Football I'm sick of this Biletnikoff stuff. SICK OF IT! - Page 3

**Rain Man** · 07-24-2009, 10:25 PM

NFL Network was doing a list of the ten receivers with the best hands. Cris Carter was #1, which is not a bad call, and Raymond Berry was #2 and Steve Largent was #3. Larry Fitzgerald was #4, which was purely a media ploy.

But what really chafed me was #5. They named Fred Biletnikoff #3. Now, I'll acknowledge that he made a lot of catches, and with the help of artificial sticky substances he generally had good hands.

But for crying out loud, talk about an overrated receiver. Best hands? Hall of Fame? Gets a college award named after him? Let's compare him to the best receiver for his arch-rival, a fine gentleman named Otis Taylor.

Speed: Otis Taylor left that Raider in the dirt. Not even close.

Hands: Please. Otis Taylor by a mile. Watch the games.

Routes: Maybe even.

Big-Play Ability: Who turned a short pass into a long touchdown in a Super Bowl? Who? Otis.

Production: Over the course of their careers, Otis averaged 56 yards per game. That Raider averaged 47.

Size: Otis Taylor was a scary speciman. That Raider was small and skinny.

Blocking: See "size".

Long-term Dominance: Biletnikoff made 6 pro bowls and 2 all-pros. In those seasons, he averaged 49 catches for 781 yards. Otis made 3 pro bowls and 2 all-pros. In those seasons, he averaged 57 catches for 1076 yards.

Single-Season Dominance: Otis' best season was 58 catches for 1,297 yards and 8 TDs, averaging 22.4 yards per catch. Biletnikoff's best season was 61 catches for 1,037 yards and 17.0 yards per catch, with 6 TDs

Career Performance: Otis played in 130 games and made 410 catches for 7,306 yards and 57 TDs,17.8 yards per catch. Biletnikoff played in 190 games and made 589 catches for 8,974 yards and 76 TDs, with 15.2 yards per catch. See "longevity" below.

Longevity: This is the only area that the Raider wins, since he lasted 14 years, compared to Otis' 10 seasons (excluding one season where Otis was active but didn't catch any passes). Biletnikoff had 10 seasons where he caught 40+ passes, while Otis had 5.

So why does Biletnikoff get all the credit? He played longer, so he caught more passes. But in a typical game, Otis outplayed him, outgained him, and was a scarier guy to play against.

Man, it ticks me off that Otis doesn't get the attention, and that also-ran gets all the glory.

CoMoChief · 07-25-2009, 02:04 PM

I'll take the greatest NFL WR ever.......Andre Rison

Rasputin · 07-25-2009, 02:30 PM

Stephone Page had better hands than Biletnikoff. Stephone Page was one of the greats.

**Rain Man** · 07-25-2009, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC Tattoo

Stephone Page had better hands than Biletnikoff. Stephone Page was one of the greats.

It brings up the question of who truly had the best hands. The list was all big stars, so presumably they had really good hands and also had other attributes. It's quite likely that there are indeed players like Stephone Paige who had the best hands, but since they didn't have other parts of the package they didn't get any attention.

I actually had Stephone Paige pop into my mind, too. Guy never dropped passes.

Hammock Parties · 07-25-2009, 06:00 PM

I can't recall ever seeing Devard Darling drop a pass.

WilliamTheIrish · 07-26-2009, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skip Towne

I saw that show too. They mentioned several times that this was about best hands, not best receiver. Of course Otis was a better receiver but Fred gave us nightmares for a very long time. And he sure was a goofy looking little dude.

He gave every team fits. As much as I hate the guy he deserves his accolades.

In one of the classic AFL battles of days gone by, Fred ran a route across the middle and Willie Lanier, on a deep drop, waited.... waited... Lamonica or Stabler delivered the ball and Lanier hit F.B. with a forearm shiver right in the nose as the ball arrived. (If you recall F.B. wore a single bar facemask). His nose was smeared all over his face. One of the most disgusting images ever as Fred was notoriously ugly mf'er anyway. That forearm caused him to change his facemask to the two bar + one down the middle that most RB's wore at the time.

And he did NOT hold onto the pass. Whatta biotch.

Consistent1 · 07-26-2009, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

Rain Man would have trolled the shit out of Raiders boards in 1970.

Carving your opinions into those stone tablets back then was a ton of work.

**Baby Lee** · 07-26-2009, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bowser

I really thought he won the Super Bowl (and MVP) with this catch and run....

I've got my fingers, toes, legs, and eyes crossed that the St. Louis market latches onto Warner and slots a shit ton of Cards games this season. With the Rams in the dumper they were sure on his dick last winter. It'll be a good time rooting for ol' Greybeard next season.

**Baby Lee** · 07-26-2009, 10:04 AM

Oh, and as I sat down to watch this I figured Chris Carter #1 was a lock. That guy was sick.

**Rain Man** · 07-26-2009, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

Oh, and as I sat down to watch this I figured Chris Carter #1 was a lock. That guy was sick.

