I was recently watching Larry Fitzgerald’s A Football Life. That series is excellent. Everything that comes out of NFL Films is outstanding but that series is a particular gem. I’ve enjoyed and continue to enjoy every episode. During the offseason, NFL Network often airs blocks of episodes. Fitzgerald’s episode was in one of the recent blocks. He’s as interesting in life as he’s great in football. Watching his football life reminded me of the fun pass-catching days when he was paired with Anquan Boldin. Every game was a beautiful tutorial on how to catch a football. It was so fun to watch them play the receiver position. Thinking about the Fitzgerald-Boldin duo triggered thoughts of my favorite passing-catching duos.
1. Cris Carter and Randy Moss
All talk of best pass-catching duos starts with Cris Carter and Randy Moss. Carter had the greatest hands in league history. Moss was the most physically gifted receiver in league history. Together, they were a blast.
2. Cris Carter and Anthony Carter
The only problem with this Carter-Carter pairing is that it didn’t start earlier. Anthony Carter’s best years were prior to 1990. Cris Carter’s best years were after 1990. There were still many fun moments while the two were paired from 1990-93. Anthony Carter is one of the more underrated receivers in my lifetime.
3. Ahmad Rashad and Sammy White
The pass-catching duo of Ahmad Rashad and Sammy White was the 1970s version of Cris Carter and Randy Moss. Rashad was the veteran, chain-moving, touchdown-scoring pass-catcher. White was the young, explosive, play-maker.
4. Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs
I can’t imagine a pass-catching duo ever coming close to Cris Carter-Randy Moss. The Adam Thielen-Stefon Diggs duo was special. It’s a shame that it didn’t last. Diggs bitching his way out of Minnesota brought some tears. Four years of these two pass-catchers wasn’t enough. It was so much fun to watch these two run routes, catch passes. If Fitzgerald and Boldin put on a weekly pass-catching tutorial, Thielen and Diggs put on a weekly route-running tutorial.
5. Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson
There was nothing about Justin Jefferson’s play last year that looked like a rookie receiver. That’s probably why he didn’t get the Rookie of the Year award. I guess that a rookie has to look like a rookie on occasion to be considered for a rookie award. I can’t wait to see what he does with a year of experience. Hands, route-running, physicality. His future is so damn bright. The only thing limiting the potential of this duo is their difference in age. Thielen turns 31 next month. Jefferson just turned 22.
6. Cris Carter and Jake Reed
The Cris Carter-Jake Reed pass-catching duo was the most productive in Vikings history. Then Randy Moss came along. The Vikings had “3 Deep” but on the field it was really more “2 Deep” and a little bit of Jake Reed. His targets and catches in 1998 were half of what he had in 1997. Prior to Moss, the Carter-Reed duo was a fun one.
There have been some fun pass-catching duos that didn’t play for the Vikings. Here are a few of my favorites.
1. Lavvie Dilweg and Johnny Blood, Green Bay Packers
Despite his listed position in the backfield I’ve always thought of Johnny Blood as more pass-catcher than between-the-tackles runner. Lavvie Dilweg should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He should’ve been in decades ago.
2. Don Hutson and a sack of turnips, Green Bay Packers
There was probably never been a player that was so far ahead of the rest of the league than Don Hutson. Maybe Lawrence Taylor.
3. Mac Speedie and Dante Lavelli, Cleveland Browns
Mac Speedie has finally joined Dante Lavelli in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It should’ve happened decades ago.
4. Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch and Tom Fears, Los Angeles Rams
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Hirsch and Fears put up receiving numbers that fit better in today’s pass-happy league.
5. Raymond Berry and Lenny Moore, Baltimore Colts
I’ve always bristled a bit when people think of Lenny Moore as a receiver. Now, I’m doing it. I’ve always thought of Moore as a running back. A running back that was so damn good at football that he could split out and run routes like a receiver. He was Marshall Faulk forty years before Marshall Faulk. I wanted to pair someone with Raymond Berry and Moore is the most fun pairing. No offense to Jimmy Orr.
6. Don Maynard and George Sauer, New York Jets
It seems silly to say that a player (or a duo) is underrated when that player is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Don Maynard feels underrated. He was one of the most feared deep threats in football throughout the 1960s. When Joe Namath and George Sauer joined Maynard in 1965 the Jets offense turned ridiculous.
7. John Stallworth and Lynn Swann, Pittsburgh Steelers
While Lynn Swann got the attention with his highlight performances in the postseason I was a fan of John Stallworth. In my lifetime, this was the first pass receiving duo that sometimes didn’t seem fair.
8. Fred Biletnikoff and Cliff Branch, Oakland Raiders
Fred Biletnikoff was great. If you were a fan of a team playing the Raiders, Cliff Branch was terrifying.
9. John Jefferson and Charlie Joiner, San Diego Chargers
The entire Air Coryell offense was a blast. If John Jefferson had played his entire career like he did his first three season, he’d be honored in Canton with Charlie Joiner.
10. Jerry Rice and John Taylor, San Francisco 49ers
Jerry Rice. Enough said. John Taylor was a good receiver.
10. Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell make few “All Time” lists individually. When I think of great pass-catching duos they always come to mind. They were a great, fun duo.
11. Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, St. Louis Rams
While the Rams offense ran through the great, versatile talents of Marshall Faulk, they were the “Greatest Show On Turf” largely because of the pass-catching duo of Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.
12. Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts
I always thought it a misconception that it took a while for Reggie Wayne to be a competent compliment to Marvin Harrison. Wayne was a productive receiver by his second season. He was a star receiver in his own right by his fourth season. Harrison and Wayne were one of the most productive pass-catching duos in league history. Wayne should soon join Harrison in Canton.
13. Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, Arizona Cardinals
I’ll say it again. Fitzgerald and Boldin put on a weekly pass-catching tutorial.
***
It must be pointed out that nearly all of the above pass-catching duos enjoyed the benefits of playing with a Hall of Fame quarterback for most, if not the entirety, of their careers. Lavvie Dilweg and Johnny Blood didn’t have an eventual Hall of Famer tossing them passes but a legitimate argument can be made that Verne Lewellen should join Blood in Canton. Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell had Mark Brunell as quarterback. Brunell was a fine NFL quarterback. I’d say that Smith and McCardell helped make Brunell a fine quarterback. Arnie Herber, Otto Graham, Bob Waterfield, Norm Van Brocklin, John Unitas, Joe Namath, Terry Bradshaw, Ken Stabler, Dan Fouts, Joe Montana, Steve Young, Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning. Warner threw to two of the duos. Great pass-catching duos usually shared the field with a great quarterback. That can’t be said for the great Vikings pass-catching duos. Ahmad Rashad and Sammy White played a couple years with a late-career Fran Tarkenton. Both caught more passes from Tommy Kramer. Cris Carter and Jake Reed played briefly with a late-career Warren Moon. The Vikings have been looking for their franchise quarterback since Tarkenton retired after the 1978 season. That’s a long time. Too long. Injuries have often hacked-up or wrecked the development of the most promising, young quarterbacks (Tommy Kramer, Daunte Culpepper, Teddy Bridgewater). As a result, most of the Vikings great pass-catching duos have had to do their thing with reclamation projects (Jim McMahon, Randall Cunningham, Jeff George, Sam Bradford, Case Keenum). It’s a burned that nearly all of the above great pass-catching duos didn’t have to endure. Lucky them. Lucky us.
No comments:
Post a Comment