These past few weeks have been all about the wide receivers for Redskins
fans. First it was Art Monk and the annual campaign and then subsequent
disapointment in his chase for the Hall of Fame. Santana Moss completed a great
season and, just a week ago, represented the Redskins at the Pro Bowl. Of
course there have also been the constant rumors of Reggie Wayne, David Givens
or any number of free agent receivers signing in Washington. So while the team
focuses its attention on acquiring a future Redskin receiver, let's take a look
back at the top ten seasons by Redskins' wideouts.
A few notes before we get to the top ten. Once again we are using the
adjusted numbers to accurately compare stats from 1964 to the stats in 2006
(for a full explanation of the adjusted numbers, please see The Case for
Art Monk - Part Two). The numbers are adjusted to 2005 figures. Also note
that this only includes seasons from 1960 onward, the stats prior to 1960
aren't easily available nor are they very reliable. The ratings are explained
in the footer below the article.
On to the list:
Honorable Mention:
11. Santana Moss, 2005
Actual Stats: 84 receptions, 1483 yards, 9 touchdowns
Adjusted Figures: 84 receptions, 1483 yards, 9 touchdowns Moss
just misses the cut and finishes as the 11th best season in Redskins history.
His ranking was hurt because of his relatively low reception totals compared to
the players listed below. His yardage figure rates as the 4th best in Redskins
history.
10. Ricky Sanders, 1988
Actual Stats: 73 receptions, 1148 yards, 12 touchdowns
Adjusted stats: 88 receptions, 1287 yards, 13 touchdowns
Most fans only remember Sanders for his huge Super Bowl performance in 1986
against Denver. Many forget that for the latter part of the 1980s Sanders was
one of the best receivers in the NFL. The 1988 season was his best and the only
season where he outplayed the rest of the Posse. In 1988, Sanders ranked 8th in
the NFL in receptions, 5th in yards and 2nd in touchdowns. He followed up his
great 1988 with a strong 1989 where he had a career-high 92 receptions.
9. Charley Taylor, 1969
Actual Stats: 71 receptions, 883 yards, 8 touchdowns
Adjusted Stats: 115 receptions, 1187 yards, 8 touchdowns
The 1st of many times that you'll see Taylor on this list. In 1969 Taylor
ranked 2nd in receptions, 7th in yardage and tied for 9th in touchdowns. This
year in Redskins history is best known as the year Vince Lombardi coached the
team. In a related story, this was also the 1st year since 1955 that the
Redskins finished above .500. And you thought the late 90s were bad.
8. Charlie Brown, 1983
Actual Stats: 78 receptions, 1225 yards, 8 touchdowns
Adjusted Stats: 100 receptions, 1373 yards, 8 touchdowns
On one of the most dominating teams in Redskins history, it was one of the
Smurfs, Charlie Brown, who put up one of the best years in Redskins history.
Brown is a great story, going from an 8th round pick to being a Pro-Bowl
receiver in his second year. 1983 represented the peak of the Brown's career as
he ranked 6th in receptions, 6th in yards and tied for 7th in touchdowns.
Brown's career declined quickly, and he was out of football by 1987.
7. Charley Taylor, 1974
Actual Stats: 54 receptions, 738 yards, 5 touchdowns
Adjusted Stats: 112 receptions, 1323 yards, 8 touchdowns
If you don't like reading about Charley Taylor, you should probably just
stop reading here because he's on this list a bunch more times. Taylor was the
1st pick in 1964 draft out of Arizona State. He actually began his career as a
running back and finished 6th in the league in rushing as a rookie. In 1974
Taylor ranked 6th in receptions and 7th in yardage.
6. Charley Taylor, 1967
Actual Stats: 70 receptions, 990 yards, 9 touchdowns
Adjusted Stats: 106 receptions, 1228 yards, 9 touchdowns
Guess who? The reason this season ranks ahead of 1974 is because touchdowns
are valued highly in this ranking system. You'll also notice that receiving
offense was much more scarce in 70s than in the 60s, hence a bigger adjustments
in Taylor's stats from 1974. In 1967, Taylor led the league in receptions, was
6th in yards and 5th in touchdowns.
