Is Braylon Edwards the 2nd coming of Roy Williams? (1 Viewer)

[gianmarco]

I can't help but see a lot of similarities here. Both guys have always been described as being "very talented" but in bad situations. They continue to have ardent supporters despite lack of production. And they've both got an opportunity with new teams. Here's a look at the #'s.

Roy Williams:

--In his first 5 years in the league, had topped 836 yds only once

--In his first 5 years in the league, had topped 63 catches only once

--In FBG scoring, finished 29th or lower in 4 of his 5 years

--His top year was 82/1310/7

--Never scored more than 8 TDs

--Left a dismal Lions situation to a "much better" Dallas situation but has still yet to perform in his 6th year

Braylon Edwards:

--In his first 5 years in the league, has topped 884 yds only once

--In his first 5 years in the league, has topped 61 catches only once

--In FBG scoring, finished 26th or lower in 4 of his 5 years (so far thru 2009)

--His top year was 80/1289/16 (very high TD total, but otherwise similar to Roy)

--Aside from 2007, has never scored more than 6 TDs (3, 3, 6, 1)

--Left a dismal Browns situation to a "much better" NYJ situation but .............well, time will tell......

Roy continued to be viewed as a top WR even going into this year. Not surprisingly, he's failed to meet any kind of expectations that many had for him. Romo has done just fine otherwise passing the ball and Austin seems to be performing just fine. This should finally be the last we have to hear about the Roy hype. Of course, even if Braylon performs miserably for the remainder of the year, many will chalk it up to switching teams midseason and not knowing the system. Undoubtedly, he's going to go high next year just like Roy did due to his 2007 year and all his "talent".

Are you buying it?

 

[Chunky Soup]

Not really even close.

-Braylon should have had even better stats thatn he did in his big season. Anderson was absolutely terrible and the plays Braylon made on the ball were incredible.

-Braylon was nagged by serious knee injury his rookie year and never looked fully healthy until his big year.

-As bad as the Lions situation was, IMO the Browns were much worse for Braylon. Not only a terrible team but a worse offense with a poor running game, QB and line (before Joe Thomas). Roy at least had Martz and co. for a little.

 

[thriftyrocker]

You are really cooking the stats there.

Roy's bad years in Detroit were still very good. His 63 catch year was in 12 games. His other two "bad" years were his first and second year - those stats for a young WR are great 54/817/8 an 45/687/8. I don't have a theory as to why he isn't doing well on the Cowboys, but you can't say much bad about his Detroit stats.

Edwards had a more typical 3 year progression to domination, but then fell off the map as the team got bad fast. It's pretty clear he was Randy Mossing the past two years in Cleveland. And since he has moved to the Jets, 1) he hasn't had a chance to learn the offense yet and 2) Sanchez is either stinking it up or not throwing much (9 completions last week total).

Both careers are pretty badly affected by injuries. Roys are well documented, but we shouldn't discount the multiple staph infections Edwards had while at Cleveland. Hard to play for a bad team when they can't even keep a clean medical facility.

 

[todisco1]

Not really even close. -Braylon should have had even better stats thatn he did in his big season. Anderson was absolutely terrible and the plays Braylon made on the ball were incredible. -Braylon was nagged by serious knee injury his rookie year and never looked fully healthy until his big year.-As bad as the Lions situation was, IMO the Browns were much worse for Braylon. Not only a terrible team but a worse offense with a poor running game, QB and line (before Joe Thomas). Roy at least had Martz and co. for a little.

What about the drops?

 

[Bankerguy]

YES-they both are the suck.

 

[gianmarco]

You are really cooking the stats there. Roy's bad years in Detroit were still very good. His 63 catch year was in 12 games. His other two "bad" years were his first and second year - those stats for a young WR are great 54/817/8 an 45/687/8. I don't have a theory as to why he isn't doing well on the Cowboys, but you can't say much bad about his Detroit stats.Edwards had a more typical 3 year progression to domination, but then fell off the map as the team got bad fast. It's pretty clear he was Randy Mossing the past two years in Cleveland. And since he has moved to the Jets, 1) he hasn't had a chance to learn the offense yet and 2) Sanchez is either stinking it up or not throwing much (9 completions last week total). Both careers are pretty badly affected by injuries. Roys are well documented, but we shouldn't discount the multiple staph infections Edwards had while at Cleveland. Hard to play for a bad team when they can't even keep a clean medical facility.

