Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › Where do you stand on Austin Davis?
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zn.
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October 20, 2014 at 9:09 pm #10057
znModeratorCompletely convinced he’s an NFL starter?
Close to completely convinced?
Still wait and see?
Still have doubts?
Completely convinced he’s an NFL back-up?
Other? (IE you have your own way of putting it.)
October 20, 2014 at 9:17 pm #10059
AgamemnonParticipantRight now, I think he is Dalton.
AgamemnonOctober 20, 2014 at 9:38 pm #10061
OahuRamParticipantSo far so good. I do not know what to make of his response to the pressure that he got from SF last week. He seemed to get a little skittish but I don’t blame him for that. Can he reduce that in the future by calling audibles at the line, hitting hot reads, etc.? He needs his team mates to execute in order to do that type of thing too.
October 20, 2014 at 9:42 pm #10062
ZooeyModeratorI think he’s a backup who could develop into a competent starter. I don’t think he will be the kind of starter that ever shuts up an entire fan base permanently. I think he’s the kind of QB who will always be teetering on the edge of QB controversy. You know, a bunch of fans saying, “Start the other guy,” after every two-game losing streak.
The great thing about Davis at this point is that he isn’t the reason the Rams are losing. And that’s good enough for a third stringer to deserve a little patience from everybody. But I am in the wait-and-see category. There are things he does – like throw pick-sixes in crunch time – that aren’t acceptable. He is a legit backup, though. For sure.
October 20, 2014 at 10:35 pm #10066
wvParticipantHe has impressed the hell out of me
for a guy thats only started a few games.Still too soon to tell for sure
what his limitations are.He might be ‘Dalton’
he might be ‘Fitzpatrick’
he might be Montana,
he might be a lot of things.w
vOctober 20, 2014 at 11:06 pm #10067
HerzogParticipantYeah I’m with WV….he’s also still learning….but I am totally impressed. I wanna see what he does over the next few games.
October 21, 2014 at 12:06 am #10068
cgsuddeathParticipantThe interceptions against Dallas,Minn and SF still concerns me but it’s still too early to tell
October 21, 2014 at 12:14 am #10069
InvaderRamModeratorhe can be a solid starter. not sure if he can be much more than that.
he’s done a lot of good things, but this offense is still not very good.
if the rams can get their running game going, he’s a viable starter.
October 22, 2014 at 9:53 am #10163znModeratorWell just in the spirit of sharing opinions…I actually think both Hill and Bradford would rank as high or higher as Davis does now (just talking about numbers)….though with different strengths and for different reasons. That’s nothing against Davis. To me, all 3 IMO would look good in this offense….again, with different strengths and for different reasons.
I know some will want to play favorites, which is fine. Have at it.
But…personally, I think it’s a good problem to have.
On a different level, so it’s not a strict comparison, it would be as if they did not trade Green in 2001 and so had Warner, Green, and Bulger all under contract at the same time. Though…so far, Warner is better than Bradford, Green is better than Hill, and Bulger is better than Davis (though we don’t know, that could change). Still, though it’s an imperfect analogy, that kind of illustrates how it all looks to me.
October 22, 2014 at 3:29 pm #10180
joemadParticipantHe has impressed the hell out of me
for a guy thats only started a few games.Still too soon to tell for sure
what his limitations are.He might be ‘Dalton’
he might be ‘Fitzpatrick’
he might be Montana,
he might be a lot of things.w
vi’m thinking the likes of Scott Mitchell…..
i’m still not a believer in A.D. thus I vote, “I still have doubts”
October 22, 2014 at 5:15 pm #10183
MackeyserModeratorWhere do I stand? Three feet behind and slightly to the left.
Oh. And Austin Davis is a starting caliber QB that just needs to learn more as a starter.
Sports is the crucible of human virtue. The distillate remains are human vice.
