Tavon Austin is out to prove that he is worthy of the hype surrounding him. One of the top draft picks, the former West Virginia wide receiver is expected to jumpstart the inconsistent St. Louis Rams offense. While not much has been seen from Austin in preseason actions, the few flashes in games is reassuring fans that he is the real deal.
Head coach Jeff Fisher is holding Austin back, on purposes. The head coach talked on the Jim Rome Show this week and said that yes, Austin has not been super present during preseason games because the team would prefer to keep him under wraps until the regular season begins.
"We have a pretty good idea [how we'll use him] but we haven't shown it," Fisher said. "He's not had a lot of production, per se, in the preseason only because it makes sense to hold those type of things for the regular season."
That talent being kept a secret showed itself briefly during the team's third preseason game when Austin put up an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown. That play was enough to reassure fans that Austin will not be a draft bust, but instead one of the team's best players.
Third-year quarterback Sam Bradford understands exactly what the team has in Austin. The quarterback once referred to the rookie as a video game. Fantasy owners be prepared because Austin is likely to be targeted on a large number plays this season. Austin is loving the trust his quarterback has in him.
"He looked for me a lot at practice," Austin said, via NFL.com. "He definitely believes in me and I definitely feel good about myself. He kind of talked to me, let me know the things I'm doing good, the things I'm doing bad as far as landmarks, if I should have kept the corner high or should I bend it off. I definitely believe he got a lot of trust in me and I got trust in him."
Fisher is in full belief that this third year will be Bradford's real breakout season. With Austin and Jared Cook acquired in the offseason as offensive weapons and Jake Long signed for added protection, Bradford has all the right pieces around him to put up big numbers.
St. Louis is young, but dangerous. Bradford has the ability to be a great quarterback and Austin will become his favorite new toy. According to Fisher, fans have not seen anything yet.