OPINION TIME-- BEST OFFENSIVE PLAYMAKERS IN NFL--WR/TE/RB

[Bretsky]

LIST YOUR TOP 5 in ORDER at TALENT POSITIONS (NO QB's INCLUDED)

Criteria

3 WR's
1 TE
1 RB

If you want to argue a RB (such as Reggie Bush) can take the place of a WR that would be accepable.

Before the season some argued GB had hands down one of the top WR units in the NFL when we looked at 1-4.

Curious how others would view this if we took it one step further and include the top RB and TE. ASSUME everybody is healthy.

Make your lists of top 5 in the order in which you prefer them. I'll make mine in a bit.........but off top of my head I'm considering weapons from

Green Bay
New Orleans
Indy
Vikings
Patriots
Phily
San Diego
Arizona
Atlanta
Pittsburg............


at least that is a starter list to consider

Make your list, and list the players you'd measure that team by

[Partial]

I don't get it, you want the best combined group of talent at those positions?

[HarveyWallbangers]

Houston with Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, Steve Slaton, Owen Daniels would have to get consideration (if they were all healthy and not in the doghouse).

Basically, skill positions minus the QB?

I'd say Minnesota--mostly because of Peterson and then they are solid at the other positions. Atlanta with Turner, White, and Gonzalez (when they are healthy) is pretty good.

Tough to say really.

[Bretsky]

I don't get it, you want the best combined group of talent at those positions?

Exactly; this could spur some nice debate


Some Examples

Ryan Grant, Jermichael Finley, Jennings, Driver, and Jones
or
Westbrook, D Jackson, J Maclin, J Avant, and Brent Celek
or
Hightower, Fitzgerald, Boldin, Breaston, and the AZ TE
or
A Peterson, Shiancoe, Rice, Berrian, Harvin.............etc

[HarveyWallbangers]

Philly is good too, when Westbrook is healthy. I haven't been following Beanie Wells much this year. How has he looked?

[Partial]

Philly is good too, when Westbrook is healthy. I haven't been following Beanie Wells much this year. How has he looked?

Philly is definitely up there.

San Fran? Don't know there receivers but Crabs has a ton of raw talent, Davis is elite and Gore is also very good.

Denver sounds decent with Royal, Marshall, Moreno

Atlanta with Gonzo, Tucker, White

Tough game.

[Bretsky]

Philly is good too, when Westbrook is healthy. I haven't been following Beanie Wells much this year. How has he looked?

Beanie has looked solid lately but it seems that OL is up and down

[BallHawk]

Cincy is underrated with Benson, Ochocinco, Coles, Caldwell, and Foschi.

Baltimore with Rice, Clayton, Mason, Williams, and Heap is up there, too.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

Philly is good too, when Westbrook is healthy. I haven't been following Beanie Wells much this year. How has he looked?

Beanie has looked, lately, tremendous. Really starting to come on. However, he has fumbled in 2 consecutive games on toss plays.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

Philly is good too, when Westbrook is healthy. I haven't been following Beanie Wells much this year. How has he looked?

Philly is definitely up there.

San Fran? Don't know there receivers but Crabs has a ton of raw talent, Davis is elite and Gore is also very good.

Denver sounds decent with Royal, Marshall, Moreno

Atlanta with Gonzo, Tucker, White

Tough game.

Yes. It is far to soon to talk about the class of the NFC, but 11 games is enough to determine Davis is elite. LOL

You show your classic ineptitude again...royal. LOL guy is averaging less thabn 10 yards a catch. He defines soph slump.

Who is Tucker. LOL

[Bossman641]

This is tough. These aren't in order but my top 5 would include Indy, NO, Minn, NE, and GB. Philly and the Texans are probably next on the list, but that is dependent on how healthy they are considered in this exercise.

* Edit. I would think AZ would have to be up there too but haven't watched them at all this year.

[channtheman]

Greg Jennings
Donald Driver
Jordy Nelson
Jermicheal "my mother couldn't decide on my name" Finley
Ryan Grant

[gex]

I'm thinking next year San Fran with Crabtree, Morgen, Gore, Davis and I think they have another #1 WR in the mix will(should) be an offensive juggernaut with the right offensive scheme.
This year IMO its the Saints with their 3-4 wideouts(gotta include L. Moore even tho he hasn't done much yet) Shockey has the talent as does Bush ( just so many different options and someone different shines every week) P. Thomas and M. Bell. That team is loaded 8-)

[pbmax]

I'm thinking next year San Fran with Crabtree, Morgen, Gore, Davis and I think they have another #1 WR in the mix will(should) be an offensive juggernaut with the right offensive scheme....
That last phrase is key Gex. We saw what that offense can do with Smith at QB if he is in the shotgun and running 3-4 wides plus Davis. People keep yakking that the spread will never come to the NFL, but its been here for years (ask Waldo). Pro teams just don't run their QBs out of it. For Pete's sake, Mike Sherman altered the alignment so he could run with two backs out of the shortgun; Singletary and his O coordinator should be able to figure this out.


