Rank these wideout combos....

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

This is a dumb/stupid thread and seeing the OP, should not come as a surprise. What are the parameters of these rankings? Talent alone of is it purely statistical? Fact is, you need to take in other variables in these rankings. Now the OP has Jackson/Maclin as #1, then followed by Nicks/Smith or Manningham, and then Austin/Bryant.


Well statistically you have.

Austin/Bryant: 96 receptions| 1,304 yards| 11 TDs.

Jackson/Maclin: 94 receptions| 1,582 yards| 13 TDs.

Nicks/Smith: 109 receptions| 1,317 yards| 12 TDs.



The Eagles' duo outpace the Cowboys' duo by 278 yards and 2 TDs on 2 less receptions. It's easy to suggest that Jackson/Maclin are the best in the division fron a statistical standpoint AND the fact that their team is winning and in control of the division. But the stats do not tell the whole story. Meaning, let's not forget that the Cowboys have been without Romo for 5 1/2 games. Yes, I know... the Eagles were without Vick for 3 1/2 games, however, 5 1/2 is still greater than 3 1/2. We can all agree that Romo is better than Kitna, and had Romo been playing. More than likely Austin/Bryant would have better stats, although that doesn't mean it would have translated into wins, which was an issue when Romo was in. Let's not forget that Romo before he went down, was having a career year statistically. Kitna is obviously doing better under HC Garrett than HC Wade. We can only specualte as to how much better Romo would be.


With that in mind, my rankings as follows:

1.) Austin/Bryant
2.) Nicks/Smith-Manningham
3.) Jackson/Maclin


I support my rankings also from a talent standpoint. As I've mentioned and others as well, Jackson is one-dimensional. He is without a doubt one of the fastest players in the league. He is practically without peer in straight-line speed. However, that works agaisnt him, because he is so fast, and like most WRs with ultra straight-line speed, he doesn't get into and out of his breaks smoothly, which is why you do not see him going across the middle all that much and mainly runs go routes. Jackson is a boom-bust/feast-famine player. Clearly, Austin is better than Jackson. As for Maclin, someone else on this board had mentioned, that he hasn't shown he can take over a game when Jackson is out/down.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

That's how I rank 'em. If you throw in TE, those ranks are solidified as I'd rather have Celek over Witten.

!!! Stupid is as stupid does. If you are suggesting that you'd have Celek over Witten because of Celek's youth/age, that's one thing. But so far this year, Celek has not been much of a factor in the Eagles' passing game. He's #5 in receptions with 30 on the Eagles, whereas Witten is #1 on the Cowboys with 60. Clearly the Eagles' offense is functioning just fine without Celek, but the Cowboys' offense would be in a world of hurt without Witten.

Fact is, if you include the TEs into the mix of these WR rankings, that clearly puts the Cowboys over the top.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

1. Maclin/Jackson
They complement each other very well and with Vick at QB there should be no stopping them. Fix the blocking and this trio could be headed for multiple SBs

The bolded section could be easily applied to the Cowboys as well.

2. Nicks/Smith/Manningham
IMO it is only fair to mention all three members of this trio. Together they have made Eli look more like Peyton and less like Archie.

You grossly underrate Eli. I never thought I'd be saying this, but he's evolved into a better QB then what he's given credit for. If anything, I'd credit the Giants' running game in contributing to Eli's success. This much is for sure, if that running game is on, Eli struggles.

3. Miles/Dez
Dez will be the greatest WR in the NFL very soon, but he isn't there yet. Miles needs to keep performing like he did last season. I keep expecting him to fall back down to Earth but I am hoping he doesn't.

Well... this is real... insightful. You base your rankings for the Cowboys because of a expectation of Miles "coming back down to Earth", although it hasn't happened. Could this very expectation apply to any of the other WRs in these rankings? Certainly. Jackson for sure with his size.

 

[Cythim]

The bolded section could be easily applied to the Cowboys as well.

No it couldn't. Romo/Kitna is not Vick. We have bigger problems than just blocking.

You grossly underrate Eli. I never thought I'd be saying this, but he's evolved into a better QB then what he's given credit for. If anything, I'd credit the Giants' running game in contributing to Eli's success. This much is for sure, if that running game is on, Eli struggles.

When their running game was at it's peak Eli was at his worst. Adding Manningham and Nicks to the offense is what made Eli as good as he is today. Eli is has a career 80.5 rating with a 1.4:1 TD-INT ratio. These last two seasons with Manningham and Nicks he has been above 90 rating with a 1.7:1 TD-INT ratio.

