AJ Green: Top 3 Wide Receiver in the NFL?
Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald… AJ Green?
It might sound surprising but its a lot closer than most think.
There are 5-6 elite wide receivers in the NFL today. Whether you are a stats junkie, an eye-test evaluator, or a football “expert”, the top group of wide receivers tend to come out the same. Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Brandon Marshall, among others, are considered among the best in the league. But it might be time for Bengals fans to scream from the mountain tops: Why not AJ Green?
First, before I get into why AJ deserves to be in this category, let’s take a look at the other contenders.
Calvin Johnson is a monster. In my mind, without question, Calvin Johnson is the best WR in the NFL. Whether it is his size(6’5″, 236 lbs.) or his playmaking ability, the guy just makes plays. He has a gunslinger quarterback who makes questionable decisions. But one thing is for sure: if you are Matthew Stafford and you are in trouble, why not just throw it up to Calvin? You can count the plays he hasn’t been the focal point for the defense in his career on one hand. He is the offense. No offense to Matthew Stafford or Titus Young, Jr., but he is simply on another playing field. In 6 years in the league he has 472 receptions for 7,539 yards and 54 touchdowns.
2nd in my mind has to be Larry Fitzgerald. Granted, the Cardinals are the opposite of a good team, but don’t blame that on Fitz. The guy has had 1 good quarterback in his career, and that was an aging Kurt Warner. This year, the 3 quarterbacks he has had throwing him the ball should be the starting junior varsity quarterbacks at a high school. In 9 years in the NFL, he has collected 754 catches for 10,289 yards and 77 touchdowns. He is what you want out of a #1 receiver. Great hands, deceptive speed, physical receiver who is more than happy to block for running backs.
For you stats hounds, here and the stats for the rest of the guys considered “elite”:
Andre Johnson- In a 10 year career, he has 799 catches for 11,016 yards and 56 TD’s. A true grinder and hard worker.
Reggie Wayne- In a 12 year career, he has 959 catches for 12,942 yards and 77 touchdowns. He did play with Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck for his whole career minus last year.
Brandon Marshall- In a 7 year career, he has 601 catches for 7,645 yards and 44 TD’s. Elite playmaking ability with a quarterback he has played with for most of his career in 2 of his 3 organizations.
With all of these great wide receivers in the NFL now, where does AJ Green fit in? The answer: right at #3.Yes, I know, AJ Green has been in the league a shade under 2 years. In 2 years, Green has shown that he belongs in the top group at his position. In 2 years Green has 150 receptions for 2,265 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also missed 1.5 games after getting hurt while out jumping Troy Polamalu for a TD catch last year. For a tall, non-bulky guy, he is a decent blocker.
But other than the stats, there are a couple of areas in which he stands about above Johnson, Wayne, and Marshall.
Andre Johnson has had a steady #2 receiver in Kevin Walter for a long time. Is Walter great? No. Is he a veteran #2 receiver capable of having big games, absolutely. Also, Johnson has one of the best RB’s in the league on his team in Arian Foster. Simply put, Johnson is great. But he has more help than Green.
Reggie Wayne is an interesting player. He played the first half of his career with Peyton Manning deciding between him or Marvin Harrison. Oh, by the way, Harrison and Manning hold the NFL record for most TD passes to one receiver. Also when Wayne came into the league, he had Edgerrin James as his team’s RB. James was a 4-time pro bowler and a 4-time All-Pro selection.
Brandon Marshall is a great wide receiver. The guy has put up numbers at every stop. In Denver, Miami, and Chicao he has always been the go-to guy. But he also had a quarterback in Jay Cutler who is considered a great talent. He has had multiple top flight running backs, most recently Matt Forte. He has maturity problems, like “slipping” on a McDonald’s bag and putting his hand through a TV. I don’t know about you, but if I was making millions, I don’t think I would have fast food bags just laying around my place.
AJ Green is different than all of these players. He does not have an elite quarterback. Hell, his QB is roughly rated at middle of the pack. Andy Dalton can get the job done. But a lot of that production would be lost without AJ. In the last 2 years the Bengals have not had any kind of elite running back. Cedric Benson and Benjarvus Green-Ellis are solid NFL backs, but neither maintains the majority of attention from opposing defenses. His #2 wide receivers include the likes of Jerome Simpson, Andre Caldwell, Mohammed Sanu, and Marvin Jones. AJ Green is constantly double-teamed and still dominates the Bengals’ offense.
The Bengals also play in the AFC North. That means in 6 games a year, he is going against top secondary players like Joe Haden, Troy Polamalu, Ed reed, Ike Taylor, Lardarius Webb, as well as the top defensive players from other teams around the league. He gets these teams’ best shots every week and yet impresses every chance he gets. The guy is averaging more yards per game and touchdowns than Johnson, Wayne, and Marshall with less to work with.
AJ Green has fun when he plays. He loves the game, and we love watching his skills play out on the field. He loves winning. And here in Cincinnati, we love watching him put our offense on his back. Keep smiling AJ, Bengals nation knows where you stand in the ranks of elite wide receivers.