Beasley and Austin

[BigD_95]

Beasley mastered his niche role/ability.

He is great in the short area. His primary skill is that he can cut 90 degrees faster than the CB covering him. The slot CB has no sideline to help him and Beasley knows if he is going right/left while the CB has to wait until Beasley's cut to know if it's right/left.

Beasley is a student of the game. It probably helps that he was a High School QB. He is a crafty route runner with speed variations coming off the line and other little tricks.

He is very reliable catching the ball if he is truely open.

Having said all of that, he has many limitations. He needs the ball thrown on precise timing because he needs to be truely open which only happens on that split second after his cut.

On longer routes CBs have more time to react because the ball is in the air longer. This negates his quickness advantage. On the longer (past 10 yards) routes the length advantage of CBs becomes a problem as they can reach around and over him.

Beasley is very quick but not all that fast. On 3rd and long defenses can let him catch it short with confidence that they'll tackle him short of the 1st down marker.

The fact that Dez and Witten were slow in 2017 really affected Beasley. Witten also works the short area and Dez was not commanding double-teams very often (other than the Raiders game).

Defenses started giving the Nickel CB help on Beasley. Sometimes on 3rd down he would see true double (bracket) coverage. Most of the time defenses would keep a LB or Safety on Beasley's potential inside path which allowed the Nickel CB to play the outside cut.

It turned out that keeping that defender in the way of Beasley's inside path also put that player in great position against the run. If there was more speed at TE or at the #1 WR position defenses would get exploited for giving the extra help against Beasley.

The other limitation with Beasley is that defenses are not worried about him gashing them for a big play, mainly because his limited RAC ability and lack of elite speed meant that the defense could make a mistake and still limit the yards gained by Beasley. On 3rd and long defenses could play back at the 1st down marker and focus on other receivers then come up to tackle Beasley short of the marker if the ball went to him underneath. If defenses play that style with Tavon Austin replacing Beasley they risk giving up a big play.

The value of a player like Tavon Austin (if he performs up to his talent) is how it opens things up for other WRs/TEs. There might games where Austin's stats are not exciting but if he had a big play or plays in previous games then defenses will adjust to limit him which will open things up for other receiving options. This is true regardless of what position he is playing.

People say a deep threat will take the top off a defense but I see Austin as taking the bottom off the defense so to speak. He is a threat to turn what would be a 5 yard gain by Beasley into a 15+ yard gain. That threat changes how defenses cover the underneath area.

If defenses play man coverage that makes it easy for the other receiving options to run the coverage off and open up the underneath for Austin.

If defenses play off then that opens things up in the short area for TEs.

I don't know if Austin will perform as we hope but the concept of player like him is exciting. Even if his stats are limited, he can affect defenses to make the overall offense function better.

you make a good point. Bringing Austin in could actually help Beasley. I will admit I'm kind of excited to see what Austin can do and how they will use him. Although I do not think are coaches are real creative so we will see

 

[ghst187]

Sorry XWalker, I could only hit the “like” button once on your OP, otherwise I’d have liked it 1000

 

[DiResta]

Wes Welker

he went undrafted, ran a 4.65
cut from Chargers and mostly unused by the Dolphins except ST until his 3rd year, they picked him up off waivers instead of signing practice squad in San Diego
Bill traded for him and

• 5× Pro Bowl (2008–2012)
• 2× First-team All-Pro (2009, 2011)
• 2× Second-team All-Pro (2007, 2008)
• 3× NFL receptions leader (2007, 2009, 2011)
• NFL record 99-yard reception (tied)

another guy
Danny Amendola
undrafted and waived by Dallas
Eagles practice squad to Rams where he was injured both years but somewhat productive
Bill signs him and you know the rest

in 2016 Beasley was the leading receiver for Dallas and had 1 of the nfl highest catch rates, think he was the top slot receiver in the nfl

would Beasley be a pita in NE? probably
i would study how they used their guys including previously unknowns like Julian Edelman

 

[Pants]

I actually love what they are doing @ WR right now...no alpha dogs, just a bunch of beta's so the defense can't really focus on one dude...if you do, you get burned by one of the others....who ya gonna guard???? I don't see the Beas/Austin thing being like NE, I see it more like a combo of that and what seattle does with Wilson - get him to move around and use his legs and give too many options to cover for the defense

 

[xwalker]

I think the main problem with the offense was predictability, not ability.

If Austin inspires the team to be less predictable, fantastic. If not, it'll be the same thing as 2017.

I think ability or limitations of ability caused some of the predictability issues.

All of the receiving options in 2017 had limitations on how they could be used. When you add up all of the limitations, it makes it hard to function.

Beasley: Limited to the short area. Limited YAC.
Witten: Speed limited. No YAC.
Dez: Limited route tree. Limited speed.
TWill: Not good short or long, only intermediate.
Butler: Only good on go routes.

 

[ShiningStar]

I think ability or limitations of ability caused some of the predictability issues.

All of the receiving options in 2017 had limitations on how they could be used. When you add up all of the limitations, it makes it hard to function.

