Rams Rewind: Tavon Austin/Latsch

[Merlin]

Put him on another team with a stable offense and watch him explode.

Agreed, had he come into the league with, say, the Saints or the Eagles he would be a star by now. I'm confident he's gonna finally give the Rams some consistent return this season.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I'm disappointed at what we've had (or haven't had) to date from Tavon, now I don't know who to blame, but the guy has a unique set of abilities that we don't seem to have been able to unlock. Lets hope next season, Tavon's 3rd we see him light the place up.

'Unique' is quelled quite a bit when it is up against Superior NFL defenders. That shit worked in college but it never flies in the NFL when has there ever been a guy like Tavon that was so wildly successful in College and similarly successful in the NFL? I don't recall any guy that dominated with his skill set take it to the next level with the same level or near level of success.

 

[RamFan503]

'Unique' is quelled quite a bit when it is up against Superior NFL defenders. That crap worked in college but it never flies in the NFL when has there ever been a guy like Tavon that was so wildly successful in College and similarly successful in the NFL? I don't recall any guy that dominated with his skill set take it to the next level with the same level or near level of success.

Maybe not exactly fitting of your criteria but plenty of players similar to his size have succeeded in the NFL. I have a hard time buying that those few times we have seen him out in space were anomalies. Even when you see him get outside, he turns what would normally be a minimal gain into 7 or 10 yards due to his quicks. Add to that the few times we actually sent him deep, in most cases he beet his man and drew at least two PI calls that I recall.

I admit that he dances too much on punt returns for my liking but to say that his skill set can't transfer to the NFL - to me is inaccurate.

 

[jrry32]

Has anyone watched the all 22 to see whether or not Tavon is creating his OWN space and just not getting the ball? Also, does anyone have any links to recent statements by the coaches saying that he still does not grasp the playbook? I am a Tavon believer, but I have to admit that I do not see him flashing as much as I would have hoped to. I still want to see him running the 9 route more often as I just do not see anyone staying with him downfield. Would be nice if we could protect our QBs long enough to make that a real threat also....

Edit: I am with @shaunpinney and can't wait to see year 3 for TA and Steddy.

I have in the past and he was getting open a lot more often than he was getting targeted...especially on curls, comebacks, and other stop routes.

But his height is a big issue when you don't have a tall QB back there.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Maybe not exactly fitting of your criteria but plenty of players similar to his size have succeeded in the NFL. I have a hard time buying that those few times we have seen him out in space were anomalies. Even when you see him get outside, he turns what would normally be a minimal gain into 7 or 10 yards due to his quicks. Add to that the few times we actually sent him deep, in most cases he beet his man and drew at least two PI calls that I recall.

I admit that he dances too much on punt returns for my liking but to say that his skill set can't transfer to the NFL - to me is inaccurate.

Not inaccurate at all. He dominated in college. He completely dominated at WR, thn when moved to RB he racked up 300 yards. I have not seen him come close to that kind of production in the NFL.

One thing that always sticks out to me was what the Rams backup QBs said about him after they went to WV with Snead. 'Its like throwing to a lightning bug'. That is exactly part of the problem. He presents a small target, especially over the middle and with is size he is not difficult to knock down.

 

[jrry32]

I admit that he dances too much on punt returns for my liking but to say that his skill set can't transfer to the NFL - to me is inaccurate.

I used to think so but I can't doubt his results the second half of last year. He might just finally be catching up to the NFL speed. It changes how you play the game and how you run. Without looking at the numbers, he was pretty dominant over the second half of the season on punt returns.(scratch that, just looked up the numbers and he was dominant...he averaged 17.4 yards per punt return the 2nd half of the season on 19 PRs)

 

[ReddingRam]

Here is the thing about Tavon ... he needs to mature into an NFL player. and ... he's getting there ... just not as fast as we want. He needs to learn how to run routes. He needs to know when to juke ...and when to plant and go. TA has spent his whole life being the "man" ... and now he is in the league of "Men". He'll get there. This isn't all on the coaching staff and not knowing how to use him. Some of it has been about a young player who needs to learn that the NFL is a different animal. .... IMHO

 

[Mojo Ram]

If Austin is a playmaker, shouldn't he be able to make his own plays? People keep saying the OC needs to find ways to make Austin successful but that's BS, IMO. If you're going to take a guy that high and give up that much for a player, he shouldn't require the coaches and team to construct the perfect conditions just so he can be successful in the NFL. Real playmakers are able to take a crappy play call, throw, teammate's mistake, etc and turn it into a great result. If you have to resort to gadget plays, perfect execution, etc in order to get production out of him, he shouldn't have been drafted that high. That pick set this franchise back quite a bit.

