Sunday, August 13, 2006

NFC East By The Numbers: Wide Receivers

Funny thing about Terrell Owens. The more controversial his actions last year, the greater his abilities were described by sportswriters. Before 2005, Owens was considered on a par with Randy Moss and Marvelous Harrison. The way people gushed about him during his suspension, you'd think he was the greatest receiver to ever wear pads. Really? Better than Jerry Rice? Certainly best in the NFC East, as shown by career stats of East receivers.




Receivers are ranked by receptions, yards and touchdowns. With longevity, Owens has more of those than any NFC East receiver. And Owens manages a touchdown every seven times he catches a pass. Only Santana Moss, with one score for every 8.4 catches, approaches Owens. So, do we compare Owens to Rice? Maximum Jerry caught 1549 passes for 22895 yards and 197 touchdowns over twenty-one years. He averaged 14.8 yards per catch and one touchdown for every 7.9 receptions.

Whoa! Owens' averages are on a par with Rice. Glad I drafted him for my fantasy team. There is one way they do not compare and it is huge. Rice the Great was the ultimate team player. Whatever his frustrations, I'm sure there were some, it never erupted in the corrosive way that Owens the Whiner does. I don't have to worry about team cohesion in fantasy football. Intangibles only have weight in the real game.

Reggie Brown is included on this list instead of Todd Pinkston because Philadelphia treates him like their number one receiver. They touted him, not the oft-injured Pinkston, when they exiled Owens last year. In half a season, Brown showed flashes of what he can become.

See also The Redskins Report ranking of NFC East receivers.


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1 comment:

Ben Folsom said...

Reggie Brown is the man in Philly. Pinkston is a possession guy and Jabar Gaffney idn't savin no one.

It will be my pleasure to watch the Eagles underachieve.