Beasley: Limited to the short area. Limited YAC.
Witten: Speed limited. No YAC.
Dez: Limited route tree. Limited speed.
TWill: Not good short or long, only intermediate.
Butler: Only good on go routes.

again, this sits at the coaches feet, they know what they have and what they dont and they have to use it to their strenghts. When you offense fails, you have to adjust. Dak did well for a bunch of coaches sitting on the side lines saying "okay this isnt working what do we do?" "lets do it again, the defense wont expect it"

Let me explain something else. Each of those players has 1 thing in common, the coaches played them.

 

[Roadtrip635]

Austin is not Reggie Bush. Austin has yet to ever play up to his "talent" and really is a role player/gadget player at best. I think too many people's expectations are unrealistically high for him. They see 4.3 speed and tend to ignore what's he actually done in this league, which has been pretty average at best.

 

[blueblood70]

Beasley mastered his niche role/ability.

He is great in the short area. His primary skill is that he can cut 90 degrees faster than the CB covering him. The slot CB has no sideline to help him and Beasley knows if he is going right/left while the CB has to wait until Beasley's cut to know if it's right/left.

Beasley is a student of the game. It probably helps that he was a High School QB. He is a crafty route runner with speed variations coming off the line and other little tricks.

He is very reliable catching the ball if he is truely open.

Having said all of that, he has many limitations. He needs the ball thrown on precise timing because he needs to be truely open which only happens on that split second after his cut.

On longer routes CBs have more time to react because the ball is in the air longer. This negates his quickness advantage. On the longer (past 10 yards) routes the length advantage of CBs becomes a problem as they can reach around and over him.

Beasley is very quick but not all that fast. On 3rd and long defenses can let him catch it short with confidence that they'll tackle him short of the 1st down marker.

The fact that Dez and Witten were slow in 2017 really affected Beasley. Witten also works the short area and Dez was not commanding double-teams very often (other than the Raiders game).

Defenses started giving the Nickel CB help on Beasley. Sometimes on 3rd down he would see true double (bracket) coverage. Most of the time defenses would keep a LB or Safety on Beasley's potential inside path which allowed the Nickel CB to play the outside cut.

It turned out that keeping that defender in the way of Beasley's inside path also put that player in great position against the run. If there was more speed at TE or at the #1 WR position defenses would get exploited for giving the extra help against Beasley.

The other limitation with Beasley is that defenses are not worried about him gashing them for a big play, mainly because his limited RAC ability and lack of elite speed meant that the defense could make a mistake and still limit the yards gained by Beasley. On 3rd and long defenses could play back at the 1st down marker and focus on other receivers then come up to tackle Beasley short of the marker if the ball went to him underneath. If defenses play that style with Tavon Austin replacing Beasley they risk giving up a big play.

The value of a player like Tavon Austin (if he performs up to his talent) is how it opens things up for other WRs/TEs. There might games where Austin's stats are not exciting but if he had a big play or plays in previous games then defenses will adjust to limit him which will open things up for other receiving options. This is true regardless of what position he is playing.

People say a deep threat will take the top off a defense but I see Austin as taking the bottom off the defense so to speak. He is a threat to turn what would be a 5 yard gain by Beasley into a 15+ yard gain. That threat changes how defenses cover the underneath area.

If defenses play man coverage that makes it easy for the other receiving options to run the coverage off and open up the underneath for Austin.

If defenses play off then that opens things up in the short area for TEs.

I don't know if Austin will perform as we hope but the concept of player like him is exciting. Even if his stats are limited, he can affect defenses to make the overall offense function better.

you left out Thompson also has similar skill sets.. interesting how we will utilize them all..

 

[Jake]

Beasley mastered his niche role/ability.

He is great in the short area.

Beasley has been in the NFL for six years. His career per season averages:

36 catches, 433 yards, 3.3 TDs

Some people on this board have a ridiculously inflated view of him.

 

[Kaiser]

Beasley has been in the NFL for six years. His career per season averages:

36 catches, 433 yards, 3.3 TDs

Some people on this board have a ridiculously inflated view of him.

Beasley is one year out from a season with 75 catches.

And your stats are skewed from including his rookie year when he only had 24 targets for 15 catches. Take his last five years and it averages out to 48 catches per season.

 

[TheCount]

I think ability or limitations of ability caused some of the predictability issues.

All of the receiving options in 2017 had limitations on how they could be used. When you add up all of the limitations, it makes it hard to function.

Beasley: Limited to the short area. Limited YAC.
Witten: Speed limited. No YAC.
Dez: Limited route tree. Limited speed.
TWill: Not good short or long, only intermediate.
Butler: Only good on go routes.

Wouldn't you agree that every other team has WR's with limitations, though? Pittsburg might be one of the few teams that is (or maybe was) up to their necks in complete receivers, but even the best teams might have one guy that can do it all.

I also strongly believe that a lot of the "limited routes" stuff was self inflicted by an unimaginative and stubborn coaching staff that has proven to be reactive rather than proactive for years.

