Tag Archives: Steelers

Quality starts for quarterbacks

The quality start has been a statistical staple in baseball for nearly three decades now. If a pitcher goes six or more innings and allows three or fewer runs, he’s credited with one. It’s called Giving Your Team A Chance To Win.

The NFL should have a similar stat for quarterbacks. It wouldn’t be too hard to come up with the criteria. For instance: The league-wide passer rating last season was 84.1 (an all-time high). What if you said, “OK, if a starting QB posted a rating higher than that in a game — if his play was above average — we’ll award him a quality start.”

Sound reasonable? By that standard, here are the only passers who had 10 or more ratings of 84.2 or better:

2013 NFL LEADERS IN QUALITY STARTS

[table width=“300px”]

Quarterback\, Team,Quality Starts,

Peyton Manning\, Broncos,              15

Philip Rivers\, Chargers,              13

Matt Ryan\, Falcons,              12

Colin Kaepernick\, 49ers,              11

Tony Romo\, Cowboys,              11

Russell Wilson\, Seahawks,              11

Drew Brees\, Saints,              10

Ben Roethlisberger\, Steelers,              10

Matthew Stafford\, Lions,              10

[/table]

(Minimum: 5 attempts in a game. Maybe you’d prefer this to be more — 10 or 12 or 15. Problem is, when you go back in time, the number of attempts tends to decrease. Bob Griese threw just seven passes in the Dolphins’ Super Bowl VIII win over the Vikings, completing six for 73 yards and a 110.1 rating. That isn’t a quality start?)

Tom Brady, who would normally be on a list like this, only had nine — largely because of all the issues the Patriots had with receivers. Nick Foles, whose 119.2 rating was tops in the NFL, only had nine, too. But remember: He started just 10 games.

At any rate, you get the idea. A quarterback doesn’t have to be spectacular to chalk up a quality start. He just has to be better than ordinary.

The season-by-season quality starts leaders for the rest of the 2000s, in case you’re curious:

[table]

Year, League Avg,Quality Starts Leaders

2012,        83.8,Peyton Manning 14\, Aaron Rodgers 13\, Matt Ryan 13\, Russell Wilson 12

2011,        82.5,Tom Brady 14\, Drew Brees 14\, Rodgers 14\, Tony Romo 12\, Matt Stafford 12

2010,        82.2,Brady 14\, Joe Flacco 12\, Philip Rivers 12

2009,        81.2,Rivers 16\, Rodgers 15\, P. Manning 14\, Matt Schaub 14

2008,        81.5,Chad Pennington 12\, Rivers 12

2007,        80.9,Brady 13\, Romo 13\, David Garrard 12\, Matt Hasselbeck 12\, P. Manning 12

2006,        78.5,P. Manning 14\, Carson Palmer 13\, Brady 12\, Brees 12\, Rivers 12

2005,        78.2,Palmer 14\, Hasselbeck 13\, P. Manning 13\, Jake Delhomme 12\, Trent Green 12

2004,        80.9,P. Manning 15\, Daunte Culpepper 14\, Brees 12\, Green 12

2003,        76.6,Hasselbeck 13\, P. Manning 13\, Culpepper 12\, Steve McNair 12

2002,        78.6,Rich Gannon 13\, P. Manning 12\, Pennington 12

2001,        76.6,Gannon 14\, Jeff Garcia 14\, Brett Favre 12

2000,        76.2,Gannon 13\, Garcia 12\, Elvis Grbac 12\, P. Manning 12

[/table]

I must admit, I came away with a new appreciation for Gannon after taking a look at these numbers. When he was with the Raiders at the end of his career, he led or tied for the lead in quality starts three years running. The only other quarterback who’s done that in the modern era (read: since 1960) is John Hadl of the AFL’s Chargers from ’65 to ’67.

And how about Rivers? In ’09 he had 16 quality starts in 16 games. Who knew?

