SB Nation - Austin Pettis

New England Patriots Don't Use Greg Salas, Barely Use Wes Welker In 34-13 Win

DanUpBaby — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:05:06 -0000

Week 1 of the New England Patriots' ongoing Wes Welker-Greg Salas controversy was... a bit of an anticlimax. Greg Salas didn't make the box score, and Wes Welker wasn't very far ahead of him, catching three balls for 14 yards in an afternoon that saw Tom Brady go for 236 yards and two touchdowns. The 21-3 halftime lead they got out to vs. the Tennessee Titans probably has something to do with all this, but I'm sorry: if you were hoping for the St. Louis Rams' Josh McDaniels-y cast-off to make some noise in the early going, you're going to have to wait for Week 2.

While I'm at it, I'm also sorry if you took Wes Welker in your fantasy league. Given all the offseason controversy, you might have gotten yourself a deal, but Week 1 hasn't gone especially well for you.

In total, that means the Rams' big receiver makeover in the 2011 NFL Draft produced two catches for 16 yards in Week 1, both of them belonging to Lance Kendricks. Austin Pettis has one more game to go on his suspension; Greg Salas's future is a little more nebulous.

NFL Draft 2012: St. Louis Rams Draft WR Brian Quick To Start Round 2

DanUpBaby — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 23:16:35 -0000

The St. Louis Rams kicked off Round 2 of the 2012 NFL Draft by scratching their long-rumored wide receiver itch—they drafted Brian Quick (click through for a scouting report), giving Sam Bradford a big target who produced consistently in college with Appalachian State. Quick, listed at six-five, caught 71 balls for 1096 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2012.

The pick comes just a year after the Rams spent their third and fifth-round picks on wide receivers—Boise State's Austin Pettis, who caught 27 balls for 256 yards and struggled to find a role in his rookie season, and Greg Salas, who struggled early and was hurt just as he began to find his footing.

The Rams' wide receiver issue has become legendary already, after just two years with Sam Bradford. Last year's leading receiver was midseason acquisition Brandon Lloyd, who's gone; Steven Jackson was next on the list, with Brandon Gibson leading all other wide receivers with 36 receptions and 431 yards. Only Danario Alexander caught more than one touchdown.

It's bad out there, is what I'm saying. If Brian Quick was hoping to be a No. 1 receiver someday—well, it looks like he has his chance by default. The Rams have two more picks in the second round coming soon; follow our storystream for up-to-the-minute updates on what they do.

NFL Draft 2012: Team Needs For St. Louis Rams Not Hard To Guess

DanUpBaby — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:54:03 -0000

I love a good team needs column—you'll find one about the Rams here, from the National Football Post—but this close to the 2012 NFL Draft your own team's needs are hard to avoid; you're being buffeted with them at every moment, from free agency rumblings to every mock draft and rumors post on the internet. So: It will not surprise you to know that the St. Louis Rams really need wide receivers and offensive linemen.

Given their draft habits over the last few years, this is an unpleasant truth; they took Greg Salas, Austin Pettis, and Mardy Gilyard in the last two years, and spent major picks on current holes Rodger Saffold and Jason Smith. But it's a truth nonetheless.

The most interesting thing about this column might be the Post's suggestion that Rutgers's Mohamed Sanu would make an interesting receiver pick after Justin Blackmon. I don't know if the Rams have time to develop another project receiver, but they also don't have a lot of choices left to pick through.

NFL Rumors 2012: Donnie Avery On His Way To The New York Jets?

DanUpBaby — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:00:39 -0000

Hey, remember last year, when the St. Louis Rams were apparently so flush with talented wide receivers that they cut Donnie Avery? Apparently the 28-year-old former Rams second-rounder will be visiting the New York Jets, after his easy-to-miss stint with the Tennessee Titans saw him catch three balls for 45 yards and a touchdown. (That's right: We've reached the portion of the NFL rumors season where we're worried about what Donnie Avery will be doing next year.)

Avery never lived up to his potential in St. Louis, but given the bloodbath that ensued almost immediately after he was cut in 2011 I'm not sure the Rams feel so great about having cut him, in hindsight. (At least it opened a spot for Austin Pettis!)

No word yet* as to what Mardy Gilyard is doing with his free time. (Maybe he's taken up whittling?)

*Okay, okay, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. You got it out of me. More SB Nation St. Louis coverage of Wide Receiver Drought 2012:

The obvious solution for the Rams is to draft Justin Blackmon, already.
Unless, of course, somebody else drafts him first.
This would have gone better if the San Francisco 49ers hadn't been poaching wide receivers in expectation of Peyton Manning Glory.

ANIMATED: Red Bryant Interception And Stiff-Arm Of Austin Pettis

Avinash Kunnath — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:25:24 -0000

The Seattle Seahawks have had a pretty good day against the St. Louis Rams. Perhaps (no, not perhaps, more like most definitely) the highlight of the day for Seattle involved defensive tackle Red Bryant.

After the jump, you can see this play here. Let's just say it's not a good sign for the opposition when Bryant is the guy who has the best stiff-arm on the team on Sunday.

This ball went from Sam Bradford to off the hands of Austin Pettis and up into the air right into Bryant's hands. Seattle turned this play into the clinching touchdown on a 22 yard Justin Forsett rush.

To discuss Seattle Seahawks football, head to Field Gulls.