I'm not "cooking" any stats. They are what they are. I've heard the arguments multiple times from Roy supporters. Now into his 6th year, it's just more of the same. I DO have a theory as to why he's not doing well on the Cowboys. He's simply not that good. The talent may be there, but he simply can't consistently put it together for a full year aside from once in 6 years.Braylon is going right down the same path. He had a knee injury, he played for the Browns, now he changed teams, etc., etc. In the end, Braylon has put together one fantastic year out of 5 (well, going on 5). He's consistently drafted as a WR1, high-end WR2 and performs as a low end WR3/4 at best. In the end, the production has to materialize. Not a bunch of "what ifs".I'm not surprised by these responses. We'll hear this arguments again next year. If he fails to produce again next year, will you keep giving him a pass? Or at that point, will the 1 good season out of 6 be enough to convince that he's simply not that good and it's the 1 season that's the outlier, not the other 5?I did a similar thread for Roy 2 years ago. I haven't been a Braylon fan either and think his 2007 campaign was more fluke than substance (usually the case with high TD totals). But, I'll happily come back next year if he does well and admit he deserved the hype. I guess we'll just see.

 

[bostonfred]

I'm still a big believer in Braylon for the long term, and even for redrafts as a late season starter. I've written a lot on the topic, but the main things are:

- He's done poorly when the quarterback left midgame or when he was playing his first full game with a new QB. Unfortunately, this has been most of his games in the last year and a half, when Anderson got hurt, thrusting Quinn into the job, who also got hurt, causing Anderson to return, then he got hurt, too, and then we had Dorsey and Gradkowski and then Quinn again, then Anderson, and finally Sanchez. That's pretty gross.

- He's still learning a new offense.

- He's been thrust into the role of #1 receiver, with nobody else to scare opposing defenses. When Cotchery returns, he should see lighter coverage.

- He has a rookie QB who is struggling a little right now, who is trying to get him the ball.

- He's played a ridiculous list of defenses over the last two years. I think all but two of the games he's played have been against teams in the top half of the league in pass defense, and about half of his games have been against top 8 pass defenses including the Steelers, Ravens, and Bengals twice a year.

- After two or more starts by the same QB, his numbers, on average, have been starter-caliber.

I could post the numbers again, but suffice to say, I think it's way too early to jump ship on a talented guy who just hooked up with a talented QB for the long run. If I didn't already have him in my dynasty league, I'd be looking to buy low.

 

[gianmarco]

Thanks for the post, BF.

Those points may all be correct. I agree with most that the talent is there but, again, talent only takes you so far. IF you can get him cheap, then by all means he's a definite buy as his upside is substantial. But, I've yet to see that cheap price. He's STILL valued in the WR10-15 range. THAT is my issue. Much like that was my issue with Roy. Constantly drafted in the WR10-15 spot, constantly performing at the WR30+ spot.

And, if you own him and someone is willing to pay that top dollar for him, then there's more than enough to suggest at this point that you should take that and run.

 

[Kitrick Taylor]

I see where you are going with this glanmarco, and its not a bad theory.

I will say this though, watching both of them play this year, Edwards looks like a much more fluid athlete. Roy just looks stiff to me out there, and I don't see much speed. Edwards' hands are a concern however, and a lot of his recent poor stats can be directly attributed to him.

To me Roy is done. Edwards still has a chance.

 

[switz]

I'm not "cooking" any stats. They are what they are. I've heard the arguments multiple times from Roy supporters. Now into his 6th year, it's just more of the same. I DO have a theory as to why he's not doing well on the Cowboys. He's simply not that good. The talent may be there, but he simply can't consistently put it together for a full year aside from once in 6 years.Braylon is going right down the same path. He had a knee injury, he played for the Browns, now he changed teams, etc., etc. In the end, Braylon has put together one fantastic year out of 5 (well, going on 5). He's consistently drafted as a WR1, high-end WR2 and performs as a low end WR3/4 at best. In the end, the production has to materialize. Not a bunch of "what ifs".I'm not surprised by these responses. We'll hear this arguments again next year. If he fails to produce again next year, will you keep giving him a pass? Or at that point, will the 1 good season out of 6 be enough to convince that he's simply not that good and it's the 1 season that's the outlier, not the other 5?I did a similar thread for Roy 2 years ago. I haven't been a Braylon fan either and think his 2007 campaign was more fluke than substance (usually the case with high TD totals). But, I'll happily come back next year if he does well and admit he deserved the hype. I guess we'll just see.

