Wednesday, Nov. 3, 1999

By the numbers

A look at receiving statistics

By Ron Pollack, Editor-in-chief

This week I am taking a look at receiving statistics:

• For those of you who thought that Terance Mathis would really struggle without Tony Martin this season, consider the fact that Mathis is tied for the league lead in first-down catches on third down, is tied for second in the NFL for most receiving first downs, is third in the NFL in catches and is tied for sixth in the NFL in receiving yards.

• Quiz question: I think you’ll have a hard time guessing the player who is tied with Isaac Bruce for the NFL lead in receptions inside the opponents’ 20. Answer below.

• The winner of the where-did-he-come-from award goes to the Rams’ Roland Williams, who is second in the NFL in receptions inside the opponents’ 10. He has five. Bruce leads the NFL with six.

• Challenging Williams for the where-did-he-come-from award is the Bears’ Marcus Robinson, who is tied with the Cardinals’ Frank Sanders for most first-down catches on 3^rd-and-more-than-7. Each has eight.

• It’s been said of Cris Carter that "all he does is catch touchdowns." Well, maybe we should also add in his ability to move the chains on 3^rd-and-short. Carter leads the NFL in first-down catches on 3^rd-and-less-than-3. He has five. The runner-up is the Bengals’ Carl Pickens with three. No one else in the league has more than two.

• For big plays, go to the AFC East. The Colts’ Marvin Harrison leads the NFL in catches of more than 25 yards with 10. The Patriots’ Terry Glenn is second with nine.

• If you eliminate running backs from the mix, the NFL leader in receiving yards after the catch is New England’s Terry Glenn.

• This won’t get him many All-Rookie votes. Steelers WR Troy Edwards leads the NFL in dropped passes with eight.

• Vikings’ WRs Randy Moss and Cris Carter are much more active on the right side of the field but have superior averages per catch on the left side of the field. Moss has caught 19 passes on the right side of the field, nine on the left side and four in the middle, with three listed as uncategorized. Carter has caught 20 on the right side, compared to 13 on the left, five in the middle and eight that are uncategorized. Moss’ average per catch, however, is only 13.4 on the right side, compared to 18.4 on the left and 23.3 in the middle. Carter’s average per catch is only 10.1 on the right, compared to 14.5 on the left and 13.4 in the middle.

• Quiz answer: The Giants’ Ike Hilliard is tied with the Rams’ Isaac Bruce for the most receptions inside the opponents’ 20. Each has seven.

Editor's note: To see the NFL statistical section that Pollack refers to, click here, and to see the NCAA statistical section that is also available, click here.

The Archives
1999 - 2000 Season