True Receiving Yards, Part I

by Chase Stuart on August 15, 2013

in Statgeekery

One of many Rams greats to wear #29.

As you guys know, Neil Paine is the man. Here’s the latest reason: he came up with a metric called True Receiving Yards, the latest in a long line of thoughts in our Wide Receiver Project. So, what are True Receiving Yards?

We start with Adjusted Catch Yards, defined as 5 * Receptions + Receiving Yards + 20 * Receiving Touchdowns.

1) Then, we convert each player’s Adjusted Catch Yards to the same scale as pure receiving yards using the following formula:

Adjusted Catch Yards * League Receiving Yards / League Adjusted Catch Yards

2) Next, we adjust for how often the receiver’s team passed. We use the following formula:

[Result in Step 1] * League_Avg_Team_Pass_Attempts / Team_Pass_Attempts

For purposes of this post, Team Pass Attempts include sacks.

3) Then we adjust for the league passing environment, by using this formula:

[Result in Step 2] * by (214.54/Avg_Team_Receiving_Yards_Per_Game).

Why 214.54? Because that’s how many yards the average NFL team has passed for in each season since 1970.

4) Finally, we need to adjust for schedule length. This one’s pretty simple:

[Result in Step 2] * 16 / Team Games

As it turns out, the single-season leader in True Receiving Yards is….. Harold Jackson for the 1973 Rams. That will probably surprise some folks; heck, it surprised me. So let’s walk through Jackson’s season by comparing it to Calvin Johnson’s 2012. Jackson caught 40 passes for 874 yards and 13 touchdowns. That gives him 1,334 Adjusted Catch Yards, while Megatron’s 122-1964-5 translates to 2,674 Adjusted Catch Yards, more than twice what Jackson produced.

1) First, we need to convert those ACY numbers into receiving yards. In 1973, that conversion ratio is 65.5%, and in 2012, it was 64.5%; this means Jackson is credited with 874 receiving yards (ironically, his actual number) while Johnson is pushed down to only 1,725 yards. This is because Johnson had a ton of yards but only five touchdowns. In other words, based on his receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, Johnson was more like a 1,725-yard receiver last year.

2) Jackson’s Rams had just 288 Team Pass Attempts, while the average team in 1973 averaged 373.3 pass attempts. So we need to bump Jackson up by 29.6%, which would give him 1,132 receiving yards. The 2012 Lions had 769 Team Pass Attempts compared to a league average of 592.4; therefore, we need to give Johnson credit for only 77% of his ACY, bringing him down to 1,329 receiving yards.

3) Next, we adjust for league environment. In 1973, the average team passed for 159 yards per game, which means we need to bump Jackson up by 34.6% (the result of 214.54 divided by 159); this gives him 1,524 receiving yards. For Megatron, since the average team in 2012 passed for 246 yards per game, we need to multiply his result in step 2 by 87.2%, leaving him with only 1,159 receiving yards.

4) For Calvin Johnson, that’s it: he is credited with 1,159 True Receiving Yards, after reducing his numbers for playing in a pass-happy offense, playing in a pass-happy era, and not having many touchdowns. For Jackson, his 1,524 gets pro-rated to a 16-game season, giving him 1,742 True Receiving Yards.

The table below shows the number of True Receiving Yards for the top 200 receivers since 1970. Let’s walk through Paul Warfield’s 1971 season, #4 on the list, as an example. That year, his 43-996-11 stat line translates to 1,431 Adjusted Catch Yards. The Adjusted Receiving Yards to Receiving Yards ratio for the entire league that season was 66.6%, so that translates to 953 receiving yards for Warfield. We multiply that number by the average number of pass attempts in the league that year (392) and divide it by the number of pass attempts by Miami (318) to get 1,174 yards. Next, we multiply that by 214.54 (the average receiving yards per game over the 43-year period) and divide by 174, which represents the low-octane era of 1971; that gives us 1,449 yards. Finally, we pro-rate to 16 games, and end up with 1,656 True Receiving Yards.

