Tavon Austin

[Dxmissile]

yeah I know another post but I went back to look at Tavons career numbers and it told a compelling story to me.

1. He played on a terrible team with an even terrible offensive scheme.
2. The offensive scheme was terrible
3. The offense stopped doing the things that actually worked.

Tavon had over 400 rushing yards in 2015 and 4 touchdowns on 52 carries
Then last year they only rush him 28 times don't make any sense

25 of his 58 catches went for first downs last year 6 plays of 20 yards or more only 1 play of 40 yards or more

Austin was never drafted just to be a WR but if he played on a better team or just had better offensive coaches around him his 12 receiving touchdowns would have been a lot better

Between receiving rushing and punt returns he has 23 touchdowns and 3900 yards let this sink in though he had at 8 touchdowns wiped away because of penalties he would have 7 punt returns for touchdowns instead of 3 he would have 10 rushing touchdowns instead of 8 he would have 14 receiving touchdowns instead of 12

Do I think Austin is a 14 touchdown receiver no he isn't but he can give 14 touchdowns in every phase of the game

 

[nighttrain]

good post DX, agree that Tavon has a lot of possibilities in McVay's system
train

 

[OldSchool]

Tavon is a playmaker and I agree there are a ton of possibilities with him. Unfortunately Fisher paid him as more than just a possibility guy he paid him to be a top line WR. He'll forever be criticized for that contract and his receiving production.

 

[bluecoconuts]

I think Austin was a Snead pick, he knew what he wanted to do with him. Fisher had absolutely no idea what to do with Austin or how to play to his strengths. McVay very obviously does. Think about it, if everyone plays to their potential this year, or even even gets close to playing to their potential, that's a really dangerous thought, and not just looking at it with rose colored glasses.

You have a legitimate #1 receiver in Watkins who pretty much can do it all, then you have either Kupp or Woods (or both) opposite, plus Gurley in the backfield, and then two speedy pass catching TE's, PLUS Tavon Austin, who the fuck do you guard? You can't guard them all, you have Watkins and Austin who can blow past them with their speed, With Kupp and Woods you have two very good route runners who can get separation that way (and everyone always says Kupp can read defenses like a QB), then you could have two big pass catching TE's, and an elite running back.. Oh and a QB that set records in an offense that loved to spread the ball around and pass a lot, and a coach that knows how to run an elite offense. Seriously, we really have something here guys, sacrifice whatever you need to the Football gods for it all to click together because if so we're fucking contenders. And not just for a division, I mean real contenders. We have blue chip players in all the right positions.

 

[kurtfaulk]

I think Austin was a Snead pick, he knew what he wanted to do with him. Fisher had absolutely no idea what to do with Austin or how to play to his strengths. McVay very obviously does. Think about it, if everyone plays to their potential this year, or even even gets close to playing to their potential, that's a really dangerous thought, and not just looking at it with rose colored glasses.

You have a legitimate #1 receiver in Watkins who pretty much can do it all, then you have either Kupp or Woods (or both) opposite, plus Gurley in the backfield, and then two speedy pass catching TE's, PLUS Tavon Austin, who the freak do you guard? You can't guard them all, you have Watkins and Austin who can blow past them with their speed, With Kupp and Woods you have two very good route runners who can get separation that way (and everyone always says Kupp can read defenses like a QB), then you could have two big pass catching TE's, and an elite running back.. Oh and a QB that set records in an offense that loved to spread the ball around and pass a lot, and a coach that knows how to run an elite offense. Seriously, we really have something here guys, sacrifice whatever you need to the Football gods for it all to click together because if so we're freaking contenders. And not just for a division, I mean real contenders. We have blue chip players in all the right positions.

We need a "my dick is rock hard" rating for this site.

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[fearsomefour]

2015:
104 touches in the receiving and running games and 9 TDs. Almost a TD every 10 touches.
More weapons stand to help Tavon particularly if the running game is good. Gurley and Watkins will be the focus. Of course, that also means fewer touches.
I don't see the Rams trading him or attempting to. Last year of Watkins contract, Austin has a hard contract to trade and I'm sure McVey wants play makers.
I hope McVey can find an effective and efficient role for Austin. He doesn't need to be a guy who has 20 touches a game to have a big impact, but, he does need to get the ball in the right ways.

 

[JackDRams]

2015:
104 touches in the receiving and running games and 9 TDs. Almost a TD every 10 touches.
More weapons stand to help Tavon particularly if the running game is good. Gurley and Watkins will be the focus. Of course, that also means fewer touches.
I don't see the Rams trading him or attempting to. Last year of Watkins contract, Austin has a hard contract to trade and I'm sure McVey wants play makers.
I hope McVey can find an effective and efficient role for Austin. He doesn't need to be a guy who has 20 touches a game to have a big impact, but, he does need to get the ball in the right ways.

McVay.

 

[dieterbrock]

Great post DX
I wouldn't be heart broken if they traded him however I'd love to see him operate in a real offense before making any final conclusions.

 

[fearsomefour]

McVay.

