I'm with you on Wes Welker being number one, even though he's in the slot most of the time. I actually remember hearing earlier in the season that Deion Branch was number one now that I think of it. I was baffled by it then and now.
Originally Posted by: Zero2Cool
I may have somewhat of an answer to the #1/#2 receiver debate according to
Vic (I know that many don't care for him, but he has some great insights on the game):
"Fans tend to think of No. 1 receivers in terms of catches, but coaches think in terms of a receiverās ability to fulfill the responsibilities of an X receiver because thatās a teamās No. 1 receiver. In other words, No. 1 receiver isnāt an achievement, itās a designation. A one has to be big enough and strong enough to play on the line of scrimmage and defeat the jam; thatās what an X or split end does. That receiver also has to have the speed to get deep, because thatās what a true one does. A true No. 1 receiver is big enough to defeat jams and fast enough to get deep; heās a big, strong, fast guy. Wes Welker is the NFLās leading receiver, but he is not a one."
In other words, Branch should be considered the #1 in New England despite the lopsided statistics. The Packers have excellent versatility in their receiving corp, so in any given play Greg, Jordy, James, or Jermichael could be lined up as the #1 receiver. The most common one receivers this season seem to be Greg then James (from what I've noticed). The good news is that in Green Bay we have so much talent at receiver that many of our players play as the #1, and as a result of this we can often get favorable match-ups for Aaron to exploit.
"the Quarterback can run if he wants to, but with this rocket attached to your body... who would?" -Aaron Rodgers