Critiquing NFC East WR Tandems

No matter how much I want mm to be > maclin they’re not even close.

Steve Smith not being our #2 is a joke. Put him in there and that justifies the #1 spot, not Manningham.

and as an overall WR, which includes things like route running, I would probably take Dez over Jackson

is a tough task. There is so much comparable talent without a clear standout at #1, IMO. There is no Larry Fitz or Andre Johnson in our division. Quite honestly, if someone put Austin, DJack, or Maclin first I wouldn’t blink at any of those selections.

And Moss being last just shows you how good a crop of wideouts we do have in our division. I suppose he’s that far down due to age and his career arrow pointing down?

I’ll rank them this way:
1. Nicks
2. Maclin
3. DJack
4. Austin
5. Ham
6. Dez
7. Santana

I’ll let the Nicks over DJax thing slide because at least there’s an argument there… But Manningham over Maclin? No.

I am going to list out the stats of the top 3 receivers on the Giants, Eagles, and Cowboys in the last year they were healthy.

NY Giants

Steve Smith (2009, 16 gms): 107 catches, 1220 yds, 11.4 YPC, 7 TDs
Smith clearly has a defined role in the Giants offense. Consider that he led the league in catches that resulted in 1st downs. Yes, he has little to no YAC, but that’s not his purpose. He is there to get open, make catches, and convert them for 1st downs. 100+ catches, 1000+ yards, 5+ TDs, leading the league in 1st down conversions. Done. If you want Steve Smith’s 2010 campaign where he played with a torn pectoral and hampered by knee injuries, his line was still decent for only playing half a season: 48 catches, 529 yds, 11.0 YPC, 3 TDs.

Hakeem Nicks (2010, 13 gms): 79 catches, 1052 yds, 13.3 YPC, 11 TDs
 Clearly the leader of the WR group, he fits the #1 WR profile with solid all around stats. These impressive numbers are in 13 games, not 16. 3 more games, and he’d have a chance to eclipse 100 receptions as well and possibly add even more TDs.

Mario Manningham (2010, 16 gms): 60 catches, 994 yds, 15.7 YPC, 9 TDs
He has a clearly defined role as well. His strong YPC indicates that he’s the burner that stretches defenses. 9 TDs is incredible for the #3 receiver, and he came within 6 yards of giving the Giants a tandem of 1000 yd receivers

Philadelphia Eagles

Desean Jackson (2010, 14 gms) 47 catches, 1056 yds, 22.5 YPC, 6 TDs Jackson plays the same role as Manningham does in the Giants offense. He’s the burner, and has got an insane 22.5 YPC. Basically an upgraded Mario, and he only played 14 games, imagine what he does in 16. Only thing Mario has him beat in, was TDs.

Jeremy Maclin (2010, 16 gms) 70 catches, 964 yds, 13.8 YPC, 10 TDs
Maclin has similar production to Nicks (I’d argue that Nicks did better because he had slightly better stats in 13 games, whereas Maclin got these stats in 16), but clearly, Maclin has shown the ability to take over a game, and be the #1 WR that the Eagles expect him to be in a couple years. His stats from this past year already push him into the upper echelon of WRs as is. Fits the profile as the #1.

Jason Avant (2010, 16 gms) 51 catches, 573 yds, 11.2 YPC, 1 TD
I personally am not a fan of Avant, but my Eagle buddies have sworn by his talent, so I believe them. In the Philly games that I have seen, he has been a presence and has solid hands. His skill set is similar to Steve Smith’s, and plays the same position in the slot. His YAC is slightly better than Smith’s, 5.2 to 3.4.

Dallas Cowboys

Miles Austin (2010, 16 gms) 69 catches, 1041 yds, 15.1 YPC, 7 TDs
Austin doesn’t fill into a particular WR archetype (#1 WR, burner, slot). He’s a mix between a burner and #1 all-around type. That’s okay though, because he was extremely productive. His YPC was very impressive, not quite Manningham (definitely not Desean) but well above Nicks and Maclin. His catches and TDs were lower than Nicks and Maclin, but his catches exceeded Desean and Mario. He was middle of the pack when it came to TDs.

Dez Bryant (2010, 12 gms) 45 catches, 561 yards, 12.5 YPC, 6 TDs
Based on these numbers, Bryant is right on track to compete with Maclin and Nicks as he profiles as Dallas’ true #1 WR. He is right on track with Nicks or Maclin in their rookie seasons (Nicks: 14gms, 47, 790, 16.8, 6TD and Maclin: 15gms, 56, 773, 13.8, 4TD).