You should have posted that you only wanted opinions that agree with you... why did you bother starting the thread?

 

[sparkky]

To me Roy is done. Edwards still has a chance.

I agree. on the surface I think Edwards is the best athlete and wr of the two but I'm far from calling him a perennial pro bowler or HOF candidate.

 

[gianmarco]

I'm not "cooking" any stats. They are what they are. I've heard the arguments multiple times from Roy supporters. Now into his 6th year, it's just more of the same. I DO have a theory as to why he's not doing well on the Cowboys. He's simply not that good. The talent may be there, but he simply can't consistently put it together for a full year aside from once in 6 years.Braylon is going right down the same path. He had a knee injury, he played for the Browns, now he changed teams, etc., etc. In the end, Braylon has put together one fantastic year out of 5 (well, going on 5). He's consistently drafted as a WR1, high-end WR2 and performs as a low end WR3/4 at best. In the end, the production has to materialize. Not a bunch of "what ifs".I'm not surprised by these responses. We'll hear this arguments again next year. If he fails to produce again next year, will you keep giving him a pass? Or at that point, will the 1 good season out of 6 be enough to convince that he's simply not that good and it's the 1 season that's the outlier, not the other 5?I did a similar thread for Roy 2 years ago. I haven't been a Braylon fan either and think his 2007 campaign was more fluke than substance (usually the case with high TD totals). But, I'll happily come back next year if he does well and admit he deserved the hype. I guess we'll just see.

You should have posted that you only wanted opinions that agree with you... why did you bother starting the thread?

?What kind of sense does that response make? I posted this knowing full well there would be those that agree with it as well as those that disagree. That's the point of this is to generate discussion. Where did I say in the post you quoted that he didn't need to reply unless he agreed with me? Was I supposed to read his response and say "oh yeah, you're right. Forget what I wrote". He provided a response and I countered that response. You know, that's how things go around here. At least I back my opinions up with some facts and analysis and don't base them on my clear biases even when I'm obviously wrong. I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong as well, unlike some others (cough cough). In fact, I've recently bumped some threads of mine where I was way off, particularly when I was down on Dallas Clark before this season.Sorry, but this is one of your most ridiculous posts I've seen. I didn't personally attack him. I didn't call him names or suggest he was foolish or stupid because he didn't agree with me. I clearly outlined my position and why I thought so. You should try to do the same occasionally.

 

[bostonfred]

Another point - In three games with the Jets, he's had

- 5 catches for 64 yards and a TD (should have been two) on Monday night, which is pretty impressive for his first game.

- 3 catches for 40 yards in a windy game in Buffalo when Sanchez threw five interceptions

- the Raiders game, where the Jets got the ball inside the 5 twice in the first half, and ran it in both times. Sanchez threw two passes to Edwards in the first half - one a 14 yard catch - out of ten total passes in a half that ended 24-0. On the first drive of the second half, the drives looked like this:

-- Three and out. One pass, to Keller, incomplete.

-- Another turnover by Oakland puts them on a short field. Five plays later, Sanchez has thrown three passes, including a 35 yarder to Clowney for a TD.

-- Twelve play drive with no passes, ending in a field goal

-- Seven play drive with one pass, ending in a Shonne Green TD.

-- Kneeldowns.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/gamecenter/pl...0091025_NYJ@OAK

Of course, excuses for his low scoring don't make up for the low scoring. But that's going to happen with WRs - look at Santonio Holmes' career, for example. He does great in competitive, meaningful games, but he disappears sometimes when the team is winning easily or when they're running well. It's the nature of the beast.

There is, of course, another knock on Braylon - he stands the risk of being suspended for his altercation in Cleveland. But the good news is that it sounds like it won't come up until next year.

