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If everything goes according to plan, the St. Louis Rams could have a nice stable of receiving targets for Sam Bradford, despite what Bernie Kosar says. The top option still might be Chris Givens, who looks poised for a big breakout in his second season.
"He's clearly picked up where we left off last year," Fisher said. "He's worked hard and it's just more production."
Givens led the Rams with 698 receiving yards on just 42 catches last season. He piled up a number of those yards during an incredible five-game streak with a reception of 50 yards or longer, a streak that only ended when Givens got benched for violating curfew ahead of a Week 10 tie with the 49ers.
His star burned bright again on Thursday against the Browns. He caught three passes for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Here's a GIF of his touchdown catch.
Givens finds plenty of open space on a nice crossing route in the end zone. Bradford does a nice job of putting the ball up and over the hands of the defenders, but not so high that Givens can't it with a leap upward.
(GIFs via)
Here's that 59-yard pass, which is yet another show case of Givens' speed. Also helping Givens get deep is the very comfortable amount of time Bradford has in the pocket.
"Obviously he showed the other night that he can get down the field and make the big play," Fisher said. "It's just going to help us all the way around offensively."
Fisher lacked so much as a trace of surprise when discussing Givens' performance with the media on Saturday. It's the product of continuity and progress. The Wake Forest product is more than just a deep threat though. The Rams are counting on him in all facets of the passing game.
"Yeah, he's worked on the entire game," Fisher explained. "You still have to work on the deep stuff and the proper route progressions and things like that, and speed build up and stuff. But, he's working on the entire package right now."
Learning the "entire package" is something the Rams have talked about with Givens before. His big plays put him on the radar last season, but it was the workload he carried with Danny Amendola out of action that cemented his place in the offense.
With guys like Jared Cook and Tavon Austin on the roster, the Rams probably won't have a player that fits the traditional "No. 1 receiver" mold. However, if Bradford's connection with Givens is anything like it was with Amendola, he might wind up on top of the stat sheet.