Month: August 2006 (Page 7 of 16)

Throughout the preseason, we’ll take a look at the best – and worst – the NFL has to offer, unit by unit. Look for a new set of rankings every few days.

They make the highlight reel catches, go over the middle for the tough grabs and, now more than ever, spend time inventing new end zone celebrations.

We’re talking, of course, about the wide receiver position. Like home run balls in baseball, chicks dig the deep ball and teams can’t seem to have too many weapons to give their quarterbacks.

What teams, including a pass catching tight end, have the best wide receiver units in the league?

Criteria for Receivers:

The No. 1 go-to-guy gets the bulk of the attention both on the field and in this poll, so they account for 50% of the final ranking.

What’s more important: a second receiver to take the heat off the go-to-guy or a top-flight tight end? You can make an argument for both, so each will account individually for 20% of the ranking.

The final 10% will go to the slot receiver or the No. 3 man on a team’s depth chart.

The Top 10:

1. Dallas Cowboys
Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn, Patrick Crayton, Jason Whitten
When the Cowboys acquired all-time headache Terrell Owens from the Eagles, they inherited a big mouthed, cancer-in-the-clubhouse guy who has proven to be a distraction both on and off the field in his career. What they also inherited was a proven playmaker, a tall physical weapon and a player who can dominate on the field at times. When healthy, Terry Glenn is all speed and should love the single coverage he’ll receive now that Owens is on board. Patrick Crayton might have the best hands on the team and Jason Whitten is a two-time Pro Bowler and a top five tight end in the league, which gives the edge to Dallas over Indianapolis.

2. Indianapolis Colts
Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Brandon Stokley, Dallas Clark
Marvin Harrison could arguably be the best receiver in the league, but without all the hype that normally follows big-name receivers. Reggie Wayne turned down offers to move to another team after coming into his own the last two seasons with the Colts, and Brandon Stokley benefits from having Harrison and Wayne run on the outside of him. Dallas Clark has played well for the most part, but is still looking for that breakout year.

3. Arizona Cardinals
Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, Bryant Johnson, Leonard Pope
The Cardinals have quietly formed one of the best offensive teams in football, purely through their skill positions. Boldin is a fine possession receiver who isn’t a burner, but can make the big play in traffic. Fitzgerald is the speedster who knows how to get open and played in his first Pro Bowl last year, making one of the most incredible catches Honolulu has ever seen with defenders hanging all over him. Bryant Johnson gives the unit good deep speed, while rookie tight end Leonard Pope is a 6-foot-7 inch target that can run up the seam to complement his receivers.

4. Cincinnati Bengals
Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chris Henry/Tab Perry, Reggie Kelly
Three-time Pro Bowler Chad Johnson got himself a brand new deal and looks to put up even bigger numbers this year than his outstanding stats from a year ago. T.J. Houshmandzadeh posted career bests in catches, touchdowns and yards last season and is a great compliment to Johnson as a No. 2. Chris Henry had a solid rookie year with six touchdowns, but was plagued by off-field issues this summer. Henry’s problems should give Tab Perry a bigger role in the offense. Reggie Kelly is a nice blocking tight end, but he doesn’t do much on the pass-catching side of things.

5. Carolina Panthers
Steve Smith, Keyshawn Johnson, Keary Colbert, Kris Mangum
Steve Smith is the NFL’s best receiver and the most explosive weapon in Carolina’s offense. Keyshawn Johnson signed with the team this offseason in hopes that he becomes what Muhsin Muhammad was to the Panthers a few years ago – a quiet leader. Keary Colbert was a bit of a disappointment last year, but should settle into a No. 3 role this year and Kris Mangum isn’t much of a threat, but is a solid blocker.

6. Seattle Seahawks
Darrell Jackson, Nate Burleson, Bobby Engram, Jerramy Stevens/Itula Mili
Seattle might have given up too much for Nate Burleson in the offseason, but his addition is great for the Seahawks for a number of reasons. One, Burleson is a nice complement to Darrell Jackson, who has shown he can be a No. 1 option in an offense when healthy. Secondly, the addition also allows Bobby Engram to slide back over to his slot position. Engram finds first downs like Paris Hilton finds the tabloids and he will embrace the role again this season. With the recent injury setback suffered by Jerramy Stevens, the door is now open again for Itula Mili to reclaim his starting spot. This team also houses Peter Warrick and D.J. Hackett.

