Miles Austin - Top 3-5 Upside? (1 Viewer)

there is another austin thread, but hopefully this point is sufficiently of interest to justify a separate thread...

if the above were true, this begs the question...

why don't WRs break franchise records & put up 250 yard, 2 TDs performances against the chiefs on a weekly basis?

& supposedly more talented WRs, light them up for 350-400 with regularity?

* they aren't that bad every week is a possible response... also maybe they haven't been that bad in the past... but they have had a pretty bad secondary for a few years now (brandon flowers is actually a pretty good tackler, but not sure how often he was matched up with austin)...

Bob Magaw said:

there is another austin thread, but hopefully this point is sufficiently of interest to justify a separate thread...if the above were true, this begs the question...why don't WRs break franchise records & put up 250 yard, 2 TDs performances against the chiefs on a weekly basis?& supposedly more talented WRs, light them up for 350-400 with regularity?* they aren't that bad every week is a possible response... also maybe they haven't been that bad in the past... but they have had a pretty bad secondary for a few years now (brandon flowers is actually a pretty good tackler, but not sure how often he was matched up with austin)...

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Well lets extend your logic.Miles Austin is the greatest receiver to ever live, and a lock for the Hall of fame. After all, Randy Moss doesn't light up the Chiefs for 250 yards and 2 TDs.

certificate said:

Bob Magaw said:

there is another austin thread, but hopefully this point is sufficiently of interest to justify a separate thread...if the above were true, this begs the question...why don't WRs break franchise records & put up 250 yard, 2 TDs performances against the chiefs on a weekly basis?& supposedly more talented WRs, light them up for 350-400 with regularity?* they aren't that bad every week is a possible response... also maybe they haven't been that bad in the past... but they have had a pretty bad secondary for a few years now (brandon flowers is actually a pretty good tackler, but not sure how often he was matched up with austin)...

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Well lets extend your logic.Miles Austin is the greatest receiver to ever live, and a lock for the Hall of fame. After all, Randy Moss doesn't light up the Chiefs for 250 yards and 2 TDs.

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i would still appreciate an answer to the question as posed...

A better question is, where is Frisman Jackson now?

for the record, where i stand (based on watching the game)...

there are many WRs in the game, incapable of a game of that magnitude...

even catching a team like the chiefs on a poor tackling day...

* & those that are capable, are pretty good...

honest question (i don't know the answer)... what was frisman jackson's career high? and was it set on his first career start (if he ever had one)?

The question as posed appears to be this (correct me if I'm wrong):

Miles Austin had an exceptional game against KC.

Not every WR who plays KC has an exceptional game.

Why don't WRs with (supposedly) more talent than Miles Austin have exceptional games against KC?

My answer at this point is "He got lucky."

If he can do it a few more times, or even come close to it, he'd convince me that he should be ranked with those other talented guys.

Bob Magaw said:

for the record, where i stand (based on watching the game)...there are many WRs in the game, incapable of a game of that magnitude... even catching a team like the chiefs on a poor tackling day...

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Just over the last 4-5 yrsrew Bennett (2004) 12/233/3Lee Evans (2006) 11/265/2Kevin Curtis (2007) 11/221/3It seems there are guys that just randomly blow up out of nowhere. While not complete hacks, these guys aren't budding stars or regular contributors but were capable on those days of putting up eye-popping #'s a la Miles Austin in 2009. Considering a guy like Drew Bennett or Kevin Curtis can put up games like that (at least Evans is talented), I don't think it's a reach to consider that Miles Austin isn't something special just because of what he did last week.

certificate said:

The question as posed appears to be this (correct me if I'm wrong):Miles Austin had an exceptional game against KC.Not every WR who plays KC has an exceptional game.Why don't WRs with (supposedly) more talent than Miles Austin have exceptional games against KC?My answer at this point is "He got lucky."If he can do it a few more times, or even come close to it, he'd convince me that he should be ranked with those other talented guys.

