Two seasons of Tavon Austin

[-X-]

freak no, I have the interweb, an opinion and access to a message board. And I have Google bookmarked. So I know everything.

Is that you, Jeff Gordon?

 

[LesBaker]

It's not so uncertain anymore.

I'd rather have a great play designer.

Martz was a great play designer, shitty play caller.

Maybe BS suffers from the opposite, I dunno.

He seems tone deaf sometimes.

 

[Boffo97]

Like a week before he let Walton go.

There was also his statement that we'd be sticking with Davis like 2 days before he switched to Hill.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Yeah. Could be. I remember him endorsing Walton, but I don't remember him saying he wasn't going to make any changes.

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/a/170591/rams-fire-defensive-coordinator-tim-walton/

ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Rams fired defensive coordinator Tim Walton on Wednesday after finishing in the middle of the pack in his one season.

Coach Jeff Fisher, who said after the season ended that he didn't anticipate any coaching changes, announced the move and wished Walton well. Walton spent four years as the secondary coach in Detroit before he was hired last year by the Rams.

 

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http://www.columbiamissourian.com/a/170591/rams-fire-defensive-coordinator-tim-walton/

ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Rams fired defensive coordinator Tim Walton on Wednesday after finishing in the middle of the pack in his one season.

Coach Jeff Fisher, who said after the season ended that he didn't anticipate any coaching changes, announced the move and wished Walton well. Walton spent four years as the secondary coach in Detroit before he was hired last year by the Rams.

Yeah, I saw that post from TST, but I can't find the statement itself. I mean, it probably happened, but I just wanna see the exact phrasing. And of course we all know that whoever the coordinator was, he was just a place-holder for Gregg Williams. I wonder what would happen if Williams never got reinstated.

 

[drasconis]

Can I play devil's advocate for a quick second?

It's rumored that Schottenheimer's offense is most difficult to learn by WRs, because of the complexities. What happens if the team continues to float listlessly around .500 for another season or two when contracts start coming up? If you are Austin, Quick, Bailey, guys who were drafted into Schotty's system that is way complex and because of this has not maximized your production like a lot of your contemporaries around the league who are plugged in year one and succeed, do you take the risk of resigning to play with him again, in your most lucrative years, and possibly not reach your potential as quickly as other guys in your draft class, or do you split for a more friendly offense where they can maximize your talents.

For these young wideouts, is the juice really worth the squeeze? And, if not, does the fault not ultimately land on Schottenheimer?

isn't the worst case actually that we don't start getting real production out of them until the end of the rookie contract, at which point we get 1 decent year and they bolt for $$ elsewhere? I do not want to become a minor league team for the rest of the NFL....

 

[CGI_Ram]

Yeah, I saw that post from TST, but I can't find the statement itself. I mean, it probably happened, but I just wanna see the exact phrasing.

I didn't search real long... But I remember the comment at the time and being surprised when he let him go.

But, couldn't find the direct quote real easy in my search.

 

[-X-]

I didn't search real long... But I remember the comment at the time and being surprised when he let him go.

But, couldn't find the direct quote real easy in my search.

I expanded on my post a little while you were replying. Sorry about that.

 

[Mojo Ram]

Well for me...if Austin doesn't come out looking much improved like Brian Quick did this season...i'll be very disappointed in the draft pick, but i'll be glad we got a punt returner for the next 10 years.

 

[CGI_Ram]

I expanded on my post a little while you were replying. Sorry about that.

No worries. Wasn't Williams already reinstated the season of Walton? He worked in Tennessee, I believe.

 

[-X-]

No worries. Wasn't Williams already reinstated the season of Walton? He worked in Tennessee, I believe.

He was a Consultant over there. I don't know if anyone knew if he'd return to coaching or not. That's just going off of memory though.

 

[LACHAMP46]

Damn...there goes those stats...AGAIN!!!! Never was a fan of this pick....did so much research on 5'8 guys in the NFL...Slot types...Wanted Corderelle Patterson....and NO TRADE UP!!!! GEEZ!!! The stats say he's getting worse....Maybe Hill is worse than, whatever last years backup was...I'm sure of that...But year 3, with Sam, should really help Tavon...not ready to call him a gadget player, but we'll soon see....Don't see the catch radius...don't see improved route running....don't see much but gadget plays...Hell, I thought Givens could look better, but he's damn near out the league...How can speed guy not get open running stops, digs, and outs? WTF?!? Must be both have lil hands syndrome...
Can I be honest and say I hate Odell Becham because of our wr problem?