Rk	Receiver	Team	Yr	Rec	Yds	TD	ACY	A/R Ratio	LgAvg_TPA	TmPass	LgAvg_RY/G	TmG	True Rec Yds
1	Harold Jackson	RAM	1973	40	874	13	1334	65.5%	373	288	159	14	1742
2	Cliff Branch	OAK	1974	60	1092	13	1652	65.6%	401	359	171	14	1732
3	Steve Smith	CAR	2005	103	1563	12	2318	64.4%	551	477	218	16	1696
4	Paul Warfield	MIA	1971	43	996	11	1431	66.6%	392	318	174	14	1656
5	Michael Irvin	DAL	1995	111	1603	10	2358	64.6%	593	512	236	16	1607
6	Randy Moss	MIN	2003	111	1632	17	2527	64%	550	562	214	16	1587
7	Marvin Harrison	IND	1999	115	1663	12	2478	64.9%	581	560	228	16	1569
8	Cliff Branch	OAK	1976	46	1111	12	1581	65.8%	403	389	173	14	1523
9	Otis Taylor	KAN	1971	57	1110	7	1535	66.6%	392	372	174	14	1518
10	Gene A. Washington	SFO	1970	53	1100	12	1605	66.2%	410	391	181	14	1511
11	Marvin Harrison	IND	2002	143	1722	11	2657	64%	577	614	227	16	1510
12	Steve Smith	CAR	2008	78	1421	6	1931	64.4%	549	434	224	16	1506
13	Jerry Rice	SFO	1994	112	1499	13	2319	64.8%	571	546	227	16	1483
14	Roger Carr	BAL	1976	43	1112	11	1547	65.8%	403	391	173	14	1482
15	Roddy White	ATL	2008	88	1382	7	1962	64.4%	549	451	224	16	1473
16	Jerry Rice	SFO	1993	98	1503	15	2293	64.9%	552	559	215	16	1466
17	Ken Burrough	HOU	1975	53	1063	8	1488	65.7%	418	374	183	14	1465
18	John Stallworth	PIT	1984	80	1395	11	2015	66%	559	478	228	16	1461
19	Brandon Marshall	CHI	2012	118	1508	11	2318	64.5%	592	529	246	16	1460
20	Wes Chandler	SDG	1982	49	1032	9	1457	65.9%	307	350	221	9	1457
21	John Gilliam	MIN	1973	42	907	8	1277	65.5%	373	330	159	14	1455
22	Jerry Rice	SFO	1989	82	1483	17	2233	66.5%	552	528	229	16	1455
23	Gary Clark	WAS	1991	70	1340	10	1890	65.7%	534	456	215	16	1453
24	Jimmy Smith	JAX	1999	116	1636	6	2336	64.9%	581	571	228	16	1450
25	Terrell Owens	SFO	2001	93	1412	16	2197	64.5%	561	532	221	16	1449
26	Eddie Brown	CIN	1988	53	1273	9	1718	66.4%	542	422	218	16	1441
27	Yancey Thigpen	PIT	1997	79	1398	7	1933	65.1%	566	486	219	16	1432
28	Jerry Rice	SFO	1995	122	1848	15	2758	64.6%	593	677	236	16	1421
29	David Boston	ARI	2001	98	1598	8	2248	64.5%	561	555	221	16	1421
30	Santana Moss	WAS	2005	84	1483	9	2083	64.4%	551	512	218	16	1420
31	Randy Moss	MIN	2000	77	1437	15	2122	64.7%	566	530	222	16	1417
32	Marvin Harrison	IND	2001	109	1524	15	2369	64.5%	561	587	221	16	1416