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that is pretty close...i would add, though, that if KC is such a poor tackling team, & it was presumably a systemic, chronic problem...& back to the original point...it isn't obvious why similarly talented or superior WRs don't "get lucky" more often...* incidentally, i can certainly appreciate & understand the conservative (& usually right) position & not getting too excited after one game... even i'm not saying he gets 250 yards & 2 TDs routinely against poor tackling teams... sometimes, though, in redraft or especially in dynasty leagues, wait & see isn't the answer most conducive to acquiring a player potentially primed for a surge in production cheaply... the flipside is of course also true... you can get burned & overpay if you make too hasty a projection based on scant/flimsy/insufficient evidence...

Bob Magaw said:

& back to the original point...it isn't obvious why similarly talented or superior WRs don't "get lucky" more often...

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Assuming that he's an average WR, Point taken, he got really lucky. I suspect that the reason that superior WRs don't "get lucky" more often is that coordinators and DBs give them more respect.

gianmarco said:

Bob Magaw said:

for the record, where i stand (based on watching the game)...there are many WRs in the game, incapable of a game of that magnitude... even catching a team like the chiefs on a poor tackling day...

Click to expand...

Just over the last 4-5 yrsrew Bennett (2004) 12/233/3Lee Evans (2006) 11/265/2Kevin Curtis (2007) 11/221/3It seems there are guys that just randomly blow up out of nowhere. While not complete hacks, these guys aren't budding stars or regular contributors but were capable on those days of putting up eye-popping #'s a la Miles Austin in 2009. Considering a guy like Drew Bennett or Kevin Curtis can put up games like that (at least Evans is talented), I don't think it's a reach to consider that Miles Austin isn't something special just because of what he did last week.

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touche, & good points, all...i agree bennett is a stiff, & if that is austin's upside, his prospects are dim...i can tell you, though, that in the brief time i have seen austin, he APPEARS to be far more talented than bennett, so that may not be (& imo isn't) a fair comp...lee evans is extremely talented but has been saddled with some bad situations... i shudder (in a good way) to think what he might have already accomplished if he had a QB like romo for more of his career...curtis has looked good (& even very good) at times, when healthy, but alas, that hasn't been very often lately... i'm not sure austin is as poor a risk for health reasons as curtis has been lately, but he has dealt with injury in the past, & is very untested... one reason i might project austin differently than curtis, in that specific comparison... he is much taller, & can make plays curtis simply isn't capable of (like the 30-40 yard pass down the sideline sunday in which he cut inside of the DB with better position, high-pointed the ball & snatched it away from the DB)...

Bob Magaw said:

gianmarco said:

Bob Magaw said:

for the record, where i stand (based on watching the game)...there are many WRs in the game, incapable of a game of that magnitude... even catching a team like the chiefs on a poor tackling day...

Click to expand...

Just over the last 4-5 yrsrew Bennett (2004) 12/233/3Lee Evans (2006) 11/265/2Kevin Curtis (2007) 11/221/3It seems there are guys that just randomly blow up out of nowhere. While not complete hacks, these guys aren't budding stars or regular contributors but were capable on those days of putting up eye-popping #'s a la Miles Austin in 2009. Considering a guy like Drew Bennett or Kevin Curtis can put up games like that (at least Evans is talented), I don't think it's a reach to consider that Miles Austin isn't something special just because of what he did last week.

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touche, & good points, all...i agree bennett is a stiff, & if that is austin's upside, his prospects are dim...i can tell you, though, that in the brief time i have sen austin, he APPEARS to be far more talented than bennett, so that may not be (& imo isn't) a fair comp...lee evans is extremely talented but has been saddled with some bad situations... i shudder (in a good way) to think what he might have already accomplished if he had a QB like romo for more of his career...curtis has looked good (& even very good) at times, when healthy, but alas, that hasn't been very often lately... i'm not sure austin is as poor a risk for healt reasons as curtis has been lately, but he has dealt with injury in the past, & is very untested... one reason i might project austin differently than curtis, in that specific comparison... he is much taller, & can make plays curtis simply isn't capable of (like the 30-40 yard pass down the sideline in which he cut inside of the DB with better position, high-pointed the ball & snatched it away from the DB)...

