Yesterday's receiver rankings caused quite a stir. Surprisingly it wasn't from Bills fans upset they didn't take the top slot. It was from Dolphins fans who really, really want to be number three. I mean they REALLY want to be number three. We found out quite a bit. A lot of the comments we saw from South Florida was highly debatable, but one argument a few posters made really stood out. They didn't just say Ted Ginn was better than Jerricho Cotchery. They acted like it was obvious. Let's take a look.
When it comes to statistics, there's really not much up for debate. Cotchery wins. Jerricho had just under one reception per game more than Ginn in 2008 and more yardage. His 5 touchdown receptions were as many as the vaunted Ginn-Camarillo-Bess trio had put together. Cotchery did benefit from playing with Laveranues Coles, but remember, Miami fans would tell you how excellent Ginn's supporting cast was. Also remember how much better Ginn's quarterback was according to every Miami fan. Cotchery had a washed up Brett Favre throwing to him. Ginn had the MVP runner up. How about 2007 when Cotchery had no running game, a gimpy Coles, and spotty quarterback play? He put up an 82 reception, 1,130 yard season. Cotchery had an 82 catch year in 2006 also. While Cotch has that track record, Ginn did very little in his rookie season.
It's tough to see how Ginn rates better in the technical aspects of the position. Does he have better hands? Nope. His 6 drops put him in the top 20 for most in the league. Cotchery dropped one pass, and it was during that monsoon against Denver. Ginn's faster in a straight line, but how much does that really mean? Both players had five catches over 30 yards last season. Cotchery can't run past people, but he is athletic and strong enough to fight and win contested balls. He can contribute big plays in a different way, but the result ended up being similar. Would anybody argue that Cotchery is more adept fighting through jams and running routes? Isn't that part of the reason he had so many more receptions than Ginn? Ted may have had a higher average per reception, but one could argue that was because Cotchery was more adept getting open on the short routes. The similar numbers on big plays and different number on total catches seem to suggest this.
Cotchery is a better, more productive receiver. That's all there is to it.