ESPN round up the WR

[bedlamVR]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/news/story?id=3478870&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnfl%2finsider%2fnews%2fstory%3fid%3d3478870

Record book shows Pats are the best, but other teams closing in fastWith a group that scored 589 points and had a receiver set an NFL record for TD catches, it's tough to argue that the New England's isn't the best group of receivers in the league. But while the Patriots snag the top spot, there are plenty of great receiving corps in the top 10.

The Best of the Rest at WR

It would be easy to simply name the top 10 receiving groups in the NFL, but Scouts Inc.'s Keith Kidd has looked at all 32 teams and ranked every receiving corps in the league. Click below to find out which team is the best outside of the top 10.

• Super Bowl champs lead the list. Nos. 11-32 Free

1. New England Patriots

Led by QB Tom Brady and his amazing supporting cast, the Patriots scored an NFL-record 589 points. WR Randy Moss is coming off one of the all-time great seasons by a wide receiver, with 98 catches for 1,493 yards and an NFL-record 23 TD catches. He is still a spectacular athlete who has the explosive ability to attack all levels in the passing game. Wes Welker is a very instinctive slot receiver with the knack to find soft spots and the ability to get open in the short and intermediate areas in the passing game. Jabar Gaffney is a solid No. 3 receiver who has a great rapport with Brady. He makes a lot of plays with the backend when opponents focus on stopping either Moss or Welker. Two players to keep an eye on this year are former second-round pick Chad Jackson, who has been hampered by injuries over his short career, and veteran backup Kelley Washington.

2. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals are the No. 2 team due to their amazing duo of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Both players are big-time receivers who place a tremendous amount of pressure on opposing defenses' backend. These two thrive off of one another, and few teams in the league have a better situation at wide receiver. Fitzgerald has great size and enough speed to go along with his excellent hands and body control. He excels in the red zone and can stretch the field or eat a cornerback alive with his possession routes. Boldin is probably the No. 2 option in this offense, but he is a true No. 1 on just about any team in the league. He has great size and physicality. He is tough and makes a lot of big plays after the catch. There are a host of candidates who will compete for the No. 3 role, led by third-round pick Early Doucet, Steve Breaston, Jerheme Urban and Ahmad Merritt.

3. Cincinnati Bengals

Even with all the offseason distractions revolving around WR Chad Johnson, the Bengals have a very talented receiving duo with Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. However, without Johnson, this ranking would be a lot lower. Johnson is an explosive playmaker who draws enough attention on the backend to open up the passing game and spacing for other players. He is an excellent route-runner with soft hands and the ability to attack all levels in the passing game. Houshmandzadeh is an exceptional second option who exploits one-on-one matchups in the short and intermediate areas. He is a very smart route-runner with excellent receiving skills and is a big-time threat in the red zone. Rookies Jerome Simpson, Andre Caldwell and Mario Urrutia will be counted on early to contribute.

4. Green Bay Packers

Head coach Mike McCarthy places a high emphasis on a short, high-percentage passing attack out of multiple spread groupings to set up the run. The Packers have a talented receiving corps led by Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. Driver is the primary receiver and does a great job of occupying defenses, which allows Jennings more opportunities in the red zone. Driver is a terrific route-runner with very good athleticism and body control. He is a fearless player who will go over the middle and make a tough catch in a crowd. Jennings has good hands and is a very instinctive runner after the catch. James Jones is a solid possession receiver with natural catching skills and hands. He is a good route-runner with the ability to separate at break points. Rookie second-round pick Jordy Nelson will add solid depth to an impressive receiving corps.

5. Indianapolis Colts

Reggie Wayne might be the best receiver in the NFL. He is an excellent route-runner with great understanding of coverage concepts on the backend. He is an excellent athlete who can make plays on all levels and has a very good knack for attacking downfield balls. The biggest question mark is whether or not Marvin Harrison can get back to playing at a Pro Bowl level. If healthy, Harrison is one of the smartest route-runners in the NFL. He has outstanding receiving skills and a very good rapport with Manning. Backup Anthony Gonzalez is a good, young receiver who should continue to develop as a productive player in his second season.