They were showing him making one-handed catches in practice that you'd otherwise swear were video trickery. It was pretty amazing.

**Baby Lee** · 07-26-2009, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man

They were showing him making one-handed catches in practice that you'd otherwise swear were video trickery. It was pretty amazing.

'sat' is STILL the past tense of 'to sit,' isn't it.

StcChief · 07-26-2009, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WilliamTheIrish

He gave every team fits. As much as I hate the guy he deserves his accolades.

In one of the classic AFL battles of days gone by, Fred ran a route across the middle and Willie Lanier, on a deep drop, waited.... waited... Lamonica or Stabler delivered the ball and Lanier hit F.B. with a forearm shiver right in the nose as the ball arrived. (If you recall F.B. wore a single bar facemask). His nose was smeared all over his face. One of the most disgusting images ever as Fred was notoriously ugly mf'er anyway. That forearm caused him to change his facemask to the two bar + one down the middle that most RB's wore at the time.

And he did NOT hold onto the pass. Whatta biotch.

This is also a fond memory. thanks for the reminder.

Ebolapox · 07-26-2009, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

I can't recall ever seeing Devard Darling catching a pass.

yep.

View Poll Results: What think you - Taylor vs. Biletnikoff?
Otis was way better.	18	51.43%
Otis was a little better.	5	14.29%
Otis and Biletnikoff were about even.	2	5.71%
Biletnikoff was a little better, and please neg rep me.	0	0%
Bilenikoff was a lot better, and please neg rep me.	4	11.43%
I don't know enough to make the call on this question.	6	17.14%
Voters: 35. You may not vote on this poll

07-24-2009, 10:25 PM
Rain Man Seize life. Be an ermine. Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $-622449 VARSITY	I'm sick of this Biletnikoff stuff. SICK OF IT! NFL Network was doing a list of the ten receivers with the best hands. Cris Carter was #1, which is not a bad call, and Raymond Berry was #2 and Steve Largent was #3. Larry Fitzgerald was #4, which was purely a media ploy. But what really chafed me was #5. They named Fred Biletnikoff #3. Now, I'll acknowledge that he made a lot of catches, and with the help of artificial sticky substances he generally had good hands. But for crying out loud, talk about an overrated receiver. Best hands? Hall of Fame? Gets a college award named after him? Let's compare him to the best receiver for his arch-rival, a fine gentleman named Otis Taylor. Speed: Otis Taylor left that Raider in the dirt. Not even close. Hands: Please. Otis Taylor by a mile. Watch the games. Routes: Maybe even. Big-Play Ability: Who turned a short pass into a long touchdown in a Super Bowl? Who? Otis. Production: Over the course of their careers, Otis averaged 56 yards per game. That Raider averaged 47. Size: Otis Taylor was a scary speciman. That Raider was small and skinny. Blocking: See "size". Long-term Dominance: Biletnikoff made 6 pro bowls and 2 all-pros. In those seasons, he averaged 49 catches for 781 yards. Otis made 3 pro bowls and 2 all-pros. In those seasons, he averaged 57 catches for 1076 yards. Single-Season Dominance: Otis' best season was 58 catches for 1,297 yards and 8 TDs, averaging 22.4 yards per catch. Biletnikoff's best season was 61 catches for 1,037 yards and 17.0 yards per catch, with 6 TDs Career Performance: Otis played in 130 games and made 410 catches for 7,306 yards and 57 TDs,17.8 yards per catch. Biletnikoff played in 190 games and made 589 catches for 8,974 yards and 76 TDs, with 15.2 yards per catch. See "longevity" below. Longevity: This is the only area that the Raider wins, since he lasted 14 years, compared to Otis' 10 seasons (excluding one season where Otis was active but didn't catch any passes). Biletnikoff had 10 seasons where he caught 40+ passes, while Otis had 5. So why does Biletnikoff get all the credit? He played longer, so he caught more passes. But in a typical game, Otis outplayed him, outgained him, and was a scarier guy to play against. Man, it ticks me off that Otis doesn't get the attention, and that also-ran gets all the glory.
Posts: 145,410

07-25-2009, 02:04 PM	#31
CoMoChief Mahomes Dynasty Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Parts Unknown Casino cash: $7672254	I'll take the greatest NFL WR ever.......Andre Rison
Posts: 39,245

07-25-2009, 02:30 PM	#32
Rasputin Tip of the hat LIV Champs Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: ks Casino cash: $95421	Stephone Page had better hands than Biletnikoff. Stephone Page was one of the greats.
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07-25-2009, 06:00 PM	#34
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $860478	I can't recall ever seeing Devard Darling drop a pass. __________________ Chiefs game films
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07-26-2009, 10:04 AM	#38
Baby Lee Supporter Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $8028275	Oh, and as I sat down to watch this I figured Chris Carter #1 was a lock. That guy was sick. __________________ We need the kind of courage that can withstand the subtle corruption of the cynics - E.W.
Posts: 95,642