33	Herman Moore	DET	1995	123	1686	14	2581	64.6%	593	637	236	16	1413
34	Sterling Sharpe	GNB	1992	108	1461	13	2261	65.3%	520	570	205	16	1406
35	Mel Gray	STL	1975	48	926	11	1386	65.7%	418	363	183	14	1406
36	Michael Irvin	DAL	1991	93	1523	8	2148	65.7%	534	538	215	16	1399
37	Fred Biletnikoff	OAK	1971	61	929	9	1414	66.6%	392	372	174	14	1399
38	Nat Moore	MIA	1977	52	765	12	1265	65.9%	384	347	162	14	1393
39	Torry Holt	STL	2003	117	1696	12	2521	64%	550	643	214	16	1384
40	Bob Hayes	DAL	1970	34	889	10	1259	66.2%	410	336	181	14	1379
41	Randy Moss	NWE	2007	98	1493	23	2443	63.7%	567	607	228	16	1367
42	Isaac Bruce	STL	1995	119	1781	13	2636	64.6%	593	675	236	16	1362
43	Stanley Morgan	NWE	1982	28	584	3	784	65.9%	307	202	221	9	1358
44	Michael Irvin	DAL	1993	88	1330	7	1910	64.9%	552	504	215	16	1354
45	Rod Smith	DEN	2001	113	1343	11	2128	64.5%	561	553	221	16	1350
46	Lee Evans	BUF	2006	82	1292	8	1862	64.4%	549	478	219	16	1347
47	Rod Smith	DEN	2000	100	1602	8	2262	64.7%	566	599	222	16	1336
48	Wesley Walker	NYJ	1978	48	1169	8	1569	66.1%	459	431	178	16	1335
49	Andre Johnson	HOU	2008	115	1575	8	2310	64.4%	549	587	224	16	1332
50	Drew Hill	HOU	1988	72	1141	10	1701	66.4%	542	452	218	16	1332
51	Jerry Rice	SFO	1986	86	1570	15	2300	66.1%	560	608	226	16	1330
52	Michael Irvin	DAL	1992	78	1396	7	1926	65.3%	520	514	205	16	1328
53	Dick Gordon	CHI	1970	71	1026	13	1641	66.2%	410	455	181	14	1328
54	Art Monk	WAS	1984	106	1372	7	2042	66%	559	533	228	16	1328
55	Reggie Wayne	IND	2007	104	1510	10	2230	63.7%	567	574	228	16	1320
56	Marvin Harrison	IND	2000	102	1413	14	2203	64.7%	566	591	222	16	1319
57	Isaac Curtis	CIN	1973	45	843	9	1248	65.5%	373	356	159	14	1318
58	Eric Moulds	BUF	1998	67	1368	9	1883	65.1%	557	502	221	16	1318
59	Sterling Sharpe	GNB	1993	112	1274	11	2054	64.9%	552	558	215	16	1315
60	Henry Ellard	RAM	1988	86	1414	10	2044	66.4%	542	550	218	16	1315
61	Randy Vataha	NWE	1971	51	872	9	1307	66.6%	392	366	174	14	1314
62	Michael Irvin	DAL	1994	79	1241	6	1756	64.8%	571	468	227	16	1310
63	Chad Johnson	CIN	2005	97	1432	9	2097	64.4%	551	559	218	16	1309
64	Hines Ward	PIT	2005	69	975	11	1540	64.4%	551	411	218	16	1308
65	Cliff Branch	OAK	1975	51	893	9	1328	65.7%	418	376	183	14	1301
66	Joe Horn	NOR	2000	94	1340	8	1970	64.7%	566	536	222	16	1300
67	Derrick Mason	TEN	2003	95	1303	8	1938	64%	550	527	214	16	1298
