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    <title>Yardbarker: Keyshawn Johnson</title>
    <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/2404</link>
    <description>Recent articles about Keyshawn Johnson</description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <item>
      <title>NFL: Most Overrated Players of The Past 40 Years!</title>
      <description>Here is the list of the most overrated NFL players since the Super Bowl began.  It's hard to rate NFL players overrated before then simply because the game has changed so much over the years to make it easier for QBs and WRs.

Remember that you have to be considered a great player to be called overrated.

Here we go.

www.rawsportsblog.com</description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:18:04 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285807</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285807</guid>
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      <title>Top Ten Moments in Panthers History - Number Nine</title>
      <description>Before we reveal the number nine moment in Carolina Panthers history, I want to remind everyone that we are selecting games that had a major impact on the franchise and its direction.
The game that comes in at number nine was big for three reasons - 1) The team the Panthers were playing were in only [...]</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:05:35 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/282093</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/282093</guid>
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      <title>The Media Circus</title>
      <description>If there's one thing the sports world has taught us over the past six months, it's that scandals are best served at the height of audience attention. Last week, Tim Donaghy came forward with the revelation that the NBA &lt;a href="http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/10860844"&gt;fixed a 2002 playoff series&lt;/a&gt; between the Lakers and Kings, right in the midst of the Celtics/Lakers NBA Finals.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This was just a few months after Boston Herald beat writer John Tomase unveiled the tale of the Patriots taping a Rams Super Bowl practice walk-through in 2002. The unveiling occurred on, of all days, Super Bowl XLII. The story was proved false through, well, we don't know exactly what type of investigating Roger Goodell did, but the record shows that the story has no legs. It remains to be seen what will come of the Donaghy revelation, but we wouldn't bet on Donaghy as a truth-teller (see what we did there?).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Looking at the sports world through the lens of recent history, the JSF shareholders had an extensive meeting and came to the agreement that the following scandals will come to light over the next year.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;World Series&lt;/strong&gt; ? On the day of Game 2 of the 2008 World Series, umpire Phil Cuzzi ? who some accused as bitter after being left off the World Series umpiring crew - announces that Bud Selig ordered a fix of the 2005 World Series so that the Brewers would sweep the White Sox. The fix was soon called off when Selig was alerted the Brewers failed to make the postseason.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img border="1" align="right" width="200" src="http://www.joesportsfan.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/Circus/lannymcdonald.jpg" alt="lannymcdonald.jpg" height="200" title="lannymcdonald.jpg" /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stanley Cup&lt;/strong&gt; -The tradition of having every Cup winner's name inscribed on the Stanley Cup is compromised when it comes to light that esteemed member of the 1988-89 Calgary Flames, &lt;a href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u107/cusdenm/lannymcdonald.jpg"&gt;Lanny McDonald's&lt;/a&gt; name was actually inscribed as "Lenny McDougal".&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Olympics&lt;/strong&gt; -On the eve of the track and field finale in Beijing, Edwin Moses is accused of wearing &lt;a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/olympics/2007-07/11/xinsrc_37207041118252812107453.jpg"&gt;performance enhancing goggles&lt;/a&gt; during his gold medal 400M hurdles race in 1984.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Ford 400&lt;/strong&gt; - At NASCAR's final race in the chase to the Sprint Cup, Dr. Jerry Punch announces his contention that the Joe Gibbs Racing Team filmed the Team Penske's pre-race walk thru.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Tour de France&lt;/strong&gt; ? Lance Armstrong never really had cancer; it was a ploy by Nike so they could partner with the Lance Armstrong Foundation in the mass production of Livestrong bracelets.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Masters&lt;/strong&gt; ? Phil Mickelson's close friend and personal surgeon reveals Phil had an affair with a 15 year old country singer in 1999 and paid for a breast augmentation three years later ? for both the girl and himself.