In fact, he’s one of just five modern QBs who’ve had a quality start in every scheduled game. The club:

QBS WHO HAD QUALITY STARTS IN ALL THEIR TEAM’S GAMES (SINCE ’60)

[table]

Year Quarterback\, Team,Quality Starts,Result (W-L-T)

2009 Philip Rivers\, Chargers,              16,Won division (13-3)

1992 Steve Young\, 49ers,              16,NFC finalist (14-2)

1984 Dan Marino\, Dolphins,              16,Super Bowl finalist (14-2)

1973 Fran Tarkenton\, Vikings,              14,Super Bowl finalist (12-2)

1960 Milt Plum\, Browns,              12,Missed playoffs (8-3-1)

[/table]

● Young was a machine in the ’90s. He had a streak of 23 straight quality starts from ’91 to ’93 and another of 21 straight from ’94 to ’95. Marino’s best streak was 22 from ’83 through ’84. More recently, Peyton Manning had a 23-game streak snapped last season in that wild Sunday nighter against the Patriots. Streaks of 20 or longer are extremely rare. (Note: In all four cases, playoff games are included.)

● A little respect, please, for Fran Tarkenton. In addition to his gem of a 1973 season, he had 12 quality starts in his final year (1978) at the age of 38. Only one quarterback in the league had more (Archie Manning, Saints, 13).

● Plum’s forgotten season is one of the greatest in NFL history. Through 11 games — they only played 12 back then — he had just one interception. He finished with a rating of 110.4, which is still the 11th-highest of all time. And get this: The rest of the passers in the league had a combined rating of 57.8, barely half of his. Incredible.

One more note:

● In 1986 Jim Kelly tied for the league lead with 13 quality starts. The Bills went 4-9 in those games.

Which brings us to . . .

MOST QUALITY STARTS, LAST FIVE SEASONS

[table width=”300px”]

Quarterback\,Team,Quality Starts

Philip Rivers\, Chargers,              62

Aaron Rodgers\, Packers,              60

Tom Brady\, Patriots,              59

Drew Brees\, Saints,              58

Peyton Manning\, Colts/Broncos,              53

[/table]

Obviously, Manning missed all of 2010 and Rodgers nearly half of last season with injuries, but aren’t any real surprises here, are there? Except maybe that Rivers — the only one who hasn’t won (or even been to) a Super Bowl — ranks right up there with Big Boys in the week-in, week-out performance department.

The only drawback to my definition of a “quality start,” of course, is that you don’t know what the league-wide passer rating is until the regular season is over. (Last year it was 84.1, the year before that 83.8, the year before that 82.5.) In baseball, we know as soon as a pitcher heads to the showers whether he’s met all the requirements.

But there’s no question the NFL needs a stat like this. It’s just a matter of where the league wants to set the bar. I mean, how can you keep track of Yards After Contact for running backs and Yards After Catch for receivers and not have quality starts for quarterbacks?

Sources: pro-football reference.com, The National Forgotten League.

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The vanishing shutout

NFL defenses posted just three shutouts last season, one off the all-time low. There weren’t many the previous three years, either — six in 2012 and five in both ’11 and ’10. You don’t have to be Norman Einstein, as Joe Theismann would say, to figure out that’s one shutout every 53.9 games — in this decade, at least.

The whitewash in pro football is even more of an endangered species than the complete-game whitewash in baseball. And you wonder why James Harrison is perpetually perturbed?

If this offensive explosion keeps up — and it shows no signs of abating — the shutout may go the way of the single-bar facemask. Especially with kickers becoming increasingly accurate. Since 2000, 183 shutouts have been spoiled by a single field goal. That didn’t happen nearly as often in the Pre-Soccer-Style Era.

Shutouts, decade by decade (regular season only):

● 1940s (85 total) – 1 every 6.4 games

● 1950s (40) – 1 every 18.2 games

● 1960s* (73) – 1 every 22.1 games

● 1970s (158) – 1 every 12.2 games

● 1980s (98) – 1 every 21.7 games

● 1990s (83) – 1 every 28.1 games

● 2000s (89) – 1 every 28.6 games

● 2010-13 (19) – 1 every 53.9 games

*NFL and AFL combined

In the ’40s, of course, there were too many shutouts. But the situation corrected itself as the T formation spread and the passing game evolved. There were too many shutouts in the ’70s, too. That calamity was fixed by rule changes in 1978 that limited contact against receivers and allowed blockers to use their hands.

Don’t expect the NFL to do anything about the current imbalance, though. Offense sells tickets and, besides, who — outside of defensive players and coaches — is complaining?

Not that these people don’t have a point. Let’s face it, the game hasn’t been this far out of whack in decades. Pro football, to its great profit, has always favored the offense, but there are times when it gets a little ridiculous. This is one of those times.

