Austin figuring out role in new offense

After Wrist Injury, Austin Returns for Day 1

Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/After-Wrist-Injury-Austin-Returns-for-Day-1/2e7c30f6-27fc-471b-8f0d-2c10dd2474fe

When Tavon Austin underwent wrist surgery during the offseason program, the common refrain was the fifth-year wide receiver would recover in time for training camp.

That turned out to be true, as Austin was a full participant in the first session of the summer, making a number of receptions during the afternoon practice.

“It feels good getting my legs back together, catching a couple passes,” Austin said. “But it definitely does feel good to get out there.”

“I thought he looked good,” head coach Sean McVay said. “He’s working to get full range of motion on that wrist. But I thought he was out there competing, made some tough catches, and you like the way you see him finish on a consistent basis.”

Austin said he’s going to start out camp day-to-day when it comes to his status. But part of the reason he was able to be such a significant part of the first session was how fast his wrist healed from his procedure. Still, the wideout reiterated it will be up to McVay and head trainer Reggie Scott to determine if he’ll have any restrictions going forward.

“Might be on, might be off. So it is a day-to-day process,” Austin said.

Being the first day of camp, Austin said his adrenaline was running high enough so that the previous issues with his wrist didn’t cross his mind.

“I’m just glad I got out the day safe, and hopefully I’ll get through the season safe, too,” Austin said.

Because of the injury, Austin did not get much time to participate in the full-team offseason practices. The wideout acknowledged that including Saturday’s session, he’s had about four days worth of on-field work in McVay’s new scheme — including the voluntary veteran minicamp back in late April.

“I haven’t really been in this offense but for so long,” Austin said. “So however he needs me to be — deep threat, short guy, it doesn’t really make a difference to me.”

Austin did appear to run his share of deep routes in the first training camp practice — something McVay said he did a good job of.

“Until you look at the tape, it’s hard to get a true evaluation. But just from looking at it from afar, I thought there were some good things from him. And we know we’re always going to strive for that consistent improvement,” McVay said.

“Like I said, it feels good just to get out there period — not just to keep going deep,” Austin said. “So I’m glad I was out there, back with the team. I’m glad they just welcomed me back.”

No matter his role, Austin is excited to play in what he feels should be a dynamic attack, based on what the Rams’ coaches have done at their previous stops.

“That’s definitely exciting for anybody that plays this position,” Austin said. “Everybody wants the ball. Everybody wants the opportunity to get the ball. So I’m definitely excited to be in the offense. Just want to keep working every day. Whatever challenges he has for me, just want to knock them down.”

Rams say Tavon Austin ‘definitely’ has a role even after Sammy Watkins trade

Alden Gonzalez

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/34701/rams-say-tavon-austin-definitely-has-a-role-even-after-sammy-watkins-trade

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead says he believes Tavon Austin “definitely has a place” on his team, even though it feels as if the offense already has moved on without him.

On Friday morning, the Rams worked out a trade with the Buffalo Bills to make Sammy Watkins their new vertical threat on the outside, a role Austin previously was supposed to fill. Watkins and former Bills teammate Robert Woods will be the Rams’ primary receivers. Their slot receiver is Cooper Kupp, a rookie out of Eastern Washington who already looks to have solidified a role.

But the Rams stress that they’ll find a place for Austin.

Tavon Austin will cost the Rams $15 million against the salary cap this season, but just $5 million next year if they cut ties. Kevin Sullivan/Zuma Press/Icon Sportswire
“Tavon is a fast kid,” Snead said at a charity luncheon in downtown Los Angeles. “Jimmy Johnson probably said it best, long before I was in football: Speed is important. So having fast people on your team, you never have too many of those.”

Austin signed a four-year, $42 million extension weeks before the start of the 2016 season. But he gained only 668 yards from scrimmage that year, which actually represented his second-highest total in four seasons. The Rams then brought in a new head coach (Sean McVay), signed one primary receiver (Woods) and traded for another (Watkins). They also have selected seven wide receivers and tight ends in the past two drafts.