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I don't think anyone is going to say there's no way Austin is going to be terrible the remainder of his career. It's even possible he blooms into a star.But the question you posed is more along the lines of "is he destined for greatness because he put up #'s that even good WR's don't against a defense that doesn't give up 250 yds every week?" and the answer to that is "no, he's not" because other questionable talents have done so. You can try to paint Evans and Curtis in as good of a light as you want, but the bottomline is that neither is Randy Moss or Fitzgerald or Calvin Johnson and never will be. Mediocre talents are able to put up astounding games from time to time. Austin's 250 yd game really doesn't change much about his prospects other than you can feel comfortable knowing he will probably get a few more looks in the coming weeks. I didn't post those names to compare Austin to each one. I posted those names to show you the type of remarkable games a WR can put up.

Does this mean Roddy White is pretty good?

certificate said:

Bob Magaw said:

& back to the original point...it isn't obvious why similarly talented or superior WRs don't "get lucky" more often...

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Assuming that he's an average WR, Point taken, he got really lucky. I suspect that the reason that superior WRs don't "get lucky" more often is that coordinators and DBs give them more respect.

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excellent point, & i agree this sounds reasonable...though i am still left with the nagging what if... only a few teams have two WRs that command a lot of respect, & many don't even have one...but if we restrict it to the teams that have ONE WR that commands respect... that would still leave a lot of opportunities for the other starting WRs playing KC (the austin counterparts, as it were)...but i don't want to put too fine a point on this...i appreciate the feedback...& my question was somewhat rhetorical & consciously absurdly posed (reductio ad absurdum-ly), to get attention & in the hopes of thereby casting a wider net for responses...

it isn't obvious why similarly talented or superior WRs don't "get lucky" more often...

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My view is that it takes an extremely rare set of events to something like this to happen - a poor defense having trouble tackling, a WR having a magical day, a QB who is in rhythm with the WR, an offense that needs to pass the ball a lot, a game going into OT, etc.

gianmarco said:

Bob Magaw said:

gianmarco said:

Bob Magaw said:

for the record, where i stand (based on watching the game)...there are many WRs in the game, incapable of a game of that magnitude... even catching a team like the chiefs on a poor tackling day...

Click to expand...

Just over the last 4-5 yrsrew Bennett (2004) 12/233/3Lee Evans (2006) 11/265/2Kevin Curtis (2007) 11/221/3It seems there are guys that just randomly blow up out of nowhere. While not complete hacks, these guys aren't budding stars or regular contributors but were capable on those days of putting up eye-popping #'s a la Miles Austin in 2009. Considering a guy like Drew Bennett or Kevin Curtis can put up games like that (at least Evans is talented), I don't think it's a reach to consider that Miles Austin isn't something special just because of what he did last week.

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touche, & good points, all...i agree bennett is a stiff, & if that is austin's upside, his prospects are dim...i can tell you, though, that in the brief time i have sen austin, he APPEARS to be far more talented than bennett, so that may not be (& imo isn't) a fair comp...lee evans is extremely talented but has been saddled with some bad situations... i shudder (in a good way) to think what he might have already accomplished if he had a QB like romo for more of his career...curtis has looked good (& even very good) at times, when healthy, but alas, that hasn't been very often lately... i'm not sure austin is as poor a risk for healt reasons as curtis has been lately, but he has dealt with injury in the past, & is very untested... one reason i might project austin differently than curtis, in that specific comparison... he is much taller, & can make plays curtis simply isn't capable of (like the 30-40 yard pass down the sideline in which he cut inside of the DB with better position, high-pointed the ball & snatched it away from the DB)...

