Eagles receivers: '04 vs. '09
Moving the Chains: How did the performance of Eagles receivers and tight ends last season compare to the 2004 season when the Birds went to the Super Bowl?
Eagles receivers: '04 vs. '09
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
The argument can be made pretty easily that the current group of Eagles receivers/tight ends is the strongest of the Andy Reid era.
The only other group that even enters the discussion is the 2004-05 Terrell Owens team that reached the Super Bowl.
Here are a few charts comparing the receivers and tight ends during the two seasons:
| Receptions | Yards | TDs | YPC | |
| Terrell Owens | 77 | 1,200 | 14 | 15.6 |
| DeSean Jackson | 63 | 1,167 | 9 | 18.5 |
It's worth noting that T.O. played in 14 regular-season games, and Jackson played in 15. Obviously, they are two completely different receivers, but that's how the numbers stack up.
| Receptions | Yards | TDs | YPC | |
| Todd Pinkston | 36 | 676 | 1 | 18.8 |
| Jeremy Maclin | 55 | 762 | 4 | 13.9 |
Hard to believe that Pinkston averaged more yards per catch in '04 than Jackson last season, but it's true.
| Receptions | Yards | TDs | YPC | |
| Freddie Mitchell | 22 | 377 | 2 | 17.1 |
| Jason Avant | 41 | 587 | 3 | 14.3 |
And for the tight ends, I combined numbers for L.J. Smith and Chad Lewis from '04.
| Receptions | Yards | TDs | YPC | |
| Lewis and Smith | 63 | 644 | 8 | 10.2 |
| Brent Celek | 76 | 971 | 8 | 12.8 |
Statistically and otherwise speaking, the T.O. performance in '04 was superior to the Jackson performance in '09. I'm not sure many would argue otherwise.
Other than that, though, the '09 performances were better.
An obvious question to ask is: How much did the Eagles pass in '09, compared to '04? Naturally, more attempts and completions would lead to better numbers for the receivers and tight ends.
It's pretty amazing how similar the team passing numbers were in the two years. Take a look:
| Comp. | Att. | Yards | Comp. % | Y/A | |
| 2004 | 336 | 547 | 4,208 | 61.4 | 7.7 |
| 2009 | 335 | 553 | 4,380 | 60.6 | 7.9 |
The other striking difference is the age of the players discussed. Owens was 31; Jackson 23. Pinkston 27; Maclin 21. Mitchell and Avant were both 26. Smith was 24; Lewis 33; and Celek 24.
The data above focuses on the receivers and tight ends. What goes unmentioned are the contributions to the passing game from the running backs. Brian Westbrook of course lined up all over the place in '04 and was the team's second-leading receiver with 73 catches for 703 yards. LeSean McCoy last season had 40 catches for 308 yards.
And, of course, there's Donovan McNabb's performance. He was on a different level in 2004.
Believe it or not, I actually had a reason for checking these things out. Yahoo Sports' Jason Cole ranks the league's receiving corps, defined as wide receivers and tight ends. The Eagles come in at No. 9.
Quarterback play and receiver/tight end play is obviously directly related. Of the eight teams Cole has ahead of the Eagles, all but two had a guy among the top eight in QB rating.
What do you think? Are the Eagles too low? Too high? The teams ranked above them, starting at the top are: the Colts, Saints, Chargers, Vikings, Packers, Cardinals, Texans, Falcons.
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What was the yards per distraction in 2005?— p-diddy
Comment removed.- I like the numbers - but one other set that should be noticed. 2004 they scored 386 points and gave up 260 points. In 2009 they scored 429 points and gave up 337. The spread was 34 points closer in 2009. That's math, but it takes more work to figure out field position, special teams performance, etc.— ziggy
- I'm expecting Ingram and Harbor to make a contribution this year also. Red zone offense should be much better with Kolb throwing to these guys rather than McNabb since touch is more important than arm strength. Baskett and Riley Cooper, also, should be good fade pattern targets. If they have a threat at RB ( Charles Scott?) near the goal line it will also help the passing game.— Rick Wise Guy
- Great article Sheil!!!! as for the 8 ahead of them, the Texans ans Falcons are a joke. The Colts, Saints Vikings, Cardinals all had a better QB than McNabb (thank God he's finally gone), so it's tough to say that their receivers are better if the ball is delivered to them better and more accurately. Packers and Chargers had less of a QB than McNabb, so their receivers are probably as good or better. Can't wait to see what Kolb can do!— senseirandy
- Just remember after a super bowl visit with those 04 receivers Joe Beancounter and Arrogant Andy improved the team but getting rid of the best of that corps .........and wait till DeSean asks for more money.......he will be cut too......This ownership is about money not championships......— nuggett
- Comment removed.
- The argument can be made pretty easily that this current article is the laziest of the Sheil Kapadia era.— misplacedeaglefan
- fascinating stuff here. even after all these all these transactions, i never felt the need to panic. i love where this is going. a young team that can gel together. i love where we stand in the rankings because the more we stay under the radar the harder its going to hurt when we hit them in the mouth. our defense is what will determine everything...and if they get their act together, the only teams i fear are the saints, colts, vikings, cardinals, and patriots.— Anything_Philly_is4me
- sounds about right. eagles maybe should be a little lower. only atlanta do i think might be slightly lower than the eagles. cowboys might be a little better. patriots too, but only if moss is reasonably healthy. Hey Hey!— Krusty
- The receivers are plenty good, so the question is how many injury-free games will they have? And Riley Cooper could add a nice ingredient. If the offensive line could come around, I would not want to play defensive back against the Eagles this year.— tacklinjoe
its all wasted talent if your just gonna throw it over and over so the other team knows exactly what to defend against...all those great WR's and no SB...they even had a top 5 D, top 5 QB, top 5 WR, top 5 ST, and his playcalling still kills them everytime. now their D has holes on top of it, and his playcalling remains the same...Marty and Andy need to be puked on everytime they call a pass play in a stupid situation, which is like a majority of the time. Maybe then they will learn how horrible thier playcalling is, cauz laurie and banner arent doing anything about it. They will never win a SB with Reid and Marty in charge of the playcalling, ever.- lets not forget Leonard Weaver...what were his receptions vs the fullback from that year. Which was who? Possibly Tupeh.
- KolbInterceptionMachineShow, Klob, Egals, 2-14 & Philthy? PLEASE tell me you are 14 years old or younger. You sound uneducated, uninformed and childish.— gonegator
- Vintage Brian Westbrook was a huge difference maker in 2004. Mornhinweg played more long ball in 2009. Owens was dominant--more so that #10. Hopefully, we have yet to see Jackson's and Maclin's PRIME YEARS. Great article.— Smashmouth
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