Best Wide Receiver In the League

[ickeyray]

This is my first post on your Forum, I'm a San Diego Charger fan living in Wichita Ks. (home of the great Barry Sanders). I posted the following on the Charger forum hosted by the San Diego Union Tribune online.
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Lately on TV I've heard football pundits talk about "the best wide receiver in the NFL." The two names that come up time and again are Arizona wide-out Larry Fitzgerald and Houston's Andre Johnson. They're both great no doubt.

But let's look at the top 7 wide receivers from the 2008 season, based on receiving yards gained:

Andre Johnson.......1,575
Larry Fitzgerald....1,431
Steve Smith.........1,421
Roddy White.........1,382
Calvin Johnson......1,331
Greg Jennings.......1,292
Brandon Marshall....1,265

Just looking at those numbers, you might agree with the what's being said.

However, I'm going to make a case that Calvin Johnson is the best wide receiver in the game right now.

First remember, Calvin Johnson toiled for the 0-16 Detroit Lions last year. He was basically their whole offense. Not only did the Lions have a pitiful running attack (rank: #30), the number 2 wide receiver on the team racked up only 332 yards receiving.

Let's look at each of the top sevens running mate(s).

............Att....Com.....Yards.....TD.....Y/C

Lions.......509....281.....3,299.....18........... ...0-16
C.Johnson...........78.....1,331.....12.....17.1
S.McDonald..........35.......332......1......9.5

Texans......555....367.....4,474.....21........... ...8-8
A.Johnson..........115.....1,575......8.....13.1
K.Walker............60.......899......8.....15.0

Cardinals...630....401.....4,875.....31........... ...9-7
L.Fitzgerald........96.....1,431.....12.....14.9
A.Boldin............89.....1,038.....11.....11.7
S.Breaston..........77.....1,006......3.....13.1

Panthers....414....246.....3,288.....19........... ..12-4
S.Smith.............78.....1,421......6.....18.2
M.Muhammed..........65.......923......5.....14.2

Falcons.....434....265.....3,440.....16........... ..11-5
R.White.............88.....1,382......7.....15.4
M.Jenkins...........50.......777......3.....15.5

Packers.....541....343.....4,044.....28........... ...6-10
G.Jennings..........80.....1,292......9.....16.0
D.Driver............74.....1,012......5.....13.7

Broncos.....620....386.....4,545.....25........... ...8-8
B.Marshall.........104.....1,265......6.....12.2
E.Royal.............91.......980......5.....10.8

Every other one of the 7 had a #2 wide receiver who caught at least 50 balls for at least 777 yards.

And except for Arizona, which had no running game almost by design, all the others were on fairly decent running teams, and top 10 offenses.

Running Game Rank........Total Yards Rank

ATL.....2nd................DEN....2nd
CAR.....3rd................HOU....3rd
DEN....12th................ARI....4th
HOU....13th................ATL....6th
GNB....17th................GNB....8th
DET....30th................CAR...10th
ARI....32nd................DET...30th

Then there's the matter of who's throwing you the ball:

L.Fitzgerald..K.Warner....96.9 passer rating
G.Jennings....A.Rodgers...93.8
A.Johnson.....M.Scaub.....92.7
R.White.......M.Ryan......87.7
S.Smith.......J.Delhomme..84.7
B.Marshall....J.Cutler....86.0
C.Jonhson.....D.Orlovsky..72.6

Calvin Johnson easily had the worst QB of the 7 getting him the ball, and the worst wide-out running mates to deflect attention away from himself, yet he was still about to put up extraordinary numbers on the only team in NFL history to go 0-16

Here's how each of the 7's numbers looked as a percentage of their team's total passing game output.

..............Rec.......Yards....TDs

C.Jonhson.....27.6%.....40.3%....66.7%
A.Johnson.....31.3%.....35.2%....38.1%
L.Fitzgerald..23.9%.....29.4%....38.7%
S.Smith.......31.7%.....43.2%....31.6%
R.White.......33.2%.....40.2%....43.7%
G.Jennings....23.3%.....31.9%....32.1%
B.Marshall....26.9%.....27.8%....24.0%

Calvin caught 2/3rds of Detroit's TD passes. That would be like Vincent Jackson catching 22 of Philip Rivers' 34 TD passes last year.

Calvin tied Larry Fitzgerald for the league lead in most TD catches last year with 12, without having 2 other 1,000 yard receivers for defenses to worry about. He averaged 4.0 yards per catch more that Andre Johnson while playing on the worst team in the league.

