We have 3 players that are a bit problematic, huh?

[James Otto]

These discussions on Austin are nutty. If you take Austin out of the offense, this offense will be WORSE.

If you take Watkins out of the offense, this offense will be WORSE.

I've seen Quinn getting more and more and more active the past few weeks. Maybe still recovering from that back injury and getting used to the new scheme. He's been getting close to the QB alot, and make a couple nice TFL in the last game. Him and Barwin seem to be getting better.

I don't really see any players on this team as being problematic.

 

[Soul Surfer]

Fisher > Demoff

What does that mean?

They used to spoon together?

 

[Soul Surfer]

Stand by. I bet you we will see it.

 

[-X-]

Hey, just checking.

If posting the same thing three times in a row is therapeutic for you, I say do it!

Get well, man.

Huh? Are you seeing triple?

 

[dieterbrock]

I'd like to see Watkins get 10 targets in a game, however that is predicated on him being *open* enough to receive the targets. I think of him as a guy you want to get in space more than the deep threat guy in the way he appears to be used. His lack of production is a bit perplexing, I mean for his numbers to be this far off you'd expect him to be playing for a new team without any training camp, with a brand new, first time coach installing a brand new offense featuring a glorified rookie QB who is re-learning how to play football...
Oh, wait a minute

 

[Ram65]

I see this possible scenario:
Fisher: "I want to extend Austin's contract - 4 years, $42 million, $28.5 guaranteed"
Demoff: "Jeff, I don't think that makes a lot of sense"
Fisher: "Well, I do and I think he's going to be worth it"
Demoff: "OK, Jeff... if you think so"

I don't see Demoff being able to tell Fisher "no" (unless it put them in serious cap hell)

I don't think he had that power.

Yeah, I have a working knowledge of the salary cap management business model as it was conveyed by KD, but I'm no expert. I understand they have to maximize their assets. Every team has to do that. And every team has some questionable contracts from time to time. But I'm failing to see how Tavon, specifically, kept us from signing Barwin, Woods, Watkins, Whitworth, Barron, Webster, Robey-Coleman, etc.

I'm not going to get into speculation (re: Fisher *forced* KD to re-sign Tavon). That's fruitless. You can't prove that, and I can't disprove it. So let's just stick to the facts. Yes KD has the ability (common sense shouldn't be used as a pejorative) to override Les and the HC. He's already said that if the contract isn't doable for the short term AND long-term, then he'll veto it. As I said before, he has the whole of the team cap that he takes into consideration. But make no mistake -- it would be a colossal mistake to let KD (or any team COO/President) take the lead on player evals or team/system fit. That's not his(their) role and it should never be his(their) role.

I remember KD saying his job was to evaluate the future open (free agent) financial market for players on the Rams. The same goes for free agents the Rams are looking at signing. That way he can make sound offers to players the Rams want to keep or sign as free agents. In the case of Tavon Austin he overvalued the open market price for Tavon Austin not by a little but by a vast amount. I don't want Kevin Demoff to take the lead on player evals or team/system fit. I want him to do his job and offer fair market value to players the Rams want to keep. He failed by way overpaying Tavon Austin. For the redo of TA's first contract two years early he should have gotten a discount and not the crazy top 10 WR contract he gave him. He should not make decisions on the fact that the Rams can absorb the contract but, on the fair market value of each player. Everyone around the league were scratching their heads over this contract. Many were mad that it screwed the entire payment structure for WRs.

The Rams had very solid offseason free agent signings. The overpaying of Tavon could have resulted in Demoff deciding the Rams couldn't afford Jenkins last year. Some that 14.5 Million cap hit this year could have gone to another free agent like Calais Campbell. He was my dream sign this off season. Having more money could have made it even a nicer offseason.

 

[-X-]

In the case of Tavon Austin he overvalued the open market price for Tavon Austin not by a little but by a vast amount. I don't want Kevin Demoff to take the lead on player evals or team/system fit. I want him to do his job and offer fair market value to players the Rams want to keep.

But how do you know what his value was? He signed an extension, he didn't hit the Open Market. At the time, receivers were raking in the highest numbers ever (still are). There absolutely would have been a bidding war had he hit free agency. Austin is kind of like Cutler in that every offensive coordinator can envision him doing something spectacular for their team. So the question becomes; for you I guess, 'was it worth retaining him at all?' It seems you don't think he's worth much regardless of how much he was going to be paid by the Rams or by another team. Which is fine. Doesn't matter much to me. However, the market at the time tells me that he was going to get paid much more had he hit free agency. So taking him off the market before that happened was the right call, IMO.

And again, it doesn't really matter what any of us think. If McVay wants to keep him through the remainder of his contract and try to capitalize on his talents, then that's what he'll do. And if he doesn't, then he'll get traded or released. No big deal.

