Sixty to eighty catches for Avant?
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Sixty to eighty catches for Avant?
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Eagles receiver Jason Avant was a blog favorite of MTC during the 2008 season.
We loved his toughness. His hands. His knack for finding the first-down marker on third downs.
Avant was a reliable target and a pleasant surprise.
But is he ready to make the leap to the next level?
NFL.com's Pat Kirwan sure thinks so. He includes Avant on a list of wide receivers who will step up and make 60-80 catches in 2009.
Here's the write-up:
Unless you talk with an Eagles coach or Donovan McNabb, you might not realize how much this franchise likes Avant. One Eagles executive called him the best slot receiver in the NFL. With all of the attention focused on DeSean Jackson and rookie Jeremy Maclin, Avant should have a very productive year. He has improved his receptions totals in each of his three NFL seasons, from 7 to 23 to 32 last year.
I'd be stunned if Avant jumped to the 60-80 catch range, and that's not a knock on him. I just don't think he'll be given the opportunities, considering that Jeremy Maclin is now in the mix and the offense will spread the ball around.
I'm also not knocking Kirwan. I like the guts. His list would be no fun if it included Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson.
Avant had 32 catches for 377 yards and two touchdowns last season, which was his third in the NFL. DeSean Jackson was the team's leading receiver and the only player to notch 60-plus catches.
In 2007, the Eagles had three players (Brian Westbrook, Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown) with 60-plus catches.
What are your expectations for Avant? Is Kirwan's projection realistic?
If he repeats last year's performance, not only in terms of statistics, but in terms of reliability and success on third down, that will be just fine with me.
I agree with Sheil. Avant has been a good player so far, but I think he'll get enough opportunities for 60 catches. Not the way the Eagles use their receivers.— bjrflyeagles
Comment removed.- an eagles offical called avant the best slot receiver in the NFL. yea, andy reid more than once. it would be an improbability for avant to get 80 throws his way, let alone catches. that's five a game. the guy doesn't play but five to eight offensive plays per game. now maybe if two starters went down.— JACK V
- dreamers. reading these comments. it's the year of the run. the NFL is going running and so are the eagles.— JACK V
- More catches for Avant means more First Downs for the offense! This will help the offense sustain drives and hopefully lead to more TDs and less FGs and punts. So it is def. a good thing to get him more involved in the passing game. Try to knock him all you want but he produced when given the opportunity and really excelled in the slot position.— USNPatriot
- More catches for Avant means more First Downs for the offense! This will help the offense sustain drives and hopefully lead to more TDs and less FGs and punts. So it is def. a good thing to get him more involved in the passing game. Try to knock him all you want but he produced when given the opportunity and really excelled in the slot position.— USNPatriot
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