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;American Gladiators&lt;/strong&gt; -Minutes before the start of the season finale, rumors are leaked that Malibu wasn't &lt;a href="http://www.thecampuscomic.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/000000.jpg"&gt;this guy's&lt;/a&gt; real name.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Just more fuel for the conspiracy theorists. &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;&lt;font color="#800000"&gt;Crap that actually came from somebody's mouth&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img border="1" align="right" width="231" src="http://www.joesportsfan.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/Circus/rick_sutcliffe.jpg" alt="rick_sutcliffe.jpg" height="292" title="rick_sutcliffe.jpg" /&gt;&lt;em&gt;"I got a new favorite color, I know that, man. Well, I'm more worried about Erin than I was me, wearing that skirt tonight in the Windy City. You think all eyes weren't on her during batting practice?"&lt;/em&gt; - Rick Sutcliffe, (&lt;a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/richard_deitsch/06/15/media616/index.html"&gt;via SI&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We have one question for Rick Sutcliffe: &lt;a href="http://www.joesportsfan.com/column.php?postid=86"&gt;how good is this&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
___&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;"My shoulder is clean.&amp;nbsp; There's an issue about me getting in a consistent throwing position, but it has nothing to do with the condition of my shoulder. Whoever writes that stuff is wrong."&lt;/em&gt; - Mark Mulder&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Appearing that same day...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
"&lt;em&gt;Hard to believe Cardinals pitcher Mark Mulder may be close to the end. He's been told he needs a third shoulder surgery."&lt;/em&gt; ? John Heyman, SI.com&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Another solid job by the mainstream media using their college degrees and journalistic integrity to make sure us readers only get confirmed, rock solid facts.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
___&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;"Rooting for the Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim. It's like hoping Gorbachev would get to the blinking red button before Reagan."&lt;/em&gt; - Jemele Hill&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We haven't figured out how this makes any semblance of sense, but we do know that Jemele was temporarily relieved of her duties at ESPN - and &lt;a href="http://www.joesportsfan.com/column.php?postid=1895"&gt;must really hate the Celtics&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;&lt;font color="#800000"&gt;Americans Still Bitter over ESPN's Rising Level of NOW&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sunday night, Peter Gammons played a rendition of Take Me Out to the Ballgame to kick off ESPN's summer festival of music. Truthfully, we have no idea if that's what the latest ESPN promotion is called, but we do know the network included ample suck in the creation of the latest promotion, as confirmed by &lt;a href="http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2008-06-12-walton_N.htm"&gt;ESPN producer Jay Levy&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;"Personally, I'm a huge American Idol fan, so I figured why not have our own little American Idol."&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img border="1" vspace="1" align="right" src="http://www.joesportsfan.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/reo.jpg" hspace="1" alt="reo.jpg" title="reo.jpg" /&gt;Yes; why not? Surely baseball games and highlights aren't enough to nourish the appetite of the average sports fan. The WorldWide Leader will commence their 'battle of the bands' later this month, with each act debuting a music video of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame", in honor of the 7th inning stretch anthem turning 100 this year.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
All told, REO Speedwagon, Gretchen Wilson, Branford Marsalis, and "rockers" Candlebox will have videos, along with a handful of other musicians. We don't know about you, but we can't wait for Candlebox's performance. We're so going to online to vote for them.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Although, with a perm-mullet like REO, there's no way they aren't getting some love.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;&lt;font color="#800000"&gt;Javon Walker Near-Death... AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT YAHOO! FANTASY FOOTBALL!&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font color="#800000"&gt;&lt;font color="#000000"&gt;We're not trying to make light of Javon Walker being found unconscious on a Las Vegas strip, but we were a little caught off guard by Yahoo! Sports' account at the end of their story.