Wagoner: Pettis Pushing for Bigger Role

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Nick Wagoner
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Entering just his third season in the NFL, Austin Pettis finds himself feeling something like an old man when he walks into the meeting room with his fellow receivers.

Following the offseason departures of veteran wideouts Brandon Gibson, Danny Amendola and Steve Smith, the Rams opted to continue their youth movement at the position rather than bring in another veteran who could take valuable repetitions from their youngsters.

The result was the addition of exciting rookies like Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey. It also cast Pettis in the role of the “veteran” leader with just two years under his belt. For the 25-year old Pettis, it’s a task he’s openly embracing.

“The coaches let me know before we even came back for our offseason workouts that I was the vet in the receiver room,” Pettis said. “And I kind of have to approach it like that and take everyone under my arms a little bit and try to give them my knowledge that I’ve had being here.”

Pettis is surrounded by rookies such as Austin and Bailey and second-year guys like Brian Quick and Chris Givens. It didn’t take him long to start trying to find ways to help those players out so that the group’s youth couldn’t be used as a crutch moving forward.

During the team’s time away from Rams Park, Pettis took it upon himself to invite Quick and Givens to his home in southern California so the trio could work out and focus on getting as ready as possible for the 2013 season.

Givens and Quick lived with Pettis for the bulk of the time between season’s end and the start of the offseason conditioning program. The group would wake up and work out together, mixing in visits with other NFL players and some collegians and visiting different spots for their workouts, including a brief stop at UCLA.

There, the group worked out with former NFL receiver Terrell Owens in a large group setting, a workout arranged by Quick, who knew Owens from some previous meetings.

“We were down in LA, running some routes, throwing with a few different people and worked out at a facility down in Orange County,” Pettis said. “We got some real good work in and kind of understood how the NFL works and how hard you have to work and tried to relay that to these young guys early on.”

The work Pettis did with Givens and Quick wasn’t limited to the on-field workouts, either. For many young players in the league, the most difficult time of the year is the offseason. It lends itself to more free time and thus more opportunities to get into trouble.

Pettis made sure he emphasized to his younger teammates the importance of using that time wisely and not putting yourself in a position to get into trouble. It’s a lesson he said he learned from guys like Amendola and Gibson when he came into the league.

“I kind of just watched the older guys in front of me when I first got in here,” Pettis said. “I didn’t necessarily know how hard you had to work and I don’t think you noticed how hard you work in college just because they make you. We have a lot more free time and you have to be a professional and do stuff on your own.”

To be sure, Pettis has embraced the role of leader to the young group of receivers but he’s also by no means neglecting the work and opportunity to enhance his role in 2013.

In fact, Pettis has been one of the most consistently notable players during the Rams’ Organized Team Activities, making catches from every receiver position and really standing out during red zone opportunities with one acrobatic catch after another.

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has been impressed with how Pettis has not only taken on a leadership role but also set an example through his performance.

“He does a great job of coaching these young guys and he’s a professional,” Schottenheimer said. “And quite honestly, he’s probably having the best camp of all the skill players. He’s a tireless worker, very competitive, can play all the spots which helps and he’s having a tremendous spring.”

Pettis’ ascent should actually come as little surprise to those who were paying attention toward the end of the 2012 season.

About midway through the year, Pettis started finding himself worked into the game plan more and more, particularly in red zone situations where his 6’3, 207-pound frame could be better used.

Pettis caught a key touchdown at San Francisco in November which gave the Rams a late lead, came up with a huge fourth-down conversion on a ball thrown behind him to set up the game-winning score against Buffalo on Dec. 9 then posted a career-high 55 yards against Minnesota the following week before catching red zone touchdowns against Tampa Bay and Seattle in the season’s final two weeks.

The end-of-season prosperity gave Pettis a big dose of self-assurance heading into the offseason, a development that has even seen him put on a show on his way to Most Valuable Player honors at coach Jeff Fisher’s charity softball game.

“I felt a lot more comfortable,” Pettis said. “Going into it, once Coach Schotty started putting me in game planning more in the red zone, I started getting a little more confidence and I think Sam did as well and it’s continued into these OTAs.”

Pettis and his fellow wideouts returned to St. Louis in early April, about a week before the official start of the offseason program so they could get in some extra work with quarterback Sam Bradford.

The group ran routes and did some situational stuff with Bradford so when the Organized Team Activities began and installation of the offense started, they’d be as up to speed as possible. Each day after conditioning Pettis, the wideouts and Bradford would go outside and get in some additional work.

