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Los Angeles Lenny
I would like to be able to incorporate TA into more first and second downs when the defense is more likely to be in their base defense, his potential talent is off the charts, his skillset does not warrant him being on the field. I am "hoping" that a year with McVay, and a Goff that is a year more mature could make it easier to accomplish this, but in the end it is up to TA to produce
But since he's not a starter he will never face a base defense. First, Rams don't run base offense anymore. They like 3 wide with Kupp as a slot and Watkins as and X and Woods as the Z and they like Higbee in and Gurley in, so they prefer 11 personnel. As such, we will face nickel defense most of the time, what we do dictates what they do.
So, if we wanted to face a base defense we'd need to use 2 receivers, 1 TE and 2 RBs or 2 receivers, 2 TE and 1 RB, those are base offenses and defenses will counter those with base defenses, a 3-4 or a 4-3.
Once we go 3 wide they will go nickel. If we go 4 wide, they will go dime. If Austin could ever spell Woods at Z and we used 12 personnel (1 RB and 2 TE) we could then force defense to use base and then maybe, but formation and motion isolate Austin into a favorable matchup, but we've tried that. He WAS a starter in 2015 and 2016 and just didn't get it done.
He's a lost cause, but now, with a lesser salary, he's not as bad as when he was making all that cash. Now he has outside shot at making the team