Jeff Fisher sets unrealistic goal for Tavon Austin in 'redesigned' Rams offense
Tavon Austin's coach thinks he'll hit the 100-reception mark this year
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2 min read
It's the offseason, which means it's peak hyperbole season. The Jaguars are allegedly going to the playoffs after a successful offseason. The Raiders are seemingly ready to end their own playoff drought. Brock Osweiler just might be the Texans' quarterback savior. Tavon Austin is definitely ready to become a 100-catch receiver.
Wait, what?
Yep, that's an actual thought right now -- at least according Rams head coach Jeff Fisher, who believes Austin will rack up at least 104 receptions this season. Seriously.
"It's going to all focus off the run game. We're going to be able to, if need be, hand it off to Todd and if someone says, 'We're not going to let you do that,' then we're going to spread it around," Fisher told the team's website, per TurfShowTimes.com. "And so when it's all said and done, I think we'll be able to look back and I think see Tavon maybe double in catches over what he had last year. And that's the most important thing, is just get the chunks downfield."
He apparently thinks this because of the Rams' revamped offense.
Fisher: "This offense has been redesigned to make sure that he (Austin) gets the football"
— Patrick Claybon (@PatrickClaybon) June 1, 2016
I'm not buying it. There's a better chance that the Jaguars, Raiders, and Texans will all meet in the AFC title game next winter. For one, it's Tavon Austin, who has averaged 41 catches per season since he entered the league in 2013. Austin did put up a career-high with 52 last season, but expecting Austin to make the leap to 100 is ambitious. Only seven receivers hit that mark last year. Even Odell Beckham Jr. fell short.
And if Fisher is expecting 100 catches from Austin, then he's also expecting Jared Goff to turn into a bona fide star behind a leaky offensive line. He's also expecting Goff to target Austin a whole lot, as Pro Football Focus' Sam Monson pointed out:
Austin caught 64.2 percent of the passes sent his way in 2015, meaning that, for him to top 100 catches this season at that same rate, he would need 156 targets, which would have been the sixth-highest total of 2015.
And, remember, the Rams go up against the Cardinals and Seahawks four times a year.
The silver lining here is that Fisher is providing some better-than-mediocre takes this offseason. From declaring Case Keenum the starting quarterback a few months ago to talking up Austin like a 100-catch receiver, Fisher appears to be ready to ditch his mediocre label once and for all.
Now, if only that would translate over to the field.