Colts: Addai/Brown, Wayne/Garçon/Collie, Clark

[Bretsky]

GOING TO GIVE THIS A SHOT

Here are my Fab Five

COLTS--ADDAI, WAYNE, GONZALEZ, GARCON, DALLAS CLARK
VIKES--PETERSON, BERRIAN, RICE, HARVIN, SHIANCOE
SAINTS- P THOMAS, COLSTON, HENDERSON, MEACHEM, SHOCKEY
PATRIOTS-- MARONEY, MOSS, WELKER, EDLEMAN, WATSON
PACKERS-- GRANT, JENNINGS, DRIVER, JONES, FINLEY

IF PRESSED,

I debate between the Colts and Vikes for #1. Does AP outweight a better receiving group. Very close. But AP is so much better than Addai I'd probably go MN is slot #1 followed by the Colts

The next three you can probably throw in a bucket. Each one is not not as deep as the top two teams. Thomas, Grant, and Maroney are all same caliber RB's. Perhaps Maroney is the worst but he sure scores a lot. I'm not sure either has the #3 WR that the Colts and Vikes have either.

If forced to list I might go

1. Vikes
1A. Colts

3. Saints
4. Packers
5. Patriots

It's interesting that only one of the five most explosive teams has a lights out RB.

[RashanGary]

Sidney Rice was an OK rookie, then got injured last year. With the way he's come on in his third year, Harvin and Barrian as a 3rd. . .

And Adrian Freaking Peterson. . .

Minnesota is up there. I might be tempted to put other teams ahead of them. There are offenses doing better but Minny has the #1 ST's and a very good defense too, so they're winning games. Really though, it's all a pretty close bunch. Spitting hairs a little.

[RashanGary]

Finley isn't a big name now, but I think us Packer fans know he has some talent (Fast, tough, great hands).

[Zool]

If the Vikes could replace Berrian I'd give them the nod. He disappears for long stretches. I give it to NO. Maybe it's just Bree's making those receivers look so good but you can't possibly try and take away 1 guy on the Saints. I think Bush is the best guy on these teams at catching out of the backfield. He plays well in space.

I'd go

1. Saints
2. Colts
3. Vikes

I give the Colts a nudge over the Vikes because I hate them.

Grant is a solid back but he keeps the Packers out of this list because of his hands. He always looks like he's fighting the ball.

[Partial]

What I take away from this thread is I should watch the Colts more. I never thought that their skill positions were that special but I must be wrong.

[Bretsky]

What I take away from this thread is I should watch the Colts more. I never thought that their skill positions were that special but I must be wrong.


Yes, they are a ton of fun to watch. In several fantasy football leagues and I thought before the year Dallas Clark would be the top TE so I nabbed him in all of the auctions and in the PR league Payton Mannning fell to me. They are very talented. Reggie Wayne is also underrated by many

[hoosier]

Garçon and Collie are nice additions but if you put them on a different team--a team that doesn't have Peyton and two very good receivers in Wayne and Clark--they probably would not be doing anything right now. I think Manning makes those around him better even more so than does Favre when he's playing within himself. In other words, if we are not considering QBs I would put the Colts talent at skill positions at least one notch below the top teams and possibly even more.

[Bretsky]

Garçon and Collie are nice additions but if you put them on a different team--a team that doesn't have Peyton and two very good receivers in Wayne and Clark--they probably would not be doing anything right now. I think Manning makes those around him better even more so than does Favre when he's playing within himself. In other words, if we are not considering QBs I would put the Colts talent at skill positions at least one notch below the top teams and possibly even more.

Interesting take

Wayne and Dallas Clark are studs
Gonzalez, if we are not considering injuries, is a solid number two

Is Garcon/Collie any worse or better than James Jones ?

[Bossman641]

Garçon and Collie are nice additions but if you put them on a different team--a team that doesn't have Peyton and two very good receivers in Wayne and Clark--they probably would not be doing anything right now. I think Manning makes those around him better even more so than does Favre when he's playing within himself. In other words, if we are not considering QBs I would put the Colts talent at skill positions at least one notch below the top teams and possibly even more.

I agree with this, even though I listed the Colts in my top 5. Depends if we are taking into account injured players or not.

Wayne, Gonzalez, Garcon/Collie, Clark, and Addai is top 5 based on talent alone. I'm not so sure they have top 5 talent with Gonzalez out as Peyron makes Collie and Garcon look better than they are.

[Zool]

Also Donald Brown is a very good back IMO. Great compliment to Addai.

[hoosier]

Indy's running game has been completely inept for the last two years. When they run the ball on 1st down you can almost count on them facing second and long. They look like the Packers back in 1994-95 running Edgar Bennett straight into the line. Indy's problems running the ball may be largely because of their OL and/or playcalling, but I have a hard time thinking of Addai and Brown as high quality RBs when they have such difficulty establishing the run.