1,000 Yards Receivers Does Not Equal NFL Success

Every offseason since the departure of Terrell Owens in 2006, all you hear Philadelphia Eagles’ fans moan and groan about is the lack of receiving in the Eagles’ explosive offense.

And quite frankly, I have had about enough of it.

Not only with the Eagles, but also with the NFL in general. Analysts and opposing fans everywhere are always bashing teams for not having that “top guy” in the depth chart.

What if I told you guys this shocking statistic: Since the departure of Terrell Owens in 2006, the Philadelphia Eagles have never been out of top 10 in total receiving yards, and in 2008 they had the sixth best total receiving yards by a team in the NFL.

Yes, that means they have had more receiving yards then teams with potent offenses like Dallas, Green Bay, New England, Miami, and San Diego.

That’s not good enough? Well, wait until you hear this: They are the only team other then New Orleans, Chicago, Minnesota, St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle, New York Giants, Oakland, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Cleveland, New York Jets, and Miami who did not have a 1,000-yard receiver in 2008.

Whoa, wait just a second, isn’t that nearly half of the NFL? This statistic leads me to my next topic, which is that having a 1,000-yard receiver is overrated in the NFL. Yes, it does help, but just how much does it really lead to a successful football team?

Out of those teams I mentioned above, they hold a total record of 122-142-2 (.462) and five of them made it to the playoffs (Miami, Philadelphia, Tennessee, New York Giants, and Minnesota). Out of those five teams, they share a combined record of 55-24-1 (.700).

It is just a fact, and the statistics do not lie. You do not have to have a 1,000-yard receiver to be a good receiving team, although it does help.

But I don’t want to be one sided here, so lets look at those other “successful” teams who do have a 1,000-yard receiver on their team. They have an overall record of 137-113 (.548). And of those, there are seven playoff teams with a combined record of 63-37 (.630).

And if you look at it, the playoff teams without a 1,000-yard receiver actually have a better record and winning percentage then those who did make the playoffs in 2008.

All of this is to just prove one thing people; teams are becoming more aware that depth is a key attribute to having a successful receiving core. It is about quantity nowadays, not quality. You do not have to have a big time receiver to have a good receiving core or to make the playoffs.