Dak said it best regarding Austin

[Sydla]

Have no issue with it at all, Linehan came to Dallas in 2014 Romo best season and a trip to post season but we lost just as the Rams lost. I don't see you saying how McVay did a crappy job of adjusting his offense vs Alt in post season and looked like crap in that game. I'm sorry if being critical is hard for you to handle but you don't seem to have an issue being as critical with this team. It is pretty funny watching people defend other teams failures had Dallas done that again there would be no excuse no mercy.

Hard to be critical? LOL. No one said McVay was perfect. You need to stop setting up strawman arguments, it does nothing but hurt your line of reasoning here. Frankly, McVay and his staff got owned in that Falcons game. I am perfectly content ripping other teams and pointing out their failures.

But you seem unaware you are continually proving my point. You are now focusing on "other teams' failures" as a justification of ours.

 

[AsthmaField]

Better watch out giving these rational takes, they'll come for you!

That’s nothing that either of us aren’t used to.

 

[Stash]

That’s nothing that either of us aren’t used to.

 

[Doomsday101]

Hard to be critical? LOL. No one said McVay was perfect. You need to stop setting up strawman arguments, it does nothing but hurt your line of reasoning here. Frankly, McVay and his staff got owned in that Falcons game. I am perfectly content ripping other teams and pointing out their failures.

But you seem unaware you are continually proving my point. You are now focusing on "other teams' failures" as a justification of ours.

You are right he is not perfect and was unable to use Austin abilities. I don't know if Dallas will be able to do more or not we will find out, but the notion of well if McVay could not use him must mean Austin will not be much of a factor here since our coaches are not genius like McVay.

 

[Sydla]

You are right he is not perfect and was unable to use Austin abilities. I don't know if Dallas will be able to do more or not we will find out, but the notion of well if McVay could not use him must mean Austin will not be much of a factor here since our coaches are not genius like McVay.

Well in fairness, the case against Austin is a little more than McVay couldn't use him. He showed little in his entire career that would justify his Top 10 pick status. Elite talents can still show some level of skill under poor coaching. In other words, I suspect if Julio Jones had been tied to Jeff Fisher, you'd still have seen Jones make plays and show his skill set. Obviously not put up the numbers he has in Atlanta but still flash legit #1 type skills.

Further, that Falcons game was but one game. Over the course of an entire season, McVay and his staff showed highly competent offensive coaching. It is downright idiotic to even suggest otherwise. So again, it's a bit troublesome that an offensive staff that took the worst offense in the league in 2016 and made it one of the best in 2017 couldn't find a way to use a supreme talent (like some think he is) in Austin. The rationale of "well they got owned in the Falcons game ergo it's possible they don't know what they are doing" doesn't really hold much water.

Will Austin surprise? Who knows. Hopefully we have the recipe that unlocks that potential and gives us a legit big time playmaker at WR. Best case, he's ********* Mike Wallace/Steve Smith/Antonio Brown reincarnated. Worst case, he's an older Desean Jackson, not the best, but still very productive. Let's hope that's the range of his potential here.

All I am saying is that diving into the Austin pool with two feet thinking he's a victim of misuse for 5 years in the NFL is probably a tough argument to make at this point.

 

[jrumann59]

Playing for the lowly Rams all those years under Fisher, who has shown anything there? He got 1 year with McVay,

H emore or less was relegated to the bench after injury and replaced by Glass Dunbar.

 

[OmerV]

I still have this "can he stay healthy thing in my mind". It's a big mans game man

I understand your concern about that, but if we didn't have him we would have kept Ryan Switzer, who is the same size. As is Beasley. I think the smallish receiver has made a bit of a comeback in recent years with teams taking advantage of the quickness.

 

[OmerV]

By week 8, what will you say Dak?

Why don't we wait and see what happens in weeks 1-7 before asking him that question. It can't be answered now.

 

[Dre11]

Elite talents can typically show out even under bad coaches.

And everyone else seemed to improve under McVay in just that one year, how come Austin didn't?

Just MO, but I think people are banking way too much on the misused angle with Austin thinking that he's suddenly going to turn into that elite playmaker people thought he might be 5 years ago when drafted.

I suspect the Cowboys, themselves, don't even have the expectations for Austin that some of our fans do.

He have shown flashes as a Ram, but nothing there was consistent, Qb and I think they had different coordinators with different systems. IIRC, when McVay came in and Austin was injured and missed time adapting to McVay system. Also IIRC, I think people around the organization said he didn't get a fair opportunity with McKvay



https://theramswire.usatoday.com/20...s-falcons-tavon-austin-sean-mcvay-snap-count/

 

[Dre11]

H emore or less was relegated to the bench after injury and replaced by Glass Dunbar.

Exactly because he missed most of the time to adapt to the system. Also, I know they're trying, but he isn't a true running back.

