Today's Top 10: Best Wide Receivers

We're living in the now. And those recent highlights of what Fitz is doing is undoubtedly coloring our POV.

And lifetime achievement award? It's the 10 best WRs of all time, not 10 best of now. If we were fresh off the '92 season, how many of us would have had Sterling Sharpe on our lists, given that he had just caught 100 passes, ran sharp routes, caught tricky passes from that cannon of young Brett Favre's and caught some of them over the middle?

How would that look putting it on a list today, given what we know all these years later? Again, Fitz is terrific - goodness knows, he embarrassed the defense of the team I support. Absolutely embarrassed those guys.

Four years doesn't make a career, not on an all-time list. And you're really reaching comparing Larry Fitzgerald's short career to that of Gale Sayers. Are you going to inject Terrell Davis, too, when and if we get to the list of 10 RBs?

 

Comparing the numbers of the past 10-15 years to the past is unfair to those who came before.

The difference created by the "no-chuck" after 5 yds rule has allowed the guys to run free in the secondary and get the intermediate and deep catches easier. Compare the difference between what Biletnikoff had to do to get open and Moss nowadays; its no contest; e.g. Biletnikoff got chucked until the ball left the QBs hand, even if he was 15-20 yds downfield.

My 10:

Rice
Hutson
Berry
Alworth
Moss
Warfield
Taylor (Charley)
Lofton
Biletnikoff
Hirsch

 

I forgot Harrison on my list. I don't know if he's top 10, but he's definitely top 15.

 

Active top 10

1. Larry Fitzgerald
2. Andre Johnson
3. Randy Moss
4. Terrell Owens
5. Steve Smith
6. Reggie Wayne
7. Hines Ward
8. Anquan Boldin
9. Brandon Marshall
10. Roddy White
Honorable mention: Wes Welker, Greg Jennings, Marvin Harrison, Torry Holt.

Once again, I'm sure I'm forgetting somebody.

 

Ocho Sucko?
Plaxigun?

 

Tom Waddle?

 

When Fitzgerald demolishes records like Sayers and Brown did -- records that wound up lasting more than a decade -- we'll talk.

Nope. You start with Hutson who put up insane numbers for his time. In 1942, Hutson caught 74 passes for 1,211 yards and 17 TDs -- borderline Pro Bowl stats today. He did this in an 11-game season with defenders allowed to beat the crap out of him throughout his route, often even after the ball was thrown, and with blockers not allowed to extend their arms or open their hands, giving the passer less time to look downfield and get rid of the ball. He also did it on a team that ran more than it passed with everyone within 12 miles of the stadium knowing that when the Packers passed, the ball was going to Hutson (the No. 2 receiver had 21 catches for 420 yards).

Hutson was astoundingly ahead of his time. He led the league in receptions eight time -- five in a row -- and in receiving yards seven times -- one more than Rice -- including a run of four in a row. He led the league in receiving touchdowns nine times -- Rice did it six times -- with strings of four and five in a row. His 99 touchown catches still rank eighth in history, even though Hutson hasn't played since 1945. That mark stood more than 40 years.

Hutson was a two-time league MVP and a consensus first team All-Pro eight consecutive seasons, including his last. He is credited with inventing many of the pass patterns still being used, including the hook-and-go.

He retired with 18 records, including 488 receptions -- almost double the total of the next man on the list. He still holds all the records for most times leading the league in the various categories and his .85 touchdown catches per game is untouched. He also had 30 interceptions and kicked 172 extra points.

Hutson is No. 1.

 

Bears Version:

 

You forgot something.

Honorable Mention: Willie Gault

 

abbott already mentioned Chad Johnson, but I'll toss in TJ Houshmandzadeh.

It's the fault of neither of them that they had to deal with Ryan Fitzpatrick for most of the season. But their bodies of work over the last seven seasons warrant their inclusion in the discussion.

 

To be fair, Hutson also faced defensive backs that had never dealt with anybody like him. The pass defenses Rice faced had to deal with rules that favored the offense, but they were also far more advanced than what Hutson dealt with.

 

Hutson played in an era when they didn't know how to defend the pass. He was 6-foot-1, 180 pounds -- Larry Fitzgerald is about 6-foot-4, 225 pounds -- you mean to tell me if you put him on those teams he wouldn't have had the same stats? And for that matter, how about 20 or 30 of today's receivers, who I am sure are just as, if not more, athletic, stronger and faster.

Give me a break with these stone age players who had big stats because they were the only ones in their time who played on teams which utilized them that way and they never had to face double, triple coverage probably not much zone over or under, and the other things that d-coordinators do to try and stop passing these days.