Red Meat Monday: Good, not great receivers

Opinion is the best part about sports. It's what keeps us going during the offseason, sparking plenty to talk about. And who better to throw out a conversation-starter than CBS's own (and my personal favorite hack) Dennis Dodd. Take this little number he sang a few weeks ago. He was predicting the Big Ten order of finish for 2009, reluctantly putting Penn State in the top two, but had to add this quip about the departed Deon Butler, Jordan Norwood and Derrick Williams:

"A good, not great, group of receivers have to be replaced by what might be good, not great, group of receivers."

Ok, I get it, Dodd's job is to generate discussion and readership. That's fine, but doing it by really shoddy analysis is just being lazy.

If those three wide receivers were only "good," but not great, then why are they all signed to NFL teams right now? Before Dodd says it: We don't know if they'll be there in the fall. But that's irrelevant right now. Today, all three of those "good" wide receivers are in the NFL.

That was the rational, non-homeristic comeback against Dodd's claims. Now, for the partisan retort: REALLY?! GOOD? NOT GREAT?

Butler is the career receptions leader, No. 2 in yardage. Norwood is No. 4 in receptions, No. 3 in yardage. And Williams is No. 3 in receptions, No. 5 in all-purpose career yards.

Remember, that was with Anthony Morelli under center for two of their four seasons. Not to mention, there were THREE of them. Had there been one, or even just two of them, their individual numbers would have been through the roof. Maybe then they would have been better than "good."