A shutout miscellany:

The Last 5 Teams to Post Back-to-Back Shutouts

● 2009 Cowboys (11-5) — Beat Redskins 17-0, Eagles 24-0. Lost in second round of playoffs. Hall of Famers: LB DeMarcus Ware (projected). Pro Bowlers: Ware, NT Jay Ratliff, CB Thomas Newman, CB Mike Jenkins.

● 2000 Titans (13-3) — Beat Browns 24-0, Cowboys 31-0. Lost first playoff game. Hall of Famers: None. Pro Bowlers: DE Jevon Kearse, CB Samari Rolle, SS Blaine Bishop.

● 2000 Steelers (9-7) — Beat Bengals 15-0, Browns 22-0. (This came during a five-game stretch in which Pittsburgh allowed no touchdowns and just six field goals.) Missed playoffs. Hall of Famers: None. Pro Bowler: LB Jason Gildon.

● 2000 Ravens (12-4) — Beat Bengals 37-0, Browns 12-0. Won Super Bowl. Hall of Famers (1): FS Rod Woodson (with LB Ray Lewis in the waiting room). Pro Bowlers: Woodson, Lewis, DT Sam Adams.

● 1985 Bears (15-1) — Beat Cowboys 44-0, Falcons 36-0. Won Super Bowl (and racked up two more shutouts in the postseason). Hall of Famers (3): DE Richard Dent, DT Dan Hampton, LB Mike Singletary. Pro Bowlers: Dent, Hampton, Singletary, DT Steve McMichael, LB Otis Wilson, SS Dave Duerson.

The Only Teams Since the 1970 Merger to Post 3 Straight Shutouts

● 1976 Steelers (10-4) — Beat Giants 27-0, Chargers 23-0, Chiefs 45-0. Lost in AFC title game. Hall of Famers (4): DT Joe Greene, LB Jack Lambert, LB Jack Ham, CB Mel Blount. (They had five shutouts in all, tying them with the 1944 Giants for the most in a season since the ’30s.)

● 1970 Cardinals (8-5-1) — Beat Houston Oilers 44-0, Patriots 31-0, Cowboys 38-0. (Note: A three-week stretch in which they outscored their opponents 113-0.) Missed playoffs. Hall of Famers (2): CB Roger Wehrli, FS Larry Wilson.

Also:

● 1948 Eagles (9-2-1) — Had three 45-0 blowouts (Giants, Redskins, Boston Yanks), the first two in consecutive weeks. Won NFL title. Hall of Famers (2): E Pete Pihos, LB Alex Wojciechowicz.

● 1962 Packers (13-1) — Handed out two 49-0 beatings (Bears, Eagles). Won NFL title. Hall of Famers (5): DE Willie Davis, DT Henry Jordan, LB Ray Nitschke, CB Herb Adderley, FS Willie Wood.

● 1960 Dallas Texans (8-6) — Shut out both teams that reached the AFL championship game (Chargers 17-0, Oilers 24-0). Hall of Famers: None. (DT Buck Buchanan and LB Bobby Bell didn’t come along until ’63.)

And finally, lest we forget:

● The 1934 Lions had more shutouts in their first seven games (7) than the entire NFL had in each of the past four seasons (5, 5, 6, 3).

Source: pro-football-reference.com

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A matched set of 1,300-yard receivers

When they kick off Sunday against the Texans at NRG Stadium, the Redskins will be able to line up not one but two wideouts who had 1,300 receiving yards last season — Pierre Garcon (1,346) and Eagles exile DeSean Jackson (1,332). This is the second year in a row we’ve had this situation. In 2013 it was the Broncos with Demaryius Thomas (1,434 in ’12) and Wes Welker (1,354 for the Patriots).

Talk about conspicuous consumption. Usually when a team adds a receiver coming off a 1,300-yard season — think Jeff Graham going from the Bears to the Jets in ’96 or Muhsin Muhammad leaving Carolina for Chicago in ’05 — it’s because it needs one. The Broncos and Redskins are the first clubs in NFL history to sign/trade for a 1,300-yard receiver when they already had one.1

A 1,300-yard receiving season is no small thing. The Seahawks, for instance, have never had a 1,300-yard guy. We’re talking 38 years and counting. (Steve Largent topped out at 1,287.) Neither have the Ravens, though they only go back to ’96. The Jets — Joe Namath’s team — have had one (Don Maynard with 1,434 in ’67). Even with the 16-game schedule, 1,300 yards are a lot.