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I don't think anyone is going to say there's no way Austin is going to be terrible the remainder of his career. It's even possible he blooms into a star.But the question you posed is more along the lines of "is he destined for greatness because he put up #'s that even good WR's don't against a defense that doesn't give up 250 yds every week?" and the answer to that is "no, he's not" because other questionable talents have done so. You can try to paint Evans and Curtis in as good of a light as you want, but the bottomline is that neither is Randy Moss or Fitzgerald or Calvin Johnson and never will be. Mediocre talents are able to put up astounding games from time to time. Austin's 250 yd game really doesn't change much about his prospects other than you can feel comfortable knowing he will probably get a few more looks in the coming weeks. I didn't post those names to compare Austin to each one. I posted those names to show you the type of remarkable games a WR can put up.

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i agree with much of what you say, & it is pretty non-controversial stuff...i realize you were probably citing examples off the top of your head...clearly, i'm sure you could appreciate how austin needn't be as good as andre johnson, fitzgerald or randy moss, to be potentially extremely explosive (since you raised that point)...it could be an important point in this context, so i'll stand by the original statement that lee evans would in all liklihood have been far more productive with romo as his QB past three years or so...thanx for clarifying the point that you didn't intend to compare but were illustrating... though i think it did point to the interesting possibility of comparing each of the "fluke" cites you listed, on a case by case basis, in an effort TO USE THAT COMPARITIVE INFOMATION to try & reckon or suss out whether austin's career might unfold more like the mediocre WRs in that spectrum, or not...& if you do perform such an analysis on a case by case basis, there are causes for optimism with austin not present with bennett or curtis...so even if you didn't intend to open up that line of investigation, i think it is an interesting question & worth exploring... * sometimes it is possible to make points that have repercussions we hadn't ourselves originally envisioned...** there are different ways to approach the thorny/vexing question of austin's projection going forward (seeing as it came from left field)... my question above is purely theoretical & in a vaccum... i'll put my cards on the table, & cross post from the other thread, why i am optimistic about his prospects, based on my observations of austin (an entirely different question than the one asked above)..."i played back the cowboys game, specifically to look at austin...as to the drops, i agree with a poster above... the first "drop" would have been a one-hander... the second he probably could have done a better job of securing it (caught it briefly before being dislodged by the DB (carr?)... i can cut him some slack for those... the third drop in the end zone was i thought the most catchable...he did also make some very good catches... one down the left sideline where he outjumped & took the ball away from the DB... another where he went in the air on a pass thrown high & behind him where he made a nice play on the ball...as to the theory that he sort of got lucky because KC missed a lot of tackles... his career average is 20+ YPC... that is on just 33 receptions, so it is admittedly a very small sample... last season he had 20+ YPC on just 13 receptions, which was the most for a cowboy WR since alvin harper (24+ YPC) in nearly 15 years... but the point being, he has flashed great promise in limited opportunity... the cowboys would, imo, be crazy to not greatly expand that opportunity...they do have a lot invested in roy williams, as has been noted upthread, but austin playing an expanded role isn't mutually exclusive with williams remaining a starter... as has also been noted, crayton looks like a better fit as the WR3, where he can pick on nickle coverage... it is true that anybody can have a good game, but his performance was exceptional (best in DAL history, 15th best for a WR in NFL history)... he looks like the best DAL WR, & they are sorely lacking for explosive plays (especially with felix jones out, which seems to be a regular occurrence)...some observations on austin... KC did miss some tackles, but he flashes elusiveness and open field running skills, so looks like he is capable of making DBs miss, even against better teams... what most impressed me was his unusual combination of size, quickness & speed... he is a listed 6'3" 215... he has explosive initial quickness, and gets to full speed in about two-three steps... once up to speed, he has long strides & is rarely caught from behind (obviously, with that kind of career average... when looking at the game sunday, even smaller players weren't gaining on him once he was in the clear)...some WRs have great initial quickness (seemingly more important than raw track speed), some have down the field speed (almost a pejorative, need to get going)... austin has both, which isn't common even for a smaller WR...he reminds me somewhat of brandon marshall (bigger at 6'4" 230) in his physical tools, skills & game... even to the unfortunately high frequency of drops...it just seems to make too much sense for austin to get more playing time to not happen... having an explosive playmaker & deep threat would help the run game (forcing the safeties to play honest), as well as clear out the middle for witten, both which would help romo, and he could be instrumental in making the cowboys offense more balanced & stronger overall... i don't agree with the posters that seem to think it was flukey & he will disappear back to where he came from... obviously he may never have a 250 yard game again... but there is LOTS of room to do less than that... & still be highly productive, and play a key role for the cowboys & fantasy owners down the stretch...for longer time frames & dynasty purposes, they signed him to a one year contract in the off-season... they could have a big decision to make regarding him in the off-season... if i were the cowboys, i would want to have a better idea of what exactly they have in him (i don't think they really knew based on his limited action previously)... and essentially a no brainer decision when that course of action looks like it would also be consistent with doing what puts them in the best position to win NOW... * incredibly (to me), in four leagues i just checked on, he ranges from #8 WR - #16 WR, DESPITE very mediocre games weeks 2-3-4... if they use him anything remotely like they did on sunday (in terms of targets), imo, he can put up top 20 WR numbers (with possible top 10-15 upside), GOING FORWARD this season..."

