Use Tavon like Desean Jackson, why not?

[RamsOfCastamere]

Both are small, fast, and have average hands. Yet, one puts up massive numbers and the other doesn't most games. There's no reason we can't take a shot at Austin deep at least once per quarter. He's bound to catch at least one of them, which would be potential game changers.

 

[Legatron4]

That's one thing I will never understand. I don't get it.

 

[Faceplant]

Yep. Need the OL to protect for that route, but I agree we need to use it. Just worked again for the Bravehearts. BTW, anyone else notice the propensity for kickers to miss right on that shit box of a field??

 

[Ramathon]

Both are small, fast, and have average hands. Yet, one puts up massive numbers and the other doesn't most games. There's no reason we can't take a shot at Austin deep at least once per quarter. He's bound to catch at least one of them, which would be potential game changers.

I've said the same thing on more than one occasion. It simply makes no sense to me they can't past the 'gimmick play' concept for everything they try with TA.

And I just absolutely cringe when I hear the 'gotta get him out in space' refrain. Get him out in space?!?!? No kidding. What ball handling player doesn't want to 'get out in space' with the ball in his hands. Jeez Leweez, you could put Davin Joseph 'out in space' with the ball and he could do something. It's the goofiest clichéd football saying I've ever heard.

 

[LACHAMP46]

I don't think he sets up his routes as good as Desean does....Doesn't run as good as routes....Don't think he's as fast as D-Jax after 40 yards....these comparisons are futile at this moment. Doesn't play for a QB with as big an arm....

 

[Merlin]

If he played for Philly he'd be a star by now.

 

[den-the-coach]

Because Schotty likes running the little guy between the tackles, I thought we covered this...The thought of sending Austin deep? Egad!

 

[RamsOfCastamere]

I don't think he sets up his routes as good as Desean does....Doesn't run as good as routes....Don't think he's as fast as D-Jax after 40 yards....these comparisons are futile at this moment. Doesn't play for a QB with as big an arm....

There is a marginal difference between the speed of these two. Austin likes to run slower to set up the tackling angles and lanes before exploding, running just fast enough to stay out of reach. Austin doesn't run deep routes as good as Jackson because he rarely runs them in game situations! Let's give him the experience.

 

[psxpaul]

Schottenheimer isn't good with young WRs. Last year someone posted an interview with one of his former players, and the guy said that Schotty expects his rookies to learn the entire playbook. That's probably why Brian Quick was invisible until year 3, and Austin has only been successful on gimmick plays. Bailey is just now starting to show up at the end of year 2.

A good OC would spoon feed Austin with a handful of packages and plays. And not all curls, drags and screens like we've seen the last 2 years.

 

[V3]

Tavon isn't good at running routes. That's why everything he does is either as a RB or very short stuff.

 

[HitStick]

Or TY Hilton.

 

[WvuIN02]

The ridiculous stuff in this thread, lol. I guess he forgot how to run a "go" route from college....it's pure rocket surgery. Anyone ever think part of the reason he has guys on him so tight is they know he never gets sent deep so they dont have to worry about things like double moves, or actually defending him over the entire field? There's a reason in Schotty's NINE years as a coach, the best ranking his offenses has ever had was 10th (best) and 16th.....the other seven years it was ranked 20th or worse every time, most of those falling near the bottom of the league.

 

[kurtfaulk]

Tavon isn't good at running routes. That's why everything he does is either as a RB or very short stuff.

i've only seen tavon go deep 3 times as a ram.

his first ever regular season game vs the cards - beat the badger but gets tackled by him without the ball, pi call. would've been a td.

against the panthers last season - beat his man with ease, td. except long trips a defender and is penalised. td wiped off the board.

against the colts last season - beats his man with ease, td. no buts, a td. with clemens throwing the ball to him.

so 3 times running deep that the ball was thrown his way and they should have been 3 tds.

that's a pretty good strike rate.