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: center"&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.joesportsfan.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/javonwalkerstory.jpg" alt="javonwalkerstory.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;&lt;font color="#800000"&gt;Talks Between ESPN and Brett Favre to Create ESPN Favre Still in Progress&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We thought that riding off into the sunset of (supposed) retirement would lead to a reversal of excessive media coverage of the Gunslinger, but... wait, no we didn't. He's Brett Freaking Favre and they're ESPN.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Sure enough, the Favre media frenzy still has some gas left in the tank. During halftime of the inaugural 2008 MNF game, the Packers will retire Brett Favre's jersey and ESPN will be along for the ride. Nothing wrong with that, other than the fact that the WorldWide Leader is going to the following lengths of overkill to document every second of Favre.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
From an ESPN release to &lt;a href="http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/insider/index.shtml"&gt;Packersnews.com&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;img border="1" align="right" width="304" src="http://www.joesportsfan.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/Circus/Favretears.jpg" alt="Favretears.jpg" height="420" title="Favretears.jpg" /&gt;"ESPN will be sending its entire 'Monday Night Countdown' crew to Green Bay for Vikings-Packers MNF opener on Sept 8. We have not done this since the first MNF season on ESPN in 2005, but with the Packers set to retire Brett Favre's jersey -- and this being ESPN's first visit to Lambeau Field for a MNF game -- the decision was a no-brainer. We will have multiple shows originating from site throughout the day. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Here's the planned lineup of ESPN programs for Monday, Sept 8 (All times CT):&lt;br /&gt;
Mon 12:30 PM NFL LIVE&lt;br /&gt;
Mon 01:00 PM NFL PRIMETIME&lt;br /&gt;
Mon 02:00 PM AROUND THE HORN&lt;br /&gt;
Mon 02:30 PM PARDON THE INTERRUPTION *&lt;br /&gt;
Mon 03:00 PM SPORTSCENTER MONDAY KICKOFF (segments *)&lt;br /&gt;
Mon 04:00 PM MONDAY NIGHT COUNTDOWN *&lt;br /&gt;
Mon 06:00 PM MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL -- MINNESOTA VIKINGS @ GREEN BAY PACKERS&lt;br /&gt;
Mon 09:15 PM MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL -- DENVER BRONCOS @ OAKLAND RAIDERS (halftime segments *)&lt;br /&gt;
Tue 12:30 AM SPORTSCENTER (segments *)&lt;br /&gt;
Tue 02:00 AM NFL PRIMETIME (UPDATED W/ HIGHLIGHTS FROM MNF GAMES) &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;* will originate from Lambeau Field in Green Bay &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;In addition to the MNF crew that will call the game (Mike Tirico, Rob Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser), the Monday Night Countdown team of Chris Berman, Stuart Scott, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, Steve Young, Emmitt Smith and Chris Mortensen will all be on-site, as well as reporter(s). Michael Wilbon is also expected to be on-site for Pardon the Interruption w/ Kornheiser."&lt;/em&gt; (JSF note: our guess is that the "reporter(s)" will be Rachel Nichols and Sal Paolantonio, meaning that at least a grand total of 13 on-air personalities will be at Labmbeau Field).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
That entire, comprehensive plan just reeks of Chris Berman. No way he was going to let a Favre retirement ceremony go by the wayside without any Boomer interaction. We're pretty sure he's had September 8th circled on his calendar for months.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Stuart Scott is already at Lambeau Field, by the way. Early reports indicate he IS in fact holding a football. Just a few more months, Stu. Hang in there, buddy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font color="#800000"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bob Carpenter Memorial Snappy Line&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
When assessing the overall impact of Bob Carpenter, you might be inclined to assume that only American sporting events have been influenced by the movement towards snappy lines.&amp;nbsp; Wrong.&amp;nbsp; The Bobber is global, people.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Case in point, halfway around the world, the Euro 2008 soccer championships are ongoing and ESPN's announcers have been determined to make sure the world knows about the power of snap...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;"Well it's a dutch oven.&amp;nbsp; And the French are toast"&lt;/em&gt; ? Adrian Healey after Holland scored to make it 4-1 over France.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;"Eva Longoria was there with Tony Parker for those of you who might be Desperate Housewives fans.&amp;nbsp; Now we have desperate footballers on the pitch trying to advance to the quarterfinals."&lt;/em&gt; ? Rece Davis on the France - Italy game&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The Bobber is giving the European equivalent of two thumbs up.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;The Media Circus is written by Josh Bacott and Patrick Imig.&amp;nbsp; They swear this stuff is real.&amp;nbsp; E-mail them at info@joesportsfan.com&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 18 Jun 2008 01:09:08 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/279243</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/279243</guid>
