Fan I'm out of here and cool to Bs with ya. Have a great night and weekend!
Fan I'm out of here and cool to Bs with ya. Have a great night and weekend!
Let's see where he is at in a few years before comparing him to other WR greats. Let's see where he is at in 10 years before comparing him to Jerry Rice
Agreed, JR was just somebody that defenses feared and he just kept making catches and scoring TD's. As much as I love AB, William Jackson III held him in check vs the Bengals and every time the Patriots just bracket AB and he is kept to minimal impact. He has a long way to go before being compared to Jerry Rice IMO. Stats-schmats.....I saw both and as much as I disliked the 49er fanboys of the era, Rice is the GOAT.
I’m not talking about Rice’s full career. I’m talking Rice’s first 8 versus Browns first 7.5. Brown is averaging more yards and receptions on a per game basis than Rice did. Its really the only stat you can use to compare the two through the first 8 seasons and It’s very comparable right now. If you want to include Rice’s 12 seasons that follow, then it’s not close...but that’s not really a fair comparison if you want to play the Brown vs Rice game at this stage. Rice had the longevity. He played at a high level throughout his whole career with maybe a little “lull”here and there but for argument sake, he was at the high level his whole career.
The Greatest... is such a subjective title. I love the receivers we have had and AB is Great in his own right.
Ward played the position like no other, and took the WR role to another level. He may not have been the fastest or the flashiest of our receivers but his ability to hit defenders was 2nd to none and that helped get into their heads and take them out of the game.
Stallworth was perfectly described by Fansince76. I also like how Facenda compared him to Tennessee sipping whiskey. Smooth with a strong finishing kick.
Swann was at his best in the biggest games. He is the one who most draws comparisons with Rice. Not as long of a career, but played in a much more physical era.
AB is still young in his career but Great route running and ability to be the go to guy has made him stand out. Plays big in big games. A major difference is that he is late in Ben's career all the others came at times when their best QBs where in their primes, so that is also a factor.
The GOAT way to early and way to subjective. Still a great article and love reading the discussion.
Best.......Greatest??? Two different things.
When I used to watch Jerry, there were times when he seemed to be in a zone... and no one could stop him.
I’ve gotten that feeling with only a few other players:
-Larry Fitzgerald in the 2008 playoffs
-Randy Moss (every other season LOL)
-AB for 75% of the last 4 seasons
An analogy:
Do you want your filet mignon with a baked potato, scalloped potatoes, pan-fried potatoes, or mashed potatoes?
(i.e. the sides barely matter)
Great synopsis. I agree that Swann seemed to show up big in big games, but so did #82 and he seemed to show up every day, even with Stoudt, Malone, David Woodley throwing him the ball in the end of his career. Jerry Rice showed up every game, big game and like Teegre said, seemed to be in unstoppable zones at times, which I think was just his determination and years of working on his skillset. As a fan, I still see JR as the best ever, Stallworth was the best Steeler WR IMO, Ward my favorite and AB is putting up a resume to get one of those ugly yellow blazers.
BTW, you had me with the sentence that included Stallworth, John Facenda and sipping whiskey.
AB has the looks of a first ballot HOF'er. It took Swann and Stallworth years to get in. Not sure that's the ultimate arbiter but it does give you a sense how they were viewed in their time. AB is going to be a first team all pro for the 4th consecutive year ( assuming he stays healthy). Combined Swann, Stallworth and Ward were 1st team all pro twice. Swann and Stallworth once each. Also AB has 5 pro bowl's to his credit, whereas Hines had 4, and Swann and Stallworth had 3 each. By all measurable stats AB runs away with it. ( best Steeler receiver ever) You could even make the argument that AB is tracking for being the best Steeler ever.
However there is more to it than just stats. I'm in agreement with several others on here who weighed in with Stallworth as the Steelers best receiver. Put it this way. He may niot have been the best, but he was the most talented. His skill set and physical tools would easily translate to today's game. In fact you could make the case he was born too early and also on the wrong team to display the full extent of his ability. ( sharing the field with the brilliant Swann, and being on a run first team).
Swann was also great, but he didn't sustain his peak for long enough to be considered with AB and Stallworth. But as an aside, no receiver I've seen could highpoint the ball better than Swann!
Ward was the all time grinder. A winner and a great player. But in this conversation he's 4th imo.
"A man's got to know his limitations."
He is very close too!
I honestly have no idea what 'story' you're referring to. I said Owens was a bad teammate because he was. His ending with the Eagles proves that. The 49ers did not want him anymore when he left and neither did the Cowboys. I'm not debating his worth as a receiver, he was top tier, and ALL WRs are selfish, but Owens took that to a different level. He loved me some me, and made sure everyone around him knew it. He was a jerk and people did not enjoy playing with him.
All this talk about AB's greatness makes me wish for Steeldawg to be brought back
It wasn't so much he didn't like Brown, he just dug a hole for himself with Wallace. Instead of admitting that Wallace wasn't that good, he entrenched himself and defended Wallace to the end. Of course his best line was "Wallace isn't paid to jump".
If Wallace had 1/4 the work ethic that Brown does, he would actually be a good receiver.
Not yet.
All Defense!
If Brown had a career ending injury next week he'd still make the Hall of Fame. Not first ballot but he'd get in at some point IMO.
Interesting thing about those numbers. If Brown keeps playing at the rate he is for the rest of this season, he'll end up with 593 catches, 7956 yards, and 53 touchdowns. That puts him beyond everyone by a 30 receptions and 400 yards. The only place he would trail is in TDs, beating only Calvin Johnson.
Another thing to remember, or keep in the back of your mind, Rice went from Montana to Young to Gannon (in his prime) to Hasselbeck. That’s a pretty nice run to f QBs. Not sure Brown will be that lucky.
Viking Adam Thielen is on AB's heels on receiving yards.