Tag: pro football focus grade

Tom Brady set the league on fire the last time he had two superstar WRs

In 2007, the New England Patriots fell a David Tyree miracle catch short of an undefeated season. Along the way, the Patriots scored the most points in a single season in NFL history with 589 points. That team was led by quarterback Tom Brady and …

In 2007, the New England Patriots fell a David Tyree miracle catch short of an undefeated season. Along the way, the Patriots scored the most points in a single season in NFL history with 589 points. That team was led by quarterback Tom Brady and superstar wide receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker.

During that season, Moss caught 98 passes for 1,493 yards and an NFL-record 23 touchdowns, while Welker totaled 1,175 yards, and eight touchdowns on 112 receptions. Sure, that was 13 years ago, but Brady hasn’t had playmakers even close to that of Moss and Welker, that is, until he became a Buccaneer.

Buccaneers receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards even with their respective seasons ending early with hamstring injuries. Godwin played in 14 games in 2019, and finished his outing with 86 catches to go along with 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns, career highs across the board. Evans saw action in 13 games and stamped his stat line with 67 receptions, 1157 yards and eight touchdowns.

As noted by Pro Football Focus, Godwin and Evans are one of five receiving duo’s to be graded 85.0+ since 2006, as were Moss and Welker. Brady might be slower than he was in his 2007 season where he lit the NFL on fire with 4,806 yards, 50 touchdowns to only eight interceptions, but his arm strength and IQ are still fully intact.

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Pro Football Focus grades Chris Godwin as the best overall receiver of 2019

See what grade Pro Football Focus gave Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin for his breakout season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin seemed poised for a breakout year entering the season. After all, in 2018 — Godwin’s second year in the league — he finished with 842 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. New head coach Bruce Arians even said last offseason that Godwin would be close a 100-catch guy.

Arians couldn’t have been more right.

Despite missing the final two weeks of the season with a hamstring injury, Godwin finished the year with career-highs across the board: 86 receptions, 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns. Godwin’s breakout season earned him Pro Bowl honors and Second-Team All-Pro honors. You have to imagine, too, that had he not been injured those final two weeks, Godwin would’ve had more than a fair chance of hitting 100 receptions.

Still, it seems the best is yet to come for Godwin. And, as Pro Football Focus notes, Godwin graded out as the best wide receiver in the NFL this season (90.7).

(via ESPN):

“Godwin was every bit the best receiver in football, despite missing the final two games with an injury. He still finished second in total yards after catch and third in yards after the catch per reception among qualified receivers, as he was the only receiver with over 100 targets to also average 6.5 YAC/reception. Separating him further from the rest of the league’s receivers, Godwin’s safe hands saw him drop just one of the 87 catchable passes thrown his way, and his drop rate of 1.1% stood as the second-best mark among 69 receivers who saw at least 35 targeted passes.”

Godwin flourished in his first year playing under Arians, and if quarterback Jameis Winston returns in 2020, the connection between Winston and Godwin will only be that much more effective on downfield attacks. Oh, and let’s not forget that the Bucs also have Mike Evans on their roster.

The 2020 regular season can’t get here soon enough for Bucs fans.

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