Top 10 Players in 2009: #7 - WR Donald Driver

by Brandon on Jul 2, 2009 10:00 AM CDT Comment 10 comments

The first three players listed in the Top 10 for 2009 are guys who need to rebound from injuries and/or ineffectiveness. With the listing of WR Donald Driver, I'm entering into the realm of players who were great last season.

Obviously Driver is an easy pick for the Top 10. He's only missed a couple games in his long career, been to three Pro Bowls, and has been great every season. He was ranked as the 21st best receiver last season by Football Outsiders which is still very productive. He's one of the Packers' greatest receivers of all time.

So what the heck is he doing down at No. 7? He shouldn't be any higher for a couple reasons:

At age 34, his career is mostly behind him. And with this list I'm looking ahead. The list of receivers who stayed great after age 35 is a short one. And anyone who's fantasy team got killed by the sudden decline of the Colts' WR Marvin Harrison in 2007 knows how quick it can happen.
If something did happen to him, then the Packers would have other options. WR Greg Jennings has emerged as the No. 1 receiver. To replace Driver as the No. 2, they could call on either promising young WR Jordy Nelson or WR James Jones. Either would be a step down from Driver, but the pass offense could still produce without him.

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Time to step up

Driver will have a solid year, but it is definitely time for the younger recievers to step up to the plate and become major contrubutors. James Jones in particular needs to stay healty and have much bigger stats this year. Also, second year recievers Jordy Nelson and TE Jermichael Finley need to have good years so the defense cannot just focus on a couple of recievers.

by bralee275 on Jul 2, 2009 10:42 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

No offense,

but how exactly does an athlete “stay healthy”? Jones hurt his knee through no fault of his own, so I don’t get this tone of blaming him for being injured last year.

For a rookie, Jordy already had a “good” year in 2008, and I have no doubt he’ll continue to improve. Finley, on the other hand, is a project and does need to work hard to improve himself into a starting NFL tight end. But, boy if he does, we are all going to have a blast watching him work.

by 400metres on Jul 2, 2009 8:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ya I gotta..

second that. Jones put up 600+ yards and 3 tds as a rookie in 07’. Those are great rookie numbers and then take into account he did that having to share time with Jennings and Driver. Nelson had a good year for a rookie, 300+ yards and 3 tds. Finley, at this point, is definitely a project. We’ll have to wait and see with him, but if he doesn’t put up good numbers I don’t think it will really hurt us at all. Teams can focus as much as they want on our pass game and they still won’t be able to stop it. Especially, with Rodgers only looking to improve and MM giving him more freedom in our offense. The only thing that could slow us down is if Grant doesn’t have a good year this year.

by packallday555 on Jul 4, 2009 12:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

1. Don Hutson

2. Sterling Sharpe
3. Donald Driver

That sound about right?

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words—"mank" and "ind". What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.
-Jack Handey

by jobe on Jul 2, 2009 12:12 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

What about...

Boyd Dowler, Carrol Dale, and Billy Howton?

Here is how I would rank the all-time Packer receivers:
1) Hutson (he was without comparison for such a long time in NFL history)
2) Sharpe (the man was simply unstoppable in his prime)
3) Dowler (for a running team, he sure was clutch)
4) Lofton (he produced consistently regardless of whether the offense was strong or weak)
5) Dale (the man seemed to get huge gains every time he touched the ball)
6) Howton (despite the Packers being lousy in the 50s, this man put up some serious numbers and still holds some team records)
7) Driver (has a consecutive games with a catch streak of 111 and counting… awesome for a 7th round pick)

Now, consider that the Packers helped pioneer the forward pass in the NFL and have a litany of great receivers, so Driver has done pretty awesome in his career. But, I do not know that he will be elected to the HoF, so we need to keep his achievements in the perspective of the era in which he played. What does everyone else think?

by NYCPac on Jul 3, 2009 10:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pretty embarassing I forgot James Lofton

For me he’s definitely third. Though, I’ve heard of all of them, I’m way too young to appreciate them.

by jobe on Jul 4, 2009 12:40 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I would say...

you have to put Freeman on the list too but probably below driver..

by bizzle4 on Jul 4, 2009 10:17 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

WR

Uhmmm…
1. Hutson
2. Lofton
3. Sharpe
4. Driver

I read where DD thinks he can play until he is 40! He may be able to, but I doubt he’ll get the chance w/ the Pack. Next year I look for Jones and Nelson to move past DD as the #2 and #3 WR. In fact one could even move past him this season, though I don’t see it. I wonder how long Thompson will be willing to give DD a roster spot. If either of them move past him next year, will DD accept the #3 WR/slot? Not sure how this will play out, just depends the young guys, and if Thompson will stick w/ DD even if he is past by Jones and Nelson!!!

by Strohman on Jul 2, 2009 1:38 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

Lofton needs to be on that list. What about Freeman?

by 400metres on Jul 2, 2009 8:13 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Max McGee, anyone

and I’ll throw Robert Brooks’ name into this discussion of great Packer WRs.
I would take Brooks, whose career was shortened by injury, but not before he broke Sterling Sharpe’s records, first at the University of South Carolina, and then in the NFL, ahead of, at least, Freeman, and maybe, even Sharpe himself, among those mentioned here.

The Packers' glass is more than half-full.

by NorthStarr on Jul 4, 2009 2:19 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs