Our WR Corps

[Redskin in Canada]

Monk, Clark, Sanders, Charlie Taylor, Jerry Smith, Bobby Mitchell! People are comparing our present receivers with this bunch! Holy Dreamland! What are you guys smoking?

A flash of loyalty!

I am not impressed. If you follow the thread carefully, the original poster asked if anybody in our current roster could achieve a place in history. Nothing more, nothing less.

Some of the current receivers have great physical talent, probably as much physical talent as some of our great receivers. The question is: Do they have all the other tangible and intangible qualities to make them -aim- to become some of our greatest.

We are smoking burgundy and gold. That's all.

[SkinsJock]

..A flash of loyalty!

If you follow the thread carefully, the original poster asked if anybody in our current roster could achieve a place in history. Nothing more, nothing less.

Some of the current receivers have great physical talent, probably as much physical talent as some of our great receivers. The question is: Do they have all the other tangible and intangible qualities to make them become some of our greatest.

We are smoking burgundy and gold. That's all.

we are looking at a group that has the potential to be as "good as they can be" AND that is what Gibbs is all about! This group has that potential!

I am thinking that we have the receivers to be very good this year!

[crazyhorse1]

Ok, then. I'll answer the question directly. No.

[Scottskins]

Ok, then. I'll answer the question directly. No.

much better

I think any of our receivers could turn in a Clark or Sanders type career. They didn't do all that much numbers wise, so it should be easy to match for a solid receiver. I think some of our guys could have solid careers. Monk on the other hand was an outstanding WR, one of the best of all time. I don't see any of the guys we have having a career like his. Possibly Jacobs simply because of his work ethic. He'd have to have a break out year soon, which I don't foresee, but anything is possible.

[SkinsJock]

While I normally do not place much value in "history" or stats from years past when the teams were different, I will say that "history" has shown that Gibbs is a great coach and that he seems to get more out of his players.

I think we will see an improved performance "stat wise" from our receivers and from the offense this year. This is because Gibbs and the offensive coaches will have made some critical adjustments and devised schemes to take advantage of the players better this year.

I'm looking for a lot of the media types to be saying that these guys are over achieving, when it's just Gibbs doing what he does so well.

[Redskin in Canada]

Ok, then. I'll answer the question directly. No.

Why am I not surprised?

But then again, you would have written the same prediction in 1981. I would not be surprised either.

[welch]

SCSkinsFan asked the giant hypothetical:

Two back offense throwing to Charley Taylor, Bobby Mitchell, and Jerry Smith or the one back offense throwing to Monk, Clark and Sanders?

Well, it deserves a half-dozen hypotetical answers:

- Who's throwing the passes: Sonny Jurgenson or Bob Holly (just to send people off to http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/teams ... /redskins/

to look up Bob Holly...

- Who is the offensive line?

- Who is that one back? John Riggins/Joe Washington or Larry Brown? If you could shift time and put Larry Brown from 1972 into the Gibbs offense of 1982, it would be tough to choose between Brown and Riggins.

- Consider that Gibbs would have made Jerry Smith an H-back. Two Hall of Famers plus the best pass-catcher TE of his day...not shabby

- But what other packages? Gibbs ran the possee only when he put Didier or Terry Orr on the bench...He did not, and does not, used a fixed-in-stone set of receivers and backs.

So, the question can't be answered, and it is mostly fun to imagine.

Oh, for anyone who missed the Taylor/Mitchell/Smith era, consider:

- Bobby Mitchell was something like a faster Barry Sanders shifted to WR. Or maybe a fatser Clinton Portis. So fast that defensive backs couldn't keep up. I think, contary to either Curveball or PT42, that the zone was introduced because of Mitchell. Sure, I am biased, but the Redskins were throwing Snead-to-Mitchell several years before the Cowboys got Bob Hayes. I always thought they grabbed Hayes to match Mitchell.

- Taylor was rookie of the year as a running back. Maybe a faster Edgerrin James, except that Taylor was about 6-3 and 217. Factor in the average size of players today. Let's imagine that your best RB was 6-4 or 6-5 and weighed 225 or 230, but could outrun anyone on the team. Then you shift him to WR. As I said someplace else, when Otto Graham shifted Taylor to WR opposite Mitchell, with Jurgenson passing, it was like inventing the atom bomb. (Of course, Otto didn't care much about defense, or the OL, or running, but...)

- Oh, and there was that one year when Taylor, Mitchell, and Smith finished something like first, second, and fourth in receptions.

OK, fun to remember.

Will the current receivers turn out like Monk, Clark, and Sanders? Or Mitchell and Taylor? I doubt it. I'm waiting for a big, fast WR like Monk or Taylor, someone who originally played RB and still has the instincts to run around or over defenders once they catch the ball. That's rare.

Does it matter?

[SCSkinsFan]

OK, so let'a go with Sonny throwing and Riggo running behind the Hogs as most of the folks on this board know them. But that's really wishing for the best of all worlds, isn't it?

[crazyhorse1]

Calling Bobby Mitchell great is an understatement-- far better than Hayes, who was great. Mitchell was so good he destroyed...destroyed...the NFL champs in the college all-star vs NFL champs game. I love Art Monk but he was no Mitchell. I'm not sure I've ever seen another Mitchell. He may not have the stats some receivers have now, but it was a different game then. He was better than Moss...nobody was ever better than Mitchell after catching a football. Nobody.

[Redskin in Canada]

I love Art Monk but he was no Mitchell.

I am sure you do.

... but it was a different game then.

I did not know Mitchell and Monk had played at the same time. Sheeesh! You impress me more and more after every post.