Richard Rodgers is such an exciting player that, of course, the topic is going to evolve away from him because it isn't much fun talking about a run of the mill NFL TE even if he does play for the Packers.
You like to dance around things. Who would you rather face if you were a DB...oh, that's DEFENSIVE BACK just to be clear not some pejorative term. If you had to line up vs. one WR with everything on the line would you rather line up against Jordy Nelson or Dez Bryant? I hope that question isn't too vague for you. It's very simple.
Originally Posted by: uffda udfa
Both players have pros/cons. Gun to my head and ignoring everything I know about Bryant? Probably Nelson, but only by the slightest of margins.
Dez had more TD catches last season than Jordy ever had in a single season.
Yeah that sounds like a good point, but its 16 vs 15. Not a significant difference. A better argument would be Bryant's TD average per season.
Dez has topped 1200 yards in a season in 5 seasons in the NFL while Jordy has topped 1200 the same amount in 7 seasons.
Dez has 381 receptions in 5 seasons...Jordy has 400 in 7. I'm going to guess that Dez has more than 19 receptions over the next two seasons to best Jordy's numbers after 7.
All true, though Jordy dealt with an injury situation in 2012 that skewed his stats for that year. Not an excuse, but worth noting.
Jordy's two best seasons were his 6th and 7th... Dez is entering his 6th.
It's safe to say that it took Jordy longer to develop than Dez, or that Jordy had better players in front of him. Probably a bit of both but I wouldn't argue with either sentiment.
Dez has ROMO... Jordy has 12.
While I of course agree that Rodgers is a better QB than Romo, Romo isn't terrible by any stretch of the imagination, his career passer rating is 97.6. Romo's worst attribute is his propensity for boneheaded plays at the worse moment, which hurts his team but doesn't affect his WR's performance in a significant way.
Anyway while I think this is a solid point, I don't consider it a huge factor, especially if you look at 2013 where Nelson put up very good numbers catching balls from Flynn and Tolzien.
Dez Bryant changes the way D's play. If a D. coord had to choose one guy to double cover if both were on the field together is he double covering Jordy or Dez?
Same answer as above, but only by the slightest of margins.
Who has Dez Bryant had opposite him? Anyone the caliber of Randall Cobb? Dez does have Witten while Jordy has slop so that might help wash that a little.
Dez Bryant has had arguably the best RB in the league the last few years. The Packers run a system that typically spreads the ball around to more players, while the Cowboys lean more heavily on Dez Bryant, despite this, Dez has never put up Calvin Johnson type numbers, only about on par or slightly better than Jordy Nelson, who typically has more competition for targets (2014 being an exception when Nelson was targeted more than Bryant).
I looked at their stats on a 3 year average, taking each players best three years, which should present a better picture of what each player is capable and ignores outside factors like entrenched veterans playing ahead of them.
Nelson:
83 REC, 1365 YARDS, 15.4 AVG, 9.33 TD
Bryant
91 REC, 1312 YARDS, 14.4 AVG, 13.66 TD
Nelson typically does more with less in terms of yards, but Bryant scores significantly more TDs.
Anyway, it's fun to discuss something quantifiable rather than rhetoric for a change. I stand by my original position that Jordy Nelson is a legit #1 WR, probably top 5 in the league. Bryant may be slightly better than Nelson, but that doesn't negate my point.