempo and fast. The transition was great so that part wasn't hard at all. It's just learning the language. The language is different. You have to forget everything you learned in college. Pretty much, the route concepts and running plays are the same. The defenses never change. They add a few things to it but it's pretty much the same."

Make no mistake, for as much preparation as Lewis was able to have for his move to the game's highest level, there's only so much you can do. That's why Lewis came to St. Louis with his eyes and ears wide open and his head on a swivel.

"It's demanding more of you on this level than in college," Lewis said. "As a quarterback, there are a lot of things you need to know as a rookie that you have to learn on the fly. You have to learn pretty quick in college but the transition has been pretty smooth. The coaches have done a great job with us but putting time in off the field also helps."

Considering his pedigree and his performance in college, it might come as a surprise that Lewis went undrafted last April.

For the complete story, go to http://www.stlouisrams.com/article/80159/

Thaddeus Lewis Featured on St. Louis Rams Website

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