Changing places Heisman winner Crouch tries hand as Rams receiv

MACOMB, Ill. -- The day the St. Louis Rams drafted Eric Crouch, his Heisman Trophy was useless.

The former Nebraska quarterback, perhaps the future X factor in the Rams' offense, now is playing catch-up at a new position.

Crouch is a wide receiver with zero experience, trying his best to hold his own and avoid embarrassment among four-time Pro Bowler Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.

It's a vastly different atmosphere for Crouch. When he accepted college football's biggest individual honor last December, he was No. 1. Now he's on a remedial course.

"You know you're starting from the bottom of the barrel, and you've got to make your way all the way to the top," Crouch said. "It's going to be a challenge, and that's one thing I've always looked at. Every time I step on the field, it's a challenge."

There have been missteps in the early going. Crouch nursed a hamstring injury during the Rams' first two minicamps. While he grapples with the terminology and the route-running during training camp, he sometimes drops a perfectly thrown pass or watches a punt tumble to the grass.

"It's definitely a challenge for him," Bruce said. "This is a place to learn, and he's going to take his bumps and bruises. He can't get disappointed with himself if he doesn't make a good play."

Holt can relate to Crouch. After putting up big numbers as a receiver at North Carolina State, Holt went sixth overall in the 1999 draft.

When he came into training camp, Holt also felt behind.

"You've got to stay patient," Holt said. "When you don't know everything and you've got guys who are better than you, you kind of take a step back and stay humble."

The Rams will be patient with their third-round pick, whom coach Mike Martz envisions as a receiver, returner and secret weapon.

During his college career, Crouch showed a flair for the dramatic. His end-zone-to-end-zone dash against Missouri last fall is one of many standout plays. He used his speed and athleticism to become one of three major college quarterbacks to run for 3,000 yards and pass for 4,000 yards in a career.

Crouch is the Rams' fastest player, ahead of running back Trung Canidate, Bruce and Holt.

"He's the fastest player I've ever been around," Martz said.

Speed aside, learning a new position has been difficult.

"There's a lot of little things you have to pay attention to," Crouch said. "I'm getting a lot of advice from the veterans, and I'm going to be learning every day out there.

"I just have to absorb as much as I possibly can and try to translate that to the football field."

He appears to be a fast learner. Four days into training camp, Martz saw Crouch beginning to understand the offense.

"Up to that point, it looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders," Martz said. "He's making real good progress. He really studies, and he works hard at it, and he just doesn't get disillusioned.

"Now he's getting a little bit of success, and he's getting excited about it."

All those years at quarterback have been an asset. Crouch knows about each position, and he believes that has helped him learn the playbook.

Yet sometimes he gets the urge to get behind center Andy McCollum and start barking signals.

"I haven't completely forgotten about quarterback, I have to be honest," Crouch said. "I still have an itch to pick a ball up and throw it, but that's something that's just innate for me.

"I'm starting to feel like a receiver more and more every day, running routes and learning from the veterans, and hopefully one of these days sometime soon it can just feel natural and look natural for me."