Davis and the Opposing Defense

[jjab360]

The biggest issue I have with Davis is his lack of accuracy in general. Granted, he will make a throw that makes you go, "wow" but more often than not, he misses on routine throws. Look no further than the opening "drive". He sails two balls over open receivers to start the game. Then dumps one short of the chains on 3rd down. Everyone seems enamored by his stats, but he has thrown the ball 91 times in the last 2 games. He should be able to put up numbers. The problem is, if this team has to throw the ball 30+ times, its not going to win many games. And that is the case regardless of whether its Davis, Hill or Bradford playing QB.

But lets not make it out to be more than it is. He has thrown 2 Pick 6 INTs and yesterday lost 2 critical fumbles. One that lead directly to another defensive score against, and the first that killed a rive in the Red Zone.

I just think people are so starved for anything to look to that is exciting and new from this team, that they seem to be overlooking the overall results. The comeback was fun to watch, but the OFFENSIVE miscues were the biggest culprit yesterday in why they were so far behind in the first place.

C'mon Coach, neither one of those fumbles was his fault, free rushers coming off the blind side with the ball coming out, anybody would lose the ball in that situation.

As for stats being inflated due to the number of throws, I disagree. It's not just his bulk stats that are impressive, Davis is 8th in the league in CMP% and 7th in YPA right now.

Davis has been poised, accurate, aggressive, and impressive in almost every facet. I love Bradford, but this is the best passing game we've had in years.

 

[iced]

C'mon Coach, neither one of those fumbles was his fault, free rushers coming off the blind side with the ball coming out, anybody would lose the ball in that situation.

As for stats being inflated due to the number of throws, I disagree. It's not just his bulk stats that are impressive, Davis is 8th in the league in CMP% and 7th in YPA right now.

Davis has been poised, accurate, aggressive, and impressive in almost every facet. I love Bradford, but this is the best passing game we've had in years.

Davis disagreed with ya in his presser - he took the blame for one of them, they were bringing one more than we could block and he felt he should have gotten the ball out quickly.

 

[CoachO]

And yet his completion percentage is what?

I'm not going to say he is the next coming. I definitely see flaws. But when you have big targets, throw it high. And that is what he's doing for the most part. I agree that a more veteran QB MIGHT not have one or both of those fumbles but then again, there is NO excuse for whiffing on as many blocks as our O-line did in that game. Hell - on one, the OLB - the freaking OLB - was not even looked at. That wasn't really a blitzer. He was lined up on the line and yet no one even looked at him.

and yet the rookie QB didn't recognize it and account for it. And I don't care what his completion % is. He misses on way too many passes that an NFL caliber QB should complete. The ones that should be nothing more than pitch and catch throws he has more accuracy problems on, than the ones he actually makes.

And for all who seem to like his mobility, in most cases he is bailing on plays way too soon, anticipating pressure that isn't there.

Sorry, I am not impressed as many others seem to be. And just wait till he gets exposed in the next month against defenses the likes of SF, Seatle, Denver and Arizona.
He has accounted for nearly as many defensive TDs against, than he has Offensive TDs. Btu hey, his FF numbers are off the charts, so put him i n the ProBowl.

I hope I am wrong about him. Come back and lets revisit this a month from now and see how he has progressed.

 

[CoachO]

C'mon Coach, neither one of those fumbles was his fault, free rushers coming off the blind side with the ball coming out, anybody would lose the ball in that situation.

As for stats being inflated due to the number of throws, I disagree. It's not just his bulk stats that are impressive, Davis is 8th in the league in CMP% and 7th in YPA right now.

Davis has been poised, accurate, aggressive, and impressive in almost every facet. I love Bradford, but this is the best passing game we've had in years.

And I would argue he needs to recognize where the blitz is coming from, and get rid of the football. He does a horrible job of that. Sorry, I am just not sold on him.

 

[Athos]

And yet his completion percentage is what?