I’ve turned up just eight teams that have had a pair of 1,300-yard receivers in the same year. In one case, one of the receivers was a tight end. The list:

[table]

Year  Team (Record),Receivers\, Yards,Result

1984  Dolphins (14-2),Mark Clayton 1\,389\, Mark Duper 1\,306,Lost Super Bowl

1995  Lions (10-6),Herman Moore 1\,686\, Brett Perriman 1\,488,Wild Card

2000  Rams (10-6),Torry Holt 1\,635\, Isaac Bruce 1\,471,Wild Card

2000  Broncos (11-5),Rod Smith 1\,602\, Ed McCaffrey 1\,317,Wild Card

2002  Steelers (10-5-1),Hines Ward 1\,329\, Plaxico Burress 1\,325,Won Division

2005  Cardinals (5-11),Larry Fitzgerald 1\,409\, Anquan Boldin 1\,402,Missed Playoffs

2006  Colts (12-4),Marvin Harrison 1\,366\, Reggie Wayne 1\,310,Won Super Bowl

2011  Patriots (13-3),Wes Welker 1\,569\, Rob Gronkowski (TE) 1\,327,Lost Super Bowl

[/table]

Note that seven of the eight clubs made the playoffs, three reached the Super Bowl and one took home the Lombardi Trophy. You can understand, then, why there are such high expectations in Washington — as there were in Denver a year ago (when the Broncos won the AFC title).

The question, of course, is: Will Jackson’s presence take yards away from Garcon — or vice versa? Welker’s total, after all, dropped to 778 in his first season with the Broncos (while Thomas’ stayed steady at 1,430). But that might not be the best comparison because: (a.) Wes missed three games with a concussion, and (b.) Peyton Manning had another capable wideout, Eric Decker (1,288 yards in ’13), to throw to. The Redskins have no third option like Decker, so most of the passes should be headed toward Garcon or Jackson.

1 The closest anyone came before this was the Packers in 1981. With James Lofton coming off a 1,226-yard year, they acquired John Jefferson (1,340 in ’80) in a deal with the Chargers.

Source: pro-football-reference.com

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The first Mel Kiper

The Steelers had a personnel guy in the ’40s and ’50s who ran his family’s funeral parlor on the side. Or maybe he worked for the Steelers on the side. It’s hard to tell. His name was Ray Byrne, but he was known in the organization as Heels because he looked like Heels Beals, a character in the Dick Tracy comic strip.

As a kid, Byrne had gone to Forbes Field in 1924 to see Carnegie Tech battle Notre Dame’s Four Horsemen and come away with a severe case of footballitis. Or as a 1950 story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette put it, the game

caught his imagination and brought concentration on football records. He began buying up old Spalding guides. The hobby became a mania. He ran ads in newspapers and magazines for missing links in his series. Today his home is packed with what he believes to be the most complete collection of football records in the world. They start back in the Civil War era with an 1866 edition titled “Beadle’s Dime Novel [Book, actually] of Cricket and Football.”

In 1946 Steelers publicist Pat Livingston, who doubled as a scout, was putting together a list of college prospects and invited Byrne to his office to pick his brain. Coach Jock Sutherland overheard the conversation and was so impressed with Ray that he brought him along to the draft. Before long, the undertaker was drawing a paycheck from the club and doing a variety of jobs besides player personnel — such as keeping statistics and serving as The Turk at training camp.

But Byrne had an arrangement with the Steelers, the Post-Gazette said, that allowed him to “drop his football duties and become a mortician whenever necessary.” So there were plenty of days when he’d go back and forth between the team’s headquarters at 521 Grant St. and the Byrne Memorial Home at 701 North Negley Ave.

(Come to think of it, that would have been a great storyline for Six Feet Under. Heck, they might have been able to squeeze out a sixth season if they’d had Nate or David moonlight as an NFL scout.)

You can follow Ray’s climb up the Steelers’ ladder in their annual media guides. In 1947 he was listed as their historian. In ’48 he became a PR assistant. In ’52 his title was “public relations-player personnel,” and in ’53 and ’54 simply “player personnel” (after which he disappears from the administration page).

Those weren’t particularly good drafts for the Steelers. Indeed, the best player they picked — Hall of Fame fullback John Henry Johnson, their second-rounder in ’53 — signed with a Canadian team and never wore a Pittsburgh uniform. But give Byrne his due: He lived the dream. How many undertakers can say the same?