Don't worry, I will try to remember, you will probably only have to correct me two to three dozen more times.

 

[Angry Ram]

Do I think Austin is a 14 touchdown receiver no he isn't but he can give 14 touchdowns in every phase of the game

Why people refuse to acknowledge that is beyond me.

 

[fearsomefour]

Why people refuse to acknowledge that is beyond me.

Particularly when he had 10 total in 2015 and had at least two punt returns called back.

 

[WvuIN02]

Why people refuse to acknowledge that is beyond me.

Yea I dont get it either. Austin Watkins Gurley Kupp etc, each weapon you can put on the field helps every other weapon on the field. Seattle would just put Sherman on Austin all game before. Do that sh*t now and see what happens with Watkins outside. Kupp Woods Higbee etc will be freed up if you try and take away those two, or Gurley will be looking at maybe 6 or 7 man boxes.

Its a win-win for the entire offense

 

[FaulkSF]

We need a "my dick is rock hard" rating for this site.

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Kf, I just woke up my baby. Wife giving me the stink eye of death right now. Haha

 

[Leuzer]

We need a "my dick is rock hard" rating for this site.

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I rated this an "ouch" because, if you squint, it looks like the guy has a third leg.

 

[StealYoGurley]

1. He played on a terrible team with an even terrible offensive scheme.
2. The offensive scheme was terrible
3. The offense stopped doing the things that actually worked.

This is all the same point/tired blame it all the coaches Tavon excuse. My question to all the Tavon apologizers is at what point is Tavon accountable at all? No one will argue his ability as runner or returner, but at what point do we hold him accountable for his failures as receiver instead of blaming it all on the coaches. The coaches are part of his success as a runner and returner, but they are supposed to take all of the blame for his failures as receiver? The coaches sucking certainly plays a role, but there is more to it than that, and you have to factor in Tavon's shortcomings as well. By several metrics Tavon has some of the least efficient seasons as a receiver in NFL HISTORY. Ray Sherman the Rams WR coach had 20 years in the NFL coaching WRs did he just suddenly just forget how to coach. Mike Groh can get the most out of Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffrey, and Kenny Britt, but its all his fault when Tavon hits a career high at barely over 500 receiving yards? Come on.

Moving past the old coaching staff lets look at what McVay and the new coaching staff has done and said since they got here.

1. Signed Robert Woods and instantly installed him at the team's top receiver.
2. Talked up Tyler Higbee and backed it up by heavily targeting him throughout the offseason making him a key part of the offense
3. Spent his first pick as a head coach on a TE who has the upside to fill the Jordan Reed role as the top target getter in his offense
4. Drafted Cooper Kupp and named him a starter by the end of OTAs
5. Talked up Mike Thomas all offseason who took Tavon's reps while he missed OTAs with a wrist injury
6. Traded for a legit #1 WR and proven deep threat in Sammy Watkins

What has McVay said about Tavon? He feels his speed, wants to get the ball in his hands, have to figure out how to best use him, but Tavon needs to become a more complete receiver. Certainly not a ringing endorsements combined with bringing 3 of his own guys in at WR in Watkins, Woods, and Kupp and making them starters.

Do I think Austin is a 14 touchdown receiver no he isn't but he can give 14 touchdowns in every phase of the game

14 total touchdowns seems high IMO considering Tavon's order in the touches pecking order. Peak Tavon in 2015 was 10 TDs including the called back TDs. However, the Rams were funneling him touches and only Gurley out touched him. IMO he isn't getting anywhere close to that usage level with the rams current set of weapons. Gurley, Watkins, and Woods will definitely out touch him. Additionally, Kupp and the combination of Higbee/Everett will probably out touch him as well. This offense will be better, but it won't go from dead last to GSOT where the 4th WR is putting up huge numbers. The Falcons had one of the most prolific offensive seasons in the history NFL history. New OC Matt LaFleur had Taylor Gabriel who was 4th in touches on that team and he managed 7 TDs minus the punt returning. Even with the added element of punt returning no way I see Tavon getting 7 more TDs in a much weaker offense. Furthermore, even a 22 spot offensive jump into the top 10 offenses isn't going to result in the 4th option getting 14 TDS. IMO half that amount is a more reasonable expectation.

 

[yrba1]

I'm not worried about Austin at least contributing with this team. I don't expect him to have excellent route running skills in year 1 under McVay's offense but coaching will give him plenty of opportunities to pull off impressive chunks of yardage; even if he doesn't make tremendous plays, he'll certainly draw attention to allow other receivers to make plays.

 

[WvuIN02]

Yawn. Gurley sucked last year too.

 

[Riverumbbq]

We need a "my dick is rock hard" rating for this site.

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[fastcat]

If TA was on a team like the patriots he'd be a borderline hof'er by now

 

[dolphinlover123]

Did we front load Tavon's contract? I forget. Itd be nice to have him and maybe he cements a spot for himself on the team. Im not good at looking at how much $ we have left to spend and stuff. Maybe someone can take a good look at it.