Roy Williams (2010, 15 gms) 37 catches, 530 yards, 14.3 YPC, 5 TDs
Roy Williams projects as another burner, with a higher than average YPC (in 2009, it was 15.7). He has a low number of catches, and a high TD to catch ratio (which is seen in the burner type).

What I’ve seen people do is compare different types of receivers. You can’t do that, because their roles in the offense are all different. If you want to compare each receiver, you do it by their skill sets. Therefore,

Compare: Hakeem Nicks, Dez Bryant, Jeremy Maclin, Miles Austin for the #1 WR all-around type.

Compare: Steve Smith and Jason Avant for the slot WR type

Compare: Desean Jackson, Mario Manningham, Roy Williams, Miles Austin for the burner type.

Based on statistics alone, my rankings would be:

type: Hakeem Nicks, Jeremy Maclin, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant.
I put Nicks first because his stats are similar (even slightly higher in catches, yards, and TDs) to Maclin’s, but he did it in fewer games, therefore the potential is much higher for him. Austin, I had a hard time placing, but even though he had production, as the #1 receiver archetype, he was a bit less successful. Its not fair to compare Dez to these guys, because he’s a rookie, but he’s following in the footsteps. It remains to be seen if he continues, however, but the upside is evident.

Slot: Steve Smith, Jason Avant

 I rate Steve Smith higher because, well, he has the production to back it up with hard, solid evidence. You can say Jason Avant is better, and to you I say, great! I need that assertion backed up by statistical proof.

Burner: Desean Jackson, Miles Austin, Mario Manningham, Roy Williams
 
Desean Jackson is the clear winner, because his YPC is so ridiculously high. He had fewer catches than Manningham but almost as many TDs and had more yards. The reason for Manningham’s high TD total was due to the fact that he had to switch roles late in the year to become a #1 WR, and filled in admirably. Miles Austin comes in 2nd because of the great production he’s had, although I do believe that Manningham is a better "pure" burner than Austin is. Roy Williams is just not very good.

In conclusion, it does not make sense to just line up all the receivers and rank them. You HAVE to do it this way. Miles Austin is the only one that doesn’t fall into a particular archetype which made it hard for me to rank him. Just because he ranked 3rd and 2nd in two archetypes, doesn’t mean that he is bad, its just, those other receivers are better at that pure role. Austin has his hybrid role, and plays it well.

These stats were taken off NFL.com

1. Hakeem Nicks
2. Miles Austin
3. Jeremy Maclin
4. DeSean Jackson
5. Dez Bryant
6. Mario Manningham
7. Santana Moss

1,2,and 3 on my list are pretty much tied, because they can all do it all.

he wouldn’t get half the publicity he gets now.

Dez should be lower,and Maclin over Ham

I know, I’m an Eagles fan, I’m biased, I’m an idiot, I stomp on children’s faces while all my friends cheer… I got it. But Maclin is more of a Hakeem Nicks clone than Dez is, IMO. Here’s how I’d rank it.

1) Nicks. Hurts to put him above our guys, but objectively, the numbers support it.
2) Maclin. DeSean is one of the most explosive WRs in football, but Maclin is insanely underrated. He reminds me of Reggie Wayne, and I think he’ll have a similar career.
3) Dez. I hate him, but if he doesn’t eff up from an off-the-field standpoint I think he’ll be amazing.
4) DeSean. Most explosive offensive player in the game (QBs not withstanding). Also means he’s boom or bust, and he’s had a few bust games.
5) Manningham. Upper-middle class man’s DeSean. Very explosive, but lacks DeSean’s acceleration. Still a damn good player.
6) Smith. He’s a great third down/posession guy, but being a checkdown guy blows up his numbers like crazy. (See LeSean McCoy’s receiving numbers for more information on that subject).
7) Austin. Way overrated. The guy became the primary option in an offense that couldn’t run the ball, which blew up his numbers. He’s not bad, but he’s not Pro-Bowl caliber.
8) Santana Moss. Three years ago he’d be ranked higher, but I just don’t see it. Maybe a product of his team, though.

to shut these receivers down.

 H. Nicks
S. Smith
M. Manningham
D. Hagan
D. Calhoun
M. Clayton
D. Thomas
V. Cruz
D. Reynaud
R. Bomar

simple