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Around SBN: How A Letter From Tom Coughlin Helped One Fan's Recovery

WR stats, best 8 year totals

My last post gave the best and worst single seasons, now here are the best and worst of the whole 8 year span.

Star-divide

Top  20 Rec over Ave

WR Targets Catch% AY/R Rec Over Ave
Marvin Harrison 1037 64.5% 9.8 84.1
Reggie Wayne 839 65.4% 10.5 83.1
Derrick Mason 1062 64.0% 9.5 77.2
Torry Holt 1222 60.2% 10.8 61.7
Hines Ward 1050 64.4% 7.7 53.5
T.J. Houshmand 732 66.4% 7.4 48.8
Bobby Engram 561 66.8% 7.7 42.6
Keenan McCardell 600 62.5% 9.5 34.4
Troy Brown 462 69.3% 6.1 32.7
Donald Driver 891 60,6% 9.3 32.2
Wes Welker 395 73.4% 4.6 31.0
Eric Parker 221 68.8% 10.7 29.8
Larry Fitzgerald 713 59.8% 10.4 29.3
Issac Bruce 906 58.2% 11.0 28.9
Dennis Northcutt 454 62.8% 9.3 26.3
Eddie Kennison 556 58.1% 12.3 25.2
Chad Ochocinco 1025 57.0% 11.4 25.1
Andre Johnson 790 61.2% 8.2 24.0
Steve Smith 804 61.3% 8.1 21.7
Rod Smith 788 62.4% 7.4 20.9

 

The Colts duo top the list, but not far back at all is Derrick Mason. None of Mason's past 8 seasons have had a catch% below 60.7% (57.1% is the average), and his AirYards per Reception over the last 8 years is only a tenth of a yard below league average.

Bottom 20 Rec over Ave

WR Targets Catch% AY/R Rec Over Ave
David Patten 449 51.8% 10.5 -17.1
David Terrell 238 50.0% 8.9 -18.0
Plaxico Burress 941 51.3% 12.5 -19.0
Darrell Jackson 919 54.0% 10.0 -19.1
Amani Toomer 884 52.8% 10.8 -20.1
Raghib Ismail 134 39.6% 11.3 -20.1
Jerry Porter 507 51.9% 10.2 -20.1
Quincy Morgan 317 48.9% 10.6 -20.6
Dez White 339 51.6% 8.1 -24.2
Brandon Lloyd 256 44.5% 11.7 -24.6
Roy Williams 550 50.9% 10.3 -26.4
Peerless Price 583 52.7% 8.9 -28.8
Az Hakim 683 52.7% 9.2 -29.8
Corey Bradford 346 46.5% 10.7 -30.1
Travis Taylor 554 51.1% 9.6 -30.2
Joey Galloway 759 50.3% 11.4 -31.4
Braylon Edwards 475 48.0% 11.2 -31.7
Marty Booker 815 54.4% 8.3 -33.2
Rod Gardner 463 49.0% 9.5 -35.7
Chris Chambers 970 48.8% 10.5 -65.0

 

These stone handed WRs aren't the worst WRs in the league. They aren't even the WRs with the worst hands, WRs with worse hands didn't get onto the field or didn't get near the hundreds of targets most of the list has. Most of these guys aren't bad WRs, they'd have to be pretty special at something for coaches to overlook their (lack of) hands. Not too many surprises on the list, mediocre deep threats, giant jump-ball WRs, scrubs and busts. The real standout is just how bad Chris Chambers has been. Nearly double the next worse WR. Though it's less of a surprise when you notice the gloves Chambers wears on gameday.

Sas00176_medium

 

 

Top 20 Yards over Average

WR Targets YAC YOA
Reggie Wayne 839 5.7 1014
Marvin Harrison 1037 4.4 916
Derrick Mason 1062 4.4 841
Torry Holt 1222 4.1 653
Hines Ward 1050 4.4 583
T.J. Houshmand 732 4.6 541
Bobby Engram 561 4.4 464
Wes Welker 395 5.9 384
Troy Brown 462 5.0 376
Keenan McCardell 600 4.4 375
Donald Driver 891 4.4 351
Eric Parker 221 4.4 324
Larry Fitzgerald 713 4.4 319
Issac Bruce 906 4.4 315
Steve Smith (CAR) 804 6.7 286
Dennis Northcutt 454 4.4 286
Eddie Kennison 556 4.4 274
Chad Ochocinco 1025 4.4 273
Andre Johnson 790 4.4 261
Rod Smith 788 5.7 254

 