Entering the second year under Schottenheimer and together as a group, Pettis feels a definitive sense of understanding of the offense and how it could evolve in 2013.

“We are no longer thinking about the plays and worried about the coverage and stuff, now we are getting ready and just playing football, going out there and reacting,” Pettis said. “We know what we’re doing. When you get to play like that, that’s when you start having fun and that’s when you can put points on the board.”
 

brokeu91

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I know the reports on Pettis are good so far. It is possible that he made a big jump this offseason. I do like Pettis as a possession type WR and end zone target. He is a smooth route runner and can catch the ball if it is anywhere near him.

However, he is not the fastest guy out there. I don't think he can be an outside guy and give decent production. While he might be able to run smooth routes to play the outside you also have to have some speed, and he hasn't shown that so far.

All of this hype reminds me of Brandon Gibson in 2011. I went to training camp a couple of days when I was in St. Louis that year. I saw Gibson, he looked exceptionally fast and was making catches all over the field. On the first play from scrimmage in the first preseason game, Gibson has a long catch for a TD. I thought we might have out #1WR. Then the season began and he continued to look slow, dropped easy catches and was just not as good as he looked in camp.

I wonder if Pettis will be another Gibson (who was a training camp wonder). I hope for the teams sake that he isn't and will excel. Maybe getting the extra training in the offseason and pointers from Holt and Bruce will pay off. But, I'm not holding my breath on this one. I felt like I was already fooled by Gibson and don't want to get my hopes up, just to be deflated again.
 

albefree69

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When we drafted him and for much of his first two years I was really down on him. I said at the time he was drafted that as he couldn't get much separation in college, why would anybody think he could do that in the NFL? I saw the same thing once he joined the Rams. No separation but he caught everything that was close to him in practice.Then came the drops.

Having said that, I've come to appreciate his Proehl like abilities. I think he's made great strides in the time he's been with us. He's never gonna be our #1 or even our #2 but he'll contribute IMO. He's a good 4th or 5th WR.
 

Thordaddy

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I've never been down on Pettis ,actually IMO if Sam gets a little more time I think he will get open more. I thought the drops he had were endemic to all the recs. so some of it was the ball getting there a little early or mass hysteria,if he'd been the only guy dropping the ball I might have been more alarmed.

Anyway, I think he ends up our 4 or 5 as you said and considering he is our most experienced it says were pretty damned good with young inexperienced guys.

I put him at the 5 by mid season 4 to start out .
 

albefree69

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Thordaddy up early as usual:
I put him at the 5 by mid season 4 to start out .

I'm just pulling this out of may ass but I think he's gonna start out this year as our rotational #3. Splitting time with Austin and Quick with a little Bailey thrown in for flavor.
 

Thordaddy

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Al with an anatomical opinion said

albefree69 said:
Thordaddy up early as usual:
I put him at the 5 by mid season 4 to start out .

I'm just pulling this out of may ass[/b] but I think he's gonna start out this year as our rotational #3. Splitting time with Austin and Quick with a little Bailey thrown in for flavor.


To which Odin wittily replied:
I hope you washed it before you posted it.

I only see that is someone is hurt ,Quick Givens Austin then Pettis/Bailey is how I see it.

But since you have repository for opinions I expect you'll have others , my "repository" has exhausted itself and NOW I'm going to use my head.
 

PrometheusFaulk

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Not sure about the pecking order yet, but I believe it's a good thing to have depth and options. Glad to see Pettis doing so well.
 

albefree69

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Depth is good. The last time we had this kind of depth (potentially) is when we had Holt, Bruce, Az and Proehl. Those were 4 great/very good players but I think we have 5 keepers. :zomg:
 

Thordaddy

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albefree69 said:
Depth is good. The last time we had this kind of depth (potentially) is when we had Holt, Bruce, Az and Proehl. Those were 4 great/very good players but I think we have 5 keepers. :zomg:
That's what she said
 

PrometheusFaulk

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albefree69 said:
Depth is good. The last time we had this kind of depth (potentially) is when we had Holt, Bruce, Az and Proehl. Those were 4 great/very good players but I think we have 5 keepers. :zomg:

The 5th guy on that depth chart was a pretty good kick returner too! :ww:

It'll be interesting to see how this lump of clay that is the group of wideouts forms - I have some idea of how the pieces might look, but no idea about they fit into the whole picture.
 

albefree69

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PrometheusFaulk recalling the past:

The 5th guy on that depth chart was a pretty good kick returner too! :ww:


Was Horne a WR too?

