Avila rejects rookie label as he impresses at guard
THOUSAND OAKS ❯❯ It was a play the Rams installed during training camp, with varying degrees of success. Sometimes it would go off without a hitch when being run in preseason games against the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders, and other times rookie guard Steve Avila couldn't quite get to his man.
Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur texted Avila with different clips of the play, telling him it would be a big one for the Rams this season.
They finally broke it out on the first series of the second half of Monday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Tutu Atwell came in from the left side in motion and ran across the backfield at the snap. Matthew Stafford faked a handoff to Kyren Williams, then looked Atwell's way on the right side. Then Stafford turned and threw to Williams in the left flat.
The idea was for Atwell's motion to draw the defense to the opposite side of the field from where the screen pass was headed. The only problem was Bengals corner Mike Hilton read the play and was closing in on Williams, and it was Avila's job to clear Williams' path.
“I know what my assignment is: it's either going to be a linebacker, and I think they were playing man that play, so it was a corner. I was like, `Dang, bro, I gotta get out there,' ” Avila said. “That's what ended up happening, a little quicker guy so I gotta get out there quicker. It didn't look pretty; I got what I could of him, but it got the job done.”
Avila's presence acted as the main protection for Williams; Hilton felt the 6-foot3, 332-pound guard approaching and altered his path so that although Avila only clipped his shoulder, it was enough to turn a potential 2-yard loss into a firstdown play.
“If you're a tick off right there, that could be the difference between secondand-17 and what ended up being an explosive play,” LaFleur said. “It was really good execution, honestly, for Steve to be able to get that done.”
“That's just him knowing his assignment and going out and shooting his shot,” center Coleman Shelton said. “Seeing the guy relate to the running back and be like, `Well, that's where the screen is,' and he hauls out, goes as hard as he can to get that block.”
It was a high level of difficulty for an experienced lineman. You never know how a defense will react, which is why the Rams coaching staff refers to them as “snowflakes,” never the same as the last iteration.
For Avila, a secondround rookie out of TCU, he had little experience laying blocks so far outside, though he welcomed the opportunity.
“Actually, as a lineman, you want to get those opportunities because everyone always thinks you're fat and can't move,” he joked.
Avila doesn't want any qualifiers attached to his assessments, whether it's about a big man moving in space or a rookie in a veteran's league.
“I told myself before the season started that I don't want to be a rookie. That was my No. 1 thing, I don't want to have it where, `He's a rookie. He's making rookie mistakes. He'll be fine,'” Avila said. “I never wanted that and I try to take that into account when I'm practicing, too. I don't want that to be my name, `a rookie.' Hopefully what I've put out is showing that.”
Through three games starting at left guard, Avila has seen 138 pass-blocking snaps. He's allowed just nine pressures and no sacks. In the running game, he's looking for the next man to block after his assignment has been neutralized.
“I have such a high standard for myself. I know what it takes,” Avila said. “I know what Hall of Famers look like; I know what Pro Bowlers look like. I want to get to that level. A lot of people say it takes time, but I don't want it to. And I know that's not fair to myself. I've always been like that. You have such high expectations and I didn't want that curve to bother me at all.”