68	Muhsin Muhammad	CAR	2004	93	1405	16	2190	64.5%	548	569	225	16	1297
69	Charley Taylor	WAS	1972	49	673	7	1058	66.2%	376	295	169	14	1296
70	Andre Reed	BUF	1989	88	1312	9	1932	66.5%	552	513	229	16	1296
71	James Scott	CHI	1977	50	809	3	1119	65.9%	384	331	162	14	1292
72	Cris Carter	MIN	2000	96	1274	9	1934	64.7%	566	530	222	16	1291
73	Andre Johnson	HOU	2012	112	1598	4	2238	64.5%	592	582	246	16	1282
74	Terrell Owens	SFO	2000	97	1451	13	2196	64.7%	566	608	222	16	1278
75	Lynn Swann	PIT	1978	61	880	11	1405	66.1%	459	405	178	16	1272
76	Chad Johnson	CIN	2003	90	1355	10	2005	64%	550	557	214	16	1271
77	Hines Ward	PIT	2002	112	1329	12	2129	64%	577	585	227	16	1270
78	Hines Ward	PIT	2004	80	1004	4	1484	64.5%	548	394	225	16	1269
79	Jerry Rice	SFO	1990	100	1502	13	2262	65.7%	521	620	211	16	1268
80	Mike Quick	PHI	1983	69	1409	13	2014	65.8%	545	543	225	16	1267
81	Robert Brooks	GNB	1995	102	1497	13	2267	64.6%	593	626	236	16	1263
82	Herman Moore	DET	1994	72	1173	11	1753	64.8%	571	485	227	16	1262
83	Jerry Rice	SFO	1992	84	1201	10	1821	65.3%	520	512	205	16	1261
84	Terrell Owens	DAL	2007	81	1355	15	2060	63.7%	567	556	228	16	1258
85	Randy Moss	MIN	1998	69	1313	17	1998	65.1%	557	558	221	16	1258
86	Marvin Harrison	IND	2006	95	1366	12	2081	64.4%	549	572	219	16	1258
87	Randy Moss	MIN	1999	80	1413	11	2033	64.9%	581	573	228	16	1258
88	Joey Galloway	TAM	2005	83	1287	10	1902	64.4%	551	528	218	16	1257
89	Tim Brown	RAI	1994	89	1309	9	1934	64.8%	571	538	227	16	1255
90	Drew Pearson	DAL	1974	62	1087	2	1437	65.6%	401	432	171	14	1252
91	Isaac Bruce	STL	1996	84	1338	7	1898	64.6%	569	538	222	16	1252
92	Harold Carmichael	PHI	1978	55	1072	8	1507	66.1%	459	442	178	16	1250
93	Mark Clayton	MIA	1984	73	1389	18	2114	66%	559	586	228	16	1250
94	Charlie Brown	WAS	1982	32	690	8	1010	65.9%	307	283	221	9	1249
95	Dwight Clark	SFO	1982	60	913	5	1313	65.9%	307	368	221	9	1248
96	Roy Green	STL	1983	78	1227	14	1897	65.8%	545	519	225	16	1248
97	Charlie Joiner	SDG	1976	50	1056	7	1446	65.8%	403	434	173	14	1248
98	Gene A. Washington	SFO	1972	46	918	12	1388	66.2%	376	402	169	14	1248
99	Lynn Swann	PIT	1975	49	781	11	1246	65.7%	418	368	183	14	1247
100	Anquan Boldin	ARI	2003	101	1377	8	2042	64%	550	578	214	16	1247
101	Tim Brown	OAK	1997	104	1408	5	2028	65.1%	566	587	219	16	1244
