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Ultimate WR Analysis (Part 1)
By Ryan Early
Monday, February 25 Updated 9:34 AM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens had not had a good day, and it was about to get a lot worse. Limited to just 60 yards on six catches by the Bears, Owens had stood helpless on the sideline as the defense gave up two late touchdowns and a two-point conversion to send the game into overtime. Then, on the first play from scrimmage in the extra period, quarterback Jeff Garcia threw to Owens 13 yards over the middle. Instead of making a clean catch, Owens bobbled the ball and then bumped it into the air where Bears safety Mike Brown intercepted it and returned it for the miraculous game-winning score.
It seems incredible that a wide receiver of Owens's ability could make such a mistake, but 49ers fans know that Owens's tremendous ability does not come with the greatest pair of hands. We won't find Dropped Passes in the official NFL statistics. But luckily for us, Stats Inc. does track dropped passes as well as other interesting stats for receivers like Targets (the number of pass attempts directed at a receiver,) 1st Downs, Yards After the Catch (also known as YAC,) and Big Plays (the number of receptions that gained 25 yards or more.) With these tools we can statistically analyze the league's wide receivers to find, among other things, whether Terrell Owens' hands of stone are unique among top receivers.
Flypaper Award: Who are the best pass catchers?
Some receivers possess the uncanny ability to come down with the ball if it is thrown anywhere in their zip code. Others have the speed and moves in practice, but on game day just can't seem to separate from the defender or make the tough catch. By looking at the percentage of receptions to targets (times thrown at) we can statistically see how well a receiver gets open and then makes the catch.
Just Throw It Up and I'll Come Down With It
Rk Player NFL Rec Trgt Rec.% Avg.Yds
at Catch
1 Az-Zahir Hakim STL 39 53 73.6% 5.1
2 Ricky Proehl STL 40 55 72.7% 9.4
3 Troy Brown NE 101 142 71.1% 6.9
4 Marvin Harrison IND 109 164 66.5% 9.6
5 Jerry Rice OAK 83 125 66.4% 10.4
6 Rod Smith DEN 113 172 65.7% 6.2
7 Kevin Johnson CLE 84 129 65.1% 10.3
8 Tim Brown OAK 91 140 65.0% 8.6
9 Hines Ward PIT 94 145 64.8% 6.8
10 Derrick Mason TEN 73 113 64.6% 10.6
11 Keenan McCardell JAX 93 145 64.1% 9.3
12 Marty Booker CHI 100 157 63.7% 6.0
13 Jimmy Smith JAX 112 176 63.6% 9.1
14 Isaac Bruce STL 64 103 62.1% 13.2
15 Michael Westbrook WAS 57 92 62.0% 8.6
16 James McKnight MIA 55 90 61.1% 8.0
17 Torry Holt STL 81 133 60.9% 12.7
18 Wayne Chrebet NYJ 56 92 60.9% 9.7
19 Terrell Owens SF 93 155 60.0% 9.6
20 Willie Jackson NO 81 135 60.0% 8.8
Four Rams receivers appear in the top 17 in this stat, in spite of Bruce and Holt having the two longest average yards at the spot of the catch. Where most of the NFL has gone to short passing games to better control the clock, the Rams are attacking defenses with speed and passing accuracy. Much of the credit for this must go to quarterback Kurt Warner. His arm strength and accuracy make it easier for a Ram wide receiver to get the ball when he flashes open for a split second.
The old man's still got it. If his 183-yard game against the Jets in the playoffs didn't convince you, one look at this table will tell you that Jerry Rice remains a dangerous weapon for the Raiders. Not only did he catch about two-thirds of every pass thrown his way, but he was usually more than 10 yards downfield at the time.
Marty Booker, Hines Ward, Rod Smith, Troy Brown, and Az-Zahir Hakim all had head starts in this stat. All of them averaged fewer than seven yards at their catching position. It certainly is a lot easier to complete a short pass than a longer one.
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James McKnight is 16th in the NFL in the percentage of passes that he catches vs the passes thrown to him.
Also, according to STATS, Oronde Gadsden dropped only one pass all year long.