Next time you hear someone talk about the best wide receiver in the game and Calvin's name doesn't come up, I hope you think about him.

[slim pickens]

Very nice 1st post. Welcome to the board.

[ickeyray]

Thanks, I figured this might be met with a little more acceptance on your board

[EatEmUpTigers711]

For me, Larry Fitz is the best in the league after last year, and Calvin is right behind him.

[djhutch]

I think CJ has the potential to be the best very soon, & he's the receiver I would pick if given a chance to start a team, but production wise he's not the best.

[EatEmUpTigers711]

Originally Posted by djhutch

I think CJ has the potential to be the best very soon, & he's the receiver I would pick if given a chance to start a team, but production wise he's not the best.

What do you mean production wise?

His rookie year was kind of disappointing with the injury and all, but last year in his only full season, he was at the top of the stat categories for WR's.

5th in receiving yards.
Averaged over 17 YPC.
Tied for 1st in TD's.
2nd in catches over 20 yards.
2nd in catches over 40 yards.

The only area he was somewhat lacking in was receptions, but his yardage & TD's made up for that plenty.

[djhutch]

Originally Posted by EatEmUpTigers711

What do you mean production wise?

His rookie year was kind of disappointing with the injury and all, but last year in his only full season, he was at the top of the stat categories for WR's.

5th in receiving yards.
Averaged over 17 YPC.
Tied for 1st in TD's.
2nd in catches over 20 yards.
2nd in catches over 40 yards.

The only area he was somewhat lacking in was receptions, but his yardage & TD's made up for that plenty.

I'd like to see him catch more balls. CJ had 78 catches last year - 19 others were ahead of him. Granted he got amazing production out of the 78 catches he made, & it's necessarily his fault he didn't catch more, but I'd like to see him touch the ball more. He's still the receiver I'd most want on my team.

[Stormin' Norman]

Calvin Johnson has the potential to be the best receiver of all time.

[Buddha]

Johnson has potential, but right now, he's not the best receiver in football. I wouldn't even put him in the top five.

I don't think that's an insult to Johnson. He's got the potential to be great.

[Gozer]

Originally Posted by Buddha

Johnson has potential, but right now, he's not the best receiver in football. I wouldn't even put him in the top five.

I don't think that's an insult to Johnson. He's got the potential to be great.

who is your top 5 then?

[Buddha]

Originally Posted by Gozer

who is your top 5 then?

Off the top of my head, Fitzgerald, Boldin, Andre Johnson, Steve Smith, Randy Moss. Calvin Johnson is just behind those guys at this point.

That's not a slam on Johnson, IMO. Those other guys are really good.

[Buddha]

In case anyone was wondering:

Other Lions ranked in the top 20 of their position other than Raiola and CJ:

Petersen #9 outside linebacker
Smith #19 running back
Pettigrew #20 tight end
Hansen #10 kicker

[djhutch]

How on earth can they rate Pettigrew at all? He hasn't even gone thru his first training camp yet.

[Buddha]

Originally Posted by djhutch

How on earth can they rate Pettigrew at all? He hasn't even gone thru his first training camp yet.

I would ask the same question of cruzer and norman and their assessments of Matt Stafford.

[ickeyray]

It's not easy to catch alot of balls when your offense isn't good, your QB is Dan Orlovsky, and your defense is on the field so long your T.O.P. is ranked 31st in the league.

If Calvin had Anquan Boldin opposite him and Kurt Warner throwing him balls, he'd be pretty unstoppable.

[slim pickens]

Originally Posted by ickeyray

It's not easy to catch alot of balls when your offense isn't good, your QB is Dan Orlovsky, and your defense is on the field so long your T.O.P. is ranked 31st in the league.

If Calvin had Anquan Boldin opposite him and Kurt Warner throwing him balls, he'd be pretty unstoppable.

gotta agree with this.

[nd1377]

Originally Posted by ickeyray

It's not easy to catch alot of balls when your offense isn't good, your QB is Dan Orlovsky, and your defense is on the field so long your T.O.P. is ranked 31st in the league.

If Calvin had Anquan Boldin opposite him and Kurt Warner throwing him balls, he'd be pretty unstoppable.

All Calvin Johnson needs is an average NFL qb and he will be the best wr in the nfl. Orlovsky was below average.

[Stormin' Norman]

Originally Posted by Buddha

I would ask the same question of cruzer and norman and their assessments of Matt Stafford.