Add that up, and the way I see it, he's a solid #3 WR right now, with a chance to be a borderline #2 in redrafts. In dynasty/keeper leagues, he's a talented receiver on a team with a WR who is better suited to being a #2 and a speed WR like Clowney to keep defenses honest, the #1 RB is over 30, and he has an improving rookie QB behind a good line. That makes him well worth holding on to or acquiring for the long term.

 

[thriftyrocker]

Thanks for the post, BF.Those points may all be correct. I agree with most that the talent is there but, again, talent only takes you so far. IF you can get him cheap, then by all means he's a definite buy as his upside is substantial. But, I've yet to see that cheap price. He's STILL valued in the WR10-15 range. THAT is my issue. Much like that was my issue with Roy. Constantly drafted in the WR10-15 spot, constantly performing at the WR30+ spot. And, if you own him and someone is willing to pay that top dollar for him, then there's more than enough to suggest at this point that you should take that and run.

Most rankings I saw had them late teens. They were drafted as mid #2s based on upside. If you drafted them as your WR1 you were hoping to get lucky. I avoided both in all redrafts and I know I wasn't alone. I did some quick math to see how bad Roy was in Detroit. Here are fantasy points per game played (full ppr)Roy Williams in Detroit2004: 12.92005: 12.42006: 15.62007: 14.62008: 9.24That looks to me like Roy was a solid #2 all the time that Martz was there. He fell off the last year when it was obvious where the team was going (and that he would be shipped). Are you really looking at those numbers as bad?To do the same thing for Edwards, it looks much worseBraylon Edwards in Cleveland2005: 9.122006: 11.62007: 18.82008: 10.02009: 6.0There's one year of top 5 play, and a lot of crud. There's a story here too. It's a gamble in dynasty leagues if he'll ever turn it around. But it takes talent to be top 5. There are plenty of WRs who were up and down their first 5 years. Look at Cris Carter, TO, Tim Brown, could name a dozen other HOFers or potential HOFers with similar or worse first chapters to their career.

 

[BBRULE]

Edwards has 4 years played, not 5 so until this year is done I will not compare 5th year stats but here is the first 4 years of stats for a WR I think is very similar to Braylon, any idea on who it is?

G REC YD Y/R TD

16 35 520 14.9 4

16 60 936 15.6 8

16 67 1097 16.4 14

14 60 754 12.6 4

 

[Kitrick Taylor]

Edwards has 4 years played, not 5 so until this year is done I will not compare 5th year stats but here is the first 4 years of stats for a WR I think is very similar to Braylon, any idea on who it is? G REC YD Y/R TD 16 35 520 14.9 4 16 60 936 15.6 8 16 67 1097 16.4 14 14 60 754 12.6 4

TO

 

[BBRULE]

Edwards has 4 years played, not 5 so until this year is done I will not compare 5th year stats but here is the first 4 years of stats for a WR I think is very similar to Braylon, any idea on who it is? G REC YD Y/R TD 16 35 520 14.9 4 16 60 936 15.6 8 16 67 1097 16.4 14 14 60 754 12.6 4

TO

Exactly, drops and all Edwards compares well with Owens, sometimes it just takes time for WRs. But we know Edwards has the talent to not only be good but elite.

 

[Casting Couch]

YES-they both are the suck.

what he said.

 

[jwb]

Edwards has 4 years played, not 5 so until this year is done I will not compare 5th year stats but here is the first 4 years of stats for a WR I think is very similar to Braylon, any idea on who it is? G REC YD Y/R TD 16 35 520 14.9 4 16 60 936 15.6 8 16 67 1097 16.4 14 14 60 754 12.6 4

TO

Exactly, drops and all Edwards compares well with Owens, sometimes it just takes time for WRs. But we know Edwards has the talent to not only be good but elite.

This is my feeling on it. Just from watching football, I was never all that impressed with RW - seemed to be a very average WR. Edwards, to me, is impressive. For 08 and half of this year, we was just in the most rotten situation imaginable for a WR. Sometimes, you just have to follow your eye and gut. I love the situation he's in now, too. It's light years better. Personally, I think he thrives in NY and returns to the top 10-15, starting next year (and we'll see flashes of it this year as Sanchez matures.)