7. New York Giants
Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, Sinorice Moss, Jeremy Shockey
If nothing else, you’ve got to hand it to the Giants receivers for having the most unique first names out of any wide receiving unit in the league. Plaxico Burress had 76 catches last season and seven touchdowns, but he also gets a lot of opportunities from QB Eli Manning. Amani Toomer is still productive after 11 years of service and rookie Sinorice Moss is small, but extremely explosive. Jeremy Shockey is another guy who got a lot of passes thrown his way last year and took advantage of it with 65 catches and seven touchdowns.

8. St. Louis Rams
Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Kevin Curtis, Joe Klopfenstein
This unit has some age, but also has a ton of experience. Torry Holt is the consummate pro and excels in this league year after year. Isaac Bruce was released in March, but quickly was re-signed and should have enough left in the tank to complement Holt for another season. Kevin Curtis is one of the best No. 3 receivers in the game and has the speed and agility to get open. Joe Klopfenstein was selected in the second round of this April’s draft and should be a nice target for quarterback Marc Bulger in the red zone.

9. Oakland Raiders
Randy Moss, Jerry Porter, Doug Gabriel, Ronald Curry, Courtney Anderson
The Raiders have the potential to have the best foursome in the league at wide receiver, but with Jerry Porter’s holdout and trade demands, we’ll have to leave them here for now. Randy Moss suffered some injuries last year, but still drew double-team coverage on virtually every play. Doug Gabriel and Ronald Curry have serious potential, but find themselves on the injury report more than the field. Tight end Courtney Anderson is inconsistent, but shows flashes of being a nice, big option in the red zone.

10. San Diego Chargers
Antonio Gates, Keenan McCardell, Eric Parker, Rashaun Woods/Vincent Jackson
Antonio Gates is listed first up above for a reason: the guy is the best tight end in the league, period. You can make a claim for Tony Gonzalez, but with Gates’ age and production thus far in his short career, the sky seems to be the limit for him. Keenan McCardell had an excellent season last year and posted a career-high in touchdowns with nine. Here’s a stat that most people don’t know about Eric Parker: he caught 71% of the passes thrown to him last year, tops in the league (you had to be targeted at least 50 times, so no, he didn’t go 7 for 10). The No. 3 spot is between former first-round pick Rashaun Woods and Vincent Jackson.

The Bottom Five:

28. Jacksonville Jaguars
Matt Jones, Reggie Williams, Ernest Wilford, Kyle Brady
Would someone please stand up in this unit? Matt Jones has made a nice transition from college quarterback to NFL wide receiver, but is still raw and is now battling an ankle injury. Reggie Williams has been a bust thus far in his short NFL career and Ernest Wilford, albeit the best in the bunch, lacks speed. Kyle Brady is purely a blocker at this point and only caught 18 passes last year.

29. Philadelphia Eagles
Reggie Brown, Todd Pinkston, Jabar Gaffney, L.J. Smith
Who knows what you’re going to get with this fun bag of treats. Todd Pinkston was hurt all of last season and Reggie Brown is still very young and very raw. Jabar Gaffney was a disappointment in Houston, leaving tight end LJ Smith as the only receiver in Philly with above-average skills. Needless to say, this doesn’t look very promising for Eagles fans but at least Donovan McNabb’s gotten it done with a thin receiving corps before.

30. San Francisco 49ers
Antonio Bryant, Arnaz Battle, Vernon Davis
This squad is tricky because Antonio Bryant is loaded with talent, but the 49ers are going to have to get him involved early in games or else he seems to lose focus. Arnaz Battle is young and untested, but the real gem in this group is Vernon Davis. He’s going to be a stud, it’s only a matter of time, but since he’s a rookie and the ‘Niners don’t have a true No. 3 yet, they have to be rated in the bottom five.

31. Buffalo Bills
Lee Evans, Peerless Price, Josh Reed, Robert Royal
The unit has potential with Evans, Reed and Royal, but any team that goes out and makes an offer for Peerless Price at this point in his quickly fading career deserves to be this low. Enough said.

32. Chicago Bears
Muhsin Muhammad, Mark Bradley, Bernard Berrian, Justin Gage, Desmond Clark
This unit might be unfairly rated due to their quarterback and injury issues last season, but nevertheless, Muhsin Muhammad struggled last year and Mark Bradley showed promised before suffering a knee injury that cost him the season. Bernard Berrian and Justin Gage both have unique talents, but aren’t well-rounded enough, and tight end Desmond Clark was a non-factor last year in the passing game.

