Top 5 WRs in the NFC
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by Tmizzle
Hey guys, I'm back after not having written anything for about a month. I've been busy. You probably didn't notice I was gone, but hey, either way, I'm back now.
The NFC is admittedly a step behind the AFC, talent-wise, much as the NL is inferior to the AL in MLB. The AFC has the top QBs (Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Carson Palmer) and RBs (Ladanian Tomlinson, Larry Johnson, whoever runs for the Broncos). Of the three skill positions, the only one in which the NFC has the edge is in the wide receiver category.
Don't get me wrong, the AFC has great WRs (Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Chad Johnson, T.J. Houseyourmomma). However, I believe that the NFC has a better crop of young, great receivers.
The top 5 in this group are:
1) Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers: Despite missing two games at the beginning of the season, he still ended up 10th in receiving yards in 2006. He's small for a receiver (5'9), but he has blazing speed and an uncommon ability to find open space in a double team. I believe that the speedy Carolina wideout is the best receiver in the entire NFL.
2) Torry Holt, St. Louis Rams: Depending on who you ask, Holt's either underrated or rated where he should be. I personally think he's underrated, because last year marked his 7th consecutive season with 1,000-yards receiving. Some of that could be attributed to Martz's offense, but Holt is a great receiver who needs to catch some more credit.
3) Anquan Boldin, Arizona Cardinals: Boldin won the ROY award in 2003, and has kept producing since then. Last season his numbers were down from their enormous 2005 totals, but that is most likely due to the introduction of Matt Leinart as the starting quarterback. Look for his numbers to rebound this year as Leinart gains more experience.
4) Roy Williams, Detroit Lions: Williams is a whack job (remember his "it's stupid how close we are to scoring 40 points a game" comment last year?), but there's no denying that he came into his own last year. He had 82 receptions for 1310 yards and 7 TDs, no small feat with Jon Kitna as your QB. He and Calvin Johnson will form a dynamic duo (Batman-and-Robin-style) for the next 5-10 years.
5) Terrell Owens, Dallas Cowboys: As a 49ers fan, I hate to include Owens in anything positive. However, his 13 TDs and 1180 receiving yards are too good to pass up. If this list were of the top 5 team destroyers in the NFL, he would be numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. His talent is great, but he suffers on this list because he led the league in passes dropped as well as touchdown passes.
Also receiving votes: Santana Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, Darrell Jackson, Donald Driver, Marques Colston.
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