i am being dense, & should just agree that, surely, mediocre WRs are capable of huge games...

bennett was a great example... even he may have been better than when i saw him with the rams... injuries may have reduced him to shell of his former self...

but that is why i think it is important to look at different WRs on a case by case basis..

so even if in retrospect my original question was horrifically ill-posed ...

it could be ultimately worthwhile if it is the impetus to a more interesting & salient conversation about the prospects of austin moving forward...

About 100 of those yards were due to some of the worst tackling you will see in the NFL this season, and any time a WR goes for 200 yards it is technically a "fluke".

gianmarco said:

Bob Magaw said:

for the record, where i stand (based on watching the game)...

there are many WRs in the game, incapable of a game of that magnitude...

even catching a team like the chiefs on a poor tackling day...

Click to expand...

Just over the last 4-5 yrsrew Bennett (2004) 12/233/3

Lee Evans (2006) 11/265/2

Kevin Curtis (2007) 11/221/3

It seems there are guys that just randomly blow up out of nowhere. While not complete hacks, these guys aren't budding stars or regular contributors but were capable on those days of putting up eye-popping #'s a la Miles Austin in 2009. Considering a guy like Drew Bennett or Kevin Curtis can put up games like that (at least Evans is talented), I don't think it's a reach to consider that Miles Austin isn't something special just because of what he did last week.

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Albert Connell and Rod Gardner, too:http://www.pro-football-reference.com/play...er_by=game_date

BoulderBob said:

About 100 of those yards were due to some of the worst tackling you will see in the NFL this season, and any time a WR goes for 200 yards it is technically a "fluke".

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so your point was... only 150 legit yards?

Chase Stuart said:

gianmarco said:

Bob Magaw said:

for the record, where i stand (based on watching the game)...

there are many WRs in the game, incapable of a game of that magnitude...

even catching a team like the chiefs on a poor tackling day...

Click to expand...

Just over the last 4-5 yrsrew Bennett (2004) 12/233/3

Lee Evans (2006) 11/265/2

Kevin Curtis (2007) 11/221/3

It seems there are guys that just randomly blow up out of nowhere. While not complete hacks, these guys aren't budding stars or regular contributors but were capable on those days of putting up eye-popping #'s a la Miles Austin in 2009. Considering a guy like Drew Bennett or Kevin Curtis can put up games like that (at least Evans is talented), I don't think it's a reach to consider that Miles Austin isn't something special just because of what he did last week.