I'm not going to say he is the next coming. I definitely see flaws. But when you have big targets, throw it high. And that is what he's doing for the most part. I agree that a more veteran QB MIGHT not have one or both of those fumbles but then again, there is NO excuse for whiffing on as many blocks as our O-line did in that game. Hell - on one, the OLB - the freaking OLB - was not even looked at. That wasn't really a blitzer. He was lined up on the line and yet no one even looked at him.

Word. I take it as Davis working to the strengths of his WRs. His go-to targets have been Quick, Britt, and Cook. All 6'3 +. Put to where only they can get it. I mean, it's not like I've seen Davis air mail the ball over the shorter WRs heads. Until he does, I don't get the complaining.

And I don't know why we should temper our excitement either. This team has been DEVOID of ANY excitement other than Davis making plays.

And maybe Davis shouldn't have lost both fumbles, but Long was a total turnstile on the FF TD. Nothing he can do about that.

Davis is the LEAST of our issues. That's a very good thing imo.

Davis disagreed with ya in his presser - he took the blame for one of them, they were bringing one more than we could block and he felt he should have gotten the ball out quickly.

Yes he could have, but the protection was horrible. I see it as Davis being a leader and putting the blame on himself. When really a lot of the blame should be on Wells and Joseph's piss poor play and Long being terrible a couple of times in pass pro.

Davis disagreed with ya in his presser - he took the blame for one of them, they were bringing one more than we could block and he felt he should have gotten the ball out quickly.

Yes he could have, but the protection was horrible. I see it as Davis being a leader and putting the blame on himself. When really a lot of the blame should be on Wells and Joseph's piss poor play and Long being terrible a couple of times in pass pro.

and yet the rookie QB didn't recognize it and account for it. And I don't care what his completion % is. He misses on way too many passes that an NFL caliber QB should complete. The ones that should be nothing more than pitch and catch throws he has more accuracy problems on, than the ones he actually makes.

I enjoy yours posts, Coach...but there's a fatal flaw in your dislike of Davis. And that's what I see as demanding perfection. If he's hitting all those throws you're talking about, his completion % is going to be hovering around 80%+ and we'd be talking about the greatest start to a career ever. Even all-world pros miss easy passes. I've seen Brees and Rodgers miss terribly. Seen Brady miss terribly. Seen Peyton miss terrible. Sometimes, multiple times a game when coverage has nothing to do with it.

And just wait till he gets exposed in the next month against defenses the likes of SF, Seatle, Denver and Arizona

.....Bro. It almost looks like you're looking forward to it and I don't know why. So what if he handles himself just as well as Sam has against those Ds? Or better? Then what?

 

[RamFan503]

and yet the rookie QB didn't recognize it and account for it. And I don't care what his completion % is. He misses on way too many passes that an NFL caliber QB should complete. The ones that should be nothing more than pitch and catch throws he has more accuracy problems on, than the ones he actually makes.

And for all who seem to like his mobility, in most cases he is bailing on plays way too soon, anticipating pressure that isn't there.

Sorry, I am not impressed as many others seem to be. And just wait till he gets exposed in the next month against defenses the likes of SF, Seatle, Denver and Arizona.
He has accounted for nearly as many defensive TDs against, than he has Offensive TDs. Btu hey, his FF numbers are off the charts, so put him i n the ProBowl.

I hope I am wrong about him. Come back and lets revisit this a month from now and see how he has progressed.

Gotta say Coach. A little less smart assness would be warranted. You don't have to agree and you can have your opinion but don't talk down to me or other posters. Maybe you don't recognize that you are doing it but you are. Example: "Btu hey, his FF numbers are off the charts, so put him i n the ProBowl."

You brought up the number of pass attempts as if it was a reflection on Davis. If you are going to throw out a stat - you should expect a counter if the numbers don't completely agree with your point. You know I'm a fan of many of your posts. But I could really do without the attitude.

 

[RamzFanz]

and yet the rookie QB didn't recognize it and account for it. And I don't care what his completion % is. He misses on way too many passes that an NFL caliber QB should complete. The ones that should be nothing more than pitch and catch throws he has more accuracy problems on, than the ones he actually makes.