The biggest impact of the Duckett/Lelie trade is not the two players involved or their new situations. Neither player figures to be much of a fantasy force this season unless injuries befall players ahead of them. What’s called into question is Washington’s faith in Clinton Portis’ shoulder after we’ve been told for weeks that he’s doing fine and that he’ll be ready to go Week 1. Ladell Betts (we were told) is a fine backup and that the offense would be in good shape if Portis were to miss any time. So why trade for Duckett in the final year of his contract?

The Redskins have to be concerned about Portis’ shoulder to make this move. Whether it’s deep, troubling concern or mild concern is the question. They gave up a third round pick to acquire Duckett, which is relatively cheap insurance considering the importance of the RB position in Al Saunders’ offensive gameplan. Had they burned a first or second round pick to land Duckett, the move would be more worrisome.

So how far should Portis fall in your rankings? Given this news, I think it would be prudent to take him after guys like Rudi Johnson, Cadillac Williams and Edgerrin James. At that point, you have to weigh the risk of his shoulder injury versus the risk associated with players like Julius Jones, Reggie Bush and Kevin Jones, who have their own questions to answer. This will create a tough situation for many owners drafting in the back half of round one, given the importance of getting good production out of one’s first round pick.

It was a very busy Tuesday night in Atlanta.

First the team traded former first round pick T.J. Duckett to Washington and received wide receiver Ashley Lelie from Denver in a three-team swap. Then shortly after the trade, Atlanta essentially locked up big, space-eating defensive tackle Grady Jackson ESPN.com is reporting.

The deal is contingent on Jackson passing a physical on Wednesday, but if there are no problems with the former Green Bay Packers’ health, the Falcons just dramatically improved their run defense.

Even at this late stage of his career, Jackson remains an interior defender capable of clogging things up in the middle and of playing effectively against the run. He often commands double-team blocking because of his size and strength, and that allows teammates to flow more readily to the ball. His stamina appeared to be much improved in 2005, and his 16 starts were his most since the 2001 season.

With injuries plaguing linebacker Ed Hartwell and defensive end Brady Smith last year, Atlanta couldn’t stop opponents from running down its throat. The defense finished 26th in the NFL in total rushing yards allowed (2,063) and total rushing yards allowed per game (128.9).

The addition of John Abraham over the offseason gave the Falcons yet another pass rusher to the defensive line, but failed to address the run defense. Chad Lavalais started last year at the tackle position opposite Rod Coleman, but he has quickly fallen out of favor in Atlanta.

With Hartwell returning from season-ending knee surgery and the addition of Jackson, Atlanta hopes it finally has the pieces in place to stop the run.

After being pounded by the Packers on Saturday night, head coach Jim Mora pleaded with team officials to get him a No. 3 wide out and a big defensive tackle to plug up the middle of the defensive line.

Well, the genie popped out of the magic lantern, because Mora got Lelie and Jackson virtually in one hour last night.

In a big twist of irony, running back T.J. Duckett was dealt to the Washington Redskins on Tuesday while disgruntled wide receiver Ashley Lelie will end up playing in Atlanta this season according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

In exchange for Duckett, 25, the Redskins sent a third- or fourth-round pick to Denver, who, in turn, shipped Lelie, 26, to the Falcons.

As for Duckett, he could finally get the chance to be a featured back — for a few weeks. Redskins’ tailback Clinton Portis is out with a shoulder injury but is not expected to be out for the entire season.

The irony of the situation is that Duckett and Lelie were both apart of the same 2002 draft in which many analysts and talking media heads thought that the Lelie was a guarantee to land in Atlanta that season. The opposite obviously happened, but now here we are just five seasons later and Lelie winds up in Atlanta anyway.

This doesn’t surprise me that Duckett was traded since that rumor mill has been spinning since the draft. The surprise comes that he is going to Washington, where the Redskins already have a number one back in Portis.

The move is obviously clear that nobody in the Redskins’ brass knows when exactly Portis is going to return from the shoulder injury he suffered a week ago and maybe the shoulder is worse than what they’re letting on. This is a move in effort to win now.

The Falcons needed a third wide receiver bad with Brian Finneran suffering a season ending knee injury in training camp. The move was apparent after the 38-10 drubbing that the team took in Green Bay this past weekend, considering veteran Jerome Pathon looked nothing close to a reliable option.

The real question becomes what are the future plans? Both players are still unrestricted free agents at the end of the year. I can’t see both of them signing for the teams they’re with now if they both want to be number one’s at their respected positions.