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Albert Connell and Rod Gardner, too:http://www.pro-football-reference.com/play...er_by=game_date

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not sure how important it is that this was austin's first start...i would be more sceptical if he had a few seasons worth of mediocre starting assignments...

i'd be interested to see a list of the top 5-10 best "first starts" for a WR in league history...

that might be another way to parse the flukiness factor...

i'm guessing there would be some pretty good WRs on that list (boldin must be on it)...

Don't forget about the other 2 TD's Austin dropped in the game. It is curious to see if he can be a consistent WR here on out.

The bottom line is that there are way too many variables at play here to extrapolate anything out of one game. One of the many variables is this: Does he have the same "First start" if he's matched up against Nnamdi Asomugha, Darelle Revis, or some other top CB? I highly doubt it.

The stars were aligned for the kid, and credit to him, he took advantage. That doesn't mean that we should read much more into it than we did Hank Baskett's 7 catch 177 yard performance vs the Falcons as a rookie.

As a big Chiefs fan. Shoddy tackling is to blame....some. Austin was targeted 15 times that game. 7 more times than Crayton and 9 more than Witten. Romo was looking for him often. I think he will be productive going forward, not a frisman Jackson.

another factor that needs to be accounted for...

if austin is used more, it may not just be a linear projection (2 X, 3 X, etc)... he has only had like 30 catches in his CAREER... that is about 5 games for an elite WR... how much timing & rapport could he have with romo thus far, especially as he hasn't been given starter reps in practice...

the more he gets to develope with romo, the better their timing & rapport should be... & that could make austin even more dangerous...

romo has shown in the past, he can do damage when he has an explosive deep threat like TO... not comparing austin to TO... & i think he can be more than JUST a deep threat... but he has shown promise in that department...

so austin could be good for romo, & vice verce... & jerry jones has a vested interest in seeing romo fluorish...

* some highlights from week 5...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTUDvCiIDNk...feature=related

BTW, his seven career TDs have gone for 40+ yards a pop...

(what is the record for WRs with 30+ career catches?)

certificate said:

The bottom line is that there are way too many variables at play here to extrapolate anything out of one game. One of the many variables is this: Does he have the same "First start" if he's matched up against Nnamdi Asomugha, Darelle Revis, or some other top CB? I highly doubt it.

The stars were aligned for the kid, and credit to him, he took advantage. That doesn't mean that we should read much more into it than we did Hank Baskett's 7 catch 177 yard performance vs the Falcons as a rookie.

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as long as most teams don't have CBs that good (& clearly they don't), i see no reason to find the first start unusually suspect for his lack of being shadowed by an elite cover CB... or to worry about his future performance on a game in, game out basis suffering on those grounds...

The way the Kansas City Cheaps were playing, they can count their lucky stars that they were not facing the likes of Brady & Moss, Schaub & Johnson, Warner & Fitzgerald or Brees & Colston.

The Cheaps got off easy considering who their opponent was.

for the historical/statistical cognoscenti...

a few questions buried in the rubble above, that might be a steppingstone to cracking the fluke code...

1 - top 5-10 list best "first start" for a WR in league history (as noted above, i think boldin had a monster first start... something like 170 & 2 TDs?)... plug 250 in for austin...

2 - top 5-10 highest career YPTD (yards per TD) average with 30+ catches (austin 40.8)

those lists could than in turn be broken down & vetted on a scouting/observational basis...

if there are a lot of stiffs on the list, that might bode poorly for austin's future...

coversely, if they are populated by some recognizably talented WRs, that could point to a more favorable projection...

obviously these would be pretty small lists & not too much should be inferred from them...

FWIW most of these aren't "called shots" Matt berry on FF whatever on espn2 called this last week (though not as big as it happened). He's a big strong receiver, and the other recs have been garbage, with witten and the RBs getting most of the attention. But luck plays in too. take away the two BONMBS and hes 8 for 130-140, and has a "quality day". Fall down/miss tackles on two big plays can skew the #'s, but I think in the absence of a real W1 (I dont count big ploy roy) I could see him being a decent wr2 moving fwd, if romo keeps his head out of his ###.