6. Cleveland Browns

Under offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski, the Browns have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. With receivers Braylon Edwards, Donte' Stallworth, Joe Jurevicius and Josh Cribbs, the Browns can place a lot of pressure on opposing defenses. Edwards is one of top young receivers in the NFL. He has game-changing speed and the ability create mismatches all over the field. He has natural hands and downfield leaping ability. Stallworth is a solid No. 2 receiver with big-time explosive speed, while Jurevicius is a solid possession receiver. The Browns must find a way to incorporate Cribbs more in the offense due to his ability to score anytime he touches the ball.

7. Detroit Lions

New offensive coordinator Jim Colletto had implemented a balance attack with a heavy emphasis on improving the run now that the Mike Martz era is over. However, the Lions have a pretty talented receiving corps led by Roy Williams. If the Lions had more consistency in the passing attack, this group could easily move up. Williams is a tremendous talent who has the ability to be the total package. Calvin Johnson is a young, developing player who has all the tools to be an elite player in future years. Backup receiver Shaun McDonald led the Lions in receptions last season, while Mike Furrey has equal value to McDonald and can make a lot of plays as the fourth receiver. Both McDonald and Furrey are smart, instinctive receivers who can get open and make plays.

8. Dallas Cowboys

Even though the Cowboys extended Terrell Owens' contract recently, he still turns 35 this season. However, he continues to play at a very high level. Patrick Crayton can be a decent No. 2 receiver opposite Owens. He can align both in the slot and on the outside, where he can utilize his size and speed to get separation. He is above-average route-runner with big-play ability. Terry Glenn is an experienced player with explosive playmaking skills, but played in only one game last season due to a knee injury. There is uncertainty with his future playing status with the Cowboys. Sam Hurd, Miles Austin and Isaiah Stanback all contributed on special team units last season and must find consistent roles in offensive coordinator Jason Garrett's multiple spread sets. The Cowboys don't have a lot depth behind their experienced starters

11. New York Giants

Plaxico Burress was dominant last season despite struggling with injuries. Burress is a huge, athletic receiver with long arms and physical play strength. He has good hands, can out-jump defenders downfield and is valuable in the red zone. Amani Toomer is a solid possession receiver with outstanding experience. He is a good route-runner with good catching skills and can be effective in the short and intermediate areas. Steve Smith displayed good receiving skills late in 2007 after dealing with injuries throughout his rookie season. Sinorice Moss has been disappointing in his development but David Tyree was amazing in the Super Bowl. Tyree is a solid No. 4/5 receiver with tremendous value on special teams coverage units. Incoming rookie Mario Manningham could be a steal as a third-round pick, depending on how he matures and learns the Giants' complicated offense.

15. Philadelphia Eagles

Both Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis are solid fits in head coach Andy Reid's West Coast attack but neither is a No. 1 receiver. Brown is a good athlete with balance and body control and has good quickness, cutting ability and hands. Curtis is a reliable player who runs good routes and has the toughness to go over the middle and make difficult catches in a crowd. Rookie second-round pick DeSean Jackson has explosive speed and home run ability and could contribute right away in the Eagles three- and four-wide packages. Jason Avant, Greg Lewis and Hank Baskett provide good alternate options and depth.

21. Washington Redskins

New head coach Jim Zorn's offense will be similar to the one Mike Holmgren runs in Seattle, but look for the Redskins to emphasize the running game due to Zorn's lack of experience calling plays. Last year's starting wide receivers, Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El, are short, undersized players who rely on experience, speed and quickness. Moss is an injury waiting to happen but he makes explosive plays and has a lot of big-play flair. If healthy, he is a big-time threat. Randle El is fast and dangerous in open space but struggles against big, physical corners and is at his best in the slot. The Redskins added two big receivers in the 2008 draft with the additions of Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly, and James Thrash has been a reliable role player during his career.

Not to bothered about the ranking ...we have a lot to prove but it is interesting the love the Cowboys got for a sub 1000 yard part time back and two rookies in the rushing rankings yesterday....

I would be pissed if I was the G-men 11th seems like a snub especially considering who they were behind ...

I really wouldn't hold my breath for TE I would say we will be ranked 20 + again ...

[DemSkinz]

Ummm why would the redskins call less passing plays because of Zorns lack of playcalling experience. He is essentially the play caller right?