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      <title>All Of ESPN Is Moving To Green Bay For A Night In September</title>
      <description>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_1OMiSrEJXnY/SFXqaTAozII/AAAAAAAAHYg/cr-P3JZthcQ/s1600-h/favre.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_1OMiSrEJXnY/SFXqaTAozII/AAAAAAAAHYg/cr-P3JZthcQ/s400/favre.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212329881251662978" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A couple of folks mentioned this on Friday, but the Green Bay Press-Gazette confirmed on Friday that ESPN plans to send every reporter under the sun to the Vikings-Packers MNF game on September 8th.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;The entire "Monday Night Countdown" crew &#8212; Chris Berman, Stuart Scott, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, Steve Young, Emmitt Smith and Chris Mortensen &#8212; will be on site, in addition to "Monday Night Football" announcers Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser and Kornheiser's "PTI" co-host, Michael Wilbon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"We have not done this since the first 'MNF' season on ESPN in 2005," Bill Hofheimer, the network's communications director, wrote in an e-mail. "(B)ut with the Packers set to retire Brett Favre's jersey &#8212; and this being ESPN's first visit to Lambeau Field for a 'MNF' game &#8212; the decision was a no-brainer."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;ESPN will kick off its coverage with "NFL Live" at 12:30 p.m. "PTI" will lead the live-from-Lambeau coverage at 2:30 p.m., followed by portions of "SportsCenter Monday Kickoff" (3 p.m.) and "Monday Night Countdown" (4 p.m.) before the 6 p.m. kickoff. The network will carry segments from Lambeau at halftime of the Denver Broncos/Oakland Raiders game, which starts at 9:15 p.m., and during its 12:30 a.m. "SportsCenter."&lt;/blockquote&gt;12:30pm?!?!  Good lord that's early.  In the end though this is the Monday Night opener so I don't blame them.  If the jersey retirement was in Week 10 I might be a little more up in arms.  It should be a heck of a day though here at AA.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080614/PKR01/806140449/1058"&gt;ESPN to take over Green Bay&lt;/a&gt;  (Green Bay Press-Gazette)</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:06:55 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278381</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278381</guid>
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      <title>Travis(9 kids to 9 different women)Henry finally snipped.... by the Broncos</title>
      <description>In a bold move, the Denver Broncos released Henry, citing his lack of determination. WE NEED MORE OF THIS IN SPORTS! please god, let the rest of the NFL follow suit.</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:12:17 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/273393</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/273393</guid>
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      <title>Keyshawn Johnson named "Best Dressed Man"</title>
      <description>At a recent fashion awards show in New York, Keyshawn Johnson was named "Best Dressed Man". The same Keyshawn who sported a pink polka dot tie at the NFL Draft. We bet new ESPN co-analyst Don Cherry is demanding a recount.</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 13 May 2008 19:15:38 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266642</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266642</guid>
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      <title>Someone Send Meds</title>
      <description>WARNING: Staring directly at Keyshawn Johnson may cause you to contract an STD.</description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 27 Apr 2008 13:46:34 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/260072</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/260072</guid>
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      <title>Matt Millen Knows How to Pick'em</title>
      <description>His teams have won thirty-one games compared to eighty-one loses.  He's never built a team that has won more than 7 games in a season.  His continued employment has inspired an "Angry Fan March", a halftime walkout and a stadium full of fans to wear a visiting team's colors.  
Is Matt Millen a terrible General Manager?   Yes
Is his penchant for selecting wide receivers in the first round and subsequent inability to do so successfully evidence of his inabilities to run a franchise?  Not necessarily&#8230;. 