And for all who seem to like his mobility, in most cases he is bailing on plays way too soon, anticipating pressure that isn't there.

Sorry, I am not impressed as many others seem to be. And just wait till he gets exposed in the next month against defenses the likes of SF, Seatle, Denver and Arizona.
He has accounted for nearly as many defensive TDs against, than he has Offensive TDs. Btu hey, his FF numbers are off the charts, so put him i n the ProBowl.

I hope I am wrong about him. Come back and lets revisit this a month from now and see how he has progressed.

You do make good points. The things you learn with experience just aren't there yet. While he had a good game, he had 5-6 passes he should have made that would have exploded that game.

If he produces a big game against Seattle, that'll be a game changer for me.

 

[CoachO]

Gotta say Coach. A little less smart assness would be warranted. You don't have to agree and you can have your opinion but don't talk down to me or other posters. Maybe you don't recognize that you are doing it but you are. Example: "Btu hey, his FF numbers are off the charts, so put him i n the ProBowl."

You brought up the number of pass attempts as if it was a reflection on Davis. If you are going to throw out a stat - you should expect a counter if the numbers don't completely agree with your point. You know I'm a fan of many of your posts. But I could really do without the attitude.

I wasn't directing that at you personally. More a statement about the overall mentality of many who seem to base their evaluation on FF numbers. I apologize if my sarcasm was over the top.

 

[RamFan503]

And I don't know why we should temper our excitement either. This team has been DEVOID of ANY excitement other than Davis making plays.

Completely agree. I went to the Tampa game as many of you know. He did some things that really impressed me. He also threw some balls that certainly made me scratch my head. But he was the best QB on the field that day, I thought he was the best QB on the field in the Dallas game and I don't think there is any question that he was the best QB on the field during the Philly game. He certainly has things to work on but I'm excited for him and I don't see any reason not to at this point.

 

[LesBaker]

And I would argue he needs to recognize where the blitz is coming from, and get rid of the football. He does a horrible job of that. Sorry, I am just not sold on him.

I think it looks like that because he is moving around trying to make a play. He does hold it a little long sometimes but it isn't a huge problem and isn't leading to mistakes. If a less nimble QB had been in the backfield for the Rams the last three games the sack total would be ever higher.

 

[RamFan503]

I wasn't directing that at you personally. More a statement about the overall mentality of many who seem to base their evaluation on FF numbers. I apologize if my sarcasm was over the top.

I know Coach but it doesn't matter if it was aimed at me. I'd actually prefer it being aimed at me than aimed at other members on this site.

Look at how your statement reads without the last part:

Sorry, I am not impressed as many others seem to be. And just wait till he gets exposed in the next month against defenses the likes of SF, Seatle, Denver and Arizona. He has accounted for nearly as many defensive TDs against, than he has Offensive TDs.

You made your point and didn't belittle anyone. Others still may or may not agree with what you said but it is your opinion and not a jab at other posters.

 

[Username]

The oline got they're act together for the most part. And they stopped turning the ball over. Essentially they were able to stop shooting themselves in the foot and ball out.

The O-line stopped being pushovers for the most part. They were dreadful in the 1st half and first drive or two in the 3rd quarter. Then they turned it around.
The defense forced punts helped as well.

I love me some Sam, but has Bradford ever had back to back 3 TD performances with over 325 yards in each contest, averaging over 7.5 yards per attempt?

If he has, I certainly don't remember. This offense is legit under Davis when the line isn't getting manhandled.

Because Philadelphia stopped bringing pressure.

 

[rams2050]

I really like the enthusiasm and the energy that he brings to the field each game day. He is not a defeatist, nor is he too cocksure. He is ready, willing, and most importantly able to learn and it looks like he is proceeding to cram in every lesson that presents itself as soon as it's possible to do so. I like the way his teammates speak about him; I mean, you can hear the excitement and their admiration in their voices. AD has given them a reason to believe, and I'm just hoping that that reason to believe will soon make all of us True Believers in the Rams.