Austin, meanwhile, hasn’t been able to get on the field.

Wrist surgery in the spring made him a spectator while the Rams went about their offseason program. The 26-year-old was a full participant at the start of training camp, but a hamstring injury has kept him out of practice for the past 11 days. And it’s hard to envision his role once he returns.

Austin always has made an impact on punt returns, but he has hardly ever been an ideal fit on offense. His blazing speed screams vertical threat, but his height (5-foot-8) does not. Former Rams coach Jeff Fisher used Austin mostly as a gadget receiver the past four seasons. He made 75 of his 181 catches behind the line of scrimmage and carried the ball 125 times out of the backfield. His best season was 2015, when he gained 907 yards from scrimmage. But unless Austin supplants Kupp as the slot receiver — seemingly unlikely — it’s hard to see him getting the snaps to produce like that again.

He still can return punts, be on the field on four-receiver sets and perhaps even emerge as an option out of the backfield, but his role won’t match his pay.

Austin will cost the Rams close to $15 million toward the salary cap this season, after which the Rams can cut ties with him and absorb only $5 million toward the cap. That’s why this was going to be an important season for Austin, and why it now seems his days with the Rams are numbered. But Snead said he still sees Austin as an effective player when he gets the ball in space — and having more weapons theoretically will allow him to get the ball in space more often.

“It’s we, not me,” Snead said, echoing McVay’s rallying cry for this team. “It’s not just one player; it’s not just one star. It’s a group. I would love to have a Gonzaga basketball team, where everybody complements each other. Some days it’s one person, some days it’s another. The sum of the parts is better than the individual.”

InvaderRam wrote:

at best he’s the fourth receiver. at best. and mcvay likes tight ends. which puts him further down the pecking order. he’ll be around for at least this season. he can still do damage as a returner. and maybe can run the ball some. rams are being supportive of him, but that trade said pretty much everything.

I disagree. Not with the idea that he’ll be gone after the year. But with the idea that he becomes an afterthought this year. We all know if you use Tavon right, he’s a bigplay threat to defenses. Well with Watkins aboard now, if anything, that’s even more true. I think McVay would be crazy not to use him (2015 style) and take advantage of that.

InvaderRam wrote:

but i don’t see logically why mcvay would bother trying to integrate austin into this offense

Big plays. Touchdowns.

InvaderRam wrote:

zn wrote:

Big plays. Touchdowns.

well. the big plays will be for watkins. for gurley. tds will be for watkins. gurley. higbee. everett.

there’s only so many touches.

when they got watkins to open things up underneath. i believe it’s for gurley. woods. kupp. higbee. everett.

again. my only hesitation to fully invest in this prediction is that kupp, higbee, and everett are largely unproven. austin has at least done it. and watkins could get injured.

No, think about it, it’s using resources. Tavon used 2015 style in an offense dominated by Watkins means more space for Tavon, which means more big plays.

I would be disappointed in McVay if he were so dogmatic he couldn’t see that.

Let’s say they didn’t have Barron and they added an ILB who was also a ferocious blitzer. Would you say not to blitz him because Quinn and Barwin have that covered?

Nah you use resources to best advantage.

You don’t say “we don’t need this Hakim guy, Bruce and Holt have the receiving game covered.”

..

Agamemnon wrote:

When Vermiel was talking about the GSOT, I think he said, “they all can score.” Are we approaching that?

I don;t think we’re getting that, no. I mean it’s better than anything we’ve seen since Holt retired, but still.

Goff is 22. In 99, Warner was 28. He hadn’t played in the pros yet (well 1 game) but he did have some experience.

SW could play for the GSOT IMO.

Woods and Kupp (one based on his history one based on just projecting) are reliable and consistent chains movers.

Austin as we know isn;t going to be an effective receiver all over the field, but there’s a lot he can do, the point being to get the ball in his hands in space. I think with Watkins and Woods on the field, there;s more space for him to operate in. Last year any time he touched the ball he was swarmed. I think they can work it out this time so he has more room to work with.

