Against The Grain: Disproving wide receiver myths

2009-10-12T18:06:05-04:00

2009-10-08T15:24:53-04:00

2009-10-08T23:18:25-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/133/002/thumb/burnmax.png 1247 OH

chrisizzle

Newton Falls 133302

1 Randy Moss and Terrell Owens as sure-fire Hall Of Famers??? I want your job if you can smoke in the office! 7180293

2009-10-12T18:06:05-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/994/61/thumb/Drew_Pearson.jpg 49 NM

daprophet

Tesuque 99760

Randy Moss and Terrell Owens as sure-fire Hall Of Famers??? I want your job if you can smoke in the office!

44 Man, I don't think there's any question they're Hall of Famers. Nor do I think there's any question they deserve it. 7221900

2009-10-11T16:13:35-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/678/1/thumb/alg_giants_rings.jpg 404 VA

nysportsman

Norfolk 6801

43 what is this guy smoking? It was a big deal for the Giants to lose Plax last year for the simple fact that he stretched the field and the D couldn't put 8 in the box. If he healthy there's no way the Giants lose to eagles...the possible go on and beat the steelers(beat them in the regular season that year) 7205797

2009-10-08T23:18:25-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/133/002/thumb/burnmax.png 1247 OH

chrisizzle

Newton Falls 133302

1 Randy Moss and Terrell Owens as sure-fire Hall Of Famers??? I want your job if you can smoke in the office! 7180293

2009-10-11T09:28:13-04:00

boleil

No City 887569

Randy Moss and Terrell Owens as sure-fire Hall Of Famers??? I want your job if you can smoke in the office!

42 Ok, and tell us why they wouldn't be? Because they don't hand out lollypops to babies? 7203718

2009-10-11T09:27:03-04:00

boleil

No City 887569

41 "A few borderline-to-probable Canton guys have won Super Bowls -- Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Hines Ward -- but their teams probably could have captured titles without them. " LOL! I highly doubt the Rams would have won their superbowl in '99 without Bruce and Holt. The #3 and 4 at the time, Az-Zahir Hakim and Ricky Proel were good in their roles but this team would not have won a superbowl with them carrying the WR core. 7203716

2009-10-08T23:18:25-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/133/002/thumb/burnmax.png 1247 OH

chrisizzle

Newton Falls 133302

1 Randy Moss and Terrell Owens as sure-fire Hall Of Famers??? I want your job if you can smoke in the office! 7180293

2009-10-10T23:06:19-04:00

YetAnotherJohn

Palo Alto 604368

Randy Moss and Terrell Owens as sure-fire Hall Of Famers??? I want your job if you can smoke in the office!

40 You have indirectly confessed that you smoke, and implied that smoking leads you to bad decisions. Which I suppose means Moss and Owens are, in fact, likely hall of famers ;-). 7202539

2009-10-10T22:07:23-04:00

BS8

No City 718682

39 Dumbest article ever. No facts, no support. Hines Ward? Well he blocks better than almost any receiver but he's made a career of blindside cheap shots. I believe what he has been doing was made illegal this year. 7202314

2009-10-10T21:49:13-04:00

s140620

854352

38 please fire Andrew Perloff, i do not understand why someone can make a mistake like saying the Giants were in the super bowl last year and still keep their job 7202213

2009-10-10T00:35:28-04:00

G-Men518

Brandon 873758

31 what are all you people on! of course randy moss and t.o . are hall of famers and im sayin that when i hate t.o.! they are two of the best receivers of all time you all are crazy for thinking otherwise either that or you dont really watch football that much. 7198014

2009-10-10T13:24:44-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/380/64/thumb/FireKillsChildren.jpg 56 ON

CancerMan8

Brantford 38204

what are all you people on! of course randy moss and t.o . are hall of famers and im sayin that when i hate t.o.! they are two of the best receivers of all time you all are crazy for thinking otherwise either that or you dont really watch football that much.

37 T.O. has been cancerous to every team he's played for. Just wait your turn, Buffalo, it'll happen to you too (even if it's not played out in the media). He's a very gifted receiver, but I think he'll have a tough time getting in based on all the negativity he brings to a locker room. Randy Moss was great as a Viking, and dominant as a Patriot in '07. Weren't there a few years in some black...hole kind of place where he basically disappeared? We'll see how he shapes up as his career winds down, but again, he's certainly no first-ballot choice at this point. Besides, the play that typifies Moss to me was in the 2004 playoffs, when he walked off the field during a Vikings fake FG attempt in which he was the primary receiver. He didn't know the play, and left the Vikes with 10 men on the field and not a chance to complete that pass. He's matured now, but the bulk of his prime was spent as a diva receiver who didn't even know his playbook. I'm not saying that they'll never get in. They still have time to boost their stats, and wow a bunch of HOF commitee members 20 years down the road. All I said was that Hines Ward beats them both to Canton. Best blocking receiver in the game, perhaps to ever play the game. Steelers career leader in numerous categories. Super Bowl MVP, plus 2 rings to boot. Yeah, I like his chances. 7199493