By Ryan Early
Monday, February 25 Updated 9:34 AM EST
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens had not had a good day, and it was about to get a lot worse. Limited to just 60 yards on six catches by the Bears, Owens had stood helpless on the sideline as the defense gave up two late touchdowns and a two-point conversion to send the game into overtime. Then, on the first play from scrimmage in the extra period, quarterback Jeff Garcia threw to Owens 13 yards over the middle. Instead of making a clean catch, Owens bobbled the ball and then bumped it into the air where Bears safety Mike Brown intercepted it and returned it for the miraculous game-winning score.
It seems incredible that a wide receiver of Owens's ability could make such a mistake, but 49ers fans know that Owens's tremendous ability does not come with the greatest pair of hands. We won't find Dropped Passes in the official NFL statistics. But luckily for us, Stats Inc. does track dropped passes as well as other interesting stats for receivers like Targets (the number of pass attempts directed at a receiver,) 1st Downs, Yards After the Catch (also known as YAC,) and Big Plays (the number of receptions that gained 25 yards or more.) With these tools we can statistically analyze the league's wide receivers to find, among other things, whether Terrell Owens' hands of stone are unique among top receivers.
Flypaper Award: Who are the best pass catchers?
Some receivers possess the uncanny ability to come down with the ball if it is thrown anywhere in their zip code. Others have the speed and moves in practice, but on game day just can't seem to separate from the defender or make the tough catch. By looking at the percentage of receptions to targets (times thrown at) we can statistically see how well a receiver gets open and then makes the catch.
Just Throw It Up and I'll Come Down With It
Rk Player NFL Rec Trgt Rec.% Avg.Yds
at Catch
1 Az-Zahir Hakim STL 39 53 73.6% 5.1
2 Ricky Proehl STL 40 55 72.7% 9.4
3 Troy Brown NE 101 142 71.1% 6.9
4 Marvin Harrison IND 109 164 66.5% 9.6
5 Jerry Rice OAK 83 125 66.4% 10.4
6 Rod Smith DEN 113 172 65.7% 6.2
7 Kevin Johnson CLE 84 129 65.1% 10.3
8 Tim Brown OAK 91 140 65.0% 8.6
9 Hines Ward PIT 94 145 64.8% 6.8
10 Derrick Mason TEN 73 113 64.6% 10.6
11 Keenan McCardell JAX 93 145 64.1% 9.3
12 Marty Booker CHI 100 157 63.7% 6.0
13 Jimmy Smith JAX 112 176 63.6% 9.1
14 Isaac Bruce STL 64 103 62.1% 13.2
15 Michael Westbrook WAS 57 92 62.0% 8.6
16 James McKnight MIA 55 90 61.1% 8.0
17 Torry Holt STL 81 133 60.9% 12.7
18 Wayne Chrebet NYJ 56 92 60.9% 9.7
19 Terrell Owens SF 93 155 60.0% 9.6
20 Willie Jackson NO 81 135 60.0% 8.8
Four Rams receivers appear in the top 17 in this stat, in spite of Bruce and Holt having the two longest average yards at the spot of the catch. Where most of the NFL has gone to short passing games to better control the clock, the Rams are attacking defenses with speed and passing accuracy. Much of the credit for this must go to quarterback Kurt Warner. His arm strength and accuracy make it easier for a Ram wide receiver to get the ball when he flashes open for a split second.
The old man's still got it. If his 183-yard game against the Jets in the playoffs didn't convince you, one look at this table will tell you that Jerry Rice remains a dangerous weapon for the Raiders. Not only did he catch about two-thirds of every pass thrown his way, but he was usually more than 10 yards downfield at the time.
Marty Booker, Hines Ward, Rod Smith, Troy Brown, and Az-Zahir Hakim all had head starts in this stat. All of them averaged fewer than seven yards at their catching position. It certainly is a lot easier to complete a short pass than a longer one.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
James McKnight is 16th in the NFL in the percentage of passes that he catches vs the passes thrown to him.
Also, according to STATS, Oronde Gadsden dropped only one pass all year long.