Consider the subjective observation first.  We tend to forget that each of the wide receivers Millen drafted (Charles Rogers, Roy Williams, Mike Williams and Calvin Johnson) was chosen in the widely-regarded appropriate slot.  He never reached.  It's true there were questions surrounding Mike Williams concerning his year off from football and potential weight issues.  However, if not for those concerns Williams would not have even lasted until the tenth pick where the Lions selected him, the latest they drafted any of the four wide receivers.  
To be honest, I must admit that as a Titans fan I was upset when Tennessee chose Pacman Jones over Williams.  In hindsight, disregarding off-the-field issues (And the troubles both players have had can be attributed to "off-the-field" issues.  Pacman loves strip clubs so much he eats his meals there and Mike Williams treats every meal with the enthusiasm of a trip to the strip club.) the decision between Jones and Williams was like choosing between Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears.  Once one got kinda fat and the other went crazy you suddenly wished you had given Mandy Moore a longer look.   
The other three were highly praised picks.  Furthermore, all indications are that Calvin Johnson will join Roy Williams as a successively used high draft pick, giving Millen a 50% Success Rate when it comes to drafting 1st Round Wide Receivers.   
Is this Success Rate acceptable or further evidence that Millen belongs in a broadcast booth?  To answer this question we need to determine what characterizes a successful first round wide receiver.  Then we must determine a way to objectify whether or not a player meets those criteria and compare Millen's Success Rate against the league's average.  
First off, for a comparison I used the 1st Round Wide Receiver classes from 1995 to 2005 as my data set.  This eleven year period works well as it gives us a representative sample of current trends while allowing enough time to evaluate selections to determine their success or indications of success to come.  It should be noted now that the remarkable "1996 First Round WR Class" is included in the sample.  A class featuring Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn, Eddie Kennison, Marvin Harrison and Eric Moulds&#8212;all of whom proved themselves to be worthy first round selections by the metric of this study.  During this stretch forty-eight wide receivers were drafted in the first round by a total of twenty-nine teams (Dallas, Oakland and San Diego were the three who did not make such a selection).  
Now, back to the question of what personifies a successful first round wide receiver.  After considering the matter, I determined that an NFL team expects two attributes from a wide receiver it selects in the first round: impact and duration.  Teams don't draft wide receivers that highly in the hopes that they will merely contribute nor do they select players hoping to get one or two good years out of them.   A successful first round wide receiver is one that produces at a high level for an extended period of time.  
With this in mind, I set out to uncover a simple metric that would indicate if a player had achieved an acceptable level of impact and duration.  Immediately upon reviewing the stats one number jumped out and it proved itself to be an appropriate metric after further analysis: 60 receptions.  
A player with 60 catches in a season averages 3.75 per game, or nearly one per quarter&#8212;which would demonstrate a wide receiver of notable value to his offense.  Furthermore, since 1995, players with 60 grabs have a median ranking of 41st for receptions on the year (mean = 40.923).  It's safe to assume that NFL teams selecting a wide receiver in the first round expect that player to become a top 40 receiver at some point in their career.  
For a better understanding of what 60 receptions is, and the level of player that typically achieves the mark, consider a listing of some of the wide receivers who just topped 60 catches last year and some who fell just short.  
60+: Andre Johnson (60), Santana Moss (61), Reggie Brown (61), Roy Williams(63)              
&lt;60: Amani Toomer(59), Joey Galloway (57), Ronald Curry (55), Roydell Williams (55)
Given that Johnson, Moss and Roy Williams missed multiple games, this list also demonstrates the conservatism of 60 receptions as a benchmark.  I wanted this quality in such a simple metric because if Matt Millen's Selection Success Rate is 50%, as I claim, I would like to give other GMs every benefit of the doubt and err on the side of caution.   In fact, the benchmark could even be dropped as low as 56 catches without changing any of the conclusions of this analysis.  However, given the above argument, 60 receptions is a reliable metric for determining a "successful" wide receiver season.  