5. Gary Clark, 1990
Actual Stats: 75 receptions, 1112 yards, 8 touchdowns
Adjusted Stats: 93 receptions, 1295 yards, 10 touchdowns
The 2nd most famous receiver from the Posse is also the 2nd receiver from
that group to make an appearance on this list. Before adjustments, Clark's 1991
season looks nearly as good as 1990; however the lower reception total drops it
to 13th on this list. In 1990, Clark was 5th in receptions, 4th in yards and
6th in touchdowns. The Redskins finished 10-6 and lost to the 49ers in the
playoffs.
4. Art Monk, 1984
Actual Stats: 106 receptions, 1372 yards, 7 touchdowns
Adjusted Stats: 134 receptions, 1496 yards, 7 touchdowns
This is where the list gets a little controversial. The touchdowns really
hurt Monk's score here, and it could be argued that any of these top 4 seasons
should be ranked 1st. After the adjustments, Monk's 1984 ranks 1st in Redskins
history in receptions and 3rd in yardage. To put this into perspective, after
the adjustments, Monk's yardage total is higher than Santana Moss' yardage from
this past year. For the season, Monk led the NFL in receptions and was 4th in
yardage.
3. Charley Taylor, 1973
Actual Stats: 59 receptions, 801 yards, 7 touchdowns
Adjusted Stats: 118 receptions, 1339 yards, 10 touchdowns
We can use the stat lines above as a reason why adjusted stats are useful. A
young fan today would look through the record books and see Taylor's 59
receptions and 801 yards and wonder how this guy got into the Hall of Fame. As
mentioned before, passing numbers were way down in the 1970s, making this an
extraordinary year despite the ordinary numbers. Those 59 catches ranked 2nd in
the league, and ranked 7th in yards and 8th in touchdowns.
2. Charley Taylor, 1966
Actual Stats: 72 receptions, 1119 yards, 12 touchdowns
Adjusted Stats: 111 receptions, 1398 yards, 13 touchdowns
That's right, Taylor again. He has 5 of the top 10 receiving seasons in
Redskins history (post 1960). If anyone asks you who the best receiver in
Redskins history is, well now you know the answer. Remarkably this was also
Taylor's first season as a full time receiver and he still managed 87 carries
and 3 rushing touchdowns. Taylor ranked 1st in receptions, 3rd in yards, and
2nd in touchdowns. The adjusted 13 touchdowns are tied with Sanders for 1st
overall on the Redskins all time list. This was an outstanding season.
1. Bobby Mitchell, 1962
Actual Stats: 72 receptions, 1384 yards, 11 touchdowns
Adjusted Stats: 106 receptions, 1664 yards, 11 touchdowns
What's the best way to convince a racist owner to de-segregate a team?
Having the best season ever by a Redskin receiver certainly doesn't hurt. The
adjusted yardage total is tops in Redskins history, add to that the 7th highest
receptions total and the 4th highest touchdown mark, and you're on top of this
list. Mitchell ranked 1st in the NFL in receptions and yards and was 3rd in
touchdowns. As for the Redskins themselves, they actually started the year
4-0-2 but lost 7 of 8 to finish out of the playoffs. If you are curious,
Mitchell's 1963 season ranks 15th on the list, only hurt by a low touchdown total.
The seasons were ranked as follows: I took every season that had 50
catches (after adjustments) and ranked them in order in catches, yards and
touchdowns. I excluded yards per catch to attempt to even the playing field
between possession receivers and guys who stretch the field. If you ranked 1st
in receptions, you got one point, 2nd place got 2, etc and then did the same
for receptions and touchdowns. After adding the 3 rankings together, whoever
had the lowest scores came up with the best ratings for this list.
This article was orginally posted on The Redskin Report