I watch this team and I see flaws, sure, but the flaws are fixable. I also see a lot of talent, perhaps mismanaged talent or talent that has yet to reach its peak, but it seems to me that the offense, at least, wants to live up to their hype, and that the offense thinks that Austin Davis is the guy who can help them to do that very thing.

I really hope that the entire team has a breakout game against the Whiners and is then able to parlay that into a total upset of the Sheethawks. My life would be complete were those two things to happen.

 

[jjab360]

And I would argue he needs to recognize where the blitz is coming from, and get rid of the football. He does a horrible job of that. Sorry, I am just not sold on him.

I think you guys are just being unrealistic of your expectations from a first year starter if you aren't impressed by what this kid is doing right now.

 

[RamFan503]

Because Philadelphia stopped bringing pressure.

Maybe not as much but they were still bringing it. They got burned a couple times and I think that had almost as much to do with them dialing it back as the lead. There was too much time left in the game for them to assume they had it in the bag after we started to burn them. Still - I would agree that it was a combination. This line needs some fixing and I mean fast.

 

[RamFan503]

I think you guys are just being unrealistic of your expectations from a first year starter if you aren't impressed by what this kid is doing right now.

This is kind of where I am coming from. And maybe many of us are impressed because there was no way in hell we saw it coming. But the kid has very little experience and I think it shows. But he is doing a lot of things that work. Hopefully he is a good learner and the mistakes start to get fewer and fewer. Y'know, like sliding too early.

 

[CoachO]

I think you guys are just being unrealistic of your expectations from a first year starter if you aren't impressed by what this kid is doing right now.

Maybe I am, I have admitted he has played better than I would have expected based off what I watched every day in camp for the past 3 seasons. I admit my judgement is clouded because i see the accuracy issues being there, that others seem willing to ignore.

I think he bails on the pocket too soon, and while some may think, its his athleticism and mobility, I think he tends to anticipate pressure sometimes when its not there, and doesn't read the overload blitzes when they are.

Again, I hope I am wrong about him and he continues to improve. I just am not one who looks at statistics to gauge how I feel a guy is performing.

 

[Dodgersrf]

and yet the rookie QB didn't recognize it and account for it. And I don't care what his completion % is. He misses on way too many passes that an NFL caliber QB should complete. The ones that should be nothing more than pitch and catch throws he has more accuracy problems on, than the ones he actually makes.

And for all who seem to like his mobility, in most cases he is bailing on plays way too soon, anticipating pressure that isn't there.

Sorry, I am not impressed as many others seem to be. And just wait till he gets exposed in the next month against defenses the likes of SF, Seatle, Denver and Arizona.
He has accounted for nearly as many defensive TDs against, than he has Offensive TDs. Btu hey, his FF numbers are off the charts, so put him i n the ProBowl.

I hope I am wrong about him. Come back and lets revisit this a month from now and see how he has progressed.

You may be right. We have some tough defenses coming up.
It doesn't change the fact that he's fun to watch, trust his receivers and plays the game because it is fun.
He has done enough in his Three starts to win. The team as a collective unit ate responsible for the last two losses
I also by no means the k that he is playing his best football. Guys get better as the game slows down for them.
I think he will get better. He's reading defenses. Spreading the ball around and taking shots downfield.

He's only 3 games in. Let's give him a chance. He may be a solid starter. He may not.
I'm enjoying the ride though.

 

[Dodgersrf]

Davis disagreed with ya in his presser - he took the blame for one of them, they were bringing one more than we could block and he felt he should have gotten the ball out quickly.

As any good soldier should.
I like that he's not pointing fingers or making excuses.

 

[SaneRamsFan]

If the rest of the team were playing relatively mistake free football Davis's turnovers would be more glaring. If they cost us games, and they very well could have, fans would be screaming for hill or tim tebow or somebody. As is all the other mistakes on both sides of the ball take the focus off Davis's gaffes. Hope they all clean it up and we win some games.