Former MU backup joins Rams' competition at QB

ST. LOUIS -- All last season, Kirk Farmer watched Brad Smith put up big numbers at Missouri.

Now the shoe is on the other foot: The guy who spent his senior season on the bench as the Tigers' backup quarterback is getting his first taste of the NFL with the Rams, this time with Smith looking on.

"I'm sure he'll be up here someday, somewhere in the league," Farmer said of Smith. "I don't think he's going to have to wait too long."

Farmer has come a long way, too, after his career hit a roadblock in college. The NFL didn't forget him after he lost his job to Smith, who as a redshirt freshman became only the second player in NCAA history to run and pass for 1,000 yards.

On Friday, the first day of the Rams' minicamp, Farmer was in some respects the center of attention. He's the only quarterback in the minicamp for rookies and first-year players, so he got plenty of one-on-one time with coach Mike Martz and new offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild.

Farmer wasn't drafted, but the Rams signed him mere minutes after the draft ended. At the time, Martz gushed about his talent -- and Martz wasn't backing off from his assessment that Farmer could beat Scott Covington for the third-string job.

"He's got more of an arm than anybody I've ever been around," Martz said. "I'm excited because he learns quickly. It doesn't mean he's going to be a quarterback in this league, but he's got the tools."

Support from the Tigers

The contingent from Missouri that also included quarterback coach Dave Yost and backup quarterback Sonny Riccio came to offer moral support. They also were impressed.

"He can do everything athletically that you'd ask," Yost said. "He just ran into a great one at Missouri."

Farmer was surprised to see them.

"It was nice, it was unexpected," Farmer said. "It's nice to see all my buddies."

Smith said he felt bad for Farmer last year, "our whole team was excited he got an opportunity" at the NFL.

Farmer wasn't invited to the combine in February, but Yost said he would have been if he'd had a normal senior season. Throwing all offseason to Missouri wide receiver Justin Gage, a fifth-round pick of the Chicago Bears, helped get him noticed.

"His numbers would have been in the upper echelon of the combine in strength and speed, and he's a 3.9 student," Yost said. "His work ethic is where it needs to be."

For now, his locker is next to Kurt Warner's, decorated with pictures of his wife and family. And he's working with the architect of the NFL's No. 1 offense from 1999-2001.

"It can take you back if you sit and think about it, but if you do that you're going to lose your focus," Farmer said. "I've got a long ways to go before I think about making this team."