This is now the third installment of the playoff edition Top Twelve. We ranked the 12 playoff quarterbacks from Manning to Sanchez on Monday, and then Tuesday we did the running games from Dallas to Arizona. Today, we are going to focus on the receivers. And, like yesterday, it is not going to be individual receivers, but instead its groups of receivers, or receiving corps, if you will. We are going to try and not take into account the guy throwing the ball, so we will not focus on “passing rankings,” but more focus on the guys catching the ball, including tight ends, running backs, and, of course, wide receivers. Along with the ranking will be, in italics, a list of the guys who had either 30 catches or 300 yards receiving this year for that specific team. As far as taking into account injuries, I did try and assess New England without Wes Welker, since he is out for the playoffs, but I assumed everyone else was 100% because there is no way of knowing the extent of the injuries to guys who will be playing, such as Chad Ochocinco, Anquan Boldin, and Jeremy Maclin.
This Year’s Top Twelve Playoff Receiving Corps
12). New York Jets. (Jerricho Cotchery 57-821, Braylon Edwards 35-541, Dustin Keller 45-122) Which two teams were in the bottom two were pretty easy, but which one was #12 and which was #11 was not that easy. I went with the Jets at #12 just because I really don’t believe in Braylon Edwards as being a trusted go-to guy in the playoffs. I could be wrong, but I have trouble counting on a guy like that. Cotchery is an okay #2, but Keller was very disappointing this year, and, as much as I love Thomas Jones, he is absolutely no threat to catch passes out of the backfield. I could easily be convinced that the Jets are #11, but only if there are health concerns for the…
11). Cincinnati Bengals. (Chad Ochocinco 72-1047, Laveranues Coles 43-514, Andre Caldwell 51-432, Brian Leonard 30-217) With a healthy Ochocinco, I think the Bengals receiving corps slightly edges out that of the Jets. Ochocinco had a truly great season, but it is clear how much this team misses T.J. Houshmanzadeh and the late Chris Henry. Also, they got nothing in the passing game from their tight ends and next to nothing from the running backs. This is a pretty bad group of receivers for Carson Palmer.
10). Baltimore Ravens. (Derrick Mason 73-1028, Ray Rice 78-702, Todd Heap 53-593, Mark Clayton 34-480, Kelley Washington 34-431) I have been on the Ravens group of receivers all year because I really don’t think they are very good, with the obvious exception of the ultimate pro Derrick Mason (though he has clearly lost a step). Ray Rice is a monster receiver out of the backfield, but Todd Heap is no longer a Pro Bowl caliber tight end. Clayton and Washington are average, at best. Then again, I ranked Sanchez, Palmer, and Flacco as #12, 11, and 10 in quarterbacks, and now I’m ranking their “weaponry” in that same order. Hmm, I wonder if one of these rankings is off because of the poor play of the other side?
9). New England Patriots. (Wes Welker 123-1348, Randy Moss 83-1264, Benjamin Watson 29-404, Julian Edelman 37-359, Sam Aiken 20-326, Kevin Faulk 37-301) If I didn’t believe in the abilities of Randy Moss, I may have pushed the Patriots down even more significantly with the loss of Welker. But, Moss is that good. He demands double-teams, at all times, and I think that Julian Edelman will be able to find many of the same holes that Welker found. I’m not saying he will replace ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-THREE CATCHES IN FOURTEEN GAMES, but he has shown that he can be productive. I do not have much confidence in Watson or Aiken, but Kevin Faulk always seems to be there when the Pats need a short pass on 3rd-and-4.
8). Dallas Cowboys. (Miles Austin 81-1320, Jason Witten 94-1030, Patrick Crayton 37-622, Roy Williams 38-596) I’ll be honest here, these middle four teams, #5-8, were incredibly tough to rank. I wouldn’t argue with any rearrangement of the next four teams. I put Dallas at #8 just because they get nothing from their running backs, and Crayton and Williams have done nothing to instill any confidence. Granted, Austin had a ridiculous season and Jason Witten is one of the best in the game at tight end, but if a team can just live with 7-8 catches from Witten and somehow stop Austin, the Cowboys could be in for a long day throwing the ball. Again, I could have easily put them as high as #5, but come on, they’re the Cowboys.
