Tavon is icing. We won't miss him.

I imagine Tavon is going to be out a while if not longer.

Frankly, I think we’ll be better off without him.

This is not because I think he sux. He doesn’t. It’s just that his value depends on certain conditions that we simply cannot realize right now. He is icing on the cake. He is not a foundation on which to build anything.

The game announcers are always talking about him as the “game changer” and how we have to find ways to use him. And Schotty clearly sets out to try various gadgets to get him going. Doing so, he wastes downs and drives.

But they don’t go anywhere because we have not yet established a running or perimeter passing game that really frighten anyone. We run the ball at perhaps a slightly above average rate. And our perimeter passing game is coming alive. But defenses don’t yet really worry about either. With Tavon out there, they know Schotty will gadget them and they just focus on surrounding him.

Now here’s the thing. If we established consistently powerful running and downfield passing, Tavon would be able to ice the cake with some big plays. But then, in that case we wouldn’t really need him anyway. Not until our offense approached an elite level at which he could tip the balance.

In the meantime, if Tavon is out, we can bring Stedman in and just focus on solid offense. Fewer gadgets and more solid plays. With Quick emerging and Britt and Stedman to offset Cook and Kendricks and the RBs, we’ll be better off than we have been trying to force feed Tavon.

Just watch: we won’t miss Tavon. And then, maybe if we grow enough as an offense, he can come back and ice the cake.