 

[morasp]

Lal saw some deficiencies in Cole Beasley’s game too but just briefly stated that he has a plan to fix that:


Lal said Beasley’s 2017 tape didn’t show any “fundamental issues, but more style.”

“I don’t want to give it away because we’re changing some stuff and he’s excited about it and I’m excited about it. More demeanor of route running, if that makes sense, so we’re going to change a few things up.”

https://cowboyszone.com/threads/btb...-for-this-new-cowboys-receivers-group.403941/

 

[DallasDW00ds0n]

Everyone believes guys were all just double teamed out of the picture. How many DBs did other teams start? 20?

 

[GMO415]

Bottom line, Linehan has plenty of solid weapons to use. No excuses

 

[vaturkey]

I think not having a Diva out there will mean a lot. Dez unfortunately didn't play like a Diva the last two years, but was still the first one screaming at the coaches and others when he wasn't getting the ball. Problem was almost every ball to Dez was turning into a 50 50 ball, because he couldn't consistently get open. I also think if the line stays healthy Dak will have plenty of time to go through his progressions. Couldn't do that last year with Zeke gone and Tyron gone. We were actually fortunate to have won 9 games with the Circus that was going on.

 

[Bullflop]

Beasley and Austin should do their part this year and there's likely an excellent reason why -- we will have a generous supply of options with the abilities to get open in Hurns and Gallup. If that's not enough, a guy like Thompson should be able to demand some deep coverage as well. All of these things should make it much more likely for "The Bease" and Austin to be productive. Our aerial weapons promise to be greatly more diversified in 2018. I truly believe our opponent's DBs will have their hands full and then some -- very much so, as the season progresses and our new receivers improve.

 

[32BellyOption]

Austin is not Reggie Bush. Austin has yet to ever play up to his "talent" and really is a role player/gadget player at best. I think too many people's expectations are unrealistically high for him. They see 4.3 speed and tend to ignore what's he actually done in this league, which has been pretty average at best.

We gave up a 6th round draft pick for his “potential”. If we get Lance Dunbar type production at the least then it was a good trade. Austin has been injured, played in multiple schemes and not consistently fed the ball. If given a chance, which he is getting a second one now in Dallas, he can produce. If you want to see what Tavon is capable of go watch what he did to Oklahoma. He set a school record with 344 yards rushing and had 572 all purpose yards that night. While I’m not expecting that type of production I do see a guy who can get chunk yards if given the ball in space and for a guy who only cost us a 6th rounder that’s quite a bargain.

 

[Roadtrip635]

We gave up a 6th round draft pick for his “potential”. If we get Lance Dunbar type production at the least then it was a good trade. Austin has been injured, played in multiple schemes and not consistently fed the ball. If given a chance, which he is getting a second one now in Dallas, he can produce. If you want to see what Tavon is capable of go watch what he did to Oklahoma. He set a school record with 344 yards rushing and had 572 all purpose yards that night. While I’m not expecting that type of production I do see a guy who can get chunk yards if given the ball in space and for a guy who only cost us a 6th rounder that’s quite a bargain.

I didn't mention anything about what it cost to acquire Austin, but the high expectations placed on him by many others. Potential should be reserved for players before they enter the NFL and we can see what he is capable of, he's had 5 years in the NFL to show his potential and his production has been average at best. Who cares what he did to Oklahoma, that was 6 years ago in college and there are countless numbers of players that were great at the college level that never got near that type success in the pros. The guy has averaged less than 600yds from LOS over 5 years.

The guy may be able to be a role player, but too many talk like he's gonna suddenly become a superstar and are placing unrealistically high expectations on him. His mere presence is not going to suddenly make this offense the next coming of "The greatest show on turf." I'm not basing my expectations on what he did in college, 4.3 speed, or on hope or hype, but basing it on what he has actually done at this level.

 

[32BellyOption]

I didn't mention anything about what it cost to acquire Austin, but the high expectations placed on him by many others. Potential should be reserved for players before they enter the NFL and we can see what he is capable of, he's had 5 years in the NFL to show his potential and his production has been average at best. Who cares what he did to Oklahoma, that was 6 years ago in college and there are countless numbers of players that were great at the college level that never got near that type success in the pros. The guy has averaged less than 600yds from LOS over 5 years.

The guy may be able to be a role player, but too many talk like he's gonna suddenly become a superstar and are placing unrealistically high expectations on him. His mere presence is not going to suddenly make this offense the next coming of "The greatest show on turf." I'm not basing my expectations on what he did in college, 4.3 speed, or on hope or hype, but basing it on what he has actually done at this level.

I haven’t seen anyone say he’s a superstar. I think most are hoping he contributes and gives us the occasional big play. This team will go as far as Dak and Zeke takes it.

 

[Roadtrip635]

I haven’t seen anyone say he’s a superstar. I think most are hoping he contributes and gives us the occasional big play. This team will go as far as Dak and Zeke takes it.

Check out some of the other Austin threads, there are plenty of folk with really big expectations. I agree, this offense will go as far as Dak and Zeke go. Personally, I prefer to temper my expectations, especially when you have recent comparable history to go on.