Noticeably absent from the top 20 (and top 40) are two players generally considered two of the top 3 WRs of the last decade. Terrell Owens and Randy Moss. Both have catch percents only slightly above expected, Moss with a below average YAC/R, Owens with a significantly above average one (but since the YAC credit is currently based off Rec over Average, a good YAC without good hands doesn't do much for YOA). Moss and Owens were #2 and #3 in targets. Their production seems to be more about maintaining slightly above average effieciency over a massive workload, moreso than being all that effiecent. Wayne jumps Marvin for the top spot by virtue of his excellent YAC. That seems to be all YOA is good for in it's current incarnation, seperating top hands WRs based on YAC. It's currently useless for WRs with below average hands ratings, and doesn't work as well as I'd like for WRs close to the average (T.O. the 45th best WR of the last 8 years). I'll work on the formula for a better overall WR metric.

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THAT IS AMAZING

I have too much respect for your work to assume you cherry-picked data that would heap praise on 87 and 88 and scorn on Moss and Owens. But it’s funny how things work out….

I also assume that Moss’s two years in the desert of low productivity hurt him a lot, since a lot of this is based on stacking up volume numbers over time. (Of course Marvin missed one whole year….)

Each list has a few guys I thought would be elsewhere. Andre Johnson and Steve Smith, for example, rate out lower than I’d have expected. Eric Parker? Troy Brown? Really?

Nice work, thanks.

I hate Joe Namath. That's how long I've been a Colts fan.

by Bobman on Jul 1, 2009 1:45 AM EDT reply actions  

data for your questions

Hard to argue with Parker’s input numbers though. Parker had a career catch% 10% above league average, while running routes that averaged a yard deeper than average. He was a very effective guy in his limited looks.

Troy Brown is an outlier because of how short his routes were, so the trend line the formula is based on could be further off for him and others out on the edges.

Andre Johnson is low because his hands didn’t rate well his first 4 seasons, then he became a good hands guy. It looks like Schaub taking over for Carr, a usage shift and WRs developing kind of slowly. Can you believe that the Texans had Andre Johnson running significantly shorter than league average routes while Carr was the starter? With Schaub and routes around the league average his catch% jumped from slightly sub par to very good.

Smith is too low because his value is mostly in YAC, which the current formula doesn’t really value unless the WR also had very good hands.

If you haven’t seen it yet there’s a XP on FO right now about Barnwell working on something exactly like this (but with WAAAAY more data from their charters), he shelved the project because he doesn’t like that it calls Hilliard the best handed WR but posted because he found something interesting in the data.

Change these hundreds for me cashier, Cuz I ain't made it yet, but I'm better off than last year
And what it look like hun', I ain't never made it rain but it look like fun
-Drake, Still Drake

by shake n bake on Jul 1, 2009 2:34 AM EDT up reply actions  

I wonder how much QB's play a factor

Obviously, this is a good measure of a WR and I love seeing our guys at the top. But I wonder how much a QB might affect some of these. If you have a great QB who is always getting you the ball in the right spot, that should help your numbers a bit. If you have an inaccurate QB, your numbers drop a bit. This thought popped up when I saw a couple of Eli’s guys on the worst list, since he’s got horrible accuracy.

Now I should be clear, I think something like 95% of the stats are up to the WR and it’s really a great measure of talent. But there’s some variability (in my mind) that might bump a guy up or down a few spots depending on how consistently the QB can get the ball in the right place.

And in conclusion, I love having Peyton Manning as our QB (I just found out one of my internship co-workers is a Giants fan, haha)

"If you don't [draft me], I promise you I'll come back and kick your ass for the next 15 years."

by psvirsky on Jul 1, 2009 7:05 AM EDT reply actions  

Or how about...

The offense that the team runs? Nothing against Bobby Engram (Who is a good WR), but his 66.8% catch percentage has a lot to do with the West Coast offense they run in Seattle. I said this is another thread with Shake; these stats show a few things, but you have to take them with a giant grain of salt. A WR relies on more people to be successful than any other position. They need a good QB, a good O-line (so the QB has time) and a good running game helps them too. That is just way too many outside variables.

by MasterRWayne on Jul 1, 2009 10:07 AM EDT reply actions  

like I said in the other thread

and those things don’t effect conventional stats?

I’m not saying I have WR play isolated. I said that QB play and usage probably effect the WRs production answering Bob about Andre Johnson. The goal is to account for more factors than before (by adding Targets and a measure of route type).

