Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › Austin now next in line at QB/PD
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September 3, 2014 at 2:09 am #5923
RamBillParticipantAustin now next in line at QB
• By Jim ThomasAt the start of training camp, it seemed like Austin Davis had a better chance of coaching football at Westminster Christian Academy again than making the Rams’ 53-man roster.
That’s what he did for several weeks last fall, working as a volunteer assistant coach for the Wildcats before Sam Bradford’s season-ending knee injury last October.
Davis entered training camp this year firmly ensconced as the team’s No. 4 QB. When the rest of the quarterbacks went to one end of the field for 7-on-7 passing drills, he stayed behind with the linemen at first, catching shotgun snaps during their 1-on-1 pass-rushing drills.
But Davis played well in the preseason, better than sixth-round draft pick Garrett Gilbert. Bradford went down with another season-ending knee injury against Cleveland in the third preseason game.
And presto! Not only did Davis make the 53-man roster ahead of Gilbert (who ended up on the practice squad), he’s the No. 2 quarterback behind Shaun Hill entering Sunday’s regular-season opener against Minnesota.
Davis shrugged off his ascent, thusly: “I think it speaks more to just the world we live in in this business. You never know what’s gonna happen. You just come to work every day and do your job. You just never know what’s gonna work out.”
That’s even more the case now that the Rams have claimed quarterback Case Keenum off waivers from the Houston Texans. But Davis also spoke from his own early experience in the NFL.
Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Mississippi, where he broke many of Brett Favre’s records, Davis made the 53-man roster in 2012 after an impressive preseason.
After he saw no regular-season action in 2012, his play leveled off in the 2013 preseason; some observers thought he regressed. He was released by the Rams at the end of preseason, spent a week on Miami’s practice squad, and after getting released by the Dolphins, his only football gig was at Westminster Christian.
This time around, Davis looks like a different player.
“His mindset this year, you truly saw the first day of practice, and in skill development (sessions), and OTAs,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “He felt like and he looked like, ‘Hey, I belong here.’
“He’s always flashed good things at times — the ability to move around and make plays. But he is running the offense, moving the team, and doing a really, really good job.
“I was very comfortable (against Cleveland) calling plays with Austin. And that’s probably the biggest compliment I can give a quarterback. As a play-caller, if you’re comfortable calling plays, and you don’t have to sit there and worry, ‘Oh, I can’t do this, I can’t do that,’ that’s the sign that there’s a lot of respect and trust.”
Davis entered the Browns game in the second quarter, played into the fourth, and put 20 points on the scoreboard in a 33-14 victory. All told, 37 of the Rams’ 77 points in the preseason came with Davis at QB.
“He’s playing at a good level, and truly has developed,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s a totally different player than he was three years ago.”
Davis has a much better understanding of the offensive system as he enters his third season with the Rams. His mobility helps him extend plays when needed, but he has displayed better discipline in staying zeroed in on the target and not abandoning the pocket.
“He’s gotten much better at keeping his eyes downfield, and that’s a hard thing to learn,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “It’s almost a trait. But when you can step, feel your way around the pocket with your eyes down the field, you’ve got a chance to make plays.”
Against Green Bay, Davis didn’t have much of chance to see anything but turf. In just 11 passing plays in the fourth quarter, he was sacked four times and harassed or hit on several other occasions.
All told, he was sacked nine times in exhibition play, a lot considering he threw 63 passes. But he didn’t get flustered, nor did he take it out on his linemen.
“I’ve made quite a few mistakes, and they don’t turn around and yell at me,” Davis said. “So I don’t do that. You’re out there playing, and you enjoy playing. You get back up and keep rolling. I don’t really think about it, to be honest with you.”
In part, that’s because Davis appreciates simply being out there playing.
“I don’t have any (regular season) game experience but I think with every practice rep, with every preseason rep, I think it helps – just to see more looks, get more comfortable,” Davis said. “That’s really the biggest thing. Just having the confidence moving forward has really helped as well.”
As a result, Davis thinks the game has slowed down to a degree for him. That confidence was bolstered in the last two preseason games – against Cleveland and Miami – because he played against second-team and even some first-team opponents.
With the regular season at hand, Davis’ role is to stay ready and help starter Hill in any way possible.
“I’m rooting for him,” Davis said. “I want him to go out there and tear it up. I’m gonna do everything I can to help him get ready, and for this team to win ballgames.”
If Keenum mounts a challenge for the No. 2 job, it’s not likely to happen for weeks until he has a grasp of the playbook. But even before Keenum was claimed, Davis clearly laid out his plan for 2014.
“My approach is I’m gonna be here,” he said. “I’m gonna make this team better while I’m here. And keep moving forward until someone tells me something different, that’s what I’m gonna do.”
September 3, 2014 at 8:20 am #5925
wvParticipantBrian S: “I was very comfortable (against Cleveland) calling plays with Austin. And that’s probably the biggest compliment I can give a quarterback. As a play-caller, if you’re comfortable calling plays, and you don’t have to sit there and worry, ‘Oh, I can’t do this, I can’t do that,’ that’s the sign that there’s a lot of respect and trust.”