October 22, 2014 at 9:13 pm #10208
canadaramParticipantI kept waiting for a fumble, or a pick 6 from Davis late in the Seattle game, but thankfully it never came. That play with the spinorama followed by the shovel pass to Cook seemed like certain disaster, but it worked out for positive yardage. Seems to me that Davis’s playing style will cause a few white knuckle moments every game that have me either shouting profanely at my TV, or calmly remarking “I knew he had it all along.”
October 23, 2014 at 12:34 am #10229znModeratorfrom off the net
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RAMSONpw
Davis has played very well at times but he has played poorly at times.
He seems to have good spurts of play and bad spurts. The 2nd half of Dallas and SF were pretty close to awful. His turnovers lost the Dallas game.
So what to think, the very best thing he has done in the 5 games are the two late drives (one against Tampa and the other this last week against the Seahawks.)The two drives were clutch and he won both games with those drives.
But he is 2-3 as a starter with 3 at home and poor play on his part in halves of each loss are part of the reason.
So If he becomes consistent I think we may have something, but if not well….
October 23, 2014 at 12:59 am #10230InvaderRamModeratori’d have to agree with that. he’s inconsistent. one half he makes plays. the next half he makes critical mistakes.
i don’t think he’ll be a world beater. which is why it’s important that the receivers continue to develop. it’s also important that tre mason becomes what he can be. a strong running game will make him that much more effective.
October 23, 2014 at 9:18 am #10241znModeratorfrom off the net
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WestCoastRam
What do you need to see from Davis for rest of season? To convince you he can be the starter next year?
Some people might be fine with him already, as he is, but I want to see some improvement and consistency through the next 10 games before I feel like he’s the QB of the future.
1) He’s going to have some rough games going forward but I’d like to see some more bounce backs like we did against Seattle. The ending of the San Francisco game was depressing. His throws became wild and desperate. Loved how he bounced back in the Seattle game and played a very contained game.
2) Putting deep passes and check-downs together in one game. He’s leaned heavily on the deep passes up till now and was captain check-down in the Seattle game (think this was definitely a game-plan design) and I’d like to see him take advantage of all parts of the field in a game.
3) Improved decision making. He’s had a couple gift interceptions he’s thrown to defenders be dropped. I’d like to see some games where those don’t even show up.
October 23, 2014 at 11:35 am #10246
GreatRamNTheSkyParticipantI think AD is the real deal. This is his first year as a starter and he has put up impressive numbers.
Brett Farve who is probably a better judge of QB talent than any of us thinks AD is the next Brady or Warner.Thats good enough for me.
Grits
October 23, 2014 at 11:02 pm #10323
rflParticipantI love to see the guy do well.
But.
To me, he is a very limited QB. He simply does not have the arm to truly stress good defenses.
The game plan for him against SEA was superb. He managed the game, and then made a few plays down the stretch. That’s great …
But it isn’t enough to support a true, Top 10 type offense.
We stole the game with STs and taking advantage of a few opportunities. But Davis is not capable of aggressively taking on a solid defense and picking it apart. He just isn’t that good.
By virtue of the absurd ...
October 23, 2014 at 11:14 pm #10324wvParticipantI love to see the guy do well.
But.
To me, he is a very limited QB. He simply does not have the arm to truly stress good defenses.
The game plan for him against SEA was superb. He managed the game, and then made a few plays down the stretch. That’s great …
But it isn’t enough to support a true, Top 10 type offense.
We stole the game with STs and taking advantage of a few opportunities. But Davis is not capable of aggressively taking on a solid defense and picking it apart. He just isn’t that good.
I disagree. I think his arm is good enough
to threaten in medium and deep ranges.I’m not sure what he is exactly yet.
Could be a ‘Montana’ or he could be
a ‘Dalton’. Its just too soon to say.
…i still remember Terry Bradshaw’s first
season — it was ugly.w
vOctober 23, 2014 at 11:26 pm #10326rflParticipantI’m not sure what he is exactly yet.
Could be a ‘Montana’ or he could be
a ‘Dalton’. Its just too soon to say.
…i still remember Terry Bradshaw’s first
season — it was ugly.w
vBradshaw had a gun, and was an a-level athlete.