VIDEO: Patrick Peterson, Cardinals Special Teams Power Arizona To OT Victory

Avinash Kunnath — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 01:33:35 -0000

The Arizona Cardinals couldn't seem to generate much on offense this Sunday to get over the hump against the St. Louis Rams. So why not turn to their special teams to take a victory away?

The Rams marched down the field in 40+ seconds, as Sam Bradford connected with Austin Pettis and got a Stephen Jackson rush to set up St. Louis in Arizona territory. Josh Brown lined up for the game winning field goal, and it looked like the Rams would notch their second straight field goal in a row.

Then Patrick Peterson ended things rather abruptly for the Cardinals in overtime. Peterson was actually pinned deep in his own territory, and it looked like he should have let this football go. Foolhardy perhaps, but it worked out for the best as Peterson went charging the other way, broke tackles and went all the way to the end zone for the win. Pretty big game for Peterson, who also had a huge interception. The Cardinals just have to be happy to get the win in whatever way they can.

To discuss the game with Cardinals fans, head to Revenge of the Birds. To discuss the game with Rams fans, check out Turf Show Times.

Austin Pettis Tells Niles Paul To Appeal His Fine

Mike Prada — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:51:35 -0000

One of the more maddening things about the Redskins' 17-10 victory over the Rams on Sunday was the fact that the Redskins kept getting called for penalties running into Rams punt returner Austin Pettis, even though Pettis never signaled a fair catch. One of those penalties resulted in a $20,000 fine for Niles Paul for a helmet-to-helmet hit.

Many people feel bad for Paul getting docked that much money. Apparently, that list includes Pettis himself, who told the Redskins' receiver to appeal. Here's the exchange on Twitter.

@Austin_Pettis
Austin Pettis @Niles_Paul damn bro they hit u deep in the pockets....appeal it I shoulda called for the fair catch lol! That's all bad
Oct 05 via EchofonFavorite RetweetReply

@Niles_Paul
Niles Paul Lol what you got on it? RT @Austin_Pettis: @Niles_Paul damn bro they hit u deep in the pockets, I shoulda called for the fair catch! Lol
Oct 05 via EchofonFavorite RetweetReply

@Niles_Paul
Niles Paul @Austin_Pettis lol I'm sorry bro
Oct 05 via EchofonFavorite RetweetReply

@Austin_Pettis
Austin Pettis @Niles_Paul lol u straight at least I will learn to fair catch now
Oct 05 via EchofonFavorite RetweetReply

St. Louis Rams Rookie Austin Pettis Could Be Activated Vs. Ravens

DanUpBaby — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 14:01:01 -0000

After an ugly performance from Greg Salas as the return-man and slot receiver over the first two weeks of the season the St. Louis Rams could be ready to see what their third-rounder from the 2011 NFL Draft can do—the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Austin Pettis has seen "extensive time" with the offense over this week's practices, and could play whether Salas is ready or not.

Pettis, who played college ball at Boise State, has been inactive for the first two weeks of the season, but with Danny Amendola out of the picture for another week or two following his horrific elbow injury and preceding his bid for a Wolverine-style recovery and Greg Salas, their fourth-rounder, literally fumbling his shot at the starting slot receiver position, Pettis has his best chance of the season to get established in the Rams' offense here in Week 3. The youngsters were promising enough to beat out Donnie Avery, but at this point in the season one of them will need to act like it.

Danario Alexander has proven that the Rams seem willing to accept any and all help at the position, after all.

St. Louis Rams Scrimmage Updates And Photos

DanUpBaby — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:01:07 -0000

I have a confession to make: I've never been to the St. Louis Rams' training camp, and I don't think I'll ever be able to bring myself to make the trip. There's just something about spending more time than I have to outside in a Midwestern August that roots me even more deeply to my chair than usual. That's why I'm grateful for Turf Show Times, which as always has some great photos and reports from the Rams' scrimmage.

Relevant links: A scouting report from Brick Top, who liked Billy Bajema and loved watching Jerious Norwood and Cadillac Williams, although I'm concerned about his note that he didn't see Norwood's all-important speed; some photos from a friend and tweeter of the site; and another scouting report and running commentary from RamsBuck, who notes that Austin Pettis didn't have a great day but Mike Sims-Walker looked solid. (Long term I'd just as soon see that go the other way around...)

It was 100 degrees at the scrimmage Sunday, and thanks to the magic of the internet you and I didn't have to fall victim to heat stroke. It's reason enough to thank Tim Berners-Lee a little extra on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the World Wide Web.

NFL Draft Grades: Greg Salas And Austin Pettis Neck And Neck For Rams

DanUpBaby — Tue, 03 May 2011 12:45:18 -0000

Austin Pettis and Greg Salas are likely, thanks to the vagaries of the 2011 NFL Draft, to be connected in articles like this for the rest of their career. That means everything—their playing time, their long-term futures in the NFL and with the St. Louis Rams, and, of course, their premature NFL Draft grades. Turf Show Times takes a look at some early reports that have Salas, the fourth-round pick, ranked ahead of third-rounder Pettis, which—is it an overdraft if the pick afterward is an underdraft?

What these talking heads like about Salas is his versatility—Greg Cossell suggests in a tweet that Salas could play the slot or on the outside, which is useful for a Rams team that has a number of options they need to evaluate across the wide receiver spectrum.

Compared to the Rams' personnel we've seen to date, they're almost identical as players—they're both strong and they both know how to catch the ball, which is big news for a team that threw the ball to Laurent Robinson on purpose last year.

For a complete look at the St. Louis Rams' 2011 draft, follow our storystream for daily updates.