Practice Report 11/18: Austin's Homecoming, Long Returns to Practice
By Myles Simmons
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Because he’s a member of a team in the NFC West, wide receiver Tavon Austin doesn’t get many opportunities to play in his hometown. He’ll get to do it for the first time in his career on Sunday, when St. Louis squares of against Baltimore just steps away from the inner harbor.
“Definitely looking forward to it,” Austin said after Wednesday’s practice. “Just the fact that I get to go home, play in front of my family -- a lot of people who don’t get to come see me play out here. And growing up in Baltimore, I was a Ravens fan. So just playing against one of my favorite teams growing up is definitely a blessing, too.”
Austin came up in Baltimore during a time when the Ravens featured a bevy of talented players, winning Super Bowl XXXV to conclude the 2000 season. And Austin continued to follow the club as it continued its success through the last decade.
“That’s when they had all the legends back then -- Ed Reed, Jamal [Lewis] and all those guys, Ray [Lewis],” Austin said. “It was definitely good growing up and seeing them. And now, I would’ve played against one of them this year -- Terrell Suggs -- but unfortunately he’s hurt.”
Neither of those players were his favorite wide receiver, though.
“I was a [Derrick] Mason kind of guy,” Austin said, coincidentally referencing a receiver who played for his current head coach in Tennessee before going to the Ravens in 2005.
While Austin has played in the D.C.-Virginia-Maryland area before -- the Rams played at Washington in Week 2 of this year, for instance -- the Baltimore native said this game will have a different feel to it.
“I probably lived about 15 minutes from the stadium,” Austin said. “A lot of people wouldn’t travel to D.C. to come see me.”
They will, however, make the shorter trip to downtown Baltimore.
“It’ll probably be a good little section up there for me,” Austin said, adding he expects his friends and family to wear Rams gear.
It may be Austin’s first trip to Baltimore as a pro, but he has played at the home of the Ravens before. At Dunbar High School, Austin was a key cog for a team that won three consecutive Class 1A state championships. And those championship games were played at M&T Bank Stadium.
“I’ve got some good memories in that stadium,” Austin said.
Austin set all kinds of Maryland records in high school, including 9,258 yards from scrimmage, 7,962 yards rushing, 123 touchdowns, and 790 points. But there’s one thing that sicks out in his mind from the last state championship he won in 2008.
“My last play of my high school career, I scored the winning two-point conversion to win the game -- to win the state championship,” Austin said.
Now, he’ll go back seven years later with the goal of creating some new memories.
“That’s the plan,” Austin said. “Go in there try to have a good game, don’t do too much -- just play my game and try to get out of there with a win.”
LONG’S BACK AT PRACTICE
It’s been another trying year for defensive end Chris Long, who has been out the last four weeks since suffering a knee injury against the Packers. But the veteran is now a full participant in practice, after going through a limited session at the end of last week. He was listed as doubtful on the injury report heading into the matchup against Chicago, but admitted Wednesday that may have been a bit unrealistic.
“That was probably more hopeful than I was realistically close,” Long said. “I appreciate coaches kind of saying, ‘Hey man, let’s be smart and wait one more week. Let this thing completely heal.’ And when I’m back, I’m back. I’ll be close to 100 percent. That’s all I can ask for.”
But with this being the second straight year Long has had to miss games, it’s been a bit of a frustrating process.
“I’m not the first guy to get hurt, injured. It’s out of your control. But when you’re hurt, you feel like you’re letting people down,” Long said. “You’re watching your buddies play football, and that’s your job. You don’t feel like you’re doing your job.
“Especially two years in a row, it’s frustrating because there have been things that you just can’t avoid,” Long continued. “They’re freak things and I’m going to keep pushing to try to help this team, and do my part. I’m just excited to be back and help this team.”
If there’s a silver lining to Long’s injury this time around, it’s that there was no ligament damage to the knee so he did not have to undergo surgery.
“The bone just had to heal,” Long said. “It’s a fracture, so it’s not like something that when you’re back, you’re dragging around.”
Long lamented how he didn’t feel like himself when he got back to playing the Rams’ final five contests in 2014.
“So when I’m back, I’m back,” Long said. “And I’m really excited to help the team however I can. I’ve just missed being out there.”
“When you’re staring the prognosis down in the face, you’re like, man, it’s going to take forever,” Long added. “And then you’re out there like that. So we’ve got at least seven weeks of football left -- at least -- and I can’t wait to keep playing.”
INJURY REPORT
Aside from Long being listed as a full participant, the Rams had three more players listed on their Wednesday injury report.
Center Tim Barnes (concussion) was listed as a limited participant.
Defensive end Robert Quinn (hip) and right tackle Rob Havenstein (calf) did not participate in Wednesday’s session.