Where did Coles lose us?

[villain_the_foe]

That drop was horrendous, but they've all done it. Remember Chrebet trying to jump over a defender and fumbling so he could break his fall, very stupid play from a smart player, it happens.

Coles is a second tier guy, but so was Chrebet and Freeman and many of our other "darlings", I just was wondering when Coles went from tough gritty player, to whipping post. lol

Yeah, very stupid play by Chrebet. However, we have to remember that we would only be upset at Chrebet for only a week because the following week he'd make it up with a TD, five 3rd down converstions and a catch for a long gain in a tide shifting situation.

Now honestly, is Coles doing that?

Straight up, Coles is nice...but very inconsistent & streaky and also tends to disappear all together in some games (but often enough to recognize). Remember, Chrebet had Chad for a QB too you know (to be fair, Chrebet's stats did go down significantly under Chad, but Chrebet still maintained his excellence as a go-to-guy on 3rd down. His presense was still impactful).

I hope that im not treating Coles like a whooping post (lol) given that he's a Jet...but as fans, were ready to root for winners. When you get a chance to catch a big pass like that in a situation where you can be the hero and keep our chances alive by making the playoffs and possibly striking gold, then you have to make the catch. But he couldnt make the catch...and more importantly, he couldnt go out the following weeks and have us forgetting about that dropped catch by turning it on.

Sometimes you have to check a dude you know while he's at the docks and the team that he caught 3 TD's on and we scored a total of 56 points on are about to play in the Super Bowl in 3 days (Cardinals).

Oh, and what has the sports world been talking about the past 2 weeks? How Larry Fitzgerald has been turning it on...with his ridiculous jump cathing football catches over 2 defenders for Touchdowns....every game.

Yes, Quarterbacks make Wide Receivers better, but that works both ways my G.

Life sucks...I know.

[kelticwizard]

However, we have to remember that we would only be upset at Chrebet for only a week because the following week he'd make it up with a TD, five 3rd down converstions and a catch for a long gain in a tide shifting situation.

Now honestly, is Coles doing that?

Yes. After the Seattle game Coles took a little pass against Miami and ripped off a long TD run, as well as made several other good plays. Coles came to play against Miami, I don't know about others.

Coles has made the tough catch time after time. When I first saw Coles play I just assumed he was about 6'2" or so because he always outwrestled the cornerback for the ball. Almost every time. If there is a legit complaint against Coles, it is that the last year and a half he does not get the tough ball as much as he used to. I don't know if age has slowed the reflexes that allowed him to outmaneuver his defender so consistently, or what it is, but that seems to be the only bad thing about him I've noticed.

Please don't compare Chrebet with Coles. Chrebet won a little place in every Jet fan's heart by being the underdog who made the team and would sometimes shine, but at no time was he ever the threat at the WR position that Coles was throughout his career.

....as fans, were ready to root for winners. When you get a chance to catch a big pass like that in a situation where you can be the hero and keep our chances alive by making the playoffs and possibly striking gold, then you have to make the catch. But he couldnt make the catch...

Up to now you've made several excellent posts but here you are beginning to lose credit by dwelling on one play when claiming to evaluate a guy's whole career. Yes, Favre hit him perfectly. Yes, the professional play was to catch the ball cleanly. Yes, he didn't make the play, and it was a critical play at a critical time. It was still one play in one game. And I might point out that Coles was open several times in that same game and Favre missed him. One reason that play hurts is that it seemed to be the only good play that Favre made all day . But we are supposed to be talking about a guy's whole career here.

[kelticwizard]

Just like to add one thing. Chad Johnson has only one year less than Coles and he averages 1100 yards a year. Coles averages 900 yards. Johnson had Carson Palmer throwing to him, Coles had Chad.

Now do you honestly think that if Coles had a different QB with a different style from Chad, (let alone a bomb thrower like Palmer), that Coles wouldn't have caught a couple of 50 yarders a year that he didn't get from Chad? One 50 yarder every eight games-does that sound unreasonable? Because if he had those infrequent bombs Coles would be averaging 1000 yards a season to Johnson's 1100.