102	John Gilliam	MIN	1972	47	1035	7	1410	66.2%	376	411	169	14	1240
103	Antonio Freeman	GNB	1997	81	1243	12	1888	65.1%	566	549	219	16	1239
104	Terance Mathis	ATL	1998	64	1136	11	1676	65.1%	557	477	221	16	1235
105	Willie Gault	RAI	1990	50	985	3	1295	65.7%	521	365	211	16	1233
106	Roy Green	STL	1984	78	1555	12	2185	66%	559	615	228	16	1231
107	Ken Burrough	HOU	1977	43	816	8	1191	65.9%	384	370	162	14	1230
108	Jimmy Smith	JAX	2001	112	1373	8	2093	64.5%	561	597	221	16	1230
109	Stanley Morgan	NWE	1986	84	1491	10	2111	66.1%	560	604	226	16	1229
110	Paul Warfield	MIA	1973	29	514	11	879	65.5%	373	269	159	14	1229
111	Andre Johnson	HOU	2009	101	1569	9	2254	64.3%	567	618	232	16	1227
112	Steve Smith	CAR	2003	88	1110	7	1690	64%	550	486	214	16	1227
113	Keyshawn Johnson	NYJ	1999	89	1170	8	1775	64.9%	581	513	228	16	1227
114	Brandon Marshall	DEN	2007	102	1325	7	1975	63.7%	567	547	228	16	1226
115	Lynn Swann	PIT	1977	50	789	7	1179	65.9%	384	368	162	14	1225
116	Herman Moore	DET	1997	104	1293	8	1973	65.1%	566	581	219	16	1223
117	Laveranues Coles	NYJ	2002	89	1264	5	1809	64%	577	517	227	16	1221
118	Rich Caster	NYJ	1972	39	833	10	1228	66.2%	376	364	169	14	1219
119	Jerry Rice	SFO	1987	65	1078	22	1843	65.6%	521	530	224	15	1218
120	Charlie Brown	WAS	1983	78	1225	8	1775	65.8%	545	498	225	16	1217
121	Antonio Freeman	GNB	1998	84	1424	14	2124	65.1%	557	614	221	16	1216
122	Tim Brown	OAK	2000	76	1128	11	1728	64.7%	566	503	222	16	1216
123	Gary Garrison	SDG	1970	44	1006	12	1466	66.2%	410	444	181	14	1215
124	Wes Welker	NWE	2011	122	1569	9	2359	65.1%	581	644	245	16	1214
125	Harold Jackson	PHI	1972	62	1048	4	1438	66.2%	376	428	169	14	1214
126	Torry Holt	STL	2000	82	1635	6	2165	64.7%	566	631	222	16	1214
127	Wes Chandler	NOR	1979	65	1069	6	1514	66%	501	445	199	16	1214
128	Jimmy Smith	JAX	1998	78	1182	8	1732	65.1%	557	502	221	16	1213
129	Herman Moore	DET	1996	106	1296	9	2006	64.6%	569	587	222	16	1212
130	Terrell Owens	SFO	2002	100	1300	13	2060	64%	577	593	227	16	1212
131	Jerry Rice	SFO	1991	80	1206	14	1886	65.7%	534	546	215	16	1211
132	Braylon Edwards	CLE	2007	80	1289	16	2009	63.7%	567	564	228	16	1210
133	Brett Perriman	DET	1995	108	1488	9	2208	64.6%	593	637	236	16	1209
134	Roddy White	ATL	2010	115	1389	10	2164	64.2%	575	600	236	16	1209