Click here to read the whole story. Wish there were a few quotes from Heels, but sportswriting could be like that in those days.

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Fred Williamson carries a crippled guy around in “Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon”

Don’t ask me why this scene stuck with me. I’m pretty sure Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970), a Liza Minnelli vehicle, was the second half of a double feature one night at the drive-in. Anyway, Fred “The Hammer” Williamson, the Chiefs’ mouthy cornerback from Super Bowl I, was in it and spent a fair amount of time carrying this wheelchair-bound character around. Like so:

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Art Rooney hits it big at the track, August 1937

Contrary to legend, Art Rooney didn’t buy the Pittsburgh franchise with some of his winnings from a huge score at the racetrack. After all, his nationally publicized run of luck with the ponies was in the summer of ’37. By then, he’d been an NFL owner for four years.

Still, it’s a classic tale that tells you much about pro football in that period, a time when gambling by sports figures didn’t cause nearly the palpitations it does now. The story of Rooney’s hot streak, just before training camp got underway, made the front page of the Pittsburgh Press — and was picked up by plenty of other papers around the country. Imagine a headline like this appearing today:

Art Rooney Gambling Headline

 

(And in ’33, remember, when the Steelers joined the league, franchises cost $2,500.)

Rooney was hardly the only owner who walked in this world, either. The Giants’ Tim Mara was a legal bookie in the days before parimutuel betting. The Cardinals’ Charley Bidwill owned a horse track and some dog tracks. The Eagles’ Bert Bell, meanwhile, routinely wagered on four-legged creatures, two-legged creatures and the occasional three-legged race (and kept it up even during his term as commissioner). It was what a “sportsman” — as so many of them were called — did in the ’30s.

The $100,000 figure — thanks to picking five winners on opening day at Saratoga — was probably just the beginning for Rooney, by the way. Most estimates put his haul at between $250,000 and $380,000. The Press story, you see, only deals with his first pass at the tracks. Being en fuego, he naturally made other visits until the streak ran its course. When he was done, the previously obscure football owner from Pittsburgh was a Known Entity (though it would be another decade before his struggling team began to emerge from the shadows).

“He likes to bet fancies, hunches, on a whim, and the man is not afraid to bet,” Frank Ortell wrote in the New York World-Telegram. “He sends it along in a fashion that recalls the days when the old plungers used to go into action.”

It took a while, but his bet on the Steelers eventually paid off as well — with four Super Bowl wins in six seasons beginning in 1974. Some guys just have the touch.

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End zone catch photo, 1935

Before instant replay, a team didn’t have much recourse if it felt an official had missed a call. It might send a film clip to the commissioner, just to prove its point, but that was as far as it went. No call was ever reversed.

It was the same in 1935, when the Pittsburgh Pirates (as they were known then) lost 13-7 to the Brooklyn Dodgers on a disputed touchdown catch. The difference then was that a Pittsburgh Press photographer had gotten a good shot of the play, one that suggested — but didn’t conclusively prove — the left foot of receiver Wayland Becker was out of bounds when he secured the pass from Red Franklin.

It might have been the NFL’s first photographic controversy. (And just think how much more primitive the technology was then, how much harder it must have been to get a shot like that. Never mind the luck involved.)

Take a look at the photo and see what you think. The quality isn’t good, but the sideline is faintly visible beneath Becker’s foot. The question is: Where exactly did his heel come down? From this angle — and at this juncture — it’s pure speculation.

Photo controversy, 1935Here, too, is the link to the Pittsburgh Press page from Nov. 4, 1935. Maybe you’ll find the clarity a bit better.

If indeed Becker got away with one, he didn’t escape unscathed. He missed the Dodgers’ next two games — rematches with Philadelphia and PIttsburgh — because he “sustained a broken jaw in the first game with the Pirates,” the Brooklyn Eagle reported. What a coincidence.

 

 

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The incredible shrinking running back

Much was made during the offseason about the running back’s diminished importance in today’s pass-first offenses. For the second year in a row — an NFL first — no runner was taken in Round 1 of the draft. So I thought I’d work up some charts that showed exactly why.

As you can see below, 10 of the 14 Super Bowl winners in the 2000s have had a quarterback who ranked in the Top 10 in the league in passer rating, but only three have had a back that ranked in the Top 10 in rushing (one of them being the Seahawks’ Marshawn Lynch last year).

