POLL: Is Calvin Johnson A Top-3 Wide Receiver Of All Time?

[Clayton]

Rice, Moss, Hutson... Top 3

I would agree with that but add TO.

Rice 13x pro bowl, 10x first team all pro
Hutson 4x pro bowl, 8x first team all pro

Owens 6x pro bowl, 5x first team all pro
Moss 6x pro bowl, 4x first team all pro

Calvin Johnson 6x pro bowl, 3x first team all pro
Andre Johnson 7x pro bowl, 2x first team
Steve Smith 5x pro bowl, 2x first team
Larry Fitz 9x pro bowl, 1x first team all pro
Steve Largent 7x pro bowl, 1x first team
Torry Holt 7x pro bowl, 1x first team

Rice and Hutson basically dominated their eras and TO and Moss co-dominated their eras.

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

Statistically, i dont even think he is a Hall of Famer

 

[Old Lion]

Talent wise and effect on the game he was the GOAT (maybe Moss his equal). Stats and longevity of course not. If he played 5 more years this whole thing would not even be a question. His injury years numbers are better than the healthy years of some of the other guys mentioned in previous posts.

No other player has been constantly tripled teamed throughout their career (Gronk might be the only one close). Nor did many of the greats have guys like Dan Orlovsky and John Kitna throwing to them fo a major chunk of their careers. Nor did those guys go almost their entire careers with WRs/TEs opposite them that would be backups on half the teams in the league.

You want to know who the best WRs are ask CBs in the NFL not fatasses that watch on their couches on Sunday.

 

[Davis_Mike]

Not even close.

He might not even get in the HoF, let alone on the first ballot like some have stated.

 

[purguy12]

Randy Moss is ahead of him.

 

[jarntt]

CJ is a HOFer but not top 3 of all time

Off the top of my head

Jerry Rice
James Lofton
Don Hutson
Art Monk
Steve Largent


CJ with more longevity than what he has might have gotten in the discussion for top 3.

Looking at your list I change my "yes" to "HELL YES"...Seriously, you think those guys are better than Calvin??? Calvin was just absolutely uncoverable. Size, speed, strength combo was amazing.

 

[Battlelyon]

I think he has a case, but it's

1. Rice
2. Hutson
3. Moss

 

[MilkSpiller22]

The biggest problem with calvin was his team... He only played 2 playoff games... Playoffs is where legends are made... and only playing 2 games and losing them, just doesn't help at all...

 

[Tainthappening]

I'm a homer but I think Moss is the GOAT, he changed how teams drafted, teams set up entire game plans to try and stop him with all due respect to Jerry Rice he didn't scare teams like the Freak did.

Look no farther than the Packers 1999 draft and their first 3 picks...



They can thank their selections to Randy Moss.

 

[PatsFan2003]

No he's not. But he could have been.

This isn't bad. There were so many great receivers that other than Rice, you need something to separate the best of the best. Good stats alone doesn't do it.

 

[Irish7478]

CJ is a HOFer but not top 3 of all time

Off the top of my head

Jerry Rice
James Lofton
Don Hutson
Art Monk
Steve Largent


CJ with more longevity than what he has might have gotten in the discussion for top 3.

No love for Lance Alworth? I know he played in the AFL, but he was great. Otis Taylor was also a favorite.

 

[ducky]

I would agree with that but add TO.

Rice 13x pro bowl, 10x first team all pro
Hutson 4x pro bowl, 8x first team all pro

Hutson played before the pro bowl. They had an all star game that was sort of like the pro bowl and that is what PFR is referencing.

Hutson really is the Babe Ruth of the WR position. It is impossible to really put him in a proper category.

When Babe Ruth started hitting home runs, no one else in the league was doing it. The year he hit that magical 60 HR's, no other team in the league had that many. The same is kind of true with Hutson. No one else was passing the football all that much when he was playing.

He lead the league in receiving in 7 of his 11 seasons. His "worst" season he had the 3rd most receiving yards, the 6th most receptions but still lead the league in receiving TD's.

If there was a pro bowl for his entire career, Hutson would have made it 11 out of 11 seasons. But there was only a pro bowl for 4 of those years (and it wasn't called the pro bowl). And the same is true of the 1st team all pro. He was 1st team all pro every year during his career in which there actually was such a thing.

 

[Texas Jefe]

Scouts were asking corners if they thought they could cover Jerry Rice at the combines. I don't know how long you watched Rice, but before that shitbag Sapp wrecked his knee he was as good of a deep threat as anybody and once he got a step on someone they didn't get it back.