He plays poker with my buddy when he is around, I'll have him ask him.

I think if this works it could open up the entire Cowboys offense and we'll see more a more potent offense after the bye. Austin on the outside puts Roy into a role better suited for him running intermediate routes. That puts Crayton back in the slot where he is more effective. It puts Austin on the field instead of Crayton in 2WR sets. It might free up Witten a bit more if teams need to fear another game-breaker. Getting Felix back won't hurt either. Lastly, I think he has a chance to be viable if not very good from here on out because he did it without Roy Williams or Felix for defenses to worry about.

Bob Magaw said:

...honest question (i don't know the answer)... what was frisman jackson's career high? and was it set on his first career start (if he ever had one)?

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Well:>1 9/11/2005 CIN L 13-27 0 0 0.0 0 0.00 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 8 128 16.0 1 68 <

is this a wdis thread?

As to why more WRs do not toast the Chiefs, it may also have something to do with the Chiefs not having a lead much of the game, so opposing WRs aren't needed as much. Dallas was in a position to pass for four quarters.

Lott said:

As to why more WRs do not toast the Chiefs, it may also have something to do with the Chiefs not having a lead much of the game, so opposing WRs aren't needed as much. Dallas was in a position to pass for four quarters.

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excellent point...& it is probably clear by now i'm of the opinion austin is the real deal... but it was a bit flukey he was able to pad his stats with that last 60 yard TD in OT...

Bob Magaw said:

Lott said:

As to why more WRs do not toast the Chiefs, it may also have something to do with the Chiefs not having a lead much of the game, so opposing WRs aren't needed as much. Dallas was in a position to pass for four quarters.

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excellent point...& it is probably clear by now i'm of the opinion austin is the real deal... but it was a bit flukey he was able to pad his stats with that last 60 yard TD in OT...

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Bob, if you're trying to assess whether Austin has ability, the answer is yes. He is big, fast and elusive. There's a reason he's been used so often at kick returner the last several years. He can beat people in single coverage and get deep. His YpTD average attests to that.What has limited him so far are a couple of things. 1) He had a tremendous amount to learn about the pro game. He played at a tiny college and didnt have much knowledge about playing receiver coming out. Its taken him longer than most receivers to really understand the nuances involed in the pro game. And I'm not fully convinced he's regularly on the same page as Romo. He certainly seemed that way against KC, however. But in previous games this year, the two havent always been that way. The Champ Bailey pick in week 4 comes forefront to my mind. But maybe getting the first team practice reps like he did for KC is what he needs to meld with Romo. This is still yet to be determined.2) He doesnt have the best hands. Not terrible hands, but far from the consistency you might like. I'd warrant he catches better than TO, not that that's saying a lot.Not sure if this helps or not. But I think what has been established is this: Austin has the ability to be an effective NFL WR. The question becomes whether he will get the opportunity to continue to be that. Will the staff sit down Crayton so Austin can start? This is really the issue for me.

Austin must just be Miles better than everyone else.

Ridgelake said:

Bob Magaw said:

Lott said:

As to why more WRs do not toast the Chiefs, it may also have something to do with the Chiefs not having a lead much of the game, so opposing WRs aren't needed as much. Dallas was in a position to pass for four quarters.

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excellent point...& it is probably clear by now i'm of the opinion austin is the real deal... but it was a bit flukey he was able to pad his stats with that last 60 yard TD in OT...

