Jerricho Cotchery:
I think Footsy McFupa is going to rue the day that he dumped Jerricho Cotchery in favor of the poster child for gun control: Plaxico Burress. While Burress’ downfield and field stretching receiving game is superior to the 6′ 205 lb. Cotchery’s (well it was before he went to prison, now who knows?), nobody can deny Jerricho’s innate ability to find the sticks on 3rd Down, and provide a steady veteran presence in the slot that few can match in the N.F.L.. Last season Jerricho not only suffered from a groin injury but was saddled with other injuries as well that sidelined him to playing in only 14 games total with 5 starts. Coupled with the fact that the Jets brought San-smokio on board to an already stacked WR corps, Jerricho saw his targets drop, but his overall production when healthy stayed steady. Although he caught 41 balls last season for 433 yards, Jerricho’s production was all based around his ability to get 1st Downs. In 2010, 26 of his 41 catches were for 1st Downs, that would be almost 62% of the time that Jerricho made a catch, the chains moved, and the Jets’ Offense was able to sustain a drive. But that’s not even indicative of how much of a chain mover Jerricho actually is. In 2009, 44 of his 57 catches went for 1st Downs, that’s a rate of just under 80%. While he may not be the go to #1 target that he once was circa. 2007, Jerricho when healthy is one of the best in the game at moving the sticks and sustaining drives for teams. I know Ben will be looking in his direction when it is 3rd and 5 around midfield and the chains need moving that’s for sure. In terms of his stats, really only Jordy Nelson (45, 582, 2 TD’s) had stats as a 4th WR comparable to what Cotchery’s were last season as a 4th target. That was in a season where Cotchery missed 2 full games, was banged up for most of the season, and saw targets that used to be his going to San-smokio, Braylon Edwards, and Brad Smith. It’s lucky for the Steelers though, because now they have one of the better slot WR’s in the game that will probably be 4th on their depth chart when the season begins.