The TEs I have no idea about. I believe in Everett longterm but he’s green, and Higbee I don’t even know if I believe in yet.

Cooper, Reynolds, Thomas–I just have no clue. Way too young to know what they are yet.

Gurley is a mystery. To me a lot of last year was him. Yeah the line wasn;t executing but it was still part him. And, I don;t know what went wrong, and therefore don’t know if I can trust if it has been fixed.

Tavon Austin returns to practice, in search of role within Rams offense

RICH HAMMOND

link: http://www.ocregister.com/2017/08/28/tavon-austin-returns-to-practice-in-search-of-role-within-rams-offense/

THOUSAND OAKS — The Rams just got Tavon Austin out of the shop. The question now is, will Austin continue to spin his wheels in the NFL, or can Sean McVay turn him into a high-performance vehicle?

No one knows, even McVay, the Rams’ first-year coach who inherited Austin and his history of being a receiver full of potential, but one who has yet to reach it. McVay’s offense has drawn solid reviews for its innovation during the preseason, and adding Austin presents a challenge, but an intriguing one.

“He’s a special player,” McVay said after Monday’s practice at Cal Lutheran, “and we’ve got to find a way to get him touches and get him involved.”

McVay initially imagined Austin, a 5-foot-8 speedster, filling the outside, downfield-threat role DeSean Jackson played in Washington, where McVay worked as offensive coordinator. Then, Austin hurt his wrist a couple days into the Rams’ summer program and required surgery.

Austin returned for the start of training camp last month and, on the fourth day, hurt his hamstring. That sidelined him for almost four weeks and, in the interim, the Rams traded for receiver Sammy Watkins, a former 1,000-yard receiver who fit nicely into that role vacated by Austin.

Austin returned to some practice drills Monday, a man with an $11 million salary and no defined role.

“It’s competition,” Austin said. “That’s how it is. I haven’t been here since these coaches got here. I’ve only had four days in this offense, so I understand. It definitely doesn’t mean they don’t have plans for me.”

It stands to reason that McVay can figure out something to do with Austin, but what? Watkins is the clear deep threat, Robert Woods is a sure-handed, sideline-tiptoeing option and rookie Cooper Kupp has emerged as, based on preseason games, the favored option of quarterback Jared Goff.

Austin, preparing for his fifth NFL season, seemingly is on par with second-year receiver Pharoh Cooper, who has enjoyed a strong preseason, and eye-opening rookie Josh Reynolds.

Austin has been an enigma. He’s absurdly fast, with the ability to make opponents miss in the open field, but he has yet to top 509 yards or five touchdowns in a single season. Critics say his route-running isn’t sharp enough to be an every-down threat, and too often under former coach Jeff Fisher, Austin’s role devolved into that of a “gadget” player, who got the ball on reverses or sweeps or too-frequent screens.

McVay now must find a way to harness Austin’s speed without turning predictable. And Austin must show that he can thrive in a new offense and find a role alongside Watkins, Woods, Kupp and others.

Last August, the Rams signed Austin to a four-year, $42 million contract extension, a move that seems egregious now, particularly because Watkins is set to become an unrestricted free agent next March, and the Rams would like to re-sign him.

But what’s done is done, and the Rams aren’t going to cut Austin because the accompanying salary-cap hit would be $19 million. What if there’s another option?

The Rams signed running back Lance Dunbar in March as a speedy, shifty, third-down back who could run, catch passes and create mismatches. Because of lingering knee problems, Dunbar has yet to get on the practice field with the Rams, and right now there’s no indication it will ever happen.

Dunbar is listed at 5-8, 187 pounds, the same height, and 8 pounds more, than Austin.

That’s not to say the skill sets are identical, but Austin clearly can catch passes and, several times last season, the Rams lined him up in the backfield for traditional handoffs, and it looked pretty good.

McVay has been coy about how he might use Austin, and because practices now are closed to reporters, and because Austin won’t play in Thursday’s preseason finale against Green Bay, everyone will have to wait until the Sept. 10 season opener against Indianapolis to see the 2017 model of Austin.