[bubba9497]

Funny isn't it..... the Pokes drafted the 3rd or 4th best rated RB and he and a sub 1000 yard rusher equal the 5th best running back group

but the Skins who have two good starting WR's, but injured last season.... Moss a 1400 yard WR 2 years ago... and drafting 2 of the top 3 rated WR's equals only the 21st best WR group????

:laugh:

nothing like consistency, 'ay Jeremy? :jerk:

[Storm]

Ummm why would the redskins call less passing plays because of Zorns lack of playcalling experience. He is essentially the play caller right?

it means they will be conservative initially given its easier to hand off off to the RB

[jweisk1]

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I just spit pepsi on my computer screen....the eagles in front of us...reggie brown and Kevin Curtis....

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[phatSkins27]

any way they can rag on the skins

this is Scouts INC and if you pay for iot you are the one who is losing out, its a love fest for front runner teams like the cowboys (which is the consumate front runner team)

I said the exact same thing about the RBs rating yesterday on here that the OP said, they have a backup and a rookie yet that is beter than the skins having a 1000+ yrd 45 catch back and a back with 7700 yrd in 6 years and IMO future HOFer

[McD5]

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I just spit pepsi on my computer screen....the eagles in front of us...reggie brown and Kevin Curtis....

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Both outperformed our receivers last season. Why would we be ranked higher?

Outside of this website......few if any would take our receivers last year over Philly's.

[bubba9497]

The Browns at #6 is too high,... Jurevicius just had surgery and may miss several games

Cowboys at #8? :laugh: outside of 35 year old TO they have what?

and rating the eagles ahead of the Skins is absurd

[McD5]

The Browns at #6 is too high,... Jurevicius just had surgery and may miss several games

Cowboys at #8? :laugh: outside of 35 year old TO they have what?

and rating the eagles ahead of the Skins is absurd

Bubba, with all due respect, there isn't a sane person on earth that would rather have Santana Moss and El over Braylon Edwards and Donte Stallworth.

It isn't even close.

Edit: Even our own coaches agree....or we wouldn't have used our top two picks on WRs this season.

Set the bong down people, and take off the homer glasses....our receivers sucked hard last season.

[jnhay]

Bubba, with all due respect, there isn't a sane person on earth that would rather have Santana Moss and El over Braylon Edwards and Donte Stallworth.

It isn't even close.

Edit: Even our own coaches agree....or we wouldn't have used our top two picks on WRs this season.

Set the bong down people, and take off the homer glasses....our receivers sucked hard last season.

He didn't say they were, and I do think our receivers are better than what the Eagles have. Just look at what we did to them last season. We just played their receivers man to man, and absolutely dominated them. If you play Santana Moss man-to-man all game you will pay for it at least once or twice.

And the article is projecting the receiving cores this season, not last season, so we have two more reasons we are better than the Eagles.

[BoRnAndRaiSedSkinsFan]

Both outperformed our receivers last season. Why would we be ranked higher?

Outside of this website......few if any would take our receivers last year over Philly's.

I'm not sure if they outperformed our WRs last year. First off, we hardly had Santana and Randle El on the field at the same time. Also, doesn't Philly pass like 65 to 70 percent of the time where the Skins run the ball like 50 to 60 percent of the time? Curtis is a decent receiver, but Brown is garbarge.

[Jimbo]

A receiving corps is only as good as the QB throwing to it. I wonder where we'd rank with Brady or Manning as our QB.

[Mr. S]

Both outperformed our receivers last season. Why would we be ranked higher?

Outside of this website......few if any would take our receivers last year over Philly's.

It is laughable. I do think Wayne is good, but Curtis is average. I'd rank them as 2 and 3 WR's respectively. Curtis is horribly inconsistent.

Moss and Randle El together make a far better duo than Wayne and Curtis. Either the Eagles should be ranked lower, or we should be ranked higher. Gotta remember that despite having Westbrook, Philly doesn't run the ball as much as we do. I would easily take Randle El and Moss over Wayne and Curtis. Our guys are known for their speed and their attention to detail in running routes as well as blocking downfield on running plays. In 2005, I could not find a WR that was more fundamentally sound than Moss was, and he still retains that attention.

I don't disagree with the rest of the rankings though. The Browns at 6 is pretty good. Stallworth will benefit from being the #2 guy again as he's shown he can be a #1 talent.

[bubba9497]

Both outperformed our receivers last season. Why would we be ranked higher?

