F&L and SSOG -
I know they're two completely different players, but how do guys project Megatron and DeSean to do long term? Considering the differences in offensive philosophy, QB- and O-line play. TIA.
I do a lot of my projecting with an "archetypes" type system. I try to find past players who shared similarities with current players, and project the current players based on the trends of the past players.With that in mind, I expect Calvin Johnson's career going forward to follow the Marvin Harrison, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens career arc. I also think that Fitz and Andre will follow similar career arcs (although, of the three, only Fitz has really demonstrated that he's going to be the lock for double-digit TDs that Harrison/Moss/Owens were).
For DeSean Jackson, I could see the next few years going anywhere from Lee Evans (super-talented guy who's still not quite good enough to transcend his circumstances) to Steve Smith (a lock for 100 yards a game as long as he has an NFL-caliber QB under center, although slightly shy in the TD department). It's really too early to say for sure. I definitely think he's a talent, and, all things considered, I think he should have no problem averaging 70-75 yards and .5 TDs per game for the rest of his career. His only "problem" is that, like many of the punt returners-turned-receivers, his game is more about making plays in space and less about manhandling defenders, which means he's always going to be more dependent on his supporting cast than other guys who are producing similar numbers with a different skillset (VJax, BMarsh, Roddy, etc).
It also means he's never going to be a reliable double-digit TD threat like a Vincent Jackson or a Brandon Marshall might be.