135	Steve Largent	SEA	1978	71	1168	8	1683	66.1%	459	511	178	16	1208
136	Joe Horn	NOR	2004	94	1399	11	2089	64.5%	548	583	225	16	1207
137	Cris Carter	MIN	1999	90	1241	13	1951	64.9%	581	573	228	16	1207
138	Rod Smith	DEN	1998	86	1222	6	1772	65.1%	557	516	221	16	1207
139	Dwayne Bowe	KAN	2010	72	1162	15	1822	64.2%	575	507	236	16	1204
140	Chad Johnson	CIN	2006	87	1369	7	1944	64.4%	549	559	219	16	1203
141	Art Monk	WAS	1991	71	1049	8	1564	65.7%	534	456	215	16	1202
142	Tony Martin	ATL	1998	66	1181	6	1631	65.1%	557	477	221	16	1202
143	Nat Moore	MIA	1975	40	705	4	985	65.7%	418	302	183	14	1201
144	Jimmy Smith	JAX	1997	82	1324	4	1814	65.1%	566	544	219	16	1201
145	Troy Brown	NWE	2001	101	1199	5	1804	64.5%	561	528	221	16	1198
146	Marlin Briscoe	BUF	1970	57	1036	8	1481	66.2%	410	455	181	14	1198
147	Tim Brown	OAK	1995	89	1342	10	1987	64.6%	593	579	236	16	1197
148	Bob Chandler	BUF	1976	61	824	10	1329	65.8%	403	416	173	14	1197
149	Harold Carmichael	PHI	1973	67	1116	9	1631	65.5%	373	513	159	14	1196
150	Michael Crabtree	SFO	2012	85	1105	9	1710	64.5%	592	477	246	16	1195
151	Ken Burrow	ATL	1971	33	741	6	1026	66.6%	392	316	174	14	1195
152	Tim Brown	OAK	1999	90	1344	6	1914	64.9%	581	569	228	16	1192
153	Eric Martin	NOR	1992	68	1041	5	1481	65.3%	520	441	205	16	1191
154	Todd Christensen	RAI	1983	92	1247	12	1947	65.8%	545	559	225	16	1190
155	John Stallworth	PIT	1977	44	784	7	1144	65.9%	384	368	162	14	1188
156	Terrell Owens	DAL	2006	85	1180	13	1865	64.4%	549	543	219	16	1188
157	Cris Carter	MIN	1995	122	1371	17	2321	64.6%	593	682	236	16	1187
158	Chad Johnson	CIN	2007	93	1440	8	2065	63.7%	567	592	228	16	1185
159	Calvin Johnson	DET	2008	78	1331	12	1961	64.4%	549	561	224	16	1183
160	Ed McCaffrey	DEN	2000	101	1317	9	2002	64.7%	566	599	222	16	1183
161	Carl Pickens	CIN	1995	99	1234	17	2069	64.6%	593	611	236	16	1181
162	Rob Moore	ARI	1997	97	1584	8	2229	65.1%	566	680	219	16	1181
163	Rod Smith	DEN	2005	85	1105	6	1650	64.4%	551	488	218	16	1180
164	Ron Shanklin	PIT	1973	30	711	10	1061	65.5%	373	339	159	14	1177
165	Henry Ellard	RAM	1989	70	1382	8	1892	66.5%	552	555	229	16	1173
166	Calvin Johnson	DET	2011	96	1681	16	2481	65.1%	581	702	245	16	1172
167	Marvin Harrison	IND	2005	82	1146	12	1796	64.4%	551	535	218	16	1172
168	Jerry Rice	SFO	1996	108	1254	8	1954	64.6%	569	592	222	16	1171