Said teammate Ronnie Lott, the 49ers' Pro Bowl safety from USC: "Fifi has deceptive speed. He may be 4.6 on Tuesday and Wednesday, but he's 4.2 on Sundays."

Moss retired at 33. Rice put up 8000+ yards after his 33rd birthday. Comparing Moss to Rice is ridiculous. Comparng Rice to anybody is ridiculous. He's clearly head and shoulders above the rest.

key point about the game of football. Players in pads, during a game, with game on the line: that's when their speed, talent should be judged.

 

[Clayton]

Hutson played before the pro bowl. They had an all star game that was sort of like the pro bowl and that is what PFR is referencing.

Hutson really is the Babe Ruth of the WR position. It is impossible to really put him in a proper category.

When Babe Ruth started hitting home runs, no one else in the league was doing it. The year he hit that magical 60 HR's, not other team in the league had that many. The same is kind of true with Hutson. No one else was passing the football all that much when he was playing.

He lead the league in receiving in 7 of his 11 seasons. His "worst" season he had the 3rd most receiving yards, the 6th most receptions but still lead the league in receiving TD's.

If there was a pro bowl for his entire career, Hutson would have made it 11 out of 11 seasons. But there was only a pro bowl for 4 of those years (and it wasn't called the pro bowl). And the same is true of the 1st team all pro. He was 1st team all pro every year during his career in which there actually was such a thing.

Yeah, thats why I grouped him with Rice but under Rice in terms of impact on the WR position. He seems very clearly the 2nd best WR.

I also forgot to list Marvin Harrison who on paper is just above Megatron but in reality is probably a fringe top 15 WR that benefited from Peyton's prime. Herman Moore is top 10 WR material and I forgot him, too.

 

[ducky]

CJ is the top 3 most talented WR's to play the game.
He would make my top 3 most dominant too in the years he played.

But he doesn't have a top 3 career.

That is what is tough about the HOF and rating players after their careers IMO. What are you really basing it on? How dominant they were in the years they played, longevity, ect, ect.

Is it better to be great for a short time or better to be very good for a long time? Gale Sayers was one of the most talented RB's to ever play the game. But he didn't have even a top 30 career. Curtis Martin was never great but he was good for a long time. Which is the better RB?

Personally I prefer the great for a short period than very good for a long period. And that is why Johnson would be in my top 3.

 

[Clayton]

CJ is the top 3 most talented WR's to play the game.
He would make my top 3 most dominant too in the years he played.

But he doesn't have a top 3 career.

From a talent perspective I think he is right up there with Moss but he doesn't have the back end of the career to be first ballot HOF imo. He is definitely a HOF player, though.

 

[Jim Rome is Flaming]

As far as being dominant in his prime, he's probably better than anyone other than Moss/TO. And even those are arguable. But he just doesn't have the longevity to be considered a top 3, or even top 10, all time WR.

 

[ducky]

From a talent perspective I think he is right up there with Moss but he doesn't have the back end of the career to be first ballot HOF imo. He is definitely a HOF player, though.

Completely agree. I could see him get in on the 1st ballot but wouldn't be upset if he didn't.

All the talk about CJ not being a HOF'er is crap IMO. No chance he doesn't get in IMO. When you have a guy who was UNQUESTIONABLY was the best at his position for a multi year run and is literally the very definition of all the attributes you look for from the position, those types of players always get into the HOF.

 

[tducey]

No, he's top 10 though.

 

[Nosferatu]

Scouts were asking corners if they thought they could cover Jerry Rice at the combines. I don't know how long you watched Rice, but before that shitbag Sapp wrecked his knee he was as good of a deep threat as anybody and once he got a step on someone they didn't get it back.

Said teammate Ronnie Lott, the 49ers' Pro Bowl safety from USC: "Fifi has deceptive speed. He may be 4.6 on Tuesday and Wednesday, but he's 4.2 on Sundays."

Moss retired at 33. Rice put up 8000+ yards after his 33rd birthday. Comparing Moss to Rice is ridiculous. Comparng Rice to anybody is ridiculous. He's clearly head and shoulders above the rest.

I watched both players for their entire careers. Rice had two of the best QB's in the history of the game throwing him the ball for most of his career, go back and look at some of his highlites, you won't see him having to make the amazing catch very often the ball was almost always right there. Rice was obviously much smarter, kept himself in top shape, his work ethic was unmatched and it's not as if I said Rice sucked but having watched both play their entire careers there is absolutely no question Moss was more feared by defensive co-ordinators and defensive backs. I think people tend to romanticize Rice because he was so good for so long and put up such amazing numbers but he wasn't just an absolute freak of nature like Moss was.