6 hours ago
(6 hours ago)JaggedJimmyJay Wrote: I realize this is a late bump, but I was thinking about it this morning. I don't want to start yet another brand new thread.
It's a vague and kind of pointless exercise to try to "rank" Bengals receivers (even though I did just that earlier in the thread) given that there are so many factors that interplay in complex ways to produce different points of view. However, why not try comparing them on a per-factor basis? It was fun for me at least. It's not like there's much better to do at this stage of the offseason.
What are some factors that can play into how "great" a wide receiver is? There are a ton of them, and I am certain that I haven't accounted for everything. Oh well. These factors came to mind:
Catch radius | Clutch play | Contested catches | Deep threat | Durability | Hands | Longevity | Peak performance | Performance relative to era | Red Zone | Route running | Run after catch
I'll name a "winner" for each factor as well as a runner-up. I have a feeling it'll end up being a pretty diverse list.
Catch radius
Winner - AJ Green
Runner-up - Chad Johnson
I think this was AJ's greatest strength, and it's what made him so dangerous despite Andy Dalton's sometimes erratic accuracy. As long as it was close, AJ gave it a chance. Chad also demonstrated amazing body control especially on scoring plays.
Clutch play
Winner - Ja'Marr Chase
Runner-up - Cris Collinsworth
I acknowledge significant recency bias with this one. I can assess older-era receivers in many ways, but I lack the memory or viewing experience to assess something specific and nuanced like this. I gave Collinsworth the runner-up by default. He must have done something right to play in two Super Bowls (feel free to clown me on this pick). Chase was the easy winner though. He has been staggering at the ends of first halves and games with huge, improbable chunk/scoring plays since day one.
Contested catches
Winner - Tee Higgins
Runner-up - AJ Green
Tee's weakness is that he sometimes struggles to get separation, so it's a relief that he doesn't need separation. He has done more with 50/50 balls and prayers into double coverage than any other Bengals receiver I have seen. AJ's catch radius often translated into strong contested catch ability, and his physicality was underrated.
Deep threat
Winner - Isaac Curtis
Runner-up - Ja'Marr Chase
Curtis was unbelievable for his time. 21.2 yards per catch in the middle of the dead-ball 1970s speaks for itself (and 21.1 the year prior). He wasn't an All-Pro three years in a row for nothing. Now, Chase is blowing up the record books with unprecedented rates of long bombs. This category is difficult, since numerous great Bengals receivers could have an argument.
Durability
Winner - Chad Johnson
Runner-up - Isaac Curtis
Chad started every game for four seasons in a row, and he played in all 16 games seven times in his ten seasons as a Bengal. He was really never injured when it mattered. He only missed significant time in the lost 2008 season. Curtis also hardly ever missed a game outside the 1977 season.
Hands
Winner - TJ Houshmandzadeh
Runner-up - Tyler Boyd
TJ vacuumed up footballs throughout his tenure with the Bengals. He was the quintessential "possession receiver" of his era, and he took pride in that. Boyd is actually more "consistent" in terms of catch rate, but I think he has an era advantage. I give him credit anyway for doing that during the dark ages of the late Dalton era.
Longevity
Winner - Isaac Curtis
Runner-up - Chad Johnson
This one may overlap a lot with durability; they go hand in hand. Curtis played a meaningful role on the roster for at least 11 seasons and was admirably consistent throughout. Chad's first 1,000 yard season came when he was 24, and his last when he was 31.
Peak performance
Winner - Ja'Marr Chase
Runner-up - Chad Johnson
I mean, come on. Ja'Marr already owns, arguably, the best two statistical seasons in team history (2021 and 2024). 2024 is irrefutable. 2021 includes a Super Bowl run. This is an easy one. The runner-up was tough. Chad gets the edge over AJ, barely. Chad was a first-team All-Pro in 2005 and 2006. AJ was a second-team All-Pro in 2012 and 2013.
Performance relative to era
Winner - Chad Johnson
Runner-up - Ja'Marr Chase
This might not hold up much longer, but I will keep it here for now. Chad led his conference in receiving yards four years in a row (and led the NFL in one of them). That's a remarkable achievement and deserving of this recognition. Chase just detonated the Earth with a triple crown, however, so he's lurking very loudly.
Red zone
Winner - Carl Pickens
Runner-up - AJ Green
I'm glad I was able to get Pickens in here somewhere. He caught a whopping 36 touchdowns from 20 yards out or fewer from the likes of David Klingler, Neil O'Donnell, and Akili Smith (of course, Jeff Blake and Boomer Esiason were better). I always had faith in peak Dalton-era offenses in the red zone because of AJ Green.
Route running
Winner - Chad Johnson
Runner-up - Ja'Marr Chase
The winner is as easy as these categories get. Chad was a Hall of Fame-level route runner. I remember Colin Cowherd once saying "he couldn't run routes" about Chad to TJ Houshmandzadeh, who made it clear that it was the dumbest shit he'd ever heard. The runner-up is very hard to choose, however. I went with Chase just given his unbelievable consistency with back-shoulder vs. over-the-top route decisions.
Run after catch
Winner - Ja'Marr Chase
Runner-up - AJ Green
Chase looks like he might be the greatest run-after-catch receiver in the history of the league. I realize that's a lot, so we'll see. But among Bengals greats, he stands alone. AJ was also awesome. I remember what he did to Baltimore more than once.
===
I realize this exercise is also pointless, but I had fun with it. I'd like to know what others think for some of these categories. Who did I snub?
You mentioned AJ Green's Baltimore plays and didn't give him the clutch runner up? The man caught 2 hail Marys while in Cincinnati (one of em against Baltimore) as well.
Poo Dey