I don't want to take away from Johnson's career by "coulda-woulda", I don't believe in that and I concede that Johnson is the better receiver. But Johnson has played with the QB who loves to throw the bomb, and Coles has played with a QB least likely to throw the bomb, and how far is Coles behind Johnson? Not very.

[Sperm Edwards]

Just like to add one thing. Chad Johnson has only one year less than Coles and he averages 1100 yards a year. Coles averages 900 yards. Johnson had Carson Palmer throwing to him, Coles had Chad.

Now do you honestly think that if Coles had a different QB with a different style from Chad, (let alone a bomb thrower like Palmer), that Coles wouldn't have caught a couple of 50 yarders a year that he didn't get from Chad? One 50 yarder every eight games-does that sound unreasonable? Because if he had those infrequent bombs Coles would be averaging 1000 yards a season to Johnson's 1100.

I don't want to take away from Johnson's career by "coulda-woulda", I don't believe in that and I concede that Johnson is the better receiver. But Johnson has played with the QB who loves to throw the bomb, and Coles has played with a QB least likely to throw the bomb, and how far is Coles behind Johnson? Not very.

Are you serious?

First off, Johnson's first two seasons as full-time starter - including his first of 5 consecutive pro bowl seasons - were with Jon Kitna at QB, not Carson Palmer. His 3rd season he had Palmer -- as a rookie, and don't think for a moment his early mediocrity wasn't due in large part to having Johnson as his primary WR.

This past year he was injured and Ryan Fitzpatrick was the QB for 3/4 of the year (3 or his 4 games against Baltimore, Tennessee, and the Giants). The other 12 games his QB threw a combined 9 TD's (that was further aided by a RB corps that scored 2 TD's over that span as well).

He's had 3 seasons in his career with a non-rookie Carson Palmer, and in those 3 seasons his worst year statistically was 2006 when he led the NFL in receiving yards.

Lastly, you're making some kind of relative equivalence between over 1100 yards and 900 yards, as though the difference is insignificant. One of them is a baseline for a starting pro bowl WR. The other is the baseline for a good #2 WR. One has been averaging 15 yards per catch. The other has struggled to average 12 yards per catch for 5 years and counting.

Chad Johnson is a silly clown and I can't imagine what kind of headache he is for a HC. But as far as the better WR, they aren't in the same class of player.

[villain_the_foe]

Yes. After the Seattle game Coles took a little pass against Miami and ripped off a long TD run, as well as made several other good plays. Coles came to play against Miami, I don't know about others.

Coles has made the tough catch time after time. When I first saw Coles play I just assumed he was about 6'2" or so because he always outwrestled the cornerback for the ball. Almost every time. If there is a legit complaint against Coles, it is that the last year and a half he does not get the tough ball as much as he used to. I don't know if age has slowed the reflexes that allowed him to outmaneuver his defender so consistently, or what it is, but that seems to be the only bad thing about him I've noticed.

Please don't compare Chrebet with Coles. Chrebet won a little place in every Jet fan's heart by being the underdog who made the team and would sometimes shine, but at no time was he ever the threat at the WR position that Coles was throughout his career.

Up to now you've made several excellent posts but here you are beginning to lose credit by dwelling on one play when claiming to evaluate a guy's whole career. Yes, Favre hit him perfectly. Yes, the professional play was to catch the ball cleanly. Yes, he didn't make the play, and it was a critical play at a critical time. It was still one play in one game. And I might point out that Coles was open several times in that same game and Favre missed him. One reason that play hurts is that it seemed to be the only good play that Favre made all day . But we are supposed to be talking about a guy's whole career here.