7). Philadelphia Eagles. (DeSean Jackson 63-1167, Brent Celek 76-971, Jeremy Maclin 55-762, Jason Avant 41-
587, LeSean McCoy 40-308) Nice that we are ranking the best set of “weapons” in the league and the Eagles are not at the bottom of this list. Wow, have times changed? The one reason I have the Eagles slightly ahead of Dallas is that, while I think the #1 receivers and tight ends cancel each other out (Jackson is slightly better than Austin, while Witten is slightly better than Celek), I think the Eagles have a significant receiving advantage out of the backfield. We all know what Westbrook can do, and we have seen that McCoy and even Weaver are solid targets. Plus, I think the 2-3 combo of Maclin and Avant are far superior to Crayton and Williams in Dallas.
6). Green Bay Packers. (Greg Jennings 68-1113, Donald Driver 70-1061, Jermichael Finley 55-676, James Jones 32-440, Jordy Nelson 22-320, Donald Lee 37-260) Another tough decision, as I have the Packers slightly ahead of both the NFC East playoff teams, as far as receiving corps. Jennings and Driver give the Pack a really solid, almost go-to guy, on both sides of the field–something that neither Dallas nor Philly has. Plus, throw in an excellent season from Jermichael Finley and you’ve got yourself a pretty nice set of weapons for Mr. Rodgers.
5). Minnesota Vikings. (Sidney Rice 83-1312, Percy Harvin 60-790, Bernard Berrian 55-618, Visanthe Schiancoe 56-566, Adrian Peterson 43-436, Chester Taylor 44-389) Again, this could have gone any way, but I decided to put the Vikings at the front of this very close pack of four teams. Sidney Rice has become a bonafied #1 receiver. Percy Harvin is a legit deep threat, and Bernard Berrian is almost the forgotten man on this team, but he can still play. Add in to that a solid tight end in Schiancoe and two excellent receiving backs in Peterson and Taylor, and I feel pretty confident that this Vikings team has a really nice set of receivers.
4). New Orleans Saints. (Marques Colston 70-1074, Devery Henderson 51-804, Robert Meachem 45-722, Jeremy Shockey 48-569, David Thomas 35-356, Reggie Bush 47-335, Pierre Thomas 39-302) Seven guys with 35+ catches this year! That is incredible. It is still hard to say whether or not these guys are made by Drew Brees or if they have really helped make him the star that he is. I would lean towards the former, but it’s really hard to know. Either way, this is a very talented group, which belongs in the upper echelon of receiving corps in the NFL. The one problem with all this spreading the ball around is the absence of a true #1 receiver. While I really like Colston, there is something to be said for having a guy like Randy Moss or Steve Smith or Reggie Wayne that can really take a game over, at times. Colston is not that guy. Regardless, as long as Drew Brees continues with the philosophy that his favorite receiver is whoever’s open, then this squad is definitely deep enough in talent to contend for a Super Bowl title.
3). San Diego Chargers. (Vincent Jackson 68-1167, Antonio Gates 79-1157, Malcolm Floyd 45-776, Darren Sproles 45-497) Don’t get me wrong, I like the Austin-Witten combination in Dallas as well as the Jackson-Celek combination here in Philly, but when we talk WR-TE combinations, it’s hard to argue that Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates are not at the top of that list. They are both absolute stars at their positions and with a guy like Rivers getting them the ball, the two of them can absolutely dominate games by themselves. Throw in the size and speed of Malcolm Floyd and the shiftiness of Darren Sproles and this team is loaded with weapons. Oh, and by the way, LaDainian Tomlinson, though well past his prime, might be the best second all-time behind only the great Marshall Faulk when it comes to receiving ability out of the backfield.
2). Indianapolis Colts. (Reggie Wayne 100-1264, Dallas Clark 100-1106, Pierre Garcon 47-765, Austin Collie 60-676, Joseph Addai 51-336) Okay, well if Jackson and Gates are #1 in WR-TE combos, Wayne and Clark are #1A. Reggie Wayne has not missed a beat in moving from the second banana behind Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison to being the complete focal point of this offense. And, Dallas Clark is so dangerous at every point on the field. Add in the emergence of youngsters like Garcon and Collie and the pass-catching ability of Joseph Addai, and you’ve got another absolutely stacked set of weapons here in Indy. It was a very close decision for me between San Diego and Indy, but I went with the Colts because the Chargers lack that #3 receiver, while the Colts have Collie. I also think that Addai provides slightly more than Sproles in the passing game, from an all-around perspective.