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Bob, if you're trying to assess whether Austin has ability, the answer is yes. He is big, fast and elusive. There's a reason he's been used so often at kick returner the last several years. He can beat people in single coverage and get deep. His YpTD average attests to that.What has limited him so far are a couple of things. 1) He had a tremendous amount to learn about the pro game. He played at a tiny college and didnt have much knowledge about playing receiver coming out. Its taken him longer than most receivers to really understand the nuances involed in the pro game. And I'm not fully convinced he's regularly on the same page as Romo. He certainly seemed that way against KC, however. But in previous games this year, the two havent always been that way. The Champ Bailey pick in week 4 comes forefront to my mind. But maybe getting the first team practice reps like he did for KC is what he needs to meld with Romo. This is still yet to be determined.2) He doesnt have the best hands. Not terrible hands, but far from the consistency you might like. I'd warrant he catches better than TO, not that that's saying a lot.Not sure if this helps or not. But I think what has been established is this: Austin has the ability to be an effective NFL WR. The question becomes whether he will get the opportunity to continue to be that. Will the staff sit down Crayton so Austin can start? This is really the issue for me.

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/end thread.Great post that should help others better understand Austin.

Bob Magaw said:

for the historical/statistical cognoscenti...a few questions buried in the rubble above, that might be a steppingstone to cracking the fluke code...1 - top 5-10 list best "first start" for a WR in league history (as noted above, i think boldin had a monster first start... something like 170 & 2 TDs?)... plug 250 in for austin... 2 - top 5-10 highest career YPTD (yards per TD) average with 30+ catches (austin 40.8) those lists could than in turn be broken down & vetted on a scouting/observational basis...if there are a lot of stiffs on the list, that might bode poorly for austin's future...coversely, if they are populated by some recognizably talented WRs, that could point to a more favorable projection...obviously these would be pretty small lists & not too much should be inferred from them...

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You know the period key still works when you only hit it once, right? To answer the question, there are plenty of players every year that blowup for one game. RB's, QB's, WR. Doesn't matter what position. That doesn't make him a star. Jermaine Fazande, Connell, Gardner, Patten, Suggs, etc.

I should add that we had lengthy discussions about Austin in the Cowboy Offseason thread. We talked about what level tender he should receive. We worried a lot when the Jets were sniffing around deciding whether to offer him a contract. Most Cowboy followers recognized that Austin had the ability to be a good WR in the league. It was discussed if he should have gotten even a 1st round tender to ensure that this quality player would stay round. Many, myself included, worried that someone like Miami or New England would be happy to give up the #60 pick or whatever to get a starter-quality deep threat receiver.

Anyway, if you're interested, thats a good place to look.

Listen, the Chiefs are 0-5 for reasons and pass defense is one of them. If Miles Austin is so good why are people so defesnsive? You should be confident he is going to do well and be laughing at us for being ignorant. If he is any good he will actually start putting up numbers CONSISTENTLY and against a professional defense. Running over a lot of jabronis once or twice isn't much to talk about.

i wouldn't characterize the effort to determine whether he is a flash in the pan or not as defensive...

obviously whether he is legit or not, & whether you can suss this out before others, could have fateful consequences... regardless of which side of the fence you are on with this topic...

Hipple said:

FWIW most of these aren't "called shots" Matt berry on FF whatever on espn2 called this last week (though not as big as it happened). He's a big strong receiver, and the other recs have been garbage, with witten and the RBs getting most of the attention. But luck plays in too. take away the two BONMBS and hes 8 for 130-140, and has a "quality day". Fall down/miss tackles on two big plays can skew the #'s, but I think in the absence of a real W1 (I dont count big ploy roy) I could see him being a decent wr2 moving fwd, if romo keeps his head out of his ###.

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And if he doesn't drop 2 TDs in the endzone his day is even better. It works both ways.I don't expect Miles Austin to take the league by storm, but he's a decent WR with good size/speed.

At minimum he is a big play threat. Maximum, guy has a pretty high ceiling.

Would it kill you to write complete sentences with capitalization?

Reading your posts are hard.

Looks like the crow truck is backing up

Getinthemix said:

Would it kill you to write complete sentences with capitalization? Reading your posts are hard.

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To say the least. I'll just ignore this thread from this point forward.

He still breaking tackles for td's and this not the Chiefs this time.....

I

2 week fluke!!!