why are you even comparing a #1 overall pick to an UDFA? that type of insecurity in defending Key just illustrates how overrated the guy was, and how he never lived up to the draft selection.
UDFAs become successful players so b/c he wasn't drafted doesn't mean anything. Key was one of the best WRs in the league for us, he made Ray Lucas look like an NFL QB.
I have to agree with Junc. Keyshawn was great. I personally don't think he was overrated at all while he was here. He was definetely a little bitch while in N.Y. and nothing was sweeter than beating him the year after the trade, but he was no doubt a great player. There's no comparison between him and Chrebet. Chrebet would've had half the career he had, had he not been paired up with Keyshawn for those handful of years. It pains me to say it, because likability obviously goes to Chrebet, but having a Keyshawn Johnson on the other side of the field certainly helped him. Keyshawn made the biggest mistake of his career demanding to get traded out of here. He's EVEN said it. There's no telling the type of career he could've had here, instead he gets traded to the passing challenged TB, before bouncing around the league. Had he stayed with the team that showcased his talent - the Jets, he could've had a tremendous career. But of course we all know he was a little bitch and didn't see that.
Chrebet caught 66 passes as a rookie with nobody opposite him. He caught 69 passes the year Keyshawn was traded, with just a rookie Laveranues Coles opposite him. Stating that he wouldn't have had half the career he had if Keyshawn wasn't around is just flat out inaccurate. For several years he was the dynamic one of the two of them. The one likely to take a catch and make some real yards after the catch. Keyshawn was a plodding possession receiver. He was a very good plodding possession receiver but he was never a dynamic force in the Jets offense. In 2001 he went to TB and caught 106 passes with 1 TD. That has to be an NFL record of some sort. Chrebet's career did not decline because Keyshawn left town. It declined because of the concussions. You can only take so many hits to the head before things begin to breakdown and one of the unfortunate realities with Chrebet was that his head was at shoulder level for most NFL players.
Wayne was at his best and had his only PB caliber season(got snubbed in '98) w/ Key. He would have had a nice career regardless but he was never as good w/o Key.
i disagree, keyshawn was a very good receiver and ended up being an amazing blocker. i would take him any day over chrebet, they are not even in the same ballpark so far as their performance. he may be overrated because he was a number 1 pick and didnt produce like a hall of famer but he was far and away a better receiver than chrebet. as much as every short slow white guy wants to believe that chrebet could sniff his jock.
I respectfully disagree. Chrebet put up some numbers in a year or two without Keyshawn, sure, but he wouldn't have been able to do that over the long haul IMO. Keyshawn was the one with the bullseye on his back game in and game out. Part of Chrebet's success was taking advantage of the double coverages Keyshawn recieved. I'm not trying to knock Chrebet, he's one of my favorite players of all time, but he was just an average-to-good WR in this league. Keyshawn had the potential to be a great WR. That 2001 year you mention, Keyshawn had so many catches and so few TDs because they would run the ball once they got to the redzone. Key would take them down the field then they'd plow it in with the running game. Not sure how being a possession WR is an indictment on him - he was a great possession WR. It sounds harsh to say Chrebet would have had half the career without Keyshawn - but the guy had damn near 600 catches. I certainly don't think he gets over 400 without Keyshawn. Still my favorite recieving corps I've seen our Jets have. You had 2 guys that were pretty much the most opposite players and persons you could ever put together, both coming into their primes.. 1998 was a real treat to watch them
His 2 best years statistically: 1998: 75-1083, 14.4 avg., 8 TDs 2000: 69-937, 13.6, 8 TDs they look similar but in 1998 we threw the ball 532 times, in 2000 we threw it 637 times. In 1998 we had leads in most games, in 2000 we were scrambling back from big deficits in most games. Wayne was MUCH better in 1998, this is yet another example of how stats tell part of the story.
so essentially you agree with me. i wasn't comparing him to Chrebet.....only pointing out that the second someone says Johnson is overrated, others immediately go to the Chrebet comparisons in some sort of Key defense. When i bring up Holmes, no one points out 'well he is better than Kerley'. The comparisons were brought upon by Key himself, and his massive ego. The #1 overall pick was a slow footed ego-maniac possession guy without anywhere near the talent of Marvin Harrison, Randy Moss, etc...never lived up to the pick and was a disruptive force on the Jets in his early years. The best thing Key did for us was net us 2 first rounders in a very questionable move by Tampa.
Rookies who catch 66 balls tend to have really good career numbers. Just saying. I'll go look at it at some point but I'm willing to bet that first year with 60+ catches leads to a pretty good list of career results.
LaMont Jordan was way overrated, I totally agree on that one, but the rest not so much. May as well say Shonn Greene too, he was a waste. Underrated would be two defensive players I loved to watch and they were tackling machines. Kyle Clifton Victor Green
Harrison & Moss were different style receivers than Keyshawn was. Both of which played the majority of their careers in domes/warm weather.Keyshawn wasn't like that. When you play in New York you need a big physical possession guy who can attack the football through all that wind/weather & be an effective run blocker.The Jets had that in Keyshawn & they arguably haven't had it since he left.
yeah it really fucked up the tampa franchise for years. and anthony becht was sure something to write home about. so we basically got back ellis for him, a good trade but not great. fact is tampa and keyshawn johnson won the lombardi trophy in 2002, the jets won nothing. so key made out pretty well. i agree he was not a hall of fame talent, he was not a speedy receiver but he did play very well for the jets and the bucs. people underrate his ability to block and its importance. he was good for 70 to 80 receptions a year and 800 to 1000 yards receiving. i think he was a very good player and did a ton for the jets, even if he talked too much in the beginning of his career. you appear to think he was a loud mouth who sucked.
junc, sincere question that is neither mocking you nor your opinion, and nor is it really dealing with the over or under rating of a Jets player. How do you rate Antonio Cromartie next to Aaron Glenn? Honest evaluation of skills.
skill wise? Cro is as good as anyone that has played the game, his combination of speed, strength, athleticism takes a backseat to no one so I'd rate him ahead of Glenn on pure talent. Cro hasn't always played to that talent, he had a poor year in 2010, got better in 2011 and was a top CB in 2012. He's trending int he right direction, if he keeps this play up it won't be close but Glenn was a good to very good corner for us for many years so I'd still have Glenn ahead on the Jets list for now.
I was hoping you would lean that way. Aaron Glenn is one of my favorite all-time Jets, but he did have some fade games so I can sort of understand where you are coming from. For me, Cro resembles Marcus Coleman with more extensive physical talent and better instincts. But they both fall under the category of dumb as shit.
I like the comparison of Cro and Coleman though Cro has been getting better and playing at a level Coleman never played at. Cro appears to really be maturing and we need him to w/ Revis gone. I had the chance to meet Coleman when they celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Mon Night Miracle a couple of years ago. He was very nice and seemed like an intelligent guy, I don't know why he could never take advantage of his incredible physical talents.
Well, I meant football dumb, but thanks for that story, because we don't win that game without two very clutch plays by Marcus. Glad to know you got to meet him at the anniversary, I hope that both of you enjoyed that celebration.