Sixty receptions signify significance but how many times must a player achieve this standard in order to demonstrate duration?  Looking at the data the magic number seems to be three.  Three years of 60+ receptions separates guys like Eddie Kennison (3) and Ike Hilliard (3) from Peter Warrick (2 &#8230;. really?).  And this works well across the board.  So the standard for a Successful First Round Wide Receiver is at least three years of at least sixty receptions&#8212;with one exception.  Some of the players in this data set haven't been in the league long enough to require three successful years for justification.  A simple solution: any player drafted since 2004 only needs one year of at least 60 catches to make it upon the successful selection list.  This allows for the inclusion of guys who have demonstrated an indication of future success while leaving off the players who can't reasonably be considered a justified first round wide receiver.  Michael Jenkins is the personification of the young guys who didn't make the cut; four seasons with a single season high of 53 snags.  On the flipside, this unfortunately leads to Michael Clayton's inclusion&#8212;this truly is a conservative standard of success.    
However, between 1995 and 2005, only twenty-one of the forty-eight receivers drafted in the first round achieved the 60 receptions in three years (or one) benchmark, 43.75%.  And while other examinations would have to be performed to determine the success rate at other positions, the fact that less than half the receivers taken in the first round since 1995 can be declared successful is truly telling of the risk a team undertakes by selecting a wide receiver with their first pick in the draft.  If this percentage seems unusually low, then you might question the validity of the "60 x 3 Metric."  However, it proves to have done a pretty accurate job of separating players who have proved themselves worthy of their draft position versus those who fell short.  Guys who just made the list: Eddie Kennison, Ike Hilliard and David Boston.   Kennison and Hilliard have never been anything special but have put together careers which justify their presence of the list of successful choices.  And although Boston might seem as though he doesn't belong, a review of his short career reveals otherwise; over a four-year period he was a highly effective wide receiver.
2005:  Games:5  Receptions: 4 Yards: 80 Touchdowns: 0
2003:  Gms:14  Rcpts: 70 Yds: 880 TDs: 7
2002:  Gms:8  Rcpts: 32 Yds: 512 TDs: 1
2001:  Gms:16  Rcpts: 98 Yds: 1598 TDs: 8
2000:  Gms:16  Rcpts: 71 Yds: 1156 TDs: 7
1999:  Gms:16  Rcpts: 40 Yds: 473 TDs: 2
Then, those guys who just missed the list: Peter Warrick, Travis Taylor, Rod Gardner and Javon Walker.  The first three clearly never justified their high selection and the fact that they just missed the list once more highlights the conservatism of the "60 x 3" metric.  Arguments could be made for Walker's inclusion but he really hasn't accomplished as much as you initially think&#8212;at least not yet.  Aside from one strong year and one Pro Bowl level one, he's been barely more than a replacement level receiver, granted he lost a year to an ACL tear.  Regardless, no metric will be perfect and Javon Walker's exclusion is more than made up for with Michael Clayton's inclusion.  The proportionality of successful picks is maintained.  
So assuming Calvin Johnson proves himself to be worthy of his high selection&#8212;the great assumption of this analysis&#8212;Matt Millen's 1st Round Wide Receiver Selection Rate of 50% is above the league average of 43.75%.  While the difference is certainly not enough to declare that Millen has been "better" than the rest of the league in his selections, the numbers indicate that he is at least as good as other general managers.  Indeed, only five teams who have selected multiple receivers in the first round since 1995 have a higher success rate: the Jets, Rams, Colts, Bills and Cardinals.  By this standard, the worst team at selecting receivers early is not Detroit but Jacksonville.  
