[dieterbrock]

This would be more like an Onion article:

"McVay couldn;t figure out what Schot, Cigs, and Boras already knew about using Tavon."

Yup, either way any inference that "they" knew something or were able to accomplish something that McVay couldn't, is extremely laughable

[Horny Mcbae]

I don't think so. I didn't say he was going to catch a lot of balls. I said his deep speed, not against press man, would force at least some coverage to account for him. He has proven that he can take jet sweeps to the house as well as bubble and jailbreak screens at the LOS. He has also proven that he has to be accounted for on jet sweep action as well as play action as a RB. So tell me, where I have over estimated anything about him or how he can be used???

Your expectation that Sean can somehow magically make him a useful player this season when he had him last season and couldn't. The guy has speed but only speed very rarely can succeed in the league. Our offensive mastermind coach had a whole year and could only use him in ONE play. That tells you something. I don't even want to go back to the fish era.

Anyway....... since he is playing for "free" so if he can make the team maybe he can make a couple of plays for us this season.

[/zn/]

Your expectation that Sean can somehow magically make him a useful player this season when he had him last season and couldn't. The guy has speed but only speed very rarely can succeed in the league. Our offensive mastermind coach had a whole year and could only use him in ONE play. That tells you something. I don't even want to go back to the fish era.

Anyway....... since he is playing for "free" so if he can make the team maybe he can make a couple of plays for us this season.

No last year was on McVay. He just didn't use him in the passing game in the basic simple ways he had already been used. In 2015 he caught 52 passes, in 2016 he caught 58...so 110 in 2 years (plus 8 TDs), and then with McVay it's just 13 catches.

For whatever reason, McVay just didn;t use him in the ways he can be used in the passing game. Yet TA has already shown us the ways in which he CAN be used in the passing game (again, 110 catches). It's just up to McVay to actually use him that way.

....

[/zn/]

Another poster on another forum made a *great* observation.
So much of the Rams success had to do with being able to run multiple plays from the same look.

Can Tavon thrive in those situations as opposed to scheming just for him is a fair question.

What is the challenge in having multiple plays that include designed roles for Tavon out of the same look.

One thing does not exclude the other.

Example: he can run a WR screen, a quick slant, or a jet sweep, or fake a jet sweep all out of the same bunch formation. To name just a few things.

[Horny Mcbae]

No last year was on McVay. He just didn't use him in the passing game in the basic simple ways he had already been used. In 2015 he caught 52 passes, in 2016 he caught 58...so 110 in 2 years, and then with McVay it's 13.

For whatever reason, McVay just didn;t use him that way. Yet TA has already shown us the ways in which he can fit the passing game. It's just up to McVay to actually use him that way.

....

I disagree with you there. The reason Sean didn't play him is because he didn't see anything in him to use in the passing game, even in the most basic ways not because he ignored him. It's not like we were stacked and set in the passing game that Sean never really considered Austin properly. We were figuring things out and I am pretty sure Austin was considered by Sean and Matt Lefleur very seriously and even then they only used him in one play. Even with a rookie Kupp and early season Watkins he didn't go to Austin in the passing game. I think that gives a good indication what Sean and Matt think of him.

I think we were ready to cut him and his agent went out and checked the market for him which did not exist so his agent worked with the Rams to pretty much erase his contract and only pay him what we had to just to keep him on the roster and give him a chance in a comfortable environment as opposed to playing in a new team and even that was up in the air.

I don't want to crap on Austin too much because he seems like a great teammate and he was here for the crap days so I am happy that he is here for the good days too.

[dieterbrock]

I disagree with you there. The reason Sean didn't play him is because he didn't see anything in him to use in the passing game, even in the most basic ways not because he ignored him. It's not like we were stacked and set in the passing game that Sean never really considered Austin properly. We were figuring things out and I am pretty sure Austin was considered by Sean and Matt Lefleur very seriously and even then they only used him in one play. Even with a rookie Kupp and early season Watkins he didn't go to Austin in the passing game. I think that gives a good indication what Sean and Matt think of him.

I think we were ready to cut him and his agent went out and checked the market for him which did not exist so his agent worked with the Rams to pretty much erase his contract and only pay him what we had to just to keep him on the roster and give him a chance in a comfortable environment as opposed to playing in a new team and even that was up in the air.

I don't want to crap on Austin too much because he seems like a great teammate and he was here for the crap days so I am happy that he is here for the good days too.

Exactly, McVay values crisp route running and reliable catch ability. Austin couldn't get on the field because he couldn't do well what the guys ahead of him were doing.
Its that simple.
TA is a hard worker, tenacious blocker and has some wicked speed. Hopefully after spending a year under a professional offense for the first time in his pro career, he learned some things and will grow as a football player

[/zn/]

I disagree with you there. The reason Sean didn't play him is because he didn't see anything in him to use in the passing game,

And so back to my quip.

Schot, Cigz, and Boras could get 141 catches and 8 receiving TDs out of him, but McVay can't figure out the ways to do that?

I think he just DIDN'T do it. Tavon has already proven you CAN do it.

BUT as I said, only if you don't try to pretend Tavon is a receiver. Just as you can run the ball with him if you don't try to pretend he is a running back.

He's an offensive weapon who has already demonstrated--across consecutive years--that you can use him in various ways in both the running game and passing game. IF you know what he can do.

Heck even *I * know what he can do in those areas (having seen it). I doubt McVay will be unable to figure it out.

....

[dieterbrock]

I doubt McVay will be unable to figure it out.

....

Clearly you cant figure it out.
"Those guys" got production but no points. McVay got production AND points by playing better players.
Increasing TA targets is at the expense of 3 guys far superior. So improving TA numbers is to make them worse. I'm glad McVay doesn't need to figure that out

[Horny Mcbae]

ZN makes it sound like it was the coach's fault for not getting production out of Tavon Austin. I cannot possibly disagree with that more vehemently. Lol.

I don't see what new information Sean has this season that he didn't last season that will help him "figure it out".

To sum it up......... Tavon Austin isn't good enough. In my opinion and in the opinion of Sean and Matt from last season to the extent that they played rookies and new players over him and even with their combined offensive genius couldn't find a way to use him outside of one play. I don't see that changing this year.

[dieterbrock]

ZN makes it sound like it was the coach's fault for not getting production out of Tavon Austin.

I don't see what new information Sean has this season that he didn't last season that will help him "figure it out".

To sum it up......... Tavon Austin isn't good enough. In my opinion and in the opinion of Sean and Matt from last season to the extent that they played rookies and new players over him and even with their combined offensive genius couldn't find a way to use him outside on one play. I don't see that changing this year.

Right on brother

What McVay did figure out is that Gurley deserves those targets as well, as opposed to forcing them to #11