Or are you talking about someone else? My memory of the depth players back then isn't very good.

Thordaddy giving me the undeserved benefit of the doubt:
That's what she said

That's how I remember it now too. :lol:
 

kurtfaulk

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brokeu91 said:
I know the reports on Pettis are good so far. It is possible that he made a big jump this offseason. I do like Pettis as a possession type WR and end zone target. He is a smooth route runner and can catch the ball if it is anywhere near him.

However, he is not the fastest guy out there. I don't think he can be an outside guy and give decent production. While he might be able to run smooth routes to play the outside you also have to have some speed, and he hasn't shown that so far.

All of this hype reminds me of Brandon Gibson in 2011. I went to training camp a couple of days when I was in St. Louis that year. I saw Gibson, he looked exceptionally fast and was making catches all over the field. On the first play from scrimmage in the first preseason game, Gibson has a long catch for a TD. I thought we might have out #1WR. Then the season began and he continued to look slow, dropped easy catches and was just not as good as he looked in camp.

I wonder if Pettis will be another Gibson (who was a training camp wonder). I hope for the teams sake that he isn't and will excel. Maybe getting the extra training in the offseason and pointers from Holt and Bruce will pay off. But, I'm not holding my breath on this one. I felt like I was already fooled by Gibson and don't want to get my hopes up, just to be deflated again.

Once again, pettis is nothing like gibson. He's the exact opposite of gibson. This guy is as clutch as it gets, all the time.

Whatever his role is we know that bradford will have 100% confidence in him to make the catch.

.
 

albefree69

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kurtfaulk whose perceptions of Pettis might be colored by the last 8 games of 2012:
Once again, pettis is nothing like gibson. He's the exact opposite of gibson. This guy is as clutch as it gets, all the time.

Whatever his role is we know that bradford will have 100% confidence in him to make the catch.

While I agree with most of that, I can remember some key drops and receptions a half yard short of the first down marker in his first year and a half on the field. But for clutch play, I thought the last half of the season he really stepped up. I'm pretty sure Sam already trusts him.
 

PrometheusFaulk

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albefree69 said:
PrometheusFaulk recalling the past:

The 5th guy on that depth chart was a pretty good kick returner too! :ww:


Was Horne a WR too?

Or are you talking about someone else? My memory of the depth players back then isn't very good.

Thordaddy giving me the undeserved benefit of the doubt:
That's what she said

That's how I remember it now too. :lol:

Yep! He actually had a couple of TD catches in 2000.
 

albefree69

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PrometheusFaulk young at heart and in mind:
Yep! He actually had a couple of TD catches in 2000.

Those just completely slipped by me. Great memory. I can't even picture him catching a pass. :omg:
 

jap

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albefree69 said:
kurtfaulk whose perceptions of Pettis might be colored by the last 8 games of 2012:
Once again, pettis is nothing like gibson. He's the exact opposite of gibson. This guy is as clutch as it gets, all the time.

Whatever his role is we know that bradford will have 100% confidence in him to make the catch.

While I agree with most of that, I can remember some key drops and receptions a half yard short of the first down marker in his first year and a half on the field. But for clutch play, I thought the last half of the season he really stepped up. I'm pretty sure Sam already trusts him.

The early drops by AP is something that virtually every rookie receiver goes through---actually, more like every rookie player. They have to learn to deal with the enhanced hitting at the pro level. I always expect drops from the young guys until they learn to squeeze the pigskin a little tighter before they get popped.
 

GreeneCounty

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Just never been impressed with the guy. He tries but cannot get away from db's and seems to lack speed.
 

albefree69

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jap wrote:

The early drops by AP is something that virtually every rookie receiver goes through---actually, more like every rookie player. They have to learn to deal with the enhanced hitting at the pro level. I always expect drops from the young guys until they learn to squeeze the pigskin a little tighter before they get popped.

I get that. Kendricks had the same difficulties. So that might go with the territory but I'm not going to start singing his praises until he shows a nice history of not dropping the critical ones. A half year would not qualify in my mind. But as I've already said many times, I like him and his future with the Rams even though he still doesn't get much separation.
 

nighttrain

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Austin Pettis let the game come to him 2nd half of the season, you could see him mature as a player. methinks this Austin will play a role in a winning Ram season, not like, but of some semblance of our other Austin
train