Was Kurt Warner a good QB? No, he just threw to some very talented WRs in his Super Bowl season.

Well... this is real... insightful. You base your rankings for the Cowboys because of a expectation of Miles "coming back down to Earth", although it hasn't happened. Could this very expectation apply to any of the other WRs in these rankings? Certainly. Jackson for sure with his size.

The difference is Jackson was expected to be a good WR (2nd round pick and all) while Austin was never expected to do much (seeing how no one drafted him and he didn't break out until his third year in the league). I wouldn't say the same thing about any of the other WRs (except Armstrong obviously, but I'm not singing any praise for him) because they all had the expectation of being good.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

No it couldn't. Romo/Kitna is not Vick. We have bigger problems than just blocking.

Yes you could. And you are half right. Kitna is no Vick, so certainly, better blocking alone would not get us to the promise land, but with Romo. Most defintely. The only thing Vick has on Romo is his scrambling/scampering. He damn sure is not a better QB than Romo. We have no bigger problem on offense than the blocking.

When their running game was at it's peak Eli was at his worst. Adding Manningham and Nicks to the offense is what made Eli as good as he is today. Eli is has a career 80.5 rating with a 1.4:1 TD-INT ratio. These last two seasons with Manningham and Nicks he has been above 90 rating with a 1.7:1 TD-INT ratio.

Experience made him better. Explain exactly how those two made Eli better. Is Eli making errant throws or what?

Was Kurt Warner a good QB? No, he just threw to some very talented WRs in his Super Bowl season.

Yeah he was a bum. Hey! Anybody can say that about any all QBs. Peyton Manning is not a good QB, he just threw and continues to throw to talented WRs. Got it! !!! All Warner did was lead the Cardinals to the Super Bowl, but of course he had talented WRs in Fitz and Boldin, yet Leinert had those very same WRs and couldn't do crap with them.

The difference is Jackson was expected to be a good WR (2nd round pick and all) while Austin was never expected to do much (seeing how no one drafted him and he didn't break out until his third year in the league). I wouldn't say the same thing about any of the other WRs (except Armstrong obviously, but I'm not singing any praise for him) because they all had the expectation of being good.

That's all irrelevant at this point. Austin is what...? In his 4th year. His draft status at this juncture of his career is irrelevant. And that expexctation of "coming back down to earth" is bullshit. He's a veteran. All it makes for now is a feel good story. Fact is, with the success of many UFDAs, there is an increased expectation.

 

[Cythim]

An increased expectation for an undrafted player to be good versus a first round pick? What are you smoking. If Austin's production drops off people will just shrug and say "well it was a good run but he was overachieving" where as if Dez Bryant never starts producing he will be labeled a bust.

The Warner vs Leinart issues only speaks to how horrible Leinart was. Warner was garbage before Fitz and Boldin when he played in New York and lost his starting job to Leinart. It was a miracle that his play picked up and that miracle was Fitz and Boldin.

Romo isn't half the QB Vick is and Eli is reverting back to his normal self, especially with Nicks out and Smith hobbled. He is a model of inconsistancy, throwing 2+ ints in 6 of 11 games and 3+ TDs in 4 of 11 games.

 

[sbk92]

I agree with Cythim on the WRs but not the QBs.

Nobody's going to convince me Kurt Warner wasn't a good QB.

Vick's having a career year, but twice the QB of Romo? That's a little much. The fact is up until this year, Vick was an inferior QB to Romo. If you want to call him better now, okay. But twice the QB? Uh, no. I wouldn't be surprised if this season is the best Vick will ever have in the league.

Eli isn't Peyton. But he's not a bum either. Or an average QB. And no matter what anyone says, you have to give the guy props for winning a championship. He led his team down the field in the final seconds to win that game. That was a career defining drive and he stepped up like a champion.

 

[Cr122]

Yeah, I don't agree with that either.

Romo is as good as Vick, and I would rate him better, just not based on this season.

Look what Romo has protecting him, c'mon.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

An increased expectation for an undrafted player to be good versus a first round pick? What are you smoking.

You're asking me as to what I am smoking, and you're the one that claims that Kurt Warner wasn't a good QB and that Vick is TWICE the QB that Romo is. !!! From my guess, you're smoking meth.

