YONG KIM / Staff photographer
Slot receiver Jason Avant already has seven first-down catches.
Paul Domowitch: Slots subject to 'tax,' but Eagles' Avant is willing
JASON AVANT works in a dangerous neighborhood where the traffic is Schuylkill-at-rush-hour heavy and the threat to bodily harm is always high.
He is the Eagles' slot receiver, which means he makes his living catching passes over the middle - which means he wakes up most Monday mornings during the NFL season feeling like he had been thrown out of a 10th-floor window.
"It's called 'taxing,' " Avant said. "You go over the middle, you're going to have to pay a tax. You can do business there, but you're going to get taxed. And that tax is getting hit. You get used to it."
Avant is doing more than getting used to it. He's thriving in the slot. Had a career-high 32 catches last season and another 11 in the postseason. Already has 10 in the Eagles' first three games this season.
He and tight end Brent Celek have worked the middle of the field like Picasso working a canvas. Through the first three games, they have accounted for 44.4 percent of the Eagles' receptions (32), 43.4 percent of their receiving yards (356), 50 percent of their touchdown catches (three) and 52.7 percent of their passing first downs (19).
"Last year, toward the end of the year, we kind of struck gold with [working the middle], as far as recognizing that Celek and other guys on the inside can make plays," said Avant, who notched his first 100-yard receiving game in the Eagles' 30-10, Week 15 win over Cleveland. "We've been steady with it."
With defenses forced to pay extra attention to the Eagles' outside speed, particularly DeSean Jackson, who already has two 100-yard receiving performances, two touchdown catches and is averaging 21.6 yards per catch, it has created more wiggle room inside for Avant and Celek.
"One thing about this league is, there are going to be guys that demand attention," Avant said. "Jeremy [Maclin] and DeSean, they're going to demand attention. But you've still got to beat somebody. And the guys that you've got to beat are pretty good. So you've got to learn how to get open and do different things."
Slot receivers have to deal with a lot more traffic than do the guys on the outside. They have to make their way through a maze of linebackers and safeties and nickel backs, all of whom are trying to disrupt their route. They have to read the coverage and often adjust their route on the fly, which is something the "X" and "Z" receivers (on the outside) seldom have to do.
"The thing about the slot, you have to decipher and make quick decisions," rookie wide receiver Brandon Gibson said. "You can't be hesitant. There's a lot of traffic in there and you've got to avoid guys and find open holes and find gaps.
"Jason just has a great feel for the slot. He has a great understanding for the position and the feel and timing with the quarterback. Everything he does is always on rhythm. He never tries to do too much. He always does his best to get open and catch the heck out of the ball and get upfield. He's very dependable, which is what Donovan [McNabb], and Kevin [Kolb] when he was in, like about him. He does a great job of catching the ball."
When the 6-foot, 212-pound Avant catches the ball, it usually moves the sticks. Seven of his 10 catches this season and 22 of his 32 last year have produced first downs.
"I'm always trying to get better," he said. "I'm never content, never satisfied. I'm thankful, but never ready to say I made it and I'm where I want to be."
He's a voracious tape watcher, constantly studying other slot receivers to pick up tips that might help him get better.
"I've always watched a lot of film," he said. "I've watched film of Anquan [Boldin] and [T.J.] Houshmandzadeh when they line up in the slot. I try to pick up things. I've got old tapes of Jerry [Rice] when he got moved inside, and a lot of other guys."
Last year, the Eagles had six receivers, including Avant, with 30-plus catches. It was the first time in the Andy Reid era they have had that many. With the wealth of skill-position talent they have this year, they should have at least that many again.
Through three games, they are second in the league in points per game and seventh in total offense and passing offense. And that's with McNabb on the bench for two of those first three games with a fractured rib. But Avant warned that it's a long season.
"I've been on a lot of teams where we had multiple talent," said the 2006 fourth-rounder out of Michigan. "But talent and potential are dangerous. Because if it's not fulfilled, it's wasted. So, we're not really caught up in [having all] the weapons and stuff like that. We've got to go out and execute. There are a lot of great, talented teams in this league on paper. But you've got to go out and do it on the field."
With 10 receptions already, Avant is on a 53-catch pace. But he said he's not concerned with personal goals. Slot receivers often lead a feast-or-famine existence. They seldom are the quarterback's first look, so other circumstances often influence their number of pass-catching opportunities in a game.
"It's going to vary game to game," Avant said. "You can't get impatient. One thing you've got to be is a team guy, no matter what position it is. When you're winning games, you're winning games.
"My coach in college always taught me to not count catches. Count W's. Don't worry about balls and yards and all that stuff. Just worry about focusing on the team and you'll be fine. You'll be happy.
"That's what I try to do here."
Working the middle
In the first three games, tight end Brent Celek and slot receiver Jason Avant have combined for 32 catches, 356 yards and three touchdowns.
They have accounted for 44.4 percent of the Eagles offense's receptions, 43.4 percent of its receiving yards, 50 percent of its touchdown catches and 52.7 percent of its passing first downs.
Brent Celek: 22 receptions, 245 yards, 2 touchdowns, 12 passing first downs
Jason Avant: 10 receptions, 111 yards, 1 touchdown, 7 passing first downs
Rest of WRs: 24 receptions, 378 yards, 2 touchdowns, 14 passing first downs