2009-10-10T10:40:29-04:00

Bob Sandusky

Esperance 727730

36 Well while Ross is a little screwed up on who and who not will be in the Hall of Fame is basic premise is almost right. It should have been 'A diva wide receiver is not a vital position'. For starters the three guys on the team who touch the ball the most are in order, center, QB, starting RB. Without an good offensive line your O is going nowhere. So even before the ball is snapped your TOP receiver is only the 8th most important guy on the field. And he going to touch the ball what 10 times if you're lucky? Your much better off with some like a Wes Welker, Steve Smith or Hines Ward. A guy who is going to do his job right, be where he's supposed to be on the play, catch the ball when it is thrown to him and help out by say BLOCKING instead of sulking when he's not the "focus" of the offense. 7198917

2009-10-10T08:44:44-04:00

JOT

Hopkinton 24844

35 I live in Boston and have watched the Patriots for thirty years. But I gotta say, I love Hines Ward and agree that he is hall-worthy. Pittsburgh, you just have to respect that franchise tremendously. The comments about Moss are interesting. Obviously if we win a SB with him, it's almost a lock. But with his numbers with the Vikings and the Patriots, its hard to see how you keep him out in any event. As for TO, are you kidding me? Why would a guy who is demonstrably destructive to the teams he plays with be admitted to the hall??? 7198610

<div class="photo_container image_right" style="width: 300px;"> <div class="photo"><img src="http://img.fannation.com/upload/si_blog_post_images/44301/michael-crabtree.jpg" alt="Michael-crabtree" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align:right;">Michael Crabtree :: AP </div> </div> Braylon Edwards and Michael Crabtree dominated the NFL news this week. Neither player will be able to match all this hype with actual production on the field. Both are joining teams that don't like to pass the ball and have quarterbacks with little proven success finding receivers downfield.   But that's almost always the case with wide receivers: The expectation of this always fascinating position rarely matches reality. Here's my take on some of the biggest myths surrounding the position. 1. Teams need a tall, fast wide receiver. Only a handful of teams have a 6-foot-4 receiver with speed. That model of the dominant No. 1 receiver is outdated as the rules continue to change and receivers don't need to be as physical. This season, the NFL's emphasis on protecting defenseless receivers will help the little guys even more. It will change even more as college spread offenses trickles upward and players like Percy Harvin and DeSean Jackson become the focal point of offenses. 2. A talented wide receiver will find a way to make plays. No position is more dependent on the system than receiver. Just look at T.O. in Buffalo. Even a guy who thrived in a system can find himself boxed out by the defense or a slight tweak, like Larry Fitzgerald so far this season. Meanwhile, Indianapolis' offense is turning nobodies like Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie into fantasy stars. 3. Numbers tell the story. Lynn Swann was a controversial Hall of Fame pick because he ranks 181st all time with 5,462 receiving yards. That's less than Larry Fitzgerald, who is only 26 years old. But Swann was always a factor for opposing defenses and stretched the field for the Steelers offense. "Many of the voters who saw Swann play didn't care so much about the numbers," Hall of Fame Vice President Joe Horrigan said. "Whenever there's a big debate on receivers, it's dangerous to look at the statistics too much because they're not always a perfect indicator of what that player did for the team. The guys who supported Swann made it clear that the Steelers offense wouldn't be the same without him." 4. Great receivers win Super Bowls. That might be true for quarterbacks, but not receivers. Amongst active players, the only two sure-fire Hall of Fame receivers -- Randy Moss and Terrell Owens -- have zero Super Bowl rings. A few borderline-to-probable Canton guys have won Super Bowls -- Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Hines Ward -- but their teams probably could have captured titles without them. The only virutal sure-thing Hall of Fame receiver to win a Super Bowl this decade was the Colts' Marvin Harrison in 2007. 5. Wide receivers have to be team-first players. When Fitzgerald's brother Marcus was Tweeting about the Cardinals not getting him the ball, the receiver denied he was upset. But c'mon, what star receiver doesn't want the ball? The ultimate player at the position of all time is Jerry Rice, and you can bet he was just as concerned about getting his touches as any receiver. A great receiver needs to have that kind of confidence in his own skills. A few quick slants on receivers: • Drops are a bit overrated. Obviously they're not good, but if guys like Edwards and Owens get open and don't haul it in, it still makes the defense adjust and creates opportunities for others. • The Patriots are 18-0 in the regular season when Tom Brady and Wes Welker on the field together. That's better than the Brady-Moss combo. • Everyone said the Giants lost last year's Super Bowl because they lost Plaxico Burress. Has anyone considered they were not a dominant Super Bowl champ in the first place? They were a wild-card team who beat the Patriots on a miracle catch. They were never a dynasty to start with, so pointing to one player as the reason they didn't repeat seems far-fetched. • Everyone talks about how the spread offense in college makes evaluating quarterbacks difficult. Don't forget how deceiving receivers' production in college is these days as well. And don't even bother scouting spread offense tight ends.

Dominic Bonvissuto

Brooklyn 3983 80521