Courtesy: CBS Sports
We all know how great Calvin Johnson really has become. There is no other player in NFL history that you can compare his size and speed combination to at the WR position. He is clearly the best in the NFL at his position, if not all positions. But debates have arisen on who is actually lands at No. 2?
Dez Bryant tried to put his name in the hat earlier in 2013, then was immediately outplayed by Johnson in that very same week, to the tune of 329 yards and a touchdown (compared to Bryant’s 72 yards and 2 touchdowns). Bryant had a well-publicized hissy fit during that game, because he couldn’t live up to expectations. Though he is a nice WR, he clearly doesn’t hold the mantle behind Megatron.
Some would say to go with some of the old standards in Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson, but though once atop the charts, both have slowed down post their 30th birthday. Fitzgerald is in the midst of a revival year with Carson Palmer slinging him the ball, yet had several lackluster games (4 games with under 50 yards and no touchdowns) and no eye-popping statistics (only 774 yards on the season). He is a great leader and fantastic “character guy” but that does not make up for his diminished production.
Andre Johnson is another veteran WR with that Captain “C” on his chest, that has been notoriously one of the scariest players for opposing defenses. But even he does not compare to Calvin Johnson’s ability to break away from defenders or go up and get the ball. Though he has 1,277 yards on the season, he has only reached the end-zone five times; all of which coming in a two game span between weeks 8 and 9. The other Johnson may be a workhorse, who will eat up yards for the Houston Texans, he simply does not put up enough points to rekindle his No. 2 ranking among WR’s.
There are several other targets that need to be mentioned and if we were listing the top ten WRs, would certainly make the list. Brandon Marshall has the size and hands to be a great target for the Bears, but is not an explosive game-breaker. His counterpart, Alshon Jeffery, is developing into a touchdown machine, but again does not display the ability to run past defensive backs. The opposite goes for the DeSean Jackson in Philadelphia and Torrey Smith in Baltimore; smaller WRs with game-breaking speed, but cannot snatch the ball out of the air or take hits across the middle of the field.
Julio Jones and Demaryius Thomas have a similar build and skill set; both are explosive on the ground and in the air, while physical enough to take a pounding that elite WRs must come accustomed in the pass-happy NFL. Yet neither has taken their game to the next level, and much of their production is predicated on the players and scheme around them.
A.J. Green is hot name behind Calvin Johnson, but has some flaws of his own. At only 207 lbs., he has a slight frame, with injury concerns throughout his young career. He can out jump every corner in the league, while having enough speed to get separation as well. But when teams get physical with him, he has a tendency to disappear in games (like week 11, facing Browns CB Joe Haden).
So that only leaves one WR left to consider second best; Cleveland Brown, Josh Gordon. Not only is he leading the league in receiving, but doing so after missing the first two games because of a suspension (leaving Gordon’s off-field antics as his only real concern as a player). He also ranks second in yards per catch at 19.7 (New Orleans Saint, Kenny Stills, ranks first with 19.8 YPC), as he is the best big play threat in the NFL in 2013.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
Listed at 6’3”, 224 lbs. (and probably weighs more than that), Gordon has the make-up of a strong WR, who handle the rigors of crossing routes. He ranks third among all players in yards-after-catch (YAC), proving his ability to shed tacklers. No other player (besides Calvin Johnson) has that combination skill-set of stretching the field vertically and horizontally, while out-muscling defensive backs and linebackers.
The most telling impression of Josh Gordon’s second-year development into the league’s elite is the players around him. Nobody has a more confusing QB situation than the Cleveland Browns; switching from Brandon Weeden to Brian Hoyer to Jason Campbell (not exactly the names that WR can have confidence in). Gordon hasn’t known who the starter will be every week under center, yet he still produces monster games, no matter who is throwing him the ball.
But the Browns personnel struggles, which directly affect Gordon, is not just at the QB position. They have virtually no running game and after trading away Trent Richardson to the Colts early in the season, have no RB worthy of carrying the load. As a result, teams know that the Browns have to throw the ball, and know that Gordon is their best option. Yet sophomore WR still has broken the 100 yard mark in 7 out of the 11 games this season, with a recent stint of four straight (including back-to-back 200 yard performances in weeks 11 and 12 against the Steelers and Jaguars collectively).
Basically, teams have been game-planning to stop Gordon all season, yet have been completely unsuccessful. For a guy that was available to anyone at the trade deadline, the entire NFL seems pretty stupid on passing up on acquiring the clear second-best WR in football. Megatron better watch out, as a new Optimus Prime is gunning for his mantle. After all, he has outperformed him over the past five weeks.
Not fully behind the article as I think it is stating the gap is just too large from Calvin Johnson to the rest which isn’t the case. One, his catch percentage isn’t terribly high. Andre Johnson routinely has a higher one than CJ. Two, receivers do not throw to themselves. Case in point, Andre Johnson doesn’t have the touchdowns because he isn’t thrown the ball in the endzone. Evidence of this was when Case Keenum took over this year AJ suddenly had a spike in touchdown receptions. Why? Because he was actually given the opportunity to make the play. Schaub isn’t known for his very low yards per attempt for nothing.
All such things should be considered. Calvin Johnson is definitely not the best player in the league when you have the likes of Adrian Peterson, J.J. Watt, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, etc. Top receiver? Maybe but not by this Grand Canyon of margins. Stafford gives him those opportunities and other QB’s have to do the same with their receivers.
At the same time you have to look at guys likes Gordon, Andre Johnson and AJ Green. Gordon is producing better numbers than CJ this year with Weeden, Campbell and Hoyer as his QB’s. Green is producing with a roller coaster in Dalton. Johnson has had the QB shuffle with Schaub and Keenum. It’s not as black and white as the article paints.