169	Isaac Bruce	STL	2000	87	1471	9	2086	64.7%	566	631	222	16	1170
170	A.J. Green	CIN	2012	97	1350	11	2055	64.5%	592	586	246	16	1169
171	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	2007	100	1409	10	2109	63.7%	567	614	228	16	1167
172	Marvin Harrison	IND	2003	94	1272	10	1942	64%	550	588	214	16	1166
173	Amani Toomer	NYG	2002	82	1343	8	1913	64%	577	573	227	16	1165
174	Antonio Gates	SDG	2004	81	964	13	1629	64.5%	548	471	225	16	1165
175	Jerry Rice	SFO	1988	64	1306	9	1806	66.4%	542	549	218	16	1164
176	John Stallworth	PIT	1979	70	1183	8	1693	66%	501	519	199	16	1164
177	Rod Smith	DEN	1997	70	1180	12	1770	65.1%	566	548	219	16	1163
178	Andre Johnson	HOU	2006	103	1147	5	1762	64.4%	549	524	219	16	1163
179	Henry Ellard	WAS	1994	74	1397	6	1887	64.8%	571	567	227	16	1162
180	Jeff Graham	CHI	1995	82	1301	4	1791	64.6%	593	538	236	16	1161
181	Reggie Wayne	IND	2006	86	1310	9	1920	64.4%	549	572	219	16	1161
182	Randy Moss	MIN	2002	106	1347	7	2017	64%	577	607	227	16	1160
183	Calvin Johnson	DET	2012	122	1964	5	2674	64.5%	592	769	246	16	1159
184	Kevin House	TAM	1981	56	1176	9	1636	66.4%	543	492	223	16	1155
185	Steve Smith	CAR	2011	79	1394	7	1929	65.1%	581	554	245	16	1154
186	Harold Jackson	RAM	1975	43	786	7	1141	65.7%	418	364	183	14	1154
187	Ron Jessie	RAM	1976	34	779	6	1069	65.8%	403	347	173	14	1154
188	Warren Wells	OAK	1970	43	935	11	1370	66.2%	410	437	181	14	1154
189	Charley Taylor	WAS	1973	59	801	7	1236	65.5%	373	403	159	14	1153
190	Mervyn Fernandez	RAI	1989	57	1069	9	1534	66.5%	552	458	229	16	1152
191	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	2012	94	1434	10	2104	64.5%	592	609	246	16	1151
192	Kevin Johnson	CLE	2001	84	1097	9	1697	64.5%	561	517	221	16	1151
193	Andre Rison	ATL	1993	86	1242	15	1972	64.9%	552	613	215	16	1150
194	Joe Horn	NOR	2002	88	1312	7	1892	64%	577	575	227	16	1148
195	Marvin Harrison	IND	2004	86	1113	15	1843	64.5%	548	541	225	16	1148
196	Steve Watson	DEN	1981	60	1244	13	1804	66.4%	543	546	223	16	1147
197	Chad Johnson	CIN	2004	95	1274	9	1929	64.5%	548	567	225	16	1146
198	Andre Reed	BUF	1994	90	1303	8	1913	64.8%	571	583	227	16	1146
199	James Lofton	GNB	1984	62	1361	7	1811	66%	559	548	228	16	1145
200	Steve Largent	SEA	1986	70	1070	9	1600	66.1%	560	492	226	16	1144