 

[Ram65]

But how do you know what his value was? He signed an extension, he didn't hit the Open Market. At the time, receivers were raking in the highest numbers ever (still are). There absolutely would have been a bidding war had he hit free agency. Austin is kind of like Cutler in that every offensive coordinator can envision him doing something spectacular for their team. So the question becomes; for you I guess, 'was it worth retaining him at all?' It seems you don't think he's worth much regardless of how much he was going to be paid by the Rams or by another team. Which is fine. Doesn't matter much to me. However, the market at the time tells me that he was going to get paid much more had he hit free agency. So taking him off the market before that happened was the right call, IMO.

And again, it doesn't really matter what any of us think. If McVay wants to keep him through the remainder of his contract and try to capitalize on his talents, then that's what he'll do. And if he doesn't, then he'll get traded or released. No big deal.

I actually was defending the contract until a couple/ few months ago when @flv explained the true cost of the deal. It is water under the bridge now , yet I'm not giving KD a pass. The damage has been done so why not keep TA unless a trade can be done this year. We are in disagreement over his market value. I feel the Rams and KD had the upper hand and didn't leverage it correctly. I think that KD could have done a better job and paid TA less money. You stated before all teams over pay sometimes and this was the Rams and KD time. As you say it really doesn't matter what any of us think yet we all like to give our opinions here at ROD.

 

[-X-]

As you say it really doesn't matter what any of us think yet we all like to give our opinions here at ROD.

Absolutely. What I meant by that though, was that it has no bearing on what McVay will ultimately decide to do. As in, he's not taking Austin's contract into consideration. If he's like most head coaches, players earn their stripes on merit. If you can play, you play. If you can't, you don't.

 

[-X-]

He can be a DH, but he has to stop with that silly gazelle leg lift.

I've made that comparison too.
Regarding that hop/pause/run thing he does.
He froze the shit out of a defender on that TD run he had against Seattle with it.


View: https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/917130029636608000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheramswire.usatoday.com%2F2017%2F10%2F08%2Fnfl-los-angeles-rams-tavon-austin-touchdown-week-5-seahawks%2F

 

[nighttrain]

damn right he froze him

 

[Rmfnlt]

Huh? Are you seeing triple?

Yes

 

[Rmfnlt]

Huh? Are you seeing triple?

Yes

 

[Rmfnlt]

Huh? Are you seeing triple?

Yes

 

[A.J. Hicks]

I've made that comparison too.
Regarding that hop/pause/run thing he does.
He froze the crap out of a defender on that TD run he had against Seattle with it.


View: https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/917130029636608000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheramswire.usatoday.com%2F2017%2F10%2F08%2Fnfl-los-angeles-rams-tavon-austin-touchdown-week-5-seahawks%2F

Talk about freezing defenders. Really watch that video closely. He has an unreal ability to control the pace and space of his footing. He doesn't lose speed but by adjusting his pace and space just a bit he kills people. He also has Faulk like vision at times.

Really watch this play. His 6 or 7 step he does a long hop/juke just within normal running motion. This causes Earl Thomas to suck into the back side hole. Then Tavon jets out to the right where he has lineman in front of him. Thomas ends up getting pancaked solely because of Tavon's suttle move.

Then he comes up and does the hover hop or whatever you want to call it. This is on Chancelor, one of the big hit safeties in the league. The thing that this does is once again make the defender pause. But Tavon doesn't lose any speed or momentum. What he did is change Cam's angle on him. Then Tavon got skinny through the hole with a great block by Everett. Cam only got a hand on him.

 

[UKram]

I've made that comparison too.
Regarding that hop/pause/run thing he does.
He froze the crap out of a defender on that TD run he had against Seattle with it.


View: https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/917130029636608000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheramswire.usatoday.com%2F2017%2F10%2F08%2Fnfl-los-angeles-rams-tavon-austin-touchdown-week-5-seahawks%2F

want to know my biggest issue with tavon ?

its not the money .. its not he fact he isnt a honest to god WR ...its not because he is small nad has bad hands and his role has been reduced to decoy ... none of that bothers me

what gets my goat is he has talent and he is so frigging inconsistent .. he can make the most beautiful jaw dropping run in a game then dissapears for the rest of it ... and muffs punts and then drop passes and dances left to right instead of just going ..thats what annoys me .. and thats why i feel like he should be gone one way or another ...he doesn't make enough plays to cancel out his bad ones ...and hurts the team more than he helps

 

[Rmfnlt]

dances left to right instead of just going

This is what drives me nuts... sideways...sideways...dancing...backwards...

Yeah, sometimes he shakes loose of the defenders... but too many many times, he gets pinned back for no gain or a loss.

He's best when he just runs north and south... if the hole isn't there, do NOT go sideways or backwards.

Just get what you can and live to run another play.