The I-Form

We are breaking down the top 10 receiving corps today. Not the top 10 wide receivers. I think a great wide receiving corps consists of three key elements. A deep threat, a possession receiver (big guy, red zone threat), and a quick slot receiver who can take a short pass over the middle and make a first down out of it every time. Tight ends are included here as well, although it’s tough to find a team that has a pro-bowl tight end and an elite set of ball catchers. Not enough passes to go around I guess. Let’s start the list.

10. Detroit Lions- The Lions make it with the expectation that they will keep Roy Williams on the team. Williams is a receiver who can do it all and if paired with a consistently accurate QB could really become an elite receiver in the NFL. Calvin Johnson had some injuries last year, but when he played he was one of the best looking young receivers around. Johnson was the guy I thought Oakland should have taken in 2006. Mike Furrey and Shaun McDonald are two guys who can be great in the slot position, as both have tremendous after the catch ability. Dan Campbell is a veteran at TE.

9. Denver Broncos- Brandon Marshall was enough to get the Broncos on the list. I know he’s had some off the field issues, but I’m not factoring them in as there is no reason to believe Marshall doesn’t start game 1 this year. If you actually watched Broncos games this year then you will already know no receiver is better with the ball in his hands than Marshall. The Broncos also added some veteran depth, which they badly lacked last year at this position, in Samie Parker and Darrell Jackson. Jackson at one point was a very good receiver, before going to the 49ers last year. Brandon Stokely may be the greatest slot receiver of all time. Tony Scheffler is quickly becoming a very good TE, but needs to get open more consistently.

8. Cincinnati Bengals- Chad Johnson is not as good as he, and nearly everybody else, thinks he is. He is much more hype than substance. Even his nickname and celebrations suck. But, he is a very good number two guy. The number one guy on this team is TJ Houshmanzadeh. A very talented receiver who many announcers still can’t bother to learn how to say his name. I also think Andre Caldwell and Mario Urrutia could contribute this year, especially if Johnson is hampered by injuries.

7. Cleveland Browns- The Browns had the second most prolific passing game in the NFL last year. No reason to believe it shouldn’t be just as good or better with the addition of Donte Stallworth. Braylon Edwards came in to his own last year and is clearly the best player to come out of the top 5 in 2005. Joe Jurevicius is a terrific option at the slot position. Kellen Winslow, when healthy, finally showed what he is capable of on the field last year. The Browns may have the best four man option in the league. The only problem is the question marks. Will Stallworth be the guy who catches a touchdown per game or drops one? Will Winslow and Jurevicius stay healthy? Will Edwards continue to grow? Will Derek Anderson stay good? If all of these are in the affirmative, look for this team to score a lot of points this year.

6. Green Bay Packers- I was a little hesitant with this team. Will they be as good without Brett. Ultimately, I based it on their talent and the belief that they are good enough to give Aaron Rodgers a chance to succeed. Donald Driver is a veteran who seems to be able to get open whenever he chooses. Greg Jennings is a quickly rising young star at the position. The Packers also have a lot of depth and ,if Rodgers can gain the confidence in all of his receivers that Favre had, they will be tough to defend. James Jones and Ruvell Martin can easily fill in as starters. The Packers also made some key draft picks that should enable them to use even more weapons on the field, in Jordy Nelson and JerMichael Finley.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers- Ben Roethlisberger may have complained about them, but the Steelers receivers are actually quite good. I can’t stand Hines Ward because of the way announcers talk about him, but he is a great red zone receiver, especially for a man his size. Santonio Holmes has been good for Pittsburgh. Some knock hiim for not being worth a first round pick. If you look at the vast majority of receivers taken in the first round over the last decade or so, he actually far surpasses them. Nate Washington played well when called on last year. I think Limas Sweed may have been a steal late in the second round. Matt Spaeth and Heath Miller both are good receiving Tight Ends.

4. Dallas Cowboys- Terrell Owens is still one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. His talents to go deep or over the middle are enough to make this a top five receiving team. I don’t think Terry Glenn is a huge loss, especially since he barely played last year. Patrick Crayton played well last year and should continue to grow under T.O. I would say almost exactly the same thing about Sam Hurd, but then I would sound repetitive. Jason Witten and Tony Romo may have the best chemistry of any QB-TE combo in the league. Must be all the vacationing in Mexico together.

3. New England Patriots- They were the most prolific receiving unit in league history last year. Randy Moss set an all time record for touchdown reception in a season. I will point out as everyone seemed hesitant to do last year, that Rice had one less touchdown in four less games. I think the Patriots could suffer from the loss of Donte Stallworth. I’m not sure Jabar (I’m Shocked) Gaffney is as big a threat to open up the middle for Wes Welker. Chad Jackson has yet to make an impact on this team after being drafted early a couple of years ago. Kelley Washington and Ben Watson both actually underperformed last year, considering the explosion of this offense.

2. Arizona Cardinals- Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald are both still young and could easily be argued as the best one-two punch in the league. Neither has break away speed, but both have sure hands and great positioning ability. It’s scary to think what they could do if the Cardinals ever had consistency at the quarterback position. Early Doucet looked like a first round pick before injuries slowed him last year, if healthy he may actually be an upgrade over Bryant Johnson. Steve Breaston started to play more late last year. Leonard Pope is a very good receiving tight end and I think Ben Patrick has breakout ability if given the chance.

1. Indianapolis Colts- Hard to argue against them. They are consistently the best year in and out. Marvin Harrison is a future hall-of-famer and if injuries or rare guns from Belgium don’t slow him down he should be able to produce for a couple more years. When Harrison was out last year Reggie Wayne showed he was able to be a number one. Anthony Gonzales played very well last year and if he’s able to play the slot this year he should be even more of a factor. Dallas Clark is a great tight end and maybe, aside from Gates, the biggest deep threat at the position.