The Tavon Hype Train is Real

[turkjetfan]

I know, he hasn't been very good to this point in his career, but I think it was more situation than him as a player. I think it's real because....

1) It's coming from team sources not beat reporters.
2) It's occured after the draft and pre-OTAs when there is little reason to falsely hype.
3) The hype comments have been very specific about intended usage.

Net net, I think they indeed do plan to use him heavily. If it works out is another story, but I think he's well worth a flier.

[sugbear65]

Lol welcome to the offseason. I actually like Tavon, but cmon.

1. Coaches talking up players at this point in the offseason is very regular. What do you think they are going to say, “oops, we may have made a mistake on this guy”. It’s fluffer time.
2. Are you kidding, this is when teams love to talk up all their new toys. It only ramps up from here, when guys will look “spectacular”, albeit in 7 on 7 no contact drills.
3. Have they? From all the comments I see, he’s apparently going to play all the skill
positions, and including returns he should touch the ball anywhere from 10-25 times. I find nothing very specific about that.

Look I’m not saying he can’t carve out a role and be useful. I’m just saying temper expectations, we are still very much in coach-speak season.

[IR1]

Picked him up for free as I had roster spots to spare, but not really expecting much, imo he's the type of guy to move after he has a good game or two

[IBall2]

If I had to pick someone from Dallas as a late round flier, I would rather own Bo Scarbourgh than Tavon Austin. Even if Dallas sticks to their word and start the season off force-feeding him, Tavon doesn't have the body build to hold up to 12+ rushing/receiving attempts per game over an entire season.

[Cowboysfan33]

I think Austin will be valuable to the Cowboys and it was a good football move for just a 6th rounder. I don’t expect him to be fantasy relevant though, you wouldn’t really know when to start him but I do expect him to have a few games where he could help in PPR leagues but knowing which ones would be nearly impossible to decide, Dunbar actually had some relevant games, in the rare times that he was healthy and that’s how the Cowboys plan to use him. I don’t think he’ll get many carries because the depth chart will be Zeke and Rod Smith is locked in as the backup.

[MEuRaH]

Last year, Saints players were talking up Adrian Peterson like he was a machine or something.

The only reason why Austin is getting hype is because of situation. No Dez, Terrance arrested, and no Whitten.

During much of his time with the Rams, he was the sole option with the team. He couldn't do anything then, and I bet he won't do anything now.

[WhatWouldDitkaDo]

Thank you. I needed a nice big laugh to start my pre-holiday Friday at work.

[Phaded]

I like him as a long shot flier.
That said.. I expect him to be close to unstartable as his stats will likely be one off big plays.

[ninotoreS]

If Sean McVay couldn't find a use for him, I doubt Jason Garrett is the genius to finally make Austin a star.

Dallas is talking up Austin because they're self-conscious about how little they've done to upgrade their offense this offseason. They cut Dez, lost Witten, waited until the 3rd round to draft a wide-receiver, and now one of their current WR starters is in trouble with the law. And a hated division rival just won the Super Bowl with their backup QB and has a roster that's kicking Dallas' bleep on paper.

So, Dallas needed to make a splash play in free-agency to appease their clamoring and gigantic fanbase, and it turns out Tavon Austin is the best they could do. The media has always loved the Cowboys, so they play along with the false hype.

[Walter W.]

I picked him in the 6th round of our latest rookie draft (teams can also select any unrostered vets). I'm just hoping he goes off for a game or two and I can flip him for a lower pick next year.

[Cowboysfan33]

Dallas is talking up Austin because they're self-conscious about how little they've done to upgrade their offense this offseason. They cut Dez, lost Witten, waited until the 3rd round to draft a wide-receiver, and now one of their current WR starters is in trouble with the law. And a hated division rival just won the Super Bowl with their backup QB and has a roster that's kicking Dallas' bleep on paper.

So, Dallas needed to make a splash play in free-agency to appease their clamoring and gigantic fanbase, and it turns out Tavon Austin is the best they could do. The media has always loved the Cowboys, so they play along with the false hype.


They gave a 6th round pick for Austin. He should at least be worth that much, he’s going to play the Dunbar role which was actually fairly productive when he was “healthy” which was rare. Anyone that thinks Austin will be anything special is crazy but I do think he will be worth a 6th rounder.
[/quote]

[ninotoreS]

That he was acquired for just a 6th round pick is the rational data-point that projects his real value. To paraphrase Dak the other day, you don't get a free-agent for a 6th round pick that will actually "come out of the backfield, line up at X, line up at Z, put in the slot, be a guy we get the ball in his hands, he'll score some points and get a bunch of yards in this offense" and be the engine of the entire offense, which is what Austin would have to be if he's used in this way for a dozen+ touches a game.

Anyway, sure, he could be worth a 6th rounder. But the hype Dallas is projecting is not that of a 6th round caliber contributor. They're acting like they just traded for Marshall Faulk.

Also bear in mind Dallas is paying Austin 8 million this year. Probably another reason they're obligated to talk him up. They're paying him five million more than Zeke, two million more than Hurns.

[Jfever]

I love watching the Cowboys trend downward. Im betting they are around 500 this season and are a middle of the pack non playoff team. I think Dak is way overrated and with virtually no offensive weapons around him, Zeke is going to get smothered. Get your popcorn ready, this season will be fun to watch the self proclaimed "America's team" embarrass themselves. Austin has no value in fantasy and marginal real NFL football value. The fact he is getting paid what they've agreed to pay him is the cherry on top.

[Cowboysfan33]

Also bear in mind Dallas is paying Austin 8 million this year. Probably another reason they're obligated to talk him up. They're paying him five million more than Zeke, two million more than Hurns.
[/quote]

Nope. They are paying him 3 million and the Rams take on the rest in a dead cap hit. I read that the day of the trade on CBS sports.

[Cowboysfan33]

I love watching the Cowboys trend downward. Im betting they are around 500 this season and are a middle of the pack non playoff team. I think Dak is way overrated and with virtually no offensive weapons around him, Zeke is going to get smothered. Get your popcorn ready, this season will be fun to watch the self proclaimed "America's team" embarrass themselves. Austin has no value in fantasy and marginal real NFL football value. The fact he is getting paid what they've agreed to pay him is the cherry on top.

I’ve noticed that a lot of Eagles fans or other fans of teams that haven’t won SBs almost pull against the Cowboys more than they root for their own team. I always found that really weird and odd. I’m curious to see if the Eagles fans will still obsess over the Cowboys now, after they finally managed to win a SB after all of these years.