For that matter, just four of the champs had a Top 10 receiver, and five of them (including Seattle) didn’t even have a 1,000-yard guy. It’s more about Spreading the Ball Around now. (So how come nobody’s talking about the Incredible Shrinking Wideout?)

It wasn’t like this in the early years of the free agency (1993-99). Elite runners and elite receivers were very much a part of winning titles. Five of the seven championship clubs had Top 10 rushers and just as many had Top 10 pass-catchers. The specifics:

[table]

Year,Champion,QB\, Rating (Rank),Top Rusher\, Yds (Rank),Top Receiver\, Yds (Rank)

2013,Seahawks,Russell Wilson\, 101.2 (7),Marshawn Lynch\, 1\,257 (6),Golden Tate\, 898 (31)

2012,Ravens,Joe Flacco\, 87.7 (14),Ray Rice\, 1\,143 (11),Anquan Boldin\, 921 (27)

2011,Giants,Eli Manning\, 92.9 (7),Ahmad Bradshaw\, 659 (29),Victor Cruz\, 1\,536 (3)

2010,Packers,Aaron Rodgers\, 101.2 (3),Brandon Jackson\, 703 (33),Greg Jennings\, 1\,265 (4)

2009,Saints,Drew Brees\, 109.6 (1),Pierre Thomas\, 793 (T24),Marques Colston\, 1\,074 (18)

2008,Steelers,B.Roethlisberger\, 80.1 (24),Willie Parker\, 791 (26),Hines Ward\, 1\,043 (15)

2007,Giants,Eli Manning\, 73.9 (25),B. Jacobs\, 1\,009 (T15),Plaxico Burress\, 1\,025 (21)

2006,Colts,P. Manning\, 101.0 (1),Joseph Addai\, 1\,081 (18),Marvin Harrison\, 1\,366 (2)

2005,Steelers,B.Roethlisberger\, 98.6 (3),Willie Parker\, 1\,202 (12),Hines Ward\, 975 (22)

2004,Patriots,Tom Brady\, 92.9 (9),Corey Dillon\, 1\,635 (3),David Givens\, 874 (32)

2003,Patriots,Tom Brady\, 85.9 (10),Antowain Smith\, 642 (30),Deion Branch\, 803 (32)

2002,Bucs,Brad Johnson\, 92.9 (3),Michael Pittman\, 718 (32),K. Johnson\, 1\,088 (16)

2001,Patriots,Tom Brady\, 86.5 (6),Antowain Smith\, 1\,157 (12),Troy Brown\, 1\,199 (10)

2000,Ravens,Trent Dilfer\, 76.6 (21),Jamal Lewis\, 1\,364 (7), Shannon Sharpe\, 810 (32)

[/table]

Now look at the 1993-to-1999 period:

[table]

Year,Champion,QB\, Rating (Rank),Top Rusher\, Yards (Rank),Top Receiver\, Yards (Rank)

1999,Rams,Kurt Warner\, 109.2 (1),Marshall Faulk\, 1\,381 (5),Isaac Bruce\, 1\,165 (12)

1998,Broncos,John Elway\, 93.0 (5),Terrell Davis\, 2\,008 (1),Rod Smith\, 1\,222 (4)

1997,Broncos,John Elway\, 87.5 (7),Terrell Davis\, 1\,750 (2),Rod Smith\, 1\,180 (T8)

1996,Packers,Brett Favre\, 95.8 (2),Edgar Bennett\, 899 (14),Antonio Freeman\, 933 (24)

1995,Cowboys,Troy Aikman\, 93.6 (3),Emmitt Smith\, 1\,773 (1),Michael Irvin\, 1\,603 (4)

1994,49ers,Steve Young\, 112.8 (1),Ricky Watters\, 877 (15),Jerry Rice\, 1\,499 (1)

1993,Cowboys,Troy Aikman\, 99.0 (2),Emmitt Smith\, 1\,486 (1),Michael Irvin\, 1\,330 (2)

[/table]

This gives us the following breakdown:

[table width=”400px”]

Period (Seasons),Top 10 QBs,Top 10 RBs,Top 10 Receivers

2000-13 (14),10,3,4

1993-99 (7),7,5,5

[/table]

Another indication of the position’s decline: None of the Top 10 postseasons by a Super Bowl-winning running back have come in this century. The party pretty much ended with the Broncos’ Terrell Davis in 1997 and ’98.

