I’m going to try my hardest to keep this series going throughout the football season. I hope you enjoy it.
Question of the day: Who’s your favorite NFL receiver on your favorite NFL team of all time?
I needed to add the specificity of your favorite NFL team because while there are some beastly receivers out there like “The Johnson’s” (Calvin and Andre), I’m just not that intimately familiar with them on a week-to-week basis. Now, Packers’ receivers? Hohohohoho, yeah!
Ho-kai, so, as strongly alluded to, my favorite team is the Bing Bang Packers. Wait, that’s what my sister used to call the Green Bay Packers when she was a tiny, little child…..or so I’m told…..because I wasn’t alive yet…..so how could I know firsthand? Duuuuuhhhhh!
I know there were obviously some greats before my time. Don Hutson and James Lofton come to mind. But I can’t say I know much more about them than what my dad and/or the internets tell me about those guys. That leaves me with the recievers of my era. This is the list that comes off the top of my head (I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few):
Sterling Sharpe
Robert Brooks
Antonio Freeman
Mark Chmura
Andre Rison
Don Beebe
Bubba Franks
Donald Driver
Greg Jennings
To be honest, I don’t think Rison and Franks belong on this list. The only reasons they are here are because even though I don’t like them, you can’t deny what they did for the team. After the top 3 receivers got injured late in the 1996 season, Andre Rison was brought back from obscurity and played a major role in winning the Super Bowl that year. Bubba Franks, I believe, was garbage. But again, you can’t deny how many touchdown passes he caught. It’s just that, most people only remember those. I can’t seem to forget how many easy passes he dropped over the middle.
So let’s get back to the real list…
Sterling Sharpe still holds records, and he only played for 6 years. I barely remember him, but I do remember him being one of the first receivers to get over 100 receptions in back-to-back seasons.
Brooks, Freeman, Chmura, Rison, and Beebe were the 4 main dudes on the Super Bowl team. They were all standouts in the league, even when the team wasn’t the greatest. It’s hard to discount their performances in the years the Packers dominated the NFC along with the Cowgirls and 49’ers.
Franks, Driver, and Jennings are kind of the new guys. Well, Driver is old balls, but he’s still lumped in with the post-1996 Super Bowl teams. Pretty much anyone post-1997 is part of the “new school” for me….even though that was 14 years ago.
*Side note: holy shit, I’m getting old.
So, who is my favorite?
Donald Driver
The guy has been amazingly durable. He’s been through thick and thin since he joined the team. He’s been a top receiver in the league every damn year (even if he hasn’t been in the media spotlight), number’s don’t lie. His physique is incredible. Have you seen that guy without pads? Like, frickin 7% bodyfat at all times. How about toughness? I cannot think of another receiver other than Jerry Rice (and maybe The Greatest Show on Turf members: Faulk, Bruce, Holt, Hakim, and Proehl) that is better at picking up yards after the catch and yards after contact. The guy is quick, agile, and tough. I mean, honestly, what is there to NOT like about this guy? Did I mention he holds the Packers all-time receptions record?
What about off the field? He does a crap ton of charity work, like a lot of NFL stars, but can you remember him ever getting into trouble? Been called a dirty player? Known for running his mouth? Nope. Nope. Nope. And nope.
Anyways, great work ethic, tough guy, amazing athlete, and a really good person. I can dig that.
Now, who’s your favorite?
Driver is also going to pass James Lofton in Packers history this season for most receiving yards. He has been the quiet, consistent receiver any team would love to have. He is a top candidtate for favorite, thanks to longevity, consistency, and overall character.
However, if Sterling Sharpe would’ve stayed healthy, DD wouldn’t be anywhere near the team records (assuming Sharpe stayed in GB). I only saw the last couple years of Sharpe’s career so I can’t list him.
My favorite is Greg Jennings. All he does is make plays. He can line up at any position, and if he gets a step, its over. He has the big-play ability, and the willingness to block when others get the ball. When Finley went down last year, Jennings put up numbers that rivaled Jerry Rice’s record breaking year. If Jennings would’ve been the #1 receiving option last year and had the first 5 games back, he would’ve been the #1 receiver in the league. Remember, on the list of Top 100 players for 2011 on NFL Network, he was the 14th highest receiver! You gotta be kidding me!!!
Also, he has a lot of character as well. He knows his place and so far has been a model player, much like Driver. I believe eventually Jennings will beat Driver in all categories (again assuming he stays in GB).
@Chris,
Agreed on all accounts. For me, Jennings is still too early in his career, though you can’t discount what he’s done every year since being drafted.
I also chose Driver because his old balls are still able to put up those numbers, even after eleventy years in the league.
Bill Schroeder
Favorite Team: Dallas Cowboys
Favorite Receiver: Jay Novacek (TE)
==> Always moved the chains, made tough catches, could stretch the seam and made life easier for Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith.
@The Faz,
Great choice. Sadly, he played on probably my most hated team of all time. Hahaha!
Steve Brennen Cleveland Browns http://www.nfl.com/player/brianbrennan/2499775/profile
No not the best ever, but he was white and 5’9″. I wish I could have watched him play.
I meant Brian Brennan…