COACH’S CORNER

Looking at Rams return man Tavon Austin with special-teams coordinator

At first glance, rookie returner/receiver Tavon Austin isn’t having the kind of impact the St. Louis Rams had hoped for when they selected the 5-8, 176-pound speedster with the eighth overall pick in April.

Austin is averaging 8.9 yards per punt return and a decent 23.6 yards per kickoff return.

But Bears special-teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis knows better. There is a lot more to Austin than his dynamic (and risky) 98-yard punt return for a touchdown in the Rams’ stunning 38-8 victory Nov. 10 against the Indianapolis Colts.

‘‘The thing that nobody gets is how many returns he’s had called back,’’ DeCamillis said.

That includes an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown against the Cowboys on Sept. 22 and a 49-yard return against the Jaguars on Oct. 6. Both were negated by penalties.

‘‘Just flat-out explosion,’’ DeCamillis said of Austin. ‘‘We did a lot of work on him last year during the draft. He’s picking it up. He’s got his confidence going right now.’’

Directional punting by Adam Podlesh will be crucial to limiting Austin, and Podlesh excels in that area. It also helps to have Devin Hester to practice against.

‘‘We’ve got one that’s like him, so it’s the same thing,’’ DeCamillis said. ‘‘I know when we were playing Devin, it was always nerveracking getting ready for him, and it’s the same thing with this guy. Our guys are going to be up for the task, and we’re going to kick it off and let’s see how we do.’’

— Adam L. Jahns