[table]

Year,RB\, Team,Games,Yards,Per Game

1998,Terrell Davis\, Broncos,3,468,156.0

1983,Marcus Allen\, Raiders,3,466,155.3

1982,John Riggins\, Redskins,4,610,152.5

1997,Terrell Davis\, Broncos,4,581,145.3

1974,Franco Harris\, Steelers,3,343,114.3

1987,Timmy Smith\, Redskins,3,342,114.0

1992,Emmitt Smith\, Cowboys,3,336,112.0

1973,Larry Csonka\, Dolphins,3,333,111.0

1975,Franco Harris\, Steelers,3,314,104.7

1986,Joe Morris\, Giants,3,313,104.3

[/table]

Top three postseasons by running backs on Super Bowl losers: Thurman Thomas with the 1990 Bills (3/309/130), Frank Gore with the 2012 49ers (3/319/106.3) and Marshall Faulk with the 2001 Rams (3/317/105.7).

Sources: pro-football-reference.com, nfl.com

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Receivers who’ve done it the hard way

Some receivers have it better than others. Indeed, some receivers have it so much better it’s almost unfair.

Wes Welker, for instance. He got to play with Tom Brady for six years in New England (well, five years and one game), and now he’s running routes for Peyton Manning in Denver. How sweet is that? Answer: five 100-catch seasons sweet.

Jerry Rice had Joe Montana and Steve Young (not to mention Rich Gannon). Michael Irvin had Troy Aikman. Andre Reed had Jim Kelly. Talk about blessed.

Then there are those who aren’t as blessed. I started thinking about this the other day when it occurred to me that in his 13 seasons, most of them quite productive, the Redskins’ Santana Moss has had only one year in which his quarterback made the Pro Bowl. That would be 2012, when Robert Griffin III was voted in as a rookie (but couldn’t play because of a blown-out knee). Other than that, Moss has chased passes thrown by the likes of Vinny Testaverde, Chad Pennington, Mark Brunell, Jason Campbell and Donovan McNabb — some of whom had been Pro Bowlers in their prime, but not when they were teamed with Santana.

Which made me wonder: How unusual is it for a receiver to catch 700 balls — in Moss’ case 722 — essentially without the benefit of Pro Bowl quarterbacking? My research shows he’s not alone in this regard, but he doesn’t have a whole lot of company, either:

700 CAREER CATCHES, FEWEST SEASONS WITH A PRO BOWL QUARTERBACK

[table]

Catches,Receiver\, Team*,Pro Bowl Quarterback, Total Seasons

860,Muhsin Muhammad\, Panthers,Steve Beuerlein, 1 of 14 (1999)

857,Anquan Boldin\, 49ers,Kurt Warner,1 of 11 (2008)

846,Larry Fitzgerald\, Cardinals,Kurt Warner,1 of 10 (2008)

764,Eric Moulds\, Bills, Drew Bledsoe,1 of 12 (2002)

722,Santana Moss\, Redskins,Robert Griffin III,1 of 13 (2012)

712,Brandon Marshall\, Bears,Jay Cutler,1 of 8 (2008)

[/table]

OTHER HAVE-NOTS

[table]

Catches,Receiver\, Team*,Pro Bowl Quarterback(s), Total Seasons

943,Derrick Mason\, Titans,Steve McNair,2 of 15 (2000\, ’03)

927,Andre Johnson\, Texans,Matt Schaub,2 of 11 (2009\, ’12)

814,Henry Ellard\, Rams,Everett\, Frerotte,2 of 16 (1990\, ’96)

814,Keyshawn Johnson\, Jets/Bucs,Testaverde\, B. Johnson,2 of 11 (1998\, 2002)

[/table]

*Current team or the one he played for longest.

(Note: I excluded running backs, which is why Larry Centers isn’t listed.)

This raises any any number of questions, perhaps the biggest being:

How much does the quarterback make the receiver, and how much does the receiver make the QB? Would Moss and the others have put up even gaudier numbers if, like Donald Driver, they’d spent their entire careers huddling up with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay? And if you go along with this premise, might this make them a tad — or even more than a tad — underrated?

Food for thought, at the very least. Moulds, Moss and Marshall have one playoff win among them — one in 33 combined seasons. There’s something to be said for a receiver’s supporting cast, particularly at the quarterback spot.

Source: pro-football-reference.com

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