As you’d imagine, we play a fair bit of Madden.  Paul and I particularly enjoy franchise mode and the draft element – especially importing draft classes for future years.  We also love finding the draft classes that contain players from the past which has inspired me to write a series of articles about which players I’d love to turn back the clock for, and see playing in the league again.  

This time, I’m looking at wide receivers.  Some consider them the primadonna’s of the team but get a really good one and you’ve probably got yourself an exciting offence.  Like I’ve said before, this is my opinion – yours will likely differ!

Jerry Rice

Despite what I said above, there should be no argument about Jerry Rice being on such a list.  The original GOAT, Rice set records galore for the 49ers & Raiders along with some cameos in Denver and Seattle.  Three Superbowls, a Superbowl MVP, 10 First team All Pros and 13 Probowl appearances are just some of his records.  No one has come close to catching the same amount of TDs as he did (197) or passing yards (22,895).

Calvin Johnson

Megatron was the first to surpass Rice’s single season yardage mark in 2012 (1,964 yards) and is still a record to date (at time of writing as Justin Jefferson is in with a shot of breaking it).  Johnson dominated cornerbacks and provided such a reliable target for Stafford in a team that constantly failed to match the pair’s quality.  People felt he retired too early, but he bowed out of the game in his peak, a decision likely fueled by the likelihood that his talents would never see reward in Detroit..

Cris Carter

Carter may not be everyone’s cup of tea as a pundit but as a wide receiver he was one of the most impressive.  A durable threat, Carter was a 4th round pick for the Eagles in the 1987 supplemental draft but his career really took off after he joined the Vikings in 1990.  During his time there he had eight straight 1,000+ yard receiving seasons.

Don Maynard

Probably not as a familiar name as the three above!  Maynard played with the Jets during the high point of Namath’s career and with his ability to stretch the field and Namath’s ability to launch a ball the two combined for significant passing yards in an era not known for such numbers.  During his career, Maynard went 50 catches and over 1,000 yards five times.  In 1967, he had 71 receptions for 1,434 yards and 10 TDs – amounting to 20.2 yards per catch.  Probably one of the few WRs from that era that wouldn’t look out of place in todays game.

Randy Moss

A receiver that has a verb named after him has to make the list.  When defensive backs are well and truly dominated at the high point of a catch then they’ve been ‘Moss’d’.  We say it and we all know what’s meant by it.  I tried to be original and think of someone else that could compete for this slot but there simply isn’t anyone else I want to see back in the game more than Randy Moss (though ideally not on the Patriots!).  His numbers, pro bowl appearances and highlight videos speak for themselves.  If only his Superbowl appearances hadn’t been ruined by Eli Manning! 

Honourable mentions go to Steve Smith, Isaac Bruce, Reggie Wayne and Larry Fitzgerald.