Outside of this website......few if any would take our receivers last year over Philly's.

yeah because the eagles threw the ball more they are better?

yet both teams avg yards 11.4 per attempt

Curtis had one huge game 211 yards in a blowout win over the Lions, and 2 100 yard games in the remaining 13 he avg. 51.3 ypg

both Moss & ARE missed several games, and Moss has been by far better a WR than either Curtis or Brown... ARE's not far behind either

and I can say that both Thomas and Kelly, were rated much higher than Deshaun Jackson in the draft

[jweisk1]

Both outperformed our receivers last season. Why would we be ranked higher?

Outside of this website......few if any would take our receivers last year over Philly's.

Here are the eagles WR's stats

Kevin Curtis 77 1110 14.4 6Reggie Brown 61 780 12.8 4

They have a proven system they have been running for 5+ years with one of the best QB's in the NFL leading the helm. They also had an INJURY FREE line as well...

Look at our WR from last year

Santana Moss 61 808 13.23Antwaan Randle El 51 728 14.3 1

This is with Moss missing 3 games and being hampered with a Hamstring injury all year long...if you have ever played competitive sports, you should then understand the importance of healthy hamstrings, mostly when speed is your biggest attribute...

Also with Moss missing games that places ARE at the #1 slot...we all know he is not a #1, maybe not even a #2...

We drafted IMO the two best WR in the draft who have exceptional talent...I saw several mocks having both guys in the first round....

We had a make shift line from the beginning of the year...

game 1 Pete Kendall was a starter...he was a redskins for about 1.5 weeks...

game 2 = no Janson (done for the year)

game 3 = Randy Thomas done for the year

game 4 = Heyer (rookie) first real action

ect....

When an O-line cant hold the protection, they do lots of check down routes...thats why Cooley had another great season as well as Portis catching close to 50 balls out of the backfield...

The bottom line is that YES the Eagles WR had a better year than we did however their were many variables that played a factor

If I had to chose between our WR or their WR...I would chose ours...hands down...I think most knowlegable sports fan would agree...:2cents:

[S4L]

It probably would have helped if we threw a touchdown to a wide receiver before week 8 or whatever week it was that Thrash broke the ice... :2cents:

[jweisk1]

yeah because the eagles threw the ball more they are better?

yet both teams avg yards 11.4 per attempt

Curtis had one huge game 211 yards in a blowout win over the Lions, and 2 100 yard games in the remaining 13 he avg. 51.3 ypg

both Moss & ARE missed several games, and Moss has been by far better a WR than either Curtis or Brown... ARE's not far behind either

and I can say that both Thomas and Kelly, were rated much higher than Deshaun Jackson in the draft

also what he said!!

:applause:

[McD5]

He didn't say they were, and I do think our receivers are better than what the Eagles have. Just look at what we did to them last season. We just played their receivers man to man, and absolutely dominated them. If you play Santana Moss man-to-man all game you will pay for it at least once or twice.

And the article is projecting the receiving cores this season, not last season, so we have two more reasons we are better than the Eagles.

Our receivers were arguably the biggest, worst hole on our team behind only the defensive line/absence of pass rush.

Look at the stats of the Eagles receivers last season, then look at our guys.

Then....come up with an excuse as to why ours weren't as good.

JC went down......TC couldn't throw......no blocking.....whatever one works.

As for our prospects.....they also drafted a guy with pretty good potential.

Only time will tell if any of those guys pan out.

[bubba9497]

Bubba, with all due respect, there isn't a sane person on earth that would rather have Santana Moss and El over Braylon Edwards and Donte Stallworth.

It isn't even close.

Edit: Even our own coaches agree....or we wouldn't have used our top two picks on WRs this season.

Set the bong down people, and take off the homer glasses....our receivers sucked hard last season.

Hello!!.... McFly...errr McD5

where did I say the Skins were better than the Browns?

I said the Browns were too high at #6

and since the Skins weren't ranked #7, how can anyone assume that I meant what you posted I said?

I didn't say anything of the like, nor said the Skins should be ranked higher..... the only complaint I had involving the Skins rankings is rating the eagles mediocre wr's ahead of the Skins

[McD5]

It probably would have helped if we threw a touchdown to a wide receiver before week 8 or whatever week it was that Thrash broke the ice... :2cents:

Bingo.

