Check out his stats.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/15786/tavon-austin
Might be the most overrated player on the team.
Not the best RB, that's for sure. Not with Gurley back there.
Not the best WR, either. Those are mediocre numbers, fellas.
He's a middle of the road PR, too. At best.
Yet he's treated like he's the Second Coming by so many.
911 yards from scrimmage and 9 TDs on an offense that could not throw the ball. Not only was he an impact player with the ball in his hands, he was an impact player without the ball too. Our offense was shit last year. Tavon Austin and Todd Gurley were the only positive things we had going for us. Defenses keyed in on the two of them, and the only way we stopped either from being taken away was using the other as a decoy.
If you didn't see the value Austin brought to the offense last year when he was on the field, you weren't watching the games. We're not talking about fantasy football. We're talking about real football. And in real football, stats don't tell the whole story.
But I have to laugh at him being treated like the Second Coming. There are still people who treat him like a bust. The guy is treated by most Rams fans like one of the few skill players on offense who is actually worth gameplanning for...because he is.
I think he's a fine gadget player. A Swiss Army knife that does several things well. But not any one thing at a near Pro Bowl level. Not one. I know that they've already exercised his 5th year option, but at $12 million I wonder if we're getting full value.
The 5th year option is meaningless. It allows the Rams to negotiate an extension without FA looming in the background. If Austin doesn't play well enough to earn it, they can cut him. It's not fully guaranteed money.
And you're incorrect. As a punt returner, he's a Pro Bowl caliber player. And as an offensive weapon, he has the potential to be Pro Bowl caliber now that Goff is here.
Not sure what you expect from a WR on the worst passing attack in the NFL. Even guys like Calvin Johnson and Randy Moss had some down years on teams with bad passing attacks. WRs are completely reliant on the QB to get them the ball. Austin isn't Calvin or Moss, but he's more than what he's given credit for being. Goff will illustrate that.
I predict that Cooper will outplay Austin in a WR capacity this year by mid season. And will largely be able to replace his "gadget-ability" as well. Reportedly, Cooper already has a better handle on the playbook and O concepts before his first CAMP than Austin did after 2 full seasons.
I predict you're wrong. Cooper doesn't have Austin's ability with the ball in his hands. Cooper might grow to be a better pure WR, but he's not the same type of weapon.