Cliff Branch teamed with Ken Stabler for two top-ten seasons in three years in the mid-’70s. Steve Smith checks in with the third best season since 1970 and three other top-200 seasons, but that’s not too surprising to regular readers. Jimmy Smith also has four top-200 seasons, but that’s also not too surprising. Paul Warfield, another frequently-profiled wideout at Football Perspective, has a top-five season. Jerry Rice has eleven top-200 seasons, which is pretty freakin’ ridiculous. Marvin Harrison (8), Randy Moss (6), Michael Irvin (5),Terrell Owens (5), Rod Smith (5), Tim Brown (5), and Chad Johnson (5) are the only other receivers with five top-200 seasons since the merger. As for Harold Jackson, he had just two other top-200 seasons, although impressively he pulled off that trick in back-to-back seasons for different teams. On an unrelated note, Jackson is one of several great players to wear #29 for the Rams (along with Eric Dickerson, Tommy McDonald, and Del Shofner).

Finally, let’s close with a look at the single-season leaders in True Receiving Yards back to 1970.

Yr	Receiver	Team	Rec	Yds	TD	ACY	A/R Ratio	LgAvgP	TmPass	lg_rec_ypg	TmG	True Rec Yds
2012	Brandon Marshall	CHI	118	1508	11	2318	64.5%	592	529	246	16	1460
2011	Wes Welker	NWE	122	1569	9	2359	65.1%	581	644	245	16	1214
2010	Roddy White	ATL	115	1389	10	2164	64.2%	575	600	236	16	1209
2009	Andre Johnson	HOU	101	1569	9	2254	64.3%	567	618	232	16	1227
2008	Steve Smith	CAR	78	1421	6	1931	64.4%	549	434	224	16	1506
2007	Randy Moss	NWE	98	1493	23	2443	63.7%	567	607	228	16	1367
2006	Lee Evans	BUF	82	1292	8	1862	64.4%	549	478	219	16	1347
2005	Steve Smith	CAR	103	1563	12	2318	64.4%	551	477	218	16	1696
2004	Muhsin Muhammad	CAR	93	1405	16	2190	64.5%	548	569	225	16	1297
2003	Randy Moss	MIN	111	1632	17	2527	64%	550	562	214	16	1587
2002	Marvin Harrison	IND	143	1722	11	2657	64%	577	614	227	16	1510
2001	Terrell Owens	SFO	93	1412	16	2197	64.5%	561	532	221	16	1449
2000	Randy Moss	MIN	77	1437	15	2122	64.7%	566	530	222	16	1417
1999	Marvin Harrison	IND	115	1663	12	2478	64.9%	581	560	228	16	1569
1998	Eric Moulds	BUF	67	1368	9	1883	65.1%	557	502	221	16	1318
1997	Yancey Thigpen	PIT	79	1398	7	1933	65.1%	566	486	219	16	1432
1996	Isaac Bruce	STL	84	1338	7	1898	64.6%	569	538	222	16	1252
1995	Michael Irvin	DAL	111	1603	10	2358	64.6%	593	512	236	16	1607
1994	Jerry Rice	SFO	112	1499	13	2319	64.8%	571	546	227	16	1483
1993	Jerry Rice	SFO	98	1503	15	2293	64.9%	552	559	215	16	1466
1992	Sterling Sharpe	GNB	108	1461	13	2261	65.3%	520	570	205	16	1406
1991	Gary Clark	WAS	70	1340	10	1890	65.7%	534	456	215	16	1453
1990	Jerry Rice	SFO	100	1502	13	2262	65.7%	521	620	211	16	1268
1989	Jerry Rice	SFO	82	1483	17	2233	66.5%	552	528	229	16	1455
1988	Eddie Brown	CIN	53	1273	9	1718	66.4%	542	422	218	16	1441
1987	Jerry Rice	SFO	65	1078	22	1843	65.6%	521	530	224	15	1218
1986	Jerry Rice	SFO	86	1570	15	2300	66.1%	560	608	226	16	1330
1985	Louis Lipps	PIT	59	1134	12	1669	66.3%	562	545	227	16	1080
1984	John Stallworth	PIT	80	1395	11	2015	66%	559	478	228	16	1461
1983	Mike Quick	PHI	69	1409	13	2014	65.8%	545	543	225	16	1267
1982	Wes Chandler	SDG	49	1032	9	1457	65.9%	307	350	221	9	1457
1981	Kevin House	TAM	56	1176	9	1636	66.4%	543	492	223	16	1155
1980	John Jefferson	SDG	82	1340	13	2010	65.5%	526	626	214	16	1108
1979	Wes Chandler	NOR	65	1069	6	1514	66%	501	445	199	16	1214
1978	Wesley Walker	NYJ	48	1169	8	1569	66.1%	459	431	178	16	1335
1977	Nat Moore	MIA	52	765	12	1265	65.9%	384	347	162	14	1393
1976	Cliff Branch	OAK	46	1111	12	1581	65.8%	403	389	173	14	1523
1975	Ken Burrough	HOU	53	1063	8	1488	65.7%	418	374	183	14	1465
1974	Cliff Branch	OAK	60	1092	13	1652	65.6%	401	359	171	14	1732
1973	Harold Jackson	RAM	40	874	13	1334	65.5%	373	288	159	14	1742
1972	Charley Taylor	WAS	49	673	7	1058	66.2%	376	295	169	14	1296
1971	Paul Warfield	MIA	43	996	11	1431	66.6%	392	318	174	14	1656
1970	Gene A. Washington	SFO	53	1100	12	1605	66.2%	410	391	181	14	1511

Tagged as: Calvin Johnson, Cliff Branch, Harold Jackson, Jimmy Smith, Steve Smith, WR Project, WR Ranking Systems

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