I saw that while I was waiting for a work lunch but couldn't respond. And now you stole my insightful, brilliant post! Wah!
I agree with you whole heartedly - right there tells you what your need to know. Tavon limits the playbook because of what he can't do. Easier for the defense to diagnose a limited playbook. He might very well have some good early games with Dallas, but then the league will figure those plays out pretty quickly too. Unless Tavon becomes a more complete player.
Some other, non-Tavon, thoughts
Higbee is going to need to get rid of that tell. Some plays are getting blown up even before the snap, whether Tavon is in there or it's someone else..
Some of his diagnosis isn't Ram specific. It just so happens that he's a really smart defender and reads really well. Every team runs variations of certain plays so he is trained to look for those no matter who is running them. It speaks more to his qualities than specific Rams weaknesses. Comments like the lineman widening out, where the RB is lined up, things like that. He is a smart guy who has been well-coached.
I know that the point of this article is that this guy's attention to details is what makes him successful NFL LB. But as a Ram's fan, what this really drives home is how lack of attention to details can kill you. Higbee's tell, Saffold showing that he's light on his hands, Havenstein's sloppy play, etc.
I am glad they used the Ram's game as an example! Thanks for posting!