 

[Sydla]

He have shown flashes as a Ram, but nothing there was consistent, Qb and I think they had different coordinators with different systems. IIRC, when McVay came in and Austin was injured and missed time adapting to McVay system. Also IIRC, I think people around the organization said he didn't get a fair opportunity with McKvay

You know what else wasn't consistent with the Rams?

Austin. Suspect hands at times, fumbles, etc.

Look if you guys want to believe he's a blossoming talent freed from the shackles of a bad situation in LA, that's fine. And if he turns out to be that guy, I will come back to this board and you can flog me and I'll grovel about how wrong I was.

I am just not ready to jump in on this guy proclaiming him a great find and the solution to some of our WR problems under the premise that he got screwed in LA and we'll be the team that unlocks his potential.

 

[OmerV]

Exactly because he missed most of the time to adapt to the system. Also, I know they're trying, but he isn't a true running back.

They aren't trying to make him a true RB. They never said they would. They said he would be used as a RB at times.

 

[AtlCPA]

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...tavon-austin-becomes-a-complete-receiver/amp/

He is not just a gadget player.

I honestly don't believe the rams gave Austin a fair chance to be the complete player he is and I believe they will regret letting him come to Dallas.

Sometimes the light just comes on late for some players. Maybe that’s happing with Austin this year.

 

[Stash]

Sometimes the light just comes on late for some players. Maybe that’s happing with Austin this year.

And we all hope that's the case. Nobody is rooting for him to fail.

The reports have been very good thus far, and that's good.

And now it's being reported that Lal has been great for Austin's development. I hope all of it is true. Why wouldn't I want to see the team have a success story?

But there's no "hate" in being skeptical based on 5 years of evidence otherwise.

I hope it works out, I'm just not setting myself up for disappointment if it doesn't.

 

[Verdict]

I still have this "can he stay healthy thing in my mind". It's a big mans game man

If Sproles can do it, so can Austin.

 

[gimmesix]

Everyone has always been enamoured by his potential. And I am sure he looks great in shorts and in practice where they arent tackling. Lets see how he does when guys are trying to take his head off and hammering him over the middle all game. Fumbling has been an issue. Staying healthy has been an issue. He would have to change his fortunes there.

Austin has had 1 fumble in 184 career carries. He has had 4 fumbles in 194 career receptions.

Fumbling is an issue for him only on punt returns where he has had 17 in 158 career returns. His main issue there doesn't appear to be fumbling after he is hit, though, it appears to be taking his eyes off the ball when he's fielding it.

I'm wary of him as a return man for this reason, but I have no concern about him being able to hold on to the ball as a receiver and runner.

 

[DaBoys12]

Imo, Austins's biggest issues have been holding on to the ball, and staying healthy. I don't know that he'll ever live up to all the hype he had coming out of college, and his high draft position, but I do know the man has speed, and talent, and deserving of a roster spot on any NFL team. Speed, that defenses will have to respect, something this team has needed for along time. Hopefully, he has a prove it to the world mentality this year, and his talents start to pay off.
I'm tapping the brakes a little on Mcvay, and Pederson, both having great years, and all accolades well deserved, but I'm hearing, masterminds, and geniuses thrown around, and I'm not sure I'd go that far just yet. Hell, they may be? These guys walked into great positions, with loads of talent, and did some great coaching, but I remember people saying the same thing about a one Chip Kelly.

 

[PAPPYDOG]

The Hater alarm has sound loudly. I knew you would climb from under one of your many rock lying around.

Like a mosquito drawn to light!

OMG its the "Hater" alarm everyone run for there lives...lol.....soupy make love baby not hate....now if they can help our Cowboys we love them ....if they STINK.....we don't like them...Hate has nothing to do with it slippy soupy......

 

[_sturt_]

@gimmesix , the 1/184 when carrying the ball is good, even very good... a graph I saw showing per 100 rates for teams over an 8 year span (2007-2014) had the very best team at 0.6 per 100 carries.

Then again... on closer scrutiny, it would seem conventional wisdom, not any research on my part, says most fumbles on carries occur when running between tackles where you're more likely to be getting touched, hit and slapped than you would be running end-arounds and reverses.

The 4/194 after reception is outright bad... almost 2 fumbles per 100, when the worst team in that same set of graphs came in at about 1.75 fumbles per 100 receptions.

I have concern.

 

[JD_KaPow]

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...tavon-austin-becomes-a-complete-receiver/amp/

He is not just a gadget player.

I honestly don't believe the rams gave Austin a fair chance to be the complete player he is and I believe they will regret letting him come to Dallas.

I think you're right, when it was Brian Schottenheimer. The fact that they didn't use him last year under McVay is a big red flag for me. I expect very little from him. But then, I always err on the "prove it" side: I expect nothing from Gregory or Gathers and not a whole lot from Jaylon or Taco. I don't hate any of them: in fact, I expect that one or two of them will actually work out pretty well. I just have no idea which one or two of them that will be.