1). Arizona Cardinals. (Larry Fitzgerald 97-1092, Anquan Boldin 84-1024, Steve Breaston 55-712, Tim Hightower 63-428) Now maybe I’m just completely enamored by this pair of receivers. Maybe, when looking at the entire set of weapons, this team is not the best. But, there is no way that I am going to rank receiving corps and not put the Cardinals #1. It might be wrong, but I can’t do it any other way. There are very, very few receivers in the league that would legitimately relegate Anquan Boldin to #2 receiver, and Larry Fitzgerald is one of them. In fact, I’m not sure I can remember a better second-best receiver on his own team than Boldin. He and Fitzgerald are just that good. I think that even if I was the #3 receiver and Doogan was the pass-catching tight end, I would still rank this team #1 in receiving corps. Fortunately for the Cardinals (and us), we are not on the team; Steve Breatson is. Breaston is better than a lot of teams’ #2 guys. The one criticism with this team could be that they do not have a good pass-catching tight end, but with their style of offense (and Warner, who rarely ever utilizes the tight end), it is not a huge detriment.
11). New England Patriots (Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Fred Taylor). (NFL rushing rank: 12) The Pats just simply haven’t been able to establish anything in the ground game all year. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think that Bill Belichick may have put in one of his better coaching performances this year because the defense is clearly flawed and with another unimpressive running game and a down year from Brady, this team was still 10-6 and the #3 seed. But, anyway, the health of Fred Taylor helps–a little–but it’s clear that when this team really needs two yards, they throw the ball. Kevin Faulk is a nice receiving option out of the backfield and a great guy to have on your team, but he’s not a overly competent halfback. And, Laurence Maroney has been mediocre–at best–his whole career. I actually thought about putting this team last, but I just think that there is something small to be said for experience at the running back position and, because of that, I give Faulk a HUGE edge of Wells, thus making Arizona #12 and the Pats #11. Either way, this team will live and die on the arm of Brady and the hands of Moss, which is not really that bad of a problem to have, is it?
9). San Diego Chargers (LaDainian Tomlinson, Darren Sproles). (NFL rushing rank: 31) The Chargers are another team that really struggled to run the ball this year–at least if you look at just stats. But, I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that their passing offense was just so explosive that they didn’t really need to sustain drives with 4-yard runs. That being said, the rushing game has come back alive in the second half, with Tomlinson making a nice resurgence. Plus, Darren Sproles is a guy that may not play a big role in any one game, but you absolutely have to gameplan for him because he always brings with him the ability to make that one game-changing play–often when you least expect it. The Chargers and Eagles were just about even, to me, but I put the Chargers slightly ahead because of a little more of a commitment to the run from the coaching staff and a little more confidence in the breakout possibility of Tomlinson than that of Westbrook.
6). New Orleans Saints (Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell, Reggie Bush). (NFL rushing rank: 6) The bottom six teams on this list all, clearly, only use the run to mix it up (if they do that at all), while their offenses are absolutely built around the pass. With #6, the Saints, though their offense is definitely a high-octane, modern-style passing attack, they definitely use the running game for more than just converting a 3rd-and-1 or killing the clock in the fourth quarter. The running game for the Saints is definitely a weapon that works in tandem with their potent passing game. And, they have a nice combination of Pierre Thomas–who has emerged this year as a quality tailback in this league–and Mike Bell, who is more of a between-the-tackles, inside running back, with his stocky 6’0″, 225 pound build. And, just when you think that you might be able to contain this offense, Sean Payton finds just the right time to use the devastating quickness and speed of Reggie Bush. When people think Saints offense, they think Drew Brees, Drew Brees, and Drew Brees, but don’t discount the ability of this team to run the ball in all situations.