 

[damageinc]

I agree he will be a top 20 WR as early as next year as sanchez gets better. This week he could be huge with Miami starting rookie corners. Edwards might have a field day if they let Sanchez throw.

 

[Bob Magaw]

not sure if it was mentioned, but edwards looked very good the first start in MIA...

hasn't cotchery been hurt the past few games? getting him back will help take pressure off braylon...

i agree roy has been a disappointment... i think edwards is going to prove better in the long run...

 

[gianmarco]

Edwards has 4 years played, not 5 so until this year is done I will not compare 5th year stats but here is the first 4 years of stats for a WR I think is very similar to Braylon, any idea on who it is? G REC YD Y/R TD 16 35 520 14.9 4 16 60 936 15.6 8 16 67 1097 16.4 14 14 60 754 12.6 4

Good comparison. So, is he TO? Is he RW? Is he somewhere in between? I don't know yet. I'm personally just not as high on him as others but the potential is there.I'm not saying he's garbage or lacks upside. All I'm saying at this point is that I think he's commanding way too high of a price for what he's done so far. This was RW in a nutshell. At WR3 prices, I'd buy him all day. At WR1/2 prices, I'll pass. Since his trade to NYJ, I've seen WR1 prices for him.

 

[njherdfan]

not sure if it was mentioned, but edwards looked very good the first start in MIA...hasn't cotchery been hurt the past few games? getting him back will help take pressure off braylon...i agree roy has been a disappointment... i think edwards is going to prove better in the long run...

I would agree. Edwards looked awesome against Miami, he was physically dominating defenders and going up and attacking the ball. With Cotchery back this week, I think Edwards will be facing fewer double teams, but the question going forward for this year is: how often are the Jets going to throw the ball? With the way things are looking now, I think they're going to attempt to have a 60-40 run-pass ratio, which will probably hamper Edwards' stats this year.

 

[doowain]

Roy Williams:

--In FBG scoring, finished 29th or lower in 4 of his 5 years

Braylon Edwards:

--In FBG scoring, finished 26th or lower in 4 of his 5 years (so far thru 2009)

This part is a bit deceptive. The finishes for each WR over the last 4-5 years are:Roy

Year1 - WR29

Year2 - WR30

Year3 - WR10

Year4 - WR33

Year5 - WR71

Braylon

Year1 - WR59

Year2 - WR26

Year3 - WR3

Year4 - WR36

Braylon's rookie year was injury shortened and I believe he came off the bench the first 5 games. Outside of that rookie year, he's never finished worse than a WR3. I'm definitely not a believer in Roy, though. There was some hope for him by escaping Detroit and heading to Dallas, but he has fallen far short on those expectations. He hasn't even posted the same stats he did in Detroit with a much worse offense. I'm not sure what it is he doesn't have, but he doesn't have it in spades. Roy has no elite seasons. A borderline WR1 season was his career year. Braylon has an elite season on his resume.

As for Braylon, I'm in the camp that thinks he is ridiculously talented. I don't think his WR3 finish was a fluke. A lot of things came together for the Browns that year. They ran the ball well and Anderson actually performed like an NFL QB. Since then, the Browns have been a mess. We are all aware of that. His price tag is a bit high right now, I will agree. With Braylon you are gonna have to pay for that upside unless you find a desperate owner. The problem is....most of us paid a high price for him.

I found this following snippet from an ESPN magazine article before the 2005 NFL draft. The bolded part is pretty interesting. He clearly has mental lapses. That seems to be a theme with WRs. As a Bengals fan, I know all about that (Chad). Having said that, I think the move to NY will finally bring out the player he showed a couple seasons back. I don't think we should expect 16 TDs, but with the class organization that the Jets are and quality coach and QB they have there, I can't imagine his talent being lost. He's also going to be playing with best WR opposite him he's ever had (Cotchery). That can't hurt.

The NFL draft, if you do it right, is investigative reporting. It's seeing through the con and also the 40 time. It's not watching the athlete on the field, it's somehow following him home to see what he does off of it. It's more personality test than Wonderlic test. At the scouting combine, teams will ask players, "If someone passes you, at high speed, on the highway, do you chase them or let them go?" Or they'll ask, "Would you rather be a cat or a dog?" It makes me wonder how they keep their jobs.

