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Fan Press
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| Defending JJ Stokes "Jordan" 49ers Paradise Fan Press 05.16.2002 The argument is on: Should the 49ers sign Willie Jackson, free agent wide receiver from the Saints in an effort go "get better" at the #2 wide receiver position? 49ers fans everywhere seem to think that an "upgrade" at the 2nd receiver spot is necessary. However, these fans don't see the many fascinating and complex details of the entire argument. Like this argument I have written in defense of the San Francisco Scapegoat, J.J Stokes: You can talk about Willie Jackson being an upgrade over Stokes for statistical reasons, but it's like comparing apples and oranges. You've got Stokes, who plays for Jeff Garcia in Mariucci's run oriented offense, and then you've got Jackson, who plays for Gary Mueller (or formerly played for) with Aaron Brooks as the slinger. Now, in the Paradise forum, some statistics were brought up that don't speak all that highly of Willie Jackson. 12.9 yards/reception? How is that something to be proud of? That's pretty darn near J.J's career average, I do believe. Like I've said before, Jerry Rice only averaged 10.7 yards/catch in the 49er offense in 2000 as the #2 receiver. Stokes averaged 10.8 last year. But you guys weren't criticizing Jerry Rice after his poor yards/catch average, now were you? Now, some make this case, and there's no validity to it, that having Rice opposite Owens really opened things up for T.O. Last year, teams constantly double teamed him and... Well, you know the rest, sort of. This constant "T.O needs some help!!!" opinion. Now, I will officially dispel that common misconception. T.O with Rice as his compliment in '00: 97 catches, 1,451 yards, 15.0 yards/catch, 13 TDs. T.O with Stokes as his compliment in '01: 93 catches, 1,437 yards, 15.1 yards/catch, 16 TDs. What I find interesting is that Owens had BETTER numbers last year! He had a slightly higher yards/catch average and more TDs. So how did Jerry open things up for Owens again? Or perhaps Stokes is opening things up for him as well??? Well, there goes that argument. Now, let's look at some other facts. 2000 49ers with Rice and Owens-18th in NFL in rushing. 2001 49ers with Owens and Stokes-2nd in NFL in rushing. 2000 49ers with Rice and Owens-4th in NFL in total offense. 2001 49ers with Owens and Stokes-3rd in NFL in total offense. 2000 49ers with Rice and Owens-T6th in points/game 2001 49ers with Owens and Stokes-3rd in points/game It looks at this point like Stokes was an upgrade over Jerry Rice! The only thing I haven't touched base on is the 21 fewer receptions Stokes had than J.R. Well, couldn't all of these be factors that contribute to 21 measley fewer passes? 1. The 49ers ran the ball WAY more this year than the year before as it was the best running attack in football. 2. Stokes was hurt the first half of the season with a major hamstrings injury that would've caused most other players to sit out. 3. Rice is the greatest route runner in history, so it's only natural that he's going to get open more than J.J. 4. Stokes doesn't have the aura of Rice, thus he didn't get the same recognition of Garcia that Rice got. 5. The new tight end, Eric Johnson, was much more effective and consistent at getting open and producing in the short-to-intermediate areas for Garcia, thus taking further leather away from Stokes Editor’s Note - A reminder that Fan Press articles do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the site staff. Feel free to email Jordan if your opinion differs from his. Talk about it in the 49ers Forum |
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