4). Baltimore Ravens (Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, Le’Ron McClain). (NFL rushing rank: 5) Ray Rice is an absolute beast. Trust me, I am a non-Ravens fan who lives in Baltimore, so I get to see every Ravens game, and I am able to watch them objectively. I have often found myself tuning into Ravens games just to watch Ray Rice. The guy is that good. However, his ability is not completely in his rushing ability–though, 1200+ yards and 5.3 yards per carry is nothing to sneeze at–it is in his complete game, which includes his dynamic ability to catch passes out of the backfield, which is not really counted in this “analysis.” But, even without including Rice’s excellence receiving skills, this Ravens running game is still fantastic. Willis McGahee is almost a forgotten man when you talk about the Ravens, and he averaged over 5 yards per carry and had TWELVE touchdowns. Throw in the beast that is Le’Ron McClain (he’s a load around the goal line) and you have yourself one of the NFL’s best rushing attacks. Despite a tough season, an aging, overrated defense, and a pedestrian receiving corps, the Ravens might be a tough out in these playoffs simply because you’ve got to commit so much of your defensive gameplan to stopping the run that Flacco might just be able to put up a big number or so. Don’t sleep on Ray Rice–trust me.
1). Dallas Cowboys (Marion Barber, Felix Jones, Tashard Choice). I have said all year that if this team can get all their back healthy at the same time, they are scary good. And, they seem to all be healthy at just the right time–actually, just the WRONG time, from our perspective. Marion Barber is an absolute monster. I hate the Cowboys even more than a Pennsylvania winter, but it’s hard not to like Marion Barber. That one play on Sunday when Trotter absolutely lit him up and Barber got up, smiling, and tapped Trotter on the shoulder pads and ran back to the huddle was incredible. I don’t think Trotter (who is quite a large man) could have hit him any harder, and Barber seemed to love it. He welcomes collisions. It is almost like he tackles the defenders when he runs with the ball. And, as we’ve talked about several times when playing Brandon Jacobs, a guy like, even if he’s only picking up 3-4 yards, absolutely EXHAUSTS a defense. And, then what happens to tired defenses against the Cowboys? They give up 50-yard touchdowns to the lightning quick Felix Jones. Throw in the variety of a solid off-tackle runner like Tashard Choice, and you have yourself a merciless running attack. The Cowboys are scary good. I still might pick the Eagles this week, but it won’t be because I think they’ll stop Barber, that’s for sure.
12). Mark Sanchez – Jets. (Playoff record 0-0) Not only is he a rookie on a 9-7 team that squeaked their way into the playoffs on their defense alone, but he didn’t exactly set the world on fire in his rookie campaign. In fact, not only did Sanchez have the lowest QB rating of any playoff quarterback, but there were only four starting QBs in the league with a lower passer rating–Matthew Stafford and Josh Freeman, whose two teams combined for 5 wins, and Jake Delhomme and JaMarcus Russell, who both had HISTORICALLY bad seasons and ended up as pretty much the two laughingstock QBs of the league. Other than those four, every other starting quarterback in the league had a better passer rating than Sanchez. Number 12 was an easy choice.
10). Joe Flacco – Ravens. (Playoff record 2-1) Sanchez, Palmer, and Flacco are probably the only three playoff quarterbacks that I would not consider “elite,” which should make for a great playoff season. Flacco has been pretty good this year, but somewhat inconsistent (which is to be expected–remember, he’s still only two years removed from the University of Delaware). Granted, his receiving corps has been, at best, ordinary this year, and Todd Heap is just not the player he used to be. But the receivers aside, there is no doubt that without Ray Rice, this team would be making tee times instead of preparing for a playoff game in Foxborough. Flacco is good, but not quite great–yet.
6). Brett Favre – Vikings. (Playoff record 12-10) If the Eagles had won yesterday, Favre would have definitely been below McNabb and probably Romo on this list, for me. The reason for that is that he would be staring at a cold, outdoor game in the Divisional Round. But, now that the Vikings have won the 2-seed (coupled with the Saints at #1), Favre will not play another outside game until the Super Bowl–in Miami. And, as much as I don’t like to admit it, the old guy has really had a terrific season. He was pretty bad down the stretch, so there are questions about his endurance, but it’s hard to say that you’d rather have any of the first 6 guys I mentioned over a guy who has made big plays his entire career. It hurts me to put him ahead of McNabb, but I do trust Favre more than McNabb in these playoffs, the way they have broken.
