How to identify worst receivers?

[rhickok1109]

Simple. The worst receivers are guys who drop too many on-target passes. Not catchable balls, which are sometimes difficult, but balls that are right in the hands.
Demaryius Thomas instantly comes to mind. He has been absolutely terrible for the last several years.

But can you really say that a guy who's caught more than 700 passes for nearly 10,000 yards and more than 60 TDs one of the worst receivers in the league? He's been a starter for his entire career. Do you think he's worse than all the receivers have been behind him on the depth charts for 9 seasons?

Yep. A guy who drops as many balls as I’ve seen him drop wouldn’t be starting for me.

I wonder if you'd be a better coach than Belichick? Julian Edelman is currently leading the NFL in drops

[JeffreyMiller]

If drops were measured throughout history, that might be the most telling stat. There's some flaw to that stat, as in if the receiver would've had to make an acrobatic or outstanding play to make the catch. It would be more helpful to have a "catchable" pass statistic...

YPC could be helpful, but what if the receiver consistently runs shorter routes or the defense is right there to make the stop?

If we can drill down that far, then how about times a receiver drops a ball because he's trying to make a spectacular one-hand grab when two would have done the trick?

[Rupert Patrick]

If drops were measured throughout history, that might be the most telling stat. There's some flaw to that stat, as in if the receiver would've had to make an acrobatic or outstanding play to make the catch. It would be more helpful to have a "catchable" pass statistic...

YPC could be helpful, but what if the receiver consistently runs shorter routes or the defense is right there to make the stop?

If we can drill down that far, then how about times a receiver drops a ball because he's trying to make a spectacular one-hand grab when two would have done the trick?

It's all about getting on ESPN and the NFL Network highlight shows. I know there are people who are keeping track of stats like that (one-handed sideline catches), and I wouldn't be surprised if individual players and their agents keep track of that kind of stuff to discuss with teams come contract renewal time, as in "My client appeared on NFL Prime Time 13 times last year, along with nine appearances on Inside the NFL, and two positive appearances on You Got Mossed."

If I were the Commissioner of the NFL, the first thing I would do is ban the Stickum gloves, because they artificially inflate passing statistics not unlike the steroid epidemic in baseball was inflating home run totals. I'm not impressed one iota by these one-handed catches made in every single game; I would be impressed if they could make them without the gloves.

Banning the kicking balls would be next, kickers should use the same exact ball that was used to score the touchdown or was used on the play before the field goal attempt, but that's another thread.

[JuggernautJ]

If I were the Commissioner of the NFL, the first thing I would do is ban the Stickum gloves, because they artificially inflate passing statistics not unlike the steroid epidemic in baseball was inflating home run totals. I'm not impressed one iota by these one-handed catches made in every single game; I would be impressed if they could make them without the gloves.

I guess I need to examine some of these "modern" gloves.
The ones available when I played (about 20 years ago) were not perceived (by us, at least) to be worth the cost.
I distinctly remember one player getting laughed off the sandlot (and not allowed back on until he removed them) for wearing gloves.
And another when a receiver dropped a ball (right in his hands) while wearing gloves. Our QB wouldn't let him back in the huddle until he tossed the gloves.
I am guessing today's gloves are much better?

I am sure some of the effect is, as Yogi would say, "98% half mental."
If you think you'll play better with the gloves on you do play better with the gloves on.

[JohnH19]

I wonder if you'd be a better coach than Belichick? Julian Edelman is currently leading the NFL in drops

Ralph, I googled “Demaryius Thomas drops” and, sure enough, it’s a topic that’s been written about since 2015.

Who’s this Belichick fellow of whom you speak?

[Rupert Patrick]

If I were the Commissioner of the NFL, the first thing I would do is ban the Stickum gloves, because they artificially inflate passing statistics not unlike the steroid epidemic in baseball was inflating home run totals. I'm not impressed one iota by these one-handed catches made in every single game; I would be impressed if they could make them without the gloves.

I guess I need to examine some of these "modern" gloves.
The ones available when I played (about 20 years ago) were not perceived (by us, at least) to be worth the cost.
I distinctly remember one player getting laughed off the sandlot (and not allowed back on until he removed them) for wearing gloves.
And another when a receiver dropped a ball (right in his hands) while wearing gloves. Our QB wouldn't let him back in the huddle until he tossed the gloves.
I am guessing today's gloves are much better?

I am sure some of the effect is, as Yogi would say, "98% half mental."
If you think you'll play better with the gloves on you do play better with the gloves on.

These gloves are designed to adhere to the surface of the football; these aren't like the gloves Jim McMahon used to wear to help with his grip.

I found a segment I saw on ESPN from about 2015 when these gloves first started hitting the league:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL_TRhraxtU

I'll bring a pair of these gloves that the players are wearing to the PFRA convention if somebody can scrounge up a 2018 NFL regulation football and we can test these. I've got a bad ticker so some of the younger fellows will have to test if these things really work. I think you will be surprised.

[Reaser]

By the mid-2000's the gloves could catch the ball for you. Different from gloves in late 90's or even early 00's. I got a pair around 2004 and impressed the youth players when I would throw a football straight up in the air 40-50 yards and let it come down as a spiral and stick a hand up (not out) and catch it one handed and catch it where i could immediately throw it straight back up -- which is something I could do a few years earlier in HS without gloves with decent success but it was 100% of the time guarantee with gloves. And I'd alternate left and right handed (though not throw it as high left handed, ha). It was that easy. If you have even minimal athletic ability and/or hand-eye coordination you can catch everything with the gloves -- or phrased more accurately, the gloves will catch anything for you. When I would work out in the summer with my friend who was playing college football at the time we'd just stand 10-15 yards apart and fire the ball at eachother and stick up one hand and catch it (the gloves would catch it) over and over. Could do that all day. And those were the mid to late-2000's. I've got a pair of more recent gloves a few years ago and they're even more 'advanced', I'd say a lot more and make it probably twice as easy as it already was.

Personally, never impressed by what passes for spectacular receptions these days. One, because I know the gloves, and two, because I see kids in high school, even middle school and youth football, make similar or even the same catches every week during football season and then all summer in camps and 7o7. Such as the OBJ catch, I once saw a HS QB who got put in at safety -and this wasn't the most athletic QB of all-time- and he intercepted a pass with the catch being very similar to the famous Beckham catch. I see 4th, 5th, 6th graders that couldn't track a ball to save their lives and just fall down and stick up a hand (glove) wwhen the ball is thrown to them and while the parents and uneducated go wild, those that know what's going on don't get overly excited about the inevitable 'spectacular' one-handed catch.

It also goes to what people are saying about drops in earlier posts. One's hands have to be absolutely terrible to drop passes with gloves that catch the ball for you, that's not having hand coordination. Imagine how many passes Thomas would drop if he didn't have gloves that catch the ball for him when he manages to get his hands halfway correct.