Very respected post. You have some points that must be considered. Coles did have 4 catches for 88 yards and a TD against Miami during that last game. However, let me just express my concern with the inconsistency with Coles. You state that I've had several excellent post but Im losing credit by dwelling on one play....which you're right. Let me get into depth about what i mean about Mr. Coles.

Outside of that one play these are his stats in games that he basically disappeared in.

Wk 1 against Miami- 1 catch for 5yds

Wk 9 against Buffalo- 3 catches for 40yds (2 drops in this game)

wk 10 against St. Louis- 1 catch for 14yds

wk 11 against New England- 5 catches 38yds

wk 13 against Denver- 2 catches for 2yds

wk 14 against San Fran- 1 catch for 5yds

Wk 16 against Seattle- 5 catches for 60yds <<<This is the game where he dropped that crucial catch that could have kept our hopes alive for a playoff birth.

Now to explain my point of view. Look at the first 8 weeks of the season. Coles only had really one "bad" game which was in week one. He also had his best game of the year in the first half of the season against the Cards with 8 catches for 105 yds and 3tds.

Now look at the second half of the season... He has 6 games where his performance was either pretty bad or he made crucial mistakes at crucial moments. You see, i'm not picking on Coles because of this one dropped catch in an important football game. I'm confronting the situation because he has basically declined in the second half of the season...which in my opinion is the most important half of the season.

Coles, only had one game with 100+ yards which was against the Cards. Coles only had one game with multiple TD's this year which was against the Cards. Coles have had 2 game, 3 game and 4 game stretches this year (separately) of not catching a TD in a game. Coles had a total of 11 games where he did not catch a TD. Coles had a total of 15 games where he didnt accumulate atleast 100yds catching (not to say that he's supposed to get 100+ every week, but to be a #1 WR and to only get one 100+ Yd game out of a season is horrible...plain and simple). Coles had 6 games this year where he had 3 or less catches in a game. Coles had 6 games of accumulating 40 or less yards for the football game. Coles had 6 games where he averaged less than 10yds per catch. Coles only has 1 TD against our division rivals (thats a total of 6 games). Out of the 6 division games that we've played, Coles had only 2 games with 80yds or better (avg for those 2 games are 85yds a game and 1 TD),...now the other 4 division games Coles is averaging a horrible 38yds per game and 0 TD's.

I could go more indepth, but this isnt about a "wrong, right" thing. As I said, I understand your view. Im not saying that I hate Coles. I would like him to stay actually. I was simply answering the original question on why Coles is getting the backlash from the fans. Its because of his performance...or lack there of.

Almost forgot, I shouldnt compare Chrebet to Coles. Chrebet overacheived and won over the hearts of every Jet fan that I know...Coles is a third round pick and has in my opinion underacheived in reflection to his potential. Simply my opinion.

[villain_the_foe]

Are you serious?

First off, Johnson's first two seasons as full-time starter - including his first of 5 consecutive pro bowl seasons - were with Jon Kitna at QB, not Carson Palmer. His 3rd season he had Palmer -- as a rookie, and don't think for a moment his early mediocrity wasn't due in large part to having Johnson as his primary WR.

This past year he was injured and Ryan Fitzpatrick was the QB for 3/4 of the year (3 or his 4 games against Baltimore, Tennessee, and the Giants). The other 12 games his QB threw a combined 9 TD's (that was further aided by a RB corps that scored 2 TD's over that span as well).

He's had 3 seasons in his career with a non-rookie Carson Palmer, and in those 3 seasons his worst year statistically was 2006 when he led the NFL in receiving yards.

Lastly, you're making some kind of relative equivalence between over 1100 yards and 900 yards, as though the difference is insignificant. One of them is a baseline for a starting pro bowl WR. The other is the baseline for a good #2 WR. One has been averaging 15 yards per catch. The other has struggled to average 12 yards per catch for 5 years and counting.

Chad Johnson is a silly clown and I can't imagine what kind of headache he is for a HC. But as far as the better WR, they aren't in the same class of player.

Couldnt have put it better myself.