4). Aaron Rodgers – Packers. (Playoff record 0-0) And, now we enter the stratosphere of NFL quarterbacks. In my opinion, there were four quarterbacks who seemed to be playing a different game than everyone else this year and, not surprisingly, they are all in the playoffs. Maybe because the O-line was so poor this year. Or, maybe because the focus from that division was so much on the successes (Favre) and failures (Cutler) of other quarterbacks in the division. Or, maybe it’s simply the fact that the guy has never played a playoff game in his career. But, for some reason, people don’t seem to mention Aaron Rodgers when they discuss the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now. And, I think that that’s crazy. The guy threw for over 4,400 yards and 30 touchdowns this year. His wideout corps is good, but I wouldn’t say it’s great. Ryan Grant is a solid back, but nothing to really lean on. The O-line is one of the worst pass-protecting lines in all of football. And, throw into the mix of playing in freezing temperatures and trying to live up to the hype of being the guy who just happened to replace the greatest quarterback ever for a storied franchise, WITH that guy just happening to be playing for a division rival. And, if the face of all of that, Rodgers has done it week in and week out. Aaron Rodgers, ladies and gentlemen, has arrived.
1). Peyton Manning – Colts. (Playoff record 7-8) Pretty anticlimactic, huh? Is there any question that every team in the league would rather have Peyton as their quarterback than the one they currently have heading into these playoffs? No. Manning has elevated an already legendary career to new heights as he continues to improve. His leadership is no longer in question. His 4th quarter performance is no longer in question. No part of his physical play of the position is in question. The only possible chick in the armor might be his playoff performances. If you take out the one run to the Super Bowl title, Peyton is only 3-8 in playoff games. And, though most of those losses were in the beginning of his career, when he wasn’t quite as precise as he is now, let us not forget that the Colts were 12-4 and riding an 11-game winning streak into their home playoff game last year and they lost to Philip Rivers’ Chargers. I’m not saying that I’m concerned, I’m just saying that if they lose a home game again this year in the divisional round, will those questions start to come up again, even about a QB as seemingly infallible as the great Peyton? Either way, he’s The One for the 2010 playoffs.
The Bears-Vikings game was the best of the bunch and, ironically since it was the only game that didn’t involve a Philly team, it was the game I was rooting for the most. The Eagles lost to the Raiders in mid-October and they were just 5-4 in mid-November. They’ve had their three best offensive players (McNabb, Westbrook, Jackson) each miss at least one game due to injury. The offensive line and linebacking corps have been patched together with whatever they could find (Jeremiah Trotter? Winston Justice? Moise Fokou?) all season. And yet, despite it all, they’re now just one win away from a first-round bye and a home playoff game in the divisional round.
As much as I don’t like Brett Favre, he will always be interesting to watch. All of the off-season hoopla that surrounded him and Jay Cutler just added to the spectacle of them playing gun-slinger against each other in a tight game. Favre led the Vikings back from a 23-6 deficit to tie it at 23. Cutler and the Bears answered quickly, 30-23. Favre still had 5 minutes to work with, and he got it done with 16 ticks left, on a perfect pass to Sidney Rice, tied at 30. It went back and forth in the OT before Cutler ended it with a long strike for the game-ending score, 36-30.
The Sixers somewhat shockingly went into Portland and beat the excellent Blazers, 104-93. Nights like these are the reason I wanted Iverson to come back. It felt like old times, sitting on my parents’ couch, watching AI drive by defenders to the rim, or pull up and knock down an 18-footer. He scored 19 on 7-11 shooting, in his return after missing four games with an injury. And yes, in the old days you would’ve had to tie one arm behind his back to get him to only shoot 11 times, but flashes of the old AI were there. And speaking of flashes of old times, Elton Brand scored 25 points with 9 boards. I won’t suggest that this game is a sign of anything, but having Lou Williams, Iverson, and Iguodala playing together worked well in this one. The Sixers were definitely able to take advantage of the Blazers missing their centers, Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla, as they drove to the basket repeatedly without fear of a shot-blocker waiting for them. And, of course, it probably didn’t hurt that Willie Green missed the game with an ankle injury!