AJ saying goodbye?

[*jason*]

(12-18-2020, 11:33 PM)Bengalstripes9 Wrote: Chad's footwork and route running were far superior. I've never seen a receiver with quicker feet.

AJ was a physical beast and caught a lot of contested balls. His route running was good--but his length made his feet pretty slow.

I'm not sure what the stats say, but I would venture to say AJ showed up against the tougher competition more consistently.
For a good stretch of his career, you could pretty much guarantee he gets either 100 yards or a TD (or both) every game.
He showed up against the Ravens pretty consistently, Chad didn't.
Chad seemed to get the majority of his yards and TDs against the weaker competition (but you could say that about any receiver).
They both got shut down at times by elite corners such as Ramsey and Sherman, but AJ seemed more capable of having bounce back games against them.
Chad wasn't as much of a TD machine, but got hella yards.

Chad played 10 years in Cincy, not really showing up as a rookie.
AJ is in his 10th year, was productive from day one, but his 8th and 9th years were lost years due to injury.
They have similar stats. AJ obtained his stats in less overall time on the field.

I would give the slight edge to AJ as the better/ more productive WR overall (it is really close to a push though). AJ was on pace to destroy Chad's numbers before the injuries.
Chad was better at getting wide open with his amazing route running. AJ was more of a contested catch and red zone machine.

I think if AJ goes to a franchise that knows how to use him better--a team with an elite QB--he could become relevant again. The coaching isn't doing a good job of scheming ways to get him the ball. This offense is more of a spread you out and hit the open receiver offense--without one receiver being the primary. AJ thrived being the primary receiver.

Both AJ and Chad struggled once they were put into a new system (Chad in NE, Green with Zac).
Both have great work ethic and want to be great.

With AJ having a down year, I see it quite likely that he takes less money to play for a contender and up his HOF potential. If he goes to GB for instance, him and Devante Adams would complement each other extremely well. Or in KC they could put him in Watkins role and I think he'd be more productive than Watkins as he's much better at contested catches. If he gets a Super Bowl and puts up a couple years with closer to 10 TDs, he has a shot at the HOF. If not he likely ends up with a career quite similar to Chad's.

AJ never really got shut down by Richard Sherman. He had 6 for 78 in 2015. Sherman didn't shadow him that game, but I know they lined up on each other, and AJ held his own. I can't find his numbers from the 2011 game, but Sherman wasn't Sherman yet at that time anyway. I seem to recall AJ catching a pretty long TD in that game though.