Change these hundreds for me cashier, Cuz I ain't made it yet, but I'm better off than last year
And what it look like hun', I ain't never made it rain but it look like fun
-Drake, Still Drake

by shake n bake on Jul 1, 2009 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions  

and what is it about the WCO that would give him a high catch rate

what’s the feature that would cause that?

Change these hundreds for me cashier, Cuz I ain't made it yet, but I'm better off than last year
And what it look like hun', I ain't never made it rain but it look like fun
-Drake, Still Drake

by shake n bake on Jul 1, 2009 1:54 PM EDT up reply actions  

Shorter routes (using a compressed passing game as a substitute for a run game)

Or if that includes a lot of throws to the RBs, maybe that only increases the QB’s comp pct, not the individual WR’s catch pct…

Another issue with Andre Johnson is not only the QB but OL play—if the QB is getting murdered back there, he’s going to need shorter routes to get the ball off quicker. We saw some of that last year with Mister most-hit/least-sacked missing on some passes that we’ve come to expect would be long completions, especially early.

I hate Joe Namath. That's how long I've been a Colts fan.

by Bobman on Jul 1, 2009 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions  

It can't be shorter routes skewing the numbers for Engram

because that’s the big thing I’m adjusting for in this.

MRW, what was it about the WCO that you thought skewed the numbers in Engram’s favor?

Change these hundreds for me cashier, Cuz I ain't made it yet, but I'm better off than last year
And what it look like hun', I ain't never made it rain but it look like fun
-Drake, Still Drake

by shake n bake on Jul 1, 2009 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions  

Love Chris Chambers' mits

How can you not love a team that does this?

by LovinBlue on Jul 1, 2009 10:22 AM EDT reply actions  

Joey Galloway...

hm. Had no idea. I understand he’s in competition for the 3rd WR spot over in NE. I hope he gets it. =-)

"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007

by peytonsthebest on Jul 1, 2009 10:58 AM EDT reply actions  

Yeah JG is a bit surprising

and I’m with ptb

How can you not love a team that does this?

by LovinBlue on Jul 1, 2009 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions  

One season with Brady throwing to him

Will secure a spot in Canton for Galloway. At least in the “minds” of Tom Curran, Half the ESPN crew, the other half of the ESPN crew, Michael Silver…..

I hate Joe Namath. That's how long I've been a Colts fan.

by Bobman on Jul 1, 2009 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions  

Well, that's a relief...

if ESPN says it’s so…not so much. =-)

"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007

by peytonsthebest on Jul 1, 2009 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions  

Peyton is nominated for best NFL player on ESPN espy's.

"You can't defend the perfect throw, what can I say?" Peyton quoting Marino

by Indy Lori on Jul 1, 2009 6:05 PM EDT up reply actions  

He needs to actually win though.

Now a proud annoyance on Stampede Blue, 18to88, Indy Football Report, and Phil B's blog.

Man, I need a life...

Random fact of the week from the empty void that is my mind: This is the hottest commercial on TV right now. And don't forget the sequel.

by Cassieper on Jul 1, 2009 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions  

Fans can vote on that,

Log on to ESPN, and vote for Peyton.

"You can't defend the perfect throw, what can I say?" Peyton quoting Marino

by Indy Lori on Jul 1, 2009 8:00 PM EDT up reply actions  

Yeah, I saw that earlier this week...

I was going to post a link for voting, but after that “All Decade Team” crap I decided that ESPN doesn’t matter. Peyton has plenty of awards, including ESPYs, I doubt it would break his heart not to win this. (But I did vote for him once) =-)

"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007

by peytonsthebest on Jul 2, 2009 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions  

ptb, I'm shocked!

I expected that you would vote for Peyton in any poll like a teenie bopper voted for David Archuleta on American Idol! ;-)

How can you not love a team that does this?

by LovinBlue on Jul 2, 2009 10:47 AM EDT up reply actions  

LOL!

While I am somewhat obsessed with Peyton, I still reside in reality…most of the time, at least.

(I did that for the Pro Bowl, though) heh heh heh

"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007

by peytonsthebest on Jul 2, 2009 10:58 AM EDT up reply actions  

I have an image in my head...

Some where in California, a woman is furiously hitting the keys of her computer….PEYTON PEYTON PEYTON………

"You can't defend the perfect throw, what can I say?" Peyton quoting Marino

by Indy Lori on Jul 2, 2009 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions  

lol

Funny, I have the same image in my head of a lady in Indy. =-)

"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007

by peytonsthebest on Jul 2, 2009 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions  

ahem

Make that TWO women in California furiously hitting those keys!!!

How can you not love a team that does this?

by LovinBlue on Jul 2, 2009 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions  

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