The Sports Xchange

The St. Louis Rams hired former NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia as an offensive assistant, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Garcia, 45, originally interviewed with the Rams in February for the position of quarterbacks coach, but he was passed over for Chris Weinke, a former Heisman Trophy winner who was working as the director of the IMG Academy football program in Bradenton, Fla.

Rams coach Jeff Fisher apparently was so impressed with Garcia that he has created a position for him.

“It was almost as if he was getting ready to go out and play a game,” Fisher said of Garcia at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. “He’s just that guy. He’s so competitive. Throughout his career, people said he couldn’t do what he did. He takes great care of himself. He’s passionate about the game. He loves the game. His dad was a coach. It’s in him.

“He understands the system, the West Coast system and how it’s morphed. He’s familiar with it. He understands how difficult it is to see. Back there, taking snaps, it’s hard to see. But he also understands the game and preparation and loves competing.”

Garcia, who was named to the Pro Bowl four times in his 12-year NFL career, was last in the NFL as a backup for the Houston Texans in 2011. He passed for 25,537 yards and 161 touchdowns — and ran for 26 TDs — during his career with the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Texans.