Agreed except for the bolded.
The Tavon pick is hardly going to make or break the franchise. Way too much hyperbole there. Lol.

 

[RamsesIII]

'Unique' is quelled quite a bit when it is up against Superior NFL defenders. That crap worked in college but it never flies in the NFL when has there ever been a guy like Tavon that was so wildly successful in College and similarly successful in the NFL? I don't recall any guy that dominated with his skill set take it to the next level with the same level or near level of success.

I watched Barry Sanders & Darren Sproles just decimate OU in college. When I saw Tavon against OU, I thought of those two at first... then Tavon really exploded!

 

[jap]

'Unique' is quelled quite a bit when it is up against Superior NFL defenders. That crap worked in college but it never flies in the NFL when has there ever been a guy like Tavon that was so wildly successful in College and similarly successful in the NFL? I don't recall any guy that dominated with his skill set take it to the next level with the same level or near level of success.

Gale Sayers and Barry Sanders come immediately to mind.

 

[jap]

Here is the thing about Tavon ... he needs to mature into an NFL player. and ... he's getting there ... just not as fast as we want. He needs to learn how to run routes. He needs to know when to juke ...and when to plant and go. TA has spent his whole life being the "man" ... and now he is in the league of "Men". He'll get there. This isn't all on the coaching staff and not knowing how to use him. Some of it has been about a young player who needs to learn that the NFL is a different animal. .... IMHO

I also strongly believe he needs to work with the strength & conditioning coaches to optimize his strength & weight without adversely affecting his speed/quickness. I hoped he would do that in his first full off-season last year, but the need to rest the season-ending ankle injury probably nixed that. He was relatively healthy at the end of this season, and now is a golden opportunity to get started on upping that weight & strength. Can you imagine the mindset of a defender who realizes Tavon cannot be easily arm tackled anymore?

It would be nice if he (and Sted and the other fly guys) can also get some serious one-on-one time with Isaac Bruce on route running. We all saw the impact a much slower, less quicker guy named Amendola had when he was with us. Imagine a Tavon who can maximize all that warp speed & quickness with his route running?

 

[Faceplant]

Everyone should also keep in mind who has been at QB for 1.5+ of the 2 years they have been here. Tough to succeed at all at this level, much less with 3 journeymen throwing ducks at you.

 

[V3]

Agreed except for the bolded.
The Tavon pick is hardly going to make or break the franchise. Way too much hyperbole there. Lol.

Didn't say it would make or break the franchise but when you look at what the Rams could have taken(and who they were rumored to like), you can see two players that would be contributing MUCH more to this team now than what Tavon is. We wouldn't be crying about our O-line nearly as much right now. Two starters is significant, IMO.

 

[Athos]

Hey, repeat after me....YOU DON"T DRAFT SLOT WR's in the 1ST ROUND!!!!!!

Tom Brady, that OC we fired, and that damn arrow route that you'd think Tavon could run in his sleep by now....oh add hands and toughness to go across the middle...and I agree about the football IQ part too...Worst pick by the Snisher, ever....

Told people that again and again. We were drafting a slot WR. Austin isn't D-Jax, though it still mystifies me why they don't even try a 9-route with him, or even a deep curl.

But no, still not the worst Snisher pick. That's still Pead and will always be Pead.

But yea. Austin is an incomplete WR. He needs to work on nothing but routes, routes, routes.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Gale Sayers and Barry Sanders come immediately to mind.

Were they 5'8" and 175 pound fully relying on quicks and speed?

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I watched Barry Sanders & Darren Sproles just decimate OU in college. When I saw Tavon against OU, I thought of those two at first... then Tavon really exploded!

They are running backs and both are/were thicker than Tavon. He is small and light for the NFL. Time will tell but so far the scales are tipped against him. Maybe if the Rams go back to running him deep but he gets shut down on crossing routes and screens. He totally killed on those plays in college.

 

[Memento]

Wow. So many people giving up on Tavon, saying that he's a bust. I know that a few of you said the exact same thing about Quick. Look what he did. Look what Tavon and Stedman did in the latter half of the season. I said that Quick would tear things up in his third year. I'll say the same thing about Austin and Bailey. And you know what? I think I'm going to be right again.