I haven't tried to rank how Stafford compares among current QB's this year. I have only stated what I expect for him based on my knowledge of his game and how I believe it translates to the NFL.

[cruzer1]

Originally Posted by Buddha

Off the top of my head, Fitzgerald, Boldin, Andre Johnson, Steve Smith, Randy Moss. Calvin Johnson is just behind those guys at this point.

That's not a slam on Johnson, IMO. Those other guys are really good.

I wouldn't trade Johnson for any one of them.

[Buddha]

Originally Posted by cruzer1

I wouldn't trade Johnson for any one of them.

If you wouldn't trade them based on potential, that's one thing. But let's be serious, Larry Fitzgerald is clearly better than Calvin Johnson. So is Andre Johnson. The others might be closer at this point, but those two are clearly better.

[GuitarGod19]

Originally Posted by Buddha

If you wouldn't trade them based on potential, that's one thing. But let's be serious, Larry Fitzgerald is clearly better than Calvin Johnson. So is Andre Johnson. The others might be closer at this point, but those two are clearly better.

Larry Fitzgerald isn't better than CJ...They're close, but Fitz doesn't touch CJ's speed(I think he ran in the 4.5's). I think Andre Johnson is the only person comparable to Calvin in the league as far as skill and talent...both are big and speedy and have ups...but CJ is younger, a little faster, and is 2 inches taller. The only reciever in history like Calvin Johnson is Randy Moss, and Moss gives about 30lbs to him.

[nmuman]

Originally Posted by cruzer1

I wouldn't trade Johnson for any one of them.

I agree 100%.

If CJ was playing for the Cards last season and Fitz was playing for the Lions, the numbers wouldn't even have been comparable.

With an AVERAGE QB, CJ would have had 15-18 TD's last season and probably 100 receptions. We could probably add another 400-600 yards to his season total as well.

I don't think there is anyone quite like him in the NFL, besides Randy Moss, although CJ is bigger and stronger than him.

[cruzer1]

Originally Posted by Buddha

If you wouldn't trade them based on potential, that's one thing. But let's be serious, Larry Fitzgerald is clearly better than Calvin Johnson. So is Andre Johnson. The others might be closer at this point, but those two are clearly better.

What proof do you have? If it's your opinion, I disagree.

[Big Frame]

If we had anyone that was the "Best" whatever in the league I think the Lions woulda won a game

[GuitarGod19]

Originally Posted by Big Frame

If we had anyone that was the "Best" whatever in the league I think the Lions woulda won a game

We did...the second game of the year against GB (I was there)...the best game I've seen live, the place was electric, Calvin took the game over and scored 2 TDs in the 4th to bring us back. The defense held the next posession to a FG and we had 6 minutes left to get 3 points...then, Kitna forgot what color his jersey was and threw two picks resulting in two TDs. Calvin can't make the QB not throw picks. Look at the Houston game, he had 2 catches for over 150 yards, get the man the ball. Last game of the year again against GB, they finally get him the ball 9 times he scores twice but he can't help that the QB threw 2 picks. God if we only had a QB...

[Johnny Mac]

Originally Posted by Big Frame

If we had anyone that was the "Best" whatever in the league I think the Lions woulda won a game

Jason Hanson was probably the best kicker last season. he was 21-22 and 14-14 from 40+ including 8-8 from 50+. the problem was we had too many "worst in the league" guys starting.

[nmuman]

Originally Posted by Big Frame

If we had anyone that was the "Best" whatever in the league I think the Lions woulda won a game

FAIL.

This isn't bowling or golf.

[Porcelain God]

Jason Hanson is much better than the 10th kicker in the league.

[DaBishop]

wicked homah's in here...

[Buddha]

Originally Posted by GuitarGod19

We did...the second game of the year against GB (I was there)...the best game I've seen live, the place was electric, Calvin took the game over and scored 2 TDs in the 4th to bring us back. The defense held the next posession to a FG and we had 6 minutes left to get 3 points...then, Kitna forgot what color his jersey was and threw two picks resulting in two TDs. Calvin can't make the QB not throw picks. Look at the Houston game, he had 2 catches for over 150 yards, get the man the ball. Last game of the year again against GB, they finally get him the ball 9 times he scores twice but he can't help that the QB threw 2 picks. God if we only had a QB...

Sometimes they're not throwing him the ball because he's not open.

Originally Posted by cruzer

What proof do you have? If it's your opinion, I disagree.