.

 

[leoram]

i've only seen tavon go deep 3 times as a ram.

his first ever regular season game vs the cards - beat the badger but gets tackled by him without the ball, pi call. would've been a td.

against the panthers last season - beat his man with ease, td. except long trips a defender and is penalised. td wiped off the board.

against the colts last season - beats his man with ease, td. no buts, a td. with clemens throwing the ball to him.

so 3 times running deep that the ball was thrown his way and they should have been 3 tds.

that's a pretty good strike rate.

.

That Carolina play was as good a Nine route as I've ever seen. He did a jump cut to gain position and flew to daylight. Yes, we need more of that

 

[Ballhawk]

If you send him deep you'll lose his run blocking ability!

 

[fearsomefour]

I like the comparison to Hilton as well.
I don't think you need to run Austin with go routes for big plays. Getting him in space, whether that is with a deep route, or bring him him in motion ect., is the key in my opinion. I don't get how they are using him generally. It does seem strange Schotty has found ways to use him mostly in the run game. I think Austin can be a game breaker and is certainly a factor every team has to account for.
He is an interesting player.

 

[Corbin]

Because that would make to much sense Castmere :/
Schotty ftw!

 

[Athos]

Well, ATM, we have NO QB who can throw a 9-route so Tavon can run under it for a TD.

Hill's arm is below average on the deep ball.

 

[RamzFanz]

I've said the same thing on more than one occasion. It simply makes no sense to me they can't past the 'gimmick play' concept for everything they try with TA.

And I just absolutely cringe when I hear the 'gotta get him out in space' refrain. Get him out in space?!?!? No kidding. What ball handling player doesn't want to 'get out in space' with the ball in his hands. Jeez Leweez, you could put Davin Joseph 'out in space' with the ball and he could do something. It's the goofiest clichéd football saying I've ever heard.

I don't think you are grasping the concept. You can give 100 WRs the ball in "space" (even behind the line of scrimmage) and they will get run down. If you give TA the same space, he can blaze his way to the end zone leaving defenders falling on their faces. TA has a special set of skills but they require a few steps to get up to speed and make defenders miss. Other ball handlers don't need that as much and wouldn't do much with it anyway.

It's the same reason he is an electric punt returner where most players aren't. He gets the ball in space. If it weren't for all the return killing penalties the last two seasons, he would be considered one of the very best in the game.

Yes, all ball carriers would like to get the ball in space, but no, the results would not be the same IMHO.

 

[Ramathon]

I don't think you are grasping the concept. You can give 100 WRs the ball in "space" (even behind the line of scrimmage) and they will get run down. If you give TA the same space, he can blaze his way to the end zone leaving defenders falling on their faces. TA has a special set of skills but they require a few steps to get up to speed and make defenders miss. Other ball handlers don't need that as much and wouldn't do much with it anyway.

It's the same reason he is an electric punt returner where most players aren't. He gets the ball in space. If it weren't for all the return killing penalties the last two seasons, he would be considered one of the very best in the game.

Yes, all ball carriers would like to get the ball in space, but no, the results would not be the same IMHO.

Oh please, it ain't rocket science. I get the concept just fine. Would any player with the ball 'in space' do as much as consistently as TA. Depends on who you're talking about. There are others.....he ain't all that special in this respect.

But the point remains the same....if you put the ball in the hands of any skill player 'in space' there's a good chance they're going to do more than if you put the ball in their hands in traffic. The concept applies to any player with the ball in their hands.

There's a concept here I think you're not getting. TA is probably more versatile, IMO, than many here think. And more so than the manner in which he's been used. Even if he isn't an overly adept route runner, I'd bet dollars t' donuts he can run the same deep routes they had Givens running a couple yr ago. And if he's so shifty that 'getting him the ball in space' means a TD is a good probability each time, then I'd bet dollars t' donuts again that he can do a double move on darn near any corner in the league and get open deep.