More impressive: 2,000 rushing yards or 2,000 receiving yards?

2,000 receiving yards is not that impressive in a league trending toward a 70-30 pass to run ratio.

 

One of these things has never been done before. The other was done by Jamal Lewis and Chris Johnson and Terrell Davis (along with three Hall of Famers).

 

Right, and last year three players passed for 5,000 yards when that had only been done twice before.

Does that mean they all left Kurt Warner '99 in the dust? Or is it just a comment on the evolution of the game?

 

No one had topped 1,600 receiving yards since 2003. Quarterbacks have been topping 4,700 passing yards a lot recently, even before last season.

MisterCreosote broke it down estutely (surprisingly):

Offenses are being spread open, which means individual receivers are having less of an impact.

 

Megatron is awesome. I have no quarrel with that. He could end his career as the clear #2 behind Jerry Rice all-time.

But the initial question was whether his season was more impressive than Peterson's. I still go Peterson.

 

Let me say this: Adrian Peterson has had a more impressive season, all things considered. But 2,000 receiving yards is more impressive than 2,000 rushing yards, which was the actual question. Why? Because one has never been done and hasn't been approached since the 1990s. The other has been done plenty of times, including twice in the past decade by two running backs who aren't even anything special.

Peterson's season is more impressive than Calvin Johnson's because of the 11 touchdowns (to five for Johnson), the team success and the injury rehab.

 

That's kind of a weird bit of parsing, that one person has had the more impressive season but the other one has the more impressive season-defining achievement.

I just think it's a clear sign of the inflated totals that come about when a great player plays on a bad team in an environment that is essentially a seven-on-seven passing drill. All passing stats have been really devalued.

 

With no other information available, I would say 2,000 receiving yards is more impressive than 2,000 rushing yards. That was the question MisterCreosote posed. The yardage totals do not explain why Adrian Peterson had a better season than Calvin Johnson.

And again, I think you need to look at the dates on these receiving leaders: http://bit.ly/VhSuM8

 

I saw them. It is interesting and it confirms that Megatron is the best receiver of his generation and not just by a little bit. But there isn't a whole lot of post-2000 representation on the rushing list either. Chris Johnson in 2009 was a similar case of racking up a lot of yards in meaningless games (they started 0-6 and had very little to play for other than getting him to 2,000).

I also believe, and by saying this I realize I have watched too much Lions football, Calvin Johnson has not faced the stiff tests from defenses that you all give him credit for. That, the changing rules, the constant being behind ...

 

I think you're letting your disrespect for the Lions' racking up of yardage cloud your judgement of the achievement.

 

Possibly. I do get amused to an irrational degree each time Jim Schwartz confronts anew the reality that he did not invent a new and better way of doing football.

 

Except it hasn't happened EVER and if it does happen this year, it'll likely just barely happen.

Yeah. Not impressive at all. You're right! I bet multiple guys do it next year!!