Thursday, Dec. 2, 1999

By the Numbers

A look at receivers

By Ron Pollack, Editor-in-chief

This week I am taking a look at statistics for receivers:

• Quiz question No. 1 (and I think you will have a hard time coming up with the correct answer): Name the only team that has two of the top 11 players in terms of the number of times they have had passes thrown to them. (This is not the same as number of passes caught.) The answer is at end of this story.

• Here is a peculiar statistic: Green Bay’s Antonio Freeman is only tied for 12^th in the NFL in receiving first downs with 36, well behind the leaders in this category — Jaguars WR Jimmy Smith (56), Colts WR Marvin Harrison (54) and Vikings WR Cris Carter (53). Freeman’s total seems particularly low for a player of his caliber. But the Packers' wideout is tied for third in the NFL in first-down catches on third down with 18, only one behind leaders Carter and Harrison

• As if Patriots TE Ben Coates isn’t already annoyed enough at his lack of catches, consider the fact that he ranks second in the NFL for most receptions lost to penalty with four.

• Quiz question No. 2 (and I think you’ll have a hard with this one too): Name the player who leads the NFL in first-down catches on third down and more than seven yards to go. The answer is at the end of this story.

• There have been comparisons made between Chicago’s Marcus Robinson and Minnesota’s Randy Moss. Those comparisons may be valid, considering the following stat: Robinson leads the NFL in catches of more than 25 yards with 14, while Moss ranks second with 13.

• More sensational numbers by the Bears’ Robinson: He leads all NFL wide receivers in yards after the catch with 323. Robinson is one of only two NFL receivers with more than one catch of 75 yards or more this season. Robinson has catches of 80 and 77 yards this season. Kansas City’s Derrick Alexander has receptions of 86 and 81 yards this season.

• More on the Chiefs’ Alexander: He has been most dangerous in the third quarters of games, when he has averaged 34.8 yards per catch. He has averaged only 12.2 yards per catch in the other three quarters combined. Alexander has also been much more effective when the Chiefs have a lead this season than when they are losing to or tied with their opponent. Alexander is averaging 32.9 yards per when the Chiefs have the lead, compared to 13.1 when the score is tied and 14.1 when the Chiefs are losing.

• Rams WR Isaac Bruce has nine TD catches in the first halves of games this season, compared to only two in the second halves of games. Broken down further, he has six first-quarter touchdowns, three in the second quarter, one in the third quarter and one in the fourth quarter. Bruce has been much more effective on turf than on grass fields this season. He is averaging 16.4 yards per catch on turf, compared with only 8.6 yards per reception on grass.

• Vikings WR Cris Carter has been much more explosive on grass fields than on turf this season. He is averaging 17.6 yards per reception on grass, as opposed to 11.6 yards per catch on turf.

• Seahawks WR Sean Dawkins has caught a pass of 27 yards or longer in 6-of-11 games this season, including doing so in five of the last six games. All five of Dawkins’ TD receptions have come after halftimes of games this season.

• Packers WR Antonio Freeman has been held under 10.5 yards per catch in four of his last six games. Conversely, he averaged at least 14.0 yards per catch in each of his first four games this season.

• All four of Patriots WR Terry Glenn’s TD catches this season have come on the road.

• Nine of the 12 TD catches hauled in by Colts WR Marvin Harrison this season have come on the right side of the field.

• Bengals WR Darnay Scott has caught 34 passes on turf and 22 on grass fields this season, but all five of his TD catches have come on turf. Scott has played nine of his 12 games on the artificial stuff.

Answer to quiz question No. 1: The Chicago Bears. Bobby Engram is tied for fourth in the NFL with 107 passes thrown his way. Marcus Robinson is in a four-way tie for eighth with 101 passes having been thrown toward him.

Answer to quiz question No. 2: Green Bay’s Bill Schroeder leads the NFL with 10 first-down catches on third down and more than seven yards to go.

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.

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