It's like what's going on in Chicago. The Bears, I'm told, are afraid of Braylon Edwards because they swung and missed on another Michigan receiver, David Terrell. And also because they've seen Edwards drop a ball or three. But the draft shouldn't be about fear, it should be about research. You talk to people. You find out that Braylon Edwards is so hyper before games, he can not sleep. That, the night before games, he'll call his mother and father at 2 a.m., wide awake. That, because of it, he tends to drop passes early in games, because he's still foaming at the mouth. "I'll never forget his first Notre Dame game," says Edwards' father, Stan, a former NFL player. "He was hyperventilating; his mouth was caked white. Took him a whole quarter to come down. So he'll drop the first or second ball to him sometimes. It's like clockwork almost. Gets it out of his system."

Brett Favre gets overexcited early in games just like that, but it takes some probing to find these tidbits out. You think Lovie Smith talked to Edwards' dad? See, now I understand why Tom Coughlin, when he took over the Jaguars, nearly hired our colleague, Chris Mortensen, to help him with research. Football is the one sport for which heart and character is arguably more relevant than skill. And so, when it comes to Saturday's top 10 picks, teams need to throw away the 40 times and pay more attention to a players' life and times.

Like I did.

Edwards

* 1. San Francisco - Scouts, Inc. pick: Alex Smith, QB, Utah. The right pick: Braylon Edwards, WR, Michigan.

Yes, the player's son should go first overall. People don't realize that Edwards, besides being an obvious talent, has a freakish work ethic. While he watches TV in the evening, he'll do flexibility work, or sit-ups or pushups. He refuses to just lie down on the couch.

The only time he'll sit still, in fact, is when he pops in a video tape of Jerry Rice. His father has compiled an extensive football video library, and Rice is the one player who gives Edwards the chills. He noticed how Rice would run just as hard in practice as in games, and that became Edwards' approach at Michigan. That's why he wore Rice's No. 80 his first two years in Ann Arbor. That's why sometimes he'd head to the track, after practice, and run extra sprints by himself. That's why Michigan coach Lloyd Carr says no one is as gung ho as Braylon Edwards.

The kid has been thinking like a pro player for years. In college, he got a massage after every game, which is what the NFL studs do. His dad, who used to play for the Oilers and Lions, introduced him to the Rams' Torry Holt, and Holt took him out to the field to tutor him. Holt let him have it, too, critiqued his pass patterns, and Edwards wasn't offended at all. Now, every day, he's working on hitches and digs and post corners, working on disguising his routes. He's proud to have Randy Moss's downfield speed, but also wants the route-running feet of Marvin Harrison.

He's also the kind of kid who cried after Michigan losses, who played his junior season with a broken finger, but never mentioned a word of it. After games, while wearing a suit and tie, he'd throw passes to little kids in the Michigan parking lot. When the Lions' M&M Boys, (Matt) Millen and (Steve) Mariucci, interviewed him this spring, they asked if he'd mind going to a team that already had Charles Rogers and Roy Williams. And Edwards answered: "No offense to those guys, but I love the game too much, and I'm gonna play." This could be the one player in the draft who has it all: Rice skill, Rice heart. The 49ers, 20 years later, should draft the reincarnate.

 

[Mr. Retukes]

I'm not "cooking" any stats. They are what they are.

Okay, fine. I will use your exact same stats against you.

--In his first 5 years in the league, had topped 52.5 yards per game (the equivalent of 836 yards for 16 games) FOUR OUT OF FIVE SEASONS!!!

--In his first 5 years in the league, averaged 3.9 catches per game (the equivalent of 63 catches for 16 games) THREE OUT OF FIVE SEASONS!!!

--In FBG scoring average, finished 20th or higher THREE OUT OF FIVE SEASONS!!!

--His top year was 82/1310/7 AND HE WAS THE #10 FANTASY WR AND MADE THE PRO BOWL!!!

--Scored at least 7 TDs THREE OUT OF FIVE SEASONS!!!

--Left a dismal Lions situation to a "much better" Dallas situation AND PUT UP BETTER FANTASY STATS IN DALLAS THAN HE DID IN HIS FINAL SEASON IN DETROIT!!!