Either the WRs sucked, or JC sucked. No other way around it.

People can spin it all they want......or, we can accept they were awful, and then try to draft replacements.

Fortunately, that is what we did.

Before anyone tries to make up another excuse.....ask yourself why we drafted 2 WRS in the 2nd round.

[McD5]

Hello!!.... McFly...errr McD5

where did I say the Skins were better than the Browns?

I said the Browns were too high at #6

and since the Skins weren't ranked #7, how can anyone assume that I meant what you posted I said?

I didn't say anything of the like, nor said the Skins should be ranked higher..... the only complaint I had involving the Skins rankings is rating the eagles mediocre wr's ahead of the Skins

My apologies.

I thought you were saying that we have better WRs than the Browns, and I know you aren't that crazy.

As far as our WRs compared to Philly.....we didn't compare favorably last year.

Not sure how anyone could justify us being above them. Just my opinion.

[TheLongshot]

To be honest, I wouldn't expect the NFC East to be ranked highly at WR. Dallas and the Giants probably should be 1 and 2 if just from the standpoint that they are the only two teams with strong go-to receivers in TO and Burress, tho there isn't much beyond them.

But, putting the Eagles ahead of us? Sorry, I don't see the combination of Curtis and Brown to be any better than Moss and ARE, and we did more to upgrade the position than they did. (To be honest, I don't expect that Jackson will be much of a factor in the passing game next year.)

Jason

[S4L]

Bingo.

Either the WRs sucked, or JC sucked. No other way around it.

People can spin it all they want......or, we can accept they were awful, and then try to draft replacements.

Fortunately, that is what we did.

Before anyone tries to make up another excuse.....ask yourself why we drafted 2 WRS in the 2nd round.

Jim Zorn probably looked at game tapes and told Vinny he had better get some offensive weapons or he was going to walk away from the job.

By the way... I like that sig McD5. :applause:

[dizzinator53]

Both outperformed our receivers last season. Why would we be ranked higher?

Outside of this website......few if any would take our receivers last year over Philly's.

Reggie Brown 2007 stats:

61 rec 780 yds 4 tds 48.8 yds/game 16 games

Kevin Curtis 2007 stats:

77 rec 1110 yds 6 tds 69.4 yds/game 16 games

Greg Lewis 2007 stats:

13 rec 265 yds 3 tds 17.7 yds/game 15 games

Jason Avant 2007 stats:

23 rec 267 yds 2 tds 17.8 yds/game 15 games

Hank Baskett 2007 stats:

16 rec 142 yds 1 td 8.9 yds/ game 16 games

Eagle totals

12 WR receptions/ game

164 recieving yds/ game

1.02 tds/ game

Santana Moss 2007 stats:

61 rec 808 yds 3 tds 57.7 yds/ game 14 games

Antwan Randle El 2007 stats:

51 rec 728 yds 1 td 48.5 yds/ game 15 games

James Thrash 2007 stats

9 rec 107 yds 2 td 8.9 yds/ game 12 games

Keenan MCCardell stats

22 rec 256 yds 1 td 11.6 yds/ game 10 games

Reche Caldwell Stats

15 rec 141 yds 0 tds 17.6 yds/game 8 games

Redskins totals

13.3 wr receptions/ game

172.88 receiving yds / game

0.60 tds/ game

McD5,

The Redskins were injured quite a bit during last year's season.... at many positions. Are you telling me with truth, that you believe the fans of the NFL, if asked, would say the same thing you said after not only looking at these stats, but also factoring in that the Skins brought in Malcolm kelly and Devin Thomas? On top of that, they start the new year with a healthy offensive line and starting QB.

The number above don't lie. The Redskins, as you know, had their most terrible year for WR in over a decade... the Eagles, however had their first 1,000 yd receiver since TO. It's amazing to me also that Santana didn't play against the teams we scored the most receiving TD's against... The Lions and Eagles. Remember this when posting your retort. Kevin Curtis had a career day against those same Lions just last year.

This ranking at 21 is unjust, but to be 6 rankings under the Eagles is shameful. Reality check.

[skinsince72]

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I just spit pepsi on my computer screen....the eagles in front of us...reggie brown and Kevin Curtis....

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I laughed too. The Eagles consistently rank high on most lists. Name recognition only.