Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
In an effort to decide which team will win the NFC South in 2013, I’ve decided to rank the four players in the division at each of the 11 positions on offense, 11 on defense, punter, place kicker, and one specialist. Each team will have one representative at each position and will be given points based on where their player lands in relation to the others who play the same position in the division. The best player in the division will receive four points while the worst will receive just one. We will then tally the points up, and come up with the a ranking of the four teams in the NFC South.
Now we take a look at each team’s second wide receiver.
#1 – Roddy White – Atlanta Falcons – 4 points
Roddy White probably would have been 2nd or 3rd in the top receiver category, so his place atop this one is a no brainer. The guy is immensely talented and has shown it throughout his entire career in Atlanta. He has had the occasional bouts with the dropsies, but all in all, he’s a stud. Kind of just wish he wasn’t such a loony.
#2 – Mike Williams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 3 points
Originally, this was a tie with Moore. But after realizing that Williams and Moore are so similar, and Williams did it on his own before Jackson, and with a QB like Josh Freeman rather than Drew Brees, Williams leapt ahead of Moore relatively easily. The skill that Mike Williams has that almost no one in the NFL can match is his foot work along the sidelines. It seems like every single game there is a play that in real-time he looks way out-of-bounds, but when slowed down he’s in, with room to spare. With Vincent Jackson‘s dominance a year ago, Williams has a good shot to have a monster year, he might be playing for a new contract too.
#3 – Lance Moore – New Orleans Saints – 2 points
Lance Moore has been excellent in his time in New Orleans. But if you stuck him on a team without a top five quarterback, he’s probably the average run of the mill wide receiver. You can’t deny the success he’s had, and he’s become a fantasy darling for many, but his talent simply doesn’t match the output. He’s not great at anything, but there’s also nothing a WR needs to do that he can’t. Stats say he should be higher, brains say no way.
#4 – Brandon LaFell – Carolina Panthers – 1 point
With LaFell there are flashes of brilliance, but there are also far too many flashes of “where did Brandon LaFell go today?” Far too inconsistent to even take a shot at the third spot on this list, and in backing up the declining Steve Smith, Cam Newton‘s target options is not always the best. He certainly seems to be talented enough to be a threat, but he’s never been able to show it on a week in and week out basis.
The rankings are now complete. Be sure to check out the NFC South Position Rankings roundup to see point totals and observations based on the rankings.
Offense – QB | RB | WR1 | WR2 | TE | LT | LG | C | RG | RT | X
Defense – LDE | LDT | RDT | RDE | SLB | MLB | WLB | CB1 | CB2 | SS | FS