If Randy Moss was a flash in the pan, a three-year wonder unable to handle success, he at least provided a measuring stick for all young wide receivers. And there are plenty of them ready to make names for themselves among the crowd.
Rookie receivers seldom break from the gate the way Moss did in 1998 when he took the Minnesota Vikings to a new level, then promptly leveled off.
At the moment, Miami’s Chris Chambers, a second-round draft choice from Wisconsin, tops the list. Like Moss, he was overlooked and is quickly making teams feel sorry for themselves. Unlike Moss, Chambers arrived without off-field baggage and without gaudy college statistics.
“He wasn’t in a passing offense, but as far as athletic ability goes, he’s what you look for,” Miami personnel vice president Rick Spielman said. “And he’s the kind of guy you want your daughter to marry. Works hard and he’s been great as a rookie. He carries the veterans’ helmets. Reminds me of the way Barry Sanders was in Detroit–real quiet.”
The 10th receiver drafted, Chambers is the only receiver in the NFL averaging more than 20 yards a catch (Moss is at a career-low 13.8).
In the last four games, Chambers has 14 catches for 293 yards and all four of his touchdowns, leading all rookies. He led Miami’s comeback against Buffalo last week.
“I told you guys in training camp that Chris Chambers has Randy Moss ability,” fellow Dolphins receiver James McKnight said. “Some people said that was a bold statement. I said he’ll back it up. And he’s doing exactly what he’s done from Day 1. He came in here with a very humble attitude. He’s continued to work hard in practice and he’s reaping the rewards in the game.”
Coach Dave Wannstedt goaded Chambers into becoming more aggressive by suggesting Chambers could have prevented two of quarterback Jay Fiedler’s recent interceptions by fighting harder for the ball.
Said Fiedler: “If he’s one-on-one, we expect him to jump over a guy and make a play at the ball.”
Chambers acknowledged that the Moss comparisons are flattering. “That means I must be doing good because he’s had some great seasons. I’m just hoping to get better every week.”
Among rookie wide receivers, Washington’s Rod Gardner leads with 31 catches, good for only 64th among all receivers. Chambers is second with 28 catches. The Bears’ David Terrell and Seattle’s Koren Robinson are tied with 25 catches.
Terrell, Robinson and Gardner were the first three receivers drafted, at the eighth, ninth and 15th spots. The Jets’ Santana Moss (16th) has been hurt all season and is finally ready to play. Philadelphia’s Freddie Mitchell (25th) has 14 catches and Indianapolis’ Reggie Wayne (30th) has 15.
The three other second-round receivers selected ahead of Chambers are Cleveland’s Quincy Morgan (33rd) with 22 catches, Cincinnati’s Chad Johnson (36th) with 13 catches and Green Bay’s Robert Ferguson (41st) with zero catches.
Ferguson has been inactive all season, as has the Packers’ No. 1 draft choice, defensive end Jamal Reynolds. So far it’s not a good swan song for former general manager Ron Wolf, who began his Green Bay drafting career in 1992 by passing up another University of Wisconsin star, cornerback Troy Vincent, in favor of Terrell Buckley.
Wolf’s track record is outstanding, but what if he had picked the Badgers’ Vincent and Chambers in his first and last drafts?
Brunell vs. Pack: Quarterbacks are one commodity Wolf didn’t miss on. Besides trading for Brett Favre, he drafted Mark Brunell, Aaron Brooks, Ty Detmer and Matt Hasselbeck and signed free agent Kurt Warner.
He traded Brunell to Jacksonville in 1995, and Brunell will face the Packers for the first time Monday night. Before losing him to free agency, Wolf traded Brunell for third- and fifth-round picks and selected fullback William Henderson and special teams running back Travis Jervey.
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“Had I listened to [Packers scout] John Dorsey and taken Terrell Davis and not Travis Jervey, then that would have been a heck of a deal,” Wolf said.
Old coaches face off: Minnesota’s Dennis Green was hired 11 days before Pittsburgh’s Bill Cowher in 1992. A total of 62 coaches have come and gone since. The deans of NFL coaches meet for the third time Sunday. Green won the first two.
“If anybody has done a good job of trying to sustain a high level of expectation, it is Denny Green,” Cowher said. “Some people don’t realize how hard it is to do year-in and year-out.”
Green does. “I think every now and then you’ve got to reload a little bit,” he said. “You’re going to lose a lot of players … but [Cowher] has held steady.”
Cowher has compiled a 96-58 regular season record while Green is 94-60. Cowher has five division titles among six playoff appearances. Green has four titles in eight appearances. Including postseason games, Green is 100-66. Cowher is 99-66.
Repeating history: At the end of the 1974 season, Terry Bradshaw’s fifth as the Steelers’ starting quarterback, Bradshaw had 48 touchdown passes and 81 interceptions and had completed 48 percent of his passes for a lowly passer rating of 53.1.
After 4 1/2 years as the Steelers’ starter, Kordell Stewart has 43 touchdown passes and 37 interceptions and has completed 55.1 percent of his passes for a 70.5 career passer rating. Stewart has 10,920 yards passing; Bradshaw had 7,524 yards after five seasons.
Sourbrun: When in doubt, the 1-10 Carolina Panthers punt. Ex-Bear Todd Sauerbrun leads the NFL in gross average (47.2 yards per punt) and net average (39.7). He also leads in number of punts (70), touchbacks (12) and punts downed inside the 20-yard line (27). He has had at least one punt of 60 or more yards in each of the past six games including three last week against Atlanta.
Sauerbrun said the difference this year is that Panthers special teams coach Scott O’Brien is allowing him to unleash his abilities, something he said he couldn’t do in five previous seasons with the Bears and Chiefs.
“I was handcuffed,” Sauerbrun said. “The Bears drafted me in the second round because I was able to kick the ball so far. And then they come in and tell me, `Hey, we only want you to kick it 40 yards.’ And it’s like, `Well, why did you draft me then? Why am I here? That’s not what I do.’ It’s like telling a great running back or a receiver, `Hey, once you get the ball, just fall down.'”
Coach Marty: No NFL coach ever lost his first five games then won his next five until Washington’s Marty Schottenheimer this year. He explained the turnaround this way:
“There’s no evidence of anxiety in our play. We are certainly more familiar with the things that we’re trying to do. You know, anxiety in a player is generally the result of uncertainty about either what he is doing or what his teammates are doing around him. Until you eliminate that, you have trouble playing effectively. And what has happened is that we have reached that point now where these guys realize what it is they are trying to do and what they need to do. And more important, they have every confidence that their teammates are going to do their job as well.
“That’s ultimately what you are striving for in this league, to get everybody playing the game on their own with the trust that the guy beside him is going to do that as well.”