No **** it's an opinion. One shared by most league observers who don't consistently overrate the players on their favorite teams.

[Sparks4Ever]

I don't watch the NFL too much, but from reading this board, it's pretty clear that Matt Stafford is the greatest NFL QB of all-time

[Buddha]

Calvin Johnson's catch rate last year? 52%. That's not very good.

In contrast: Andre Johnson: 67%
Larry Fitzgerald 62%
Steve Smith 60%
Reggie Wayne 63%
Antonio Bryant 60%

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Football analysis and NFL stats for the Moneyball era - Authors of Pro Football Prospectus 2008

Is that the be all end all of stats? No, of course not. But the best wide receiver in football, one would assume, would be able to catch more balls thrown at him than 52%.

Johnson has all the potential to be the best wide receiver in the league, but he's not there yet. He's really good, but not yet great.

[DaBishop]

2nd most drops in the NFC

iWon - NFL League Stats

[ballmich]

Devin Hester. Just in case my good friend Bernee is reading.

[GuitarGod19]

Originally Posted by Buddha

Calvin Johnson's catch rate last year? 52%. That's not very good.

In contrast: Andre Johnson: 67%
Larry Fitzgerald 62%
Steve Smith 60%
Reggie Wayne 63%
Antonio Bryant 60%

Johnson has all the potential to be the best wide receiver in the league, but he's not there yet. He's really good, but not yet great.

That doesn't take into consideration all the double and triple coverages he faces. Every one of those recievers you listed has complimentary recievers to spread the ball to. That takes away coverage from the #1 WR...in turn giving him a better chance to come down with the ball. When the next reciever on your team can only manage 332 yards, that's a problem. Not to mention that we didn't have Kurt Warner, Jake Delhomme, or Peyton Manning throwing him the ball either.

Here's some interesting info...

Andre Johnson had 2 other recievers who each netted over 800 yards on his team

Fitz has Boldin and Breaston who both had over 1000 yards

Steve Smith had Muhsin who had over 900 yards

Reggie Wayne had Dallas Clark over 800 also Gonzalez and Harrison both had over 600

Antonio Bryant had 3 players with over 400 yards recieving a piece...

Point is, there was no other threat on this team last year so they can play man on whatever chump we had opposite Calvin and just blanket him with extra defenders...he also had poor passes to compete for from 5 different QBs...

[DaBishop]

seriously...nobody except for Lions fans think Calvin Johnson is currently the best WR in the league. No one...really. That says something.

[GuitarGod19]

Originally Posted by DaBishop

seriously...nobody except for Lions fans think Calvin Johnson is currently the best WR in the league. No one...really. That says something.

I don't think he's the best...top 5 definately and most people, Lions fan or not, would agree.

[Buddha]

Originally Posted by GuitarGod19

I don't think he's the best...top 5 definately and most people, Lions fan or not, would agree.

I'm not so sure about that. Maybe in the top 5. Certainly in or near the top 10.

When he gets open more, he'll rise up the "charts," but he still has trouble getting off the line of scrimmage when corners are jamming him, and he still drops a lot of balls he should catch.

Yeah, he's really good, but he's not a great receiver yet. He's got the potential to be great, but it's not there yet.

[GuitarGod19]

Originally Posted by Buddha

I'm not so sure about that. Maybe in the top 5. Certainly in or near the top 10.

When he gets open more, he'll rise up the "charts," but he still has trouble getting off the line of scrimmage when corners are jamming him, and he still drops a lot of balls he should catch.

Yeah, he's really good, but he's not a great receiver yet. He's got the potential to be great, but it's not there yet.

Agree to disagree I suppose. I can't prove what other people think, I can only provide examples. For instance in several videos I've viewed of other recievers on various sites that allow user comments I've seen numorous people rank a top 5 and he was usually around 3 in those rankings. It usually went Andre Johnson, Fitz, and switched off between Moss and CJ at 3 and 4...like I said, I can't prove what people think without taking a national fan poll, just offering what I've seen from different sites.

[GuitarGod19]

Best WR In NFL 2009 | SportsRoids Inject Yourself

2009: The Best WR's in the NFL - Associated Content
Had Chad Ochocinco at 5, but I'd take CJ over him anyday

NFL - CBSSports.com Football
Prisco has him at 9, behind Welker which is laughable...but a user ranked CJ at 3

IGN: Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers
Has him at 7, but has Boldin and Roddy White in front of him...funny

Just some sites off google that I found...not defending my opinion or putting anyone else's down...just bored mostly