I remember there being some conversation before regarding what similarities and differences there might be between Jarvis Landry and Hines Ward. Hell, maybe I was the one who started that conversation? I don’t recall. What I do remember is that it was an interesting comparison because Pittsburgh always loved Hines Ward and I think the vast majority of fans in Miami like Jarvis Landry a lot. I think I favored the comparison because of that reason alone. People just tend to root hardest for (and against) these kind of players. As I recall, Ward regularly displayed a very distinctive high-effort, high-energy style. He played big despite his smaller stature. His tenacity endeared him to the Pittsburgh fan base. There’s no doubt that Hines Ward became a symbol of Steeler football and will likely go down as maybe the most beloved Pittsburgh WR ever. Notice I said most beloved, not most talented. It’s very early, but we can all at least conjure an image in our heads of a future where Landry becomes a similar figure in Miami. I don’t think he’s going to become a symbol of Dolphin Football (because in all reality there’s no such thing) but he might be able to build a lasting legacy. We can agree on that much. Maybe he someday gets his name in the ring of honor? The only other WRs to do that are Paul Warfield, Nat Moore, Mark Clayton and Mark Duper. Make no mistake. Jarvis Landry would need to continue producing for a long while but it’s possible if he keeps playing the way he has and ends up a stalwart at the position. Did you know Landry holds the franchise record for most rookie receptions with 84? Or that he holds the franchise record for most receptions in a single season with 110? Okay, a lot of you had probably heard those things before. But did you know that Mark Clayton holds the franchise record for receptions with 550? Well, at 228 Landry is on pace to break the record by his 90[SUP]th[/SUP] game, mid-way through his 6[SUP]th[/SUP] season. And did you know that Mark Duper holds the franchise record for receiving yards with 8,869? Well, with 2,318 already in the books Landry is on pace to break the record by his 142[SUP]nd[/SUP] game, towards the end of his 9[SUP]th[/SUP] season. In short, it’s a fairly good bet that Jarvis Landry (if he’s a lifelong Dolphin) will easily go down as the most productive WR in franchise history. Now, Mark Clayton holds the franchise record with 81 receiving touchdowns. With 10 under his belt, it would take Landry almost 19 seasons to reach that mark. That probably isn’t happening, but even at his current pace, Landry will reach 45 by his 10[SUP]th[/SUP] season so I’d say 50 and 60 are very approachable numbers. Hines Ward on the other hand played 14 seasons with the Steelers and ended in a similar position. He wasn’t the most talented but he was the most productive. He played more games than anyone else (217). He caught the most receptions (1,000). He had the most yards (12,083). And he had the most TDs (85). In fact, in several areas he was way ahead of 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] place. For example, Heath Miller is 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] in receptions (592). And John Stallworth is 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] in both games played (165) and yardage (8,723). As a caveat, Antonio Brown is going to re-write most of those record if he stays in Pittsburgh but with almost every dominant Steeler WR leaving to free agency in the Tomlin era (i.e. Plaxico Burris, Santonio Holmes, Mike Wallace, etc.), you really can’t ever be sure. My guess is that Brown is the type to stay though. He’s just too electric and fun to watch. They love him there. So ironically enough, Hines Ward and Jarvis Landry are similar-looking guys not only in their attitude but in their overall production. I’d actually give the edge to Landry in terms of catches and yards (especially in this era) but Ward was no slouch. He got as high as 1,300 yards and 12 TDs in his best year and came close the next with 1,100 yards and 11 TDs. In their average game: Ward – 4.6 catches – 56 yards – 0.39 TDs – 12.1 YPC Landry – 6.2 catches – 63 yards – 0.27 TDs – 10.2 YPC So between their good production, their similar sizes and their distinctive energy we see obvious similarities. But there are a few things Hines Ward was notoriously good at: (1) Surviving big hits (2) Blocking (3) Hanging onto the ball While I’ll pass on seeing Jarvis Landry taking big hits across the middle, I would like to see him improve his blocking and I NEED to see him get better at protecting the ball. The guy has 2 fumbles as a receiver and 7 as a returner in only 2 years. That’s right. In 37 total games, he’s fumbled 9 times! To put that in perspective, Hines Ward fumbled 13 times in his 217-game, 14-year career! Pretty big difference, LOL! So while Landry is fumbling in about 24% of his games, Ward fumbled in about 6%. As far as the blocking goes…Maybe it’s a wish that won’t come true because I think Landry’s a bit skinnier and more slightly built (at least in the lower body) than Ward was. And let’s be real, Ward might’ve been the best blocking WR ever, so that’s a high bar to reach. But Landry could stand to (and should) improve his blocking, yes. Anyhow, to sum it up, consider that despite all the negativity of this season so far, we’re seeing a few really positive things, one of which is the continuation of a career that could go down as a Dolphin best. So if we do end up looking back on these years with disdain, we'll recognize that 1 dude still stepped up to the plate and produced regardless of the adversity. If nothing else, this proves that regardless of your situation, if you bring effort and passion, you can shine. That’s pretty cool. 2015 Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqjiBF-ef_Y