——————————————I wonder if he was thinking about anyone in particular
there?w
vSeptember 3, 2014 at 8:39 am #5926
nittany ramModeratorBrian S: “I was very comfortable (against Cleveland) calling plays with Austin. And that’s probably the biggest compliment I can give a quarterback. As a play-caller, if you’re comfortable calling plays, and you don’t have to sit there and worry, ‘Oh, I can’t do this, I can’t do that,’ that’s the sign that there’s a lot of respect and trust.”
——————————————I wonder if he was thinking about anyone in particular
there?w
vYou mean like Sanchez? Maybe.
September 3, 2014 at 8:49 am #5928wvParticipant<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>wv wrote:</div>
Brian S: “I was very comfortable (against Cleveland) calling plays with Austin. And that’s probably the biggest compliment I can give a quarterback. As a play-caller, if you’re comfortable calling plays, and you don’t have to sit there and worry, ‘Oh, I can’t do this, I can’t do that,’ that’s the sign that there’s a lot of respect and trust.”
——————————————I wonder if he was thinking about anyone in particular
there?w
vYou mean like Sanchez? Maybe.
I dunno. Maybe Clemens too.
w
vSeptember 3, 2014 at 8:56 am #5935nittany ramModeratorOh right. I think Clemens probably knew the offense pretty well, but his limitations as a passer certainly limited what Schott could call.
September 3, 2014 at 3:55 pm #5978RamBillParticipantQB Austin Davis ready if called upon
By Nick Wagonerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11252/qb-austin-davis-ready-if-called-upon
EARTH CITY, Mo. — In the immediate aftermath of St. Louis Rams starting quarterback Sam Bradford’s second season-ending ACL tear in as many seasons, the reaction for most was sympathy.
For the other quarterbacks on the team, that sympathy might even be more plentiful because they — Shaun Hill, Austin Davis and Garrett Gilbert — are the ones who spent more time with Bradford than anyone. But they also don’t have time to sit around and wallow in pity for their friend because they have a job to do, a job that became more important after Bradford’s injury became clear.
“It’s an extremely weird feeling,” Davis said. “You really can’t describe it. It’s almost like you compartmentalize it. When you are out here at practice and playing, you aren’t even thinking about it. Then at certain times when you realize what’s transpired here, you just feel for the whole situation. It’s tough.”
St. Louis Rams
Austin Davis has never taken a regular-season snap, but the Rams are confident in him.
Upon the official diagnosis and news that Bradford would miss the 2014 season, the Rams set about the process of getting Hill ready to replace him. The trickle-down effect can’t be ignored, however. Much like Hill stepping into the starting job to replace Bradford, Davis instantly became one play away from having to step in for Hill.Such is the life of a backup quarterback. Rams coach Jeff Fisher made it clear the Rams intend to roll with Hill as the starter and gave Davis a vote of confidence as the backup, though he acknowledged the Rams would continue scouring for more help at the position. After a bit of waiting, the Rams claimed Case Keenum off waivers from the Houston Texans on Monday.
Even with Keenum in the fold, though, Davis is the backup for the time being. He’s been in coordinator Brian Schottenheimer’s offense for the better part of three seasons and Keenum will have to play catch-up.
More important, Rams coach Jeff Fisher has seen noticeable improvement from Davis in his third year in St. Louis.
“First off, he’s smart — he understands what we’re doing,” Fisher said. “He can extend plays if he needs to. He’s gotten much better at keeping his eyes downfield, and that’s a hard thing to learn. It’s almost a trait. But, when you can step, feel around the pocket with your eyes down the field, you’ve got a chance to make plays.”
That Davis is with the Rams, let alone poised to enter the season as the No. 2 quarterback, should provide evidence Fisher means it when he says Davis has improved.
Davis earned a roster spot as a rookie with an impressive preseason and looked like he would be elevated to the No. 2 job in 2013, but didn’t perform well in preseason or camp. He returned to the roster largely because of his knowledge of the offense after Bradford suffered his initial ACL injury against Carolina last season.
When the Rams opened camp this year, Davis sat at the bottom of the depth chart. Undeterred, Davis looked more like the promising rookie than the second-year player he once was. His knack for showing up when the preseason games began also resurfaced, though he acknowledges he could be better on a day-to-day basis.
“I didn’t start playing football for the practices,” Davis said. “I love to play. I think being better in practice is something I can improve on. I don’t really have an answer for it. I enjoy playing the game and try to have a lot of fun out there. If you think about it, we do 95 percent training and five percent play, so you have got to be good at the training part, too.”
Having Davis as the No. 2 quarterback remains a question mark for the Rams, if only because he’s never taken a snap in a regular-season game. It’s only reasonable for any team to feel that way about a quarterback with no experience. As Davis points out, though, the only way for him to get that experience is to actually go out and do it.
For now, Davis is content to help Hill prepare while taking advantage of the reps he gets in practice. He doesn’t have any grand plans to come in and take over games, should the opportunity to play arise. Davis said he knows his job would be to manage the game, not turn the ball over and get the offense in and out of plays.
“My approach is I’m just going to be here; I’m going to make this team better while I’m here, keep moving forward,” Davis said. “Until somebody tells me something different, that’s what I’m going to do.”
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