 

[cvnpoka]

He had a knee injury, he played for the Browns

and the 2yrs later he had the best year of his career. one of the best all time years. and there have been no reports of any sort of even minor knee pain.

think his 2007 campaign was more fluke than substance (usually the case with high TD totals)

he had 1289 yards. is that fluke too? 16 tds is certainly not expected to be repeatable, but i dont think that a high td total should dismiss the whole season. perhaps their careers will have similar production levels, but i think going forward braylon has much more value than roy williams. at the least, braylons peak has been much better than roy williams. dont forget that roys best years came in the martz offense that threw the ball all over the field, while the browns offense basically had braylon run deep, jurevicious run medium and sometimes winslow would run a route. hell the mike furrey had 1k yards that year.

 

[ThePittbully]

Long term I'm buying on Edwards. That offense is young and talented and they've got a great head coach. They've got Cotchery, Edwards, Keller, Greene and Leon Washington. Sanchez has looked pretty bad in some games this year, but if he turns out to be what New York wants him to be this could turn into a very good offense. And on the thread topic, Roy Williams < Braylon Edwards. The talent levels aren't even close

 

[bostonfred]

Another point - In three games with the Jets, he's had

- 5 catches for 64 yards and a TD (should have been two) on Monday night, which is pretty impressive for his first game.

- 3 catches for 40 yards in a windy game in Buffalo when Sanchez threw five interceptions

- the Raiders game, where the Jets got the ball inside the 5 twice in the first half, and ran it in both times. Sanchez threw two passes to Edwards in the first half - one a 14 yard catch - out of ten total passes in a half that ended 24-0. On the first drive of the second half, the drives looked like this:

-- Three and out. One pass, to Keller, incomplete.

-- Another turnover by Oakland puts them on a short field. Five plays later, Sanchez has thrown three passes, including a 35 yarder to Clowney for a TD.

-- Twelve play drive with no passes, ending in a field goal

-- Seven play drive with one pass, ending in a Shonne Green TD.

-- Kneeldowns.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/gamecenter/pl...0091025_NYJ@OAK

Of course, excuses for his low scoring don't make up for the low scoring. But that's going to happen with WRs - look at Santonio Holmes' career, for example. He does great in competitive, meaningful games, but he disappears sometimes when the team is winning easily or when they're running well. It's the nature of the beast.

There is, of course, another knock on Braylon - he stands the risk of being suspended for his altercation in Cleveland. But the good news is that it sounds like it won't come up until next year.

Add that up, and the way I see it, he's a solid #3 WR right now, with a chance to be a borderline #2 in redrafts. In dynasty/keeper leagues, he's a talented receiver on a team with a WR who is better suited to being a #2 and a speed WR like Clowney to keep defenses honest, the #1 RB is over 30, and he has an improving rookie QB behind a good line. That makes him well worth holding on to or acquiring for the long term.

5 catches for 64 yards and a TD (should have been two) on Monday night, which is pretty impressive for his first game. 3 catches for 40 yards in a windy game in Buffalo when Sanchez threw five interceptions

1 catch for 14 yards when they were blowing Oakland out

4 catches for 74 yards and a TD

The one catch game looks like the anomaly, but it seems like he's in the range of 3-5 catches for 50-60 yards and maybe a touch each week in an improving situation. I think his baseline value is about the same as for a player for whom you projected a season of 65 catches, about 1000 yards, and maybe 7 TDs. Adjust that upwards if you think the situation is improving enough to warrant it - Sanchez improving, a bye week to get them in synch with each other, Washington being out, Cotchery and Clowney taking attention from defenses, and the team in contention. Adjust downwards if you think his clunker in a 38-0 blowout deserves more mention, or if you think a healthy Cotchery is bad news for Edwards.

Personally, I'm adjusting him upwards a bit for the reasons above, and because I like his schedule down the stretch. Week 14 @TB, Week 15 vs. ATL, Week 16 @IND in a dome are all decent matchups. But it's also going to be hard to start him during those weeks if he struggles against Buffalo week 13 (3 catches for 40 in their first meeting this season) or if he doesn't play much in a laugher against Tampa week 14, so I wouldn't blame someone for trying to trade him now.