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Has Everyone Forgotten About Reggie Wayne?

Reggie Wayne may be getting older, but he still
has some of the best hands in the NFL.

This has become an epidemic in the NFL. Has everyone forgotten how good Reggie Wayne is and how he could very likely end up in the Hall of Fame?

This phenomenon seemingly started in 2010. When Peyton Manning was struggling, everyone blamed the fact that all his weapons were injured. That season, Wayne played all 16 games, caught 111 passes for 1,355 yards, and was an All Pro selection. Those numbers are off the chart, yet he got little praise for his production despite being double covered all season long.

Why does he get written off just because he was fortunate enough to play with one of the all time greats at the quarterback position? Does Jerry Rice get flack for being teamed up with Joe Montana? Would Wayne put up the same numbers had he been playing with Rex Grossman? Obviously not, but that does not mean his production should go unnoticed. 

Until the last couple of seasons, Wayne was considered a top five receiver for at least five or six years. The wide receiver position is very difficult to maintain that type of consistency because of so many factors (who are the other receivers around you, how strong is your run game, is your offensive line giving the quarterback time to get the ball to you, etc.), so his production was nothing short of outstanding.

Let’s take a look at last season. Wayne was a part of one of the worst offenses in the NFL with Peyton Manning out for the year. Yet, he still was capable of drawing double teams, recording 75 catches to go along with almost 1000 yards receiving, and helped Pierre Garcon put up good enough numbers to get a monster contract from the Redskins. All of this while playing with quarterbacks who make Rex Grossman look like Joe Montana.

Andrew Luck will have to rely heavily on Wayne in order
to help turn around one of the worst offenses in the NFL.

In 2012, in comes Andrew Luck. There has been a lot of talk about Luck and his incredible promise, but few are giving the Colts’ offense much of a chance to be successful this season. Luck is one of the most poised college prospects I have ever seen and he will look to Wayne early and often this season both on and off the field. Wayne is a precise route runner and his ability to be in the right place at the right time will help smooth Luck’s transition into the NFL.

Losing Garcon to the Redskins is a blow to this already struggling offense, but they retained the better receiver for less money. Wayne may be 33, but he is still playing on a very high level. Andrew Luck should be ecstatic to have such a savvy veteran teaching him how to handle himself in the NFL. Wayne’s presence in Indianapolis will all but assure that Luck will not hit any early pitfalls like so many other rookie quarterbacks of his generation.