I just don’t see that in Davis.
He can make some plays, but I don’t see the sort of talent that can make them all game long.
Hope I’m wrong.
By virtue of the absurd ...
October 25, 2014 at 2:37 am #10386znModeratorfrom off the net…these are admittedly a bit more skeptical than the norm as viewpoints go…
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jrry32
I’m unconvinced because Davis hasn’t yet proven to me that some of the issues I see are going to be overcome. Showed improvement vs. Seattle but I want to be patient with him. Need to see all the right things over an extended period first. Great start for him, though.
There are definitely areas of his game that need improvement. Needs to learn how to better manipulate the pocket. He’s too quick to flush out of the pocket when he feels pressure. Needs to learn to move within the pocket to find throwing lanes and only flush when forced to. I think his footwork needs improvement. I’d also like to see better blitz recognition and him getting the ball out quicker to his hot routes. V. the blitz… I’d expect any first year starter to improve at it and show he can do it effectively before I backed him as a long term option at QB. He did a much better job of checking down against Seattle. I think the fact that he was checking it down and getting the ball out quickly was important for the avoiding of sacks. It has been an issue prior to that. Hopefully, he keeps it up vs. KC.
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CoachO
He has played better than I expected. But I just am not seeing the same things many others are seeing.
I thought the Seattle game was his best game to date. And if he continues to build off that performance, and plays under control, then he quite possibly could develop into more than just a backup thrust into the starters role.
And don’t you find it the least bit coincidental that the game that Davis decides to not bail on the pocket at the first sign of perceived pressure, that the oline suddenly doesn’t give up a sack? For every sack that Jake Long has given up (2) or a TE/RB failing to pick up a blitz, Davis has failed to recognize where the blitz is coming from, or has tried to bail out and ended up stepping right into the sack he was hoping to avoid. He stated after the SF game himself, he needed to stay in the pocket more, and also not force the ball down field as often, at the expense of taking the underneath completion when its there.
Against Seattle he took what the best secondary in the league gave him, pushed the ball down field when he could (passes to Quick vs, the zone & the pass to Givens vs. man coverage). He led them on 3 long scoring drives, which is more impressive to me than hitting on a deep ball that he forces into coverage.
But Davis still has issues with consistency, and having balls sail on him to open receivers. Can that improve? certainly.
..
October 25, 2014 at 11:12 am #10402
CrazylegsParticipantMe…I’m breathing a deep sigh of relief. With what we’ve had to deal with at that position and from what he looked like in preseason vs. now, I think we are very fortunate indeed! I think he gets better too!
October 27, 2014 at 12:18 pm #10583znModeratorfrom off the net…
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thehammer
said I would wait till after next weeks sf game but I’m ready now…
said in all my previous comments about Davis that he lacks a starter caliber nfl arm…been watching qb’s at camp for decades/not exactly my 1st rodeo and the 1st thing that jumped out at me at camp(and everyone else over the last 2 years) was his lack of arm strength..really struggles in 7v7 man to man passing drills because, as Moe said, lacks the arm strength to complete passes in tight windows
quick look at pff stats no qb in the nfl are attempting fewer passes in the 10-19 range then Davis except Wilson. Davis 40 to Russell Wilson 39 with Wilson having 25 fewer attempt also Wilson has thrown 25 passes outside the hashmarks to Davis 20..Davis struggles to throw anything outside the hashmarks over 20 yds unless it’s a lofted underthrown bomb to Quick/Britt hoping they outjump shorter cb’s.. Teams know this and gameplan accordingly.
thought McNabb comments yesterday were spot on…KC playing man to man vs Davis and said Davis had to complete passes to his outside wr’s or run when he has the opportunity..Davis struggles to do either
.Alex Smith also has a weak arm and ran…Wilson runs..Davis has to occasionally run to beat man to man coverage.
Quick caught 14 passes in the 1st 2 games and 5 vs philly when they had a huge lead and played a soft zone but has vanished since..Britt is our deep wr and has only caught 16 passes and only 10 in the last 4 games…there is a reason for the dropoff..lack of arm strength and more man to man coverage
pff gives week to week grades on players…it allows you to watch trends..talented rookies often start slowly with bad pff numbers but around games 6/8 their numbers start trending upwards..the posers get worse…Davis numbers are trending down
teams will continue playing to man to man vs Davis till he shows them he can beat man to man coverage or starts running…neither Kaepernick or Wilson are great passers but run.
love Davis decision making when not pressured…reminds me of Montana…BUT for him to be successful he has to work on getting a stronger arm or start running forcing teams to play zone against him..He is a very good zone qb…quick decisions/quick dumpoffs…
also weak arm qb’s need very good receiving rb’s …Montana had Craig(and could also run) Brees had Sproles and we have Stacy….not exactly the same
posted a study about a qb’s dna..what stats stays with him his whole career even if traded…sack rate…experience doesn’t seem to help and davis rate is bad..I expect more man to man and lots of pressure going forward if Davis keeps starting
right now Davis is 28th out of 35 qb’s with a -6.6 rating
can Davis develop into a Alex Smith type starter? Yes but that looks like his ceiling but he has to run a little and the rams have to surround him with better receiving rb’s/te’s and hope he learns to handle pressure better..will say Hill offers us a MUCH better chance of winning and Keenum also deserves a chance to start..
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Bradfords best statistical season was 2012(also highest pff grade).which was.also his best rushing season…it wasn’t a coincidence
we had a weak wr corp and teams were beating us with man to man and our coaches pushed Bradford to run which forced teams to start playing zone opening up the passing game.
in man to man a wr can run a 9 rt with the other receivers flowing to other side of the field..the cb covering the 9 in man to man never looks back and a running qb can make good yardage on runs..can’t do that in a zone..
Davis looked good vs Lovie Smiths cover 2…teams are becoming more zone heavy as the nfl gets more running qb’s which should help Davis…some teams simply lack the personnel to play man to man which also will help
October 27, 2014 at 2:01 pm #10602
PA RamParticipantWhen he starts getting pressured or taking sacks he loses a bit of game awareness. On the plus side–during his scrambles he’s always looking downfield…which helps if the receiver breaks free and he can set his feet and throw but he seems to forget where the first down is sometimes, especially when running with the ball…and I’m not so sure he likes running with the ball. He does often scramble himself into a sack instead of moving away from the pressure and he neglects to throw the ball away at times when the play is dead.
Sometimes I’m not sure what the game plan is for him. He can throw the occasional deep ball but he needs to know when that isn’t there and have the proper check downs–and if he has that but isn’t doing it then he needs better coaching. He works well in a controlled game with a good running game to complement him. He is not Montana. He will not put a game on his back.
I say just let him play out the year and see how he progresses. If he continues to improve he may be the starter for the Rams. If he hits an obvious ceiling, maybe not.
Now things will be more difficult with no offensive line but he still needs to be evaluated on things. He has to move away from pressure when scrambling, look for check downs. Stop relying on big receivers to get high balls.
That’s one of the big things for me to watch the rest of the way–how he plays.
To me, the season is one about development for the young guys now and an eye toward next year.
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. " Philip K. Dick
October 27, 2014 at 2:11 pm #10606znModeratorSometimes I’m not sure what the game plan is for him. He can throw the occasional deep ball but he needs to know when that isn’t there and have the proper check downs–and if he has that but isn’t doing it then he needs better coaching.
That;s just him. He has the coaching. Every time he himself says “the coaches stressed this” he comes through for a game.
Some players just fall back on old instincts when the pressure is on.
No coach in the universe can change that.
He is SUPPOSED TO BE checking down. The fact that he isn’t is on him.
You know…the Rams main issues this year are all execution. Getting down on the weary patient coaches is just a misread of the situation. And the problem with most “coordinator” discussions is that they end up really just confusing execution issues with coaching issues.
This is execution. A young player, who has not learned yet, and might never learn.
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