If Austin's production drops off people will just shrug and say "well it was a good run but he was overachieving" where as if Dez Bryant never starts producing he will be labeled a bust.

That has no basis in REALITY. Your arguement is flawed because now you are applying hypotheticals, and like most people that apply such, you cherry-pick. You cannot base your rankings by applying hypotheticals to one group and not the rest and expect to be taken seriously. It is idiotic to make a blanket statement that Austin "over achieved" if his production were to drop, and not examine the variables behind it. Once more, Austin's darft status is of no relevance.

The Warner vs Leinart issues only speaks to how horrible Leinart was. Warner was garbage before Fitz and Boldin when he played in New York and lost his starting job to Leinart. It was a miracle that his play picked up and that miracle was Fitz and Boldin.

Romo isn't half the QB Vick is and Eli is reverting back to his normal self, especially with Nicks out and Smith hobbled. He is a model of inconsistancy, throwing 2+ ints in 6 of 11 games and 3+ TDs in 4 of 11 games.

!!! This is as stupid/dumb a post as it gets. Romo isn't half the QB that Vick is? Figures that fools like you are jacking yourselves off to Vick on THIS YEAR'S highlight reels of him. Vick is nothing but a glorified RB. And fools like you fail to grasp that he is in a SYSTEM for which is known for making QBs appear better than what they are--it's FOOL'S GOLD. Andy Reid's system is the MOST QB-FRIENDLY system in the league. There are scores of QBs that have thrived in that system. And fools like you would probably give up half your draft for Vick, and that is what exactly the Eagles' organization is banking on so that they can fleece teams out of prime draft picks. Them and the Patriots are masters of it. Those are the two teams that I would NEVER acquire a player via trade, because oftentimes, those players do not pan out once they leave that system. Is it a wonder as to why those two teams almost always have multiple and more FIRST DAY draft picks than other teams?

I can name tons of Eagles' players---offense and defense that thrived in the Eagles' system under Reid and to go onward to some other team and be far less than stellar: Trotter, Hugh Douglas, Corey Simon, Troy Vincent-Bobby Taylor---for a number of year, the best CB tandem in the league; Sheldon Brown-Lito Sheppard---another one of the best CB tandems; Michael Lewis, Ike Reese, and that's just on defense.

How many people thought that A.J. Feely was a good QB? The Dolphins did. So much so, they gave up a 2nd rounder for him. And he laid an egg in Miami. But we don't have to look even that far back. MCNABB. Prime example of the mastery of Reid's system of making QBs appear better than they actually are, and we now see the issues he's having with the Redskins. I had this debate with Redskins' fans all offseason. They claimed that McNabb had worse WRs than what the current Redskins have, and that McNabb would "make those WRs better, just like he did with Mitchell, Thrash, and Pinkston. "Yeah... ok. It was the system that made McNabb and those WRs more than what they are. The Eagles have always been able to plug-n-play QBs and have success, Vick is just the latest. Put McNabb back into Reid's system


Place Vick in a timing-based offense and see how well he does. You'll see the real Vick then. This showcasing of Vick is just a set up for some sucker team to get fleeced out of high draft picks. They got a 2nd and 4th for McNabb, better believe that they are expecting more/better. I still believe that Kolb is their guy.

Same thing with Jackson. One fool on this board thinks that Jackson is the best WR in the division. Ok. I'm sure that the Eagles are hoping that some fool team out there believes that as well. I don't see them committing long term to a 165 lbs. soaking wet WR, that while an excellant PR, and you can run the occasional gadget plays with him, but is useless at running anything but go routes. They are looking to trade him.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Reggie Wayne.

 

[Cythim]

!!! This is as stupid/dumb a post as it gets. Romo isn't half the QB that Vick is? Figures that fools like you are jacking yourselves off to Vick on THIS YEAR'S highlight reels of him. Vick is nothing but a glorified RB. And fools like you fail to grasp that he is in a SYSTEM for which is known for making QBs appear better than what they are--it's FOOL'S GOLD.

Don't bother coming around my comments if all you are going to do is throw insults. I'll have a conversation but if you are going to belittle to make yourself feel like a man I will not take part in the conversation. It is no wonder you troll boards you've been banned from.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

Don't bother coming around my comments if all you are going to do is throw insults. I'll have a conversation but if you are going to belittle to make yourself feel like a man I will not take part in the conversation. It is no wonder you troll boards you've been banned from.

I call it as I see it.