 

[-X-]

As much as I didn't like the pick (not that I hated it), it was the obvious choice. We had zero return game the year before and just lost Amendola. That's two players for the price of ... well ... two. If we can ever get the QB situation settled, and get a couple of wideouts who command constant attention, then Austin will be the best 'gadget' player in the game and will contribute in countless ways. I know everyone hates the draft spot, but he wasn't going to fall to us in the first round. That much is obvious. So to get the player you want (and need), sometimes you gotta pay a heavier price than most would be willing to pay. Once camp begins, very few people have a draft status anyway. They're just players at that point.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Thanks for bringing up Bruce Arians. When he was OC for the Steelers, fans hated him for the offense. Wsnated him to run more instead of pass. But the offense still worked. People still wanted him gone. So they got their wish, and I mentioned in another thread Todd Haley. Like Bruce Arians, fans hated him. Game after game they wanted him gone. Now they have the best offense in the NFL and are in the playoffs. Suddenly no one cares about the OC.

And the point is? That they just need the personnel? The year before neither the Colts or Cardinals offenses were very good. Arians shows up and they are suddenly good. Either he knows how to coach players to run it, or he got the right players to run it. So far Schotty apparently did neither.

One of my biggest hangups is that second half adjustments are virtually non existent with Schottenheimer. Now I am well aware that some of that could be on Fisher. I have no idea how deep his hands are into the offense and what kind of Leash Schottenheimer has. For all I know Schottenheimer is struggling to keep Fisher happy and is being throttled by Fishers requirements.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Yeah. Injuries. Warner's hand wasn't right, Faulk missed 6 games, Pace missed 6, Nutten missed 5, they lost London Fletcher, and all 3 linebackers missed time. The team as a whole only won 8 games and ranked near the bottom on both offense and defense. Who's the scapegoat there? Martz? Lovie Smith? Charlie Armey? Or, like in a lot of cases, injuries and turnover at key spots kept them from clicking on all cylinders?

You are talking about a bad season mixed with great seasons. So far I have not seen any great seasons from Schottenheimer, even with the Jets and Chargers. Sure there are pieces missing but there are baffling play calls, like continually pounding the ball up the gut when in some games it never works.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I've wondered about this as well.

Quick... now Austin... I wrote about intelligence in the Jeff Gordon thread.

My theory is that Snead and Fisher drafted "athletes" in their first two years.

But guys like Quick... and Austin... and Jenkins... they just don't impress me as being smart.

And that's why it's taken so long for them to "get it" (I'm not sure Jenkins will ever get it over the long haul).

I hold out hope for Quick... not as much hope for Austin.

Anyone remember the game where he called for a fair catch, then tried to run it? C'mon man!

I hate to go there but I feel the same way. That is why I don't like drafting pure athletes over great football players. Especially the guys with the poor character labels. Why? Because too often the guys that have the bad character either are too immature to realize what it takes to be a pro (Manziel) or they are just too dumb to realize what significant impact their bad actions can have on their careers. So in most cases it is immaturity or stupidity. Neither is a great formula for winning football.

One thing that is hopeful is that Snead has reportedly taken particular interest in tests that supposedly measure players abilities to learn. One poster here refuted the tester but either way it is showing that Snead is recognizing the need for players that can quickly assimilate information and adapt to a new system. For years that was just termed being coachable. The Rams need more instinctive and coachable players IMO.

 

[Mojo Ram]

The Rams offense finished ahead of Arians' Cardinals in points/gm this season and our backup QB was in there from week one.
So....

 

[jrry32]

Damn...there goes those stats...AGAIN!!!! Never was a fan of this pick....did so much research on 5'8 guys in the NFL...Slot types...Wanted Corderelle Patterson....and NO TRADE UP!!!! GEEZ!!! The stats say he's getting worse....Maybe Hill is worse than, whatever last years backup was...I'm sure of that...But year 3, with Sam, should really help Tavon...not ready to call him a gadget player, but we'll soon see....Don't see the catch radius...don't see improved route running....don't see much but gadget plays...Hell, I thought Givens could look better, but he's damn near out the league...How can speed guy not get open running stops, digs, and outs? WTF?!? Must be both have lil hands syndrome...
Can I be honest and say I hate Odell Becham because of our wr problem?

He does.

And didn't Patterson get benched in Minnesota? I can see people wanting DeAndre Hopkins...but Patterson...he might be in a worse position than Austin.

 

[LACHAMP46]

He does.

And didn't Patterson get benched in Minnesota? I can see people wanting DeAndre Hopkins...but Patterson...he might be in a worse position than Austin.

He must not get open enough...Or rather the coaches don't see it...Not quite sure how a guy that breaks receiving records, rather consequtive games of a catch of 50 yards or more can't get consistent run on our team. Maybe it's attitude.
Yeah, Cord doesn't start, and wasn't playing either...Was that talent, or attitude there as well? I was pointing out, people perspectives on talent changes after a few years...I still see Patterson as a wideout, big play at that....obviously Norv Turner sees something else...Bunch of fans saw Tavon as the missing link (not me, saw a slot wr at best), obviously the Sherman & Schotty see something else....

 

[jrry32]

He must not get open enough...Or rather the coaches don't see it...Not quite sure how a guy that breaks receiving records, rather consequtive games of a catch of 50 yards or more can't get consistent run on our team.

Oh. I'm talking about Austin...not Givens. He can get open on those routes but he's an unreliable route runner.