Despite these numbers, the argument could still be made that Millen's mistake is not in which receivers he drafted but in his selection of receivers at all.  And this is a valid point.  A position in which the majority of first round picks fail&#8230; might be a position to avoid with your first round pick.  Or perhaps you should limit yourself to two wideouts per decade rather than four every five years.  Just a little rule of thumb for Millen to consider.  At the same time, the data shows that wide receivers picked in the Top 10 have faired relatively well (52.38% Success Rate), certainly better than those selected lower down in the first round (37.04% Success Rate).  Perhaps this in some way justifies Millen's selecting four wide receivers with Top 10 selections&#8212;if you're going to draft a receiver in the first round, make sure it's within the first ten picks.  Just more than half of these players pan out and of the four chosen by the Lions it appears as though two will do so.  I guess Nick Bakay is right. However, I would still say that Millen's mistake has not been the players he's chosen but agree with the common opinion that his mistake lies in his affinity for choosing receivers.  
But enough with Matt Millen.  Regardless of his "Receiver Selectionability" he still sucks.  What else can the numbers from this study tell us?  After all, a review of forty-eight first round wide receivers should tell us a little more than, "Millen's ok."  For starters, the higher success rate of Top 10 picks versus lower first round picks begins to address an assertion that has become popular the past few years, that high expectations lead to the (perceived) failure of first round receivers.  However, Top 10 picks have higher expectations than lower first round picks yet have been more successful as a group.  That's why is was such a big deal when Dwayne Bowe outperformed Calvin Johnson last year&#8212;we weren't expecting it.  Johnson was the higher pick, he should have done more.  Nevertheless, typically the Top 10 guys do outperform the guys picked in the 11th-32nd  range, seemingly indicating that Superior Ability and Greater Opportunity trump Better Team Talent and Lower Expectations.  Forget pressure.  They're all first round draft picks, they feel the pressure.  Just ask Robert Meachem.   
Continuing in this theme, the general consensus is that it takes three years for a wide receiver to truly "get it" and begin producing at a high level.  While this may be true in regards to a player reaching his potential, or eventual, level of production, it doesn't seem to be true that a team has to wait for three years to see what it has in a wide receiver.  Of the players who ever met the "60 x 3" metric, nearly 40% caught 60 balls in their first season and two-thirds did so within their first two seasons.  
Lastly, the data revealed an interesting pattern&#8212;the extremely high likelihood that the 3rd receiver selected in the first round will fail.  Of these eleven players in this position, only one made the list of successful picks.  Eddie Kennison; the receiver on the successful list who came the closest to being left off.  Kennison is a combined eleven receptions over the successful threshold.  Honestly, I couldn't come up with any logical explanation why this might be.  There is always the probability that this finding is nothing more than a statistical anomaly but if you can come up with some rational reason, please share.  Regardless, it's quite bizarre.  
I set out to answer a simple question, "Just how bad is Matt Millen at selecting wide receivers?"  The answer was quite surprising, albeit unprofound.  If nothing else, perhaps this study has uncovered a simple metric for determining receiver success and given some further insight into the uncertainty of 1st Round receiver selections.  Or perhaps it reveals something different altogether, that the Detroit Lions don't select receivers that are doomed to fail but that the receivers they select are doomed to fail once they become Lions.  I'm sorry Detroit fans.  My "Fire Millen" shirt is in the mail.  


By: Parker Woodard
Pwoodar1@utk.edu</description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:51:47 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/250364</link>
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      <title>Booms and Busts - A Look at the No. 1 Picks Over the Past 20 Years</title>
      <description>Over the past twenty years, the NFL has seen more than a few number one overall picks go "bust." But there have also been some great players who lived up to the hype of being drafted first. Check out the full list with comments on each player.</description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 13 Apr 2008 15:27:00 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/236394</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/236394</guid>
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      <title>Keyshawn Coming Back To the NFL? Terrell Owens Wins.</title>
      <description>Two months after T.O. publicly states Keyshawn couldn't cut it in the NFL, Johnson is mulling over a possible stint with the Miami Dolphins. Why would he want to play for a team who went 1-15 last year? Oh yeah, because it's comfortable under Bill Parcell's teat, and he won't be cut from the team.</description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:26:00 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/144404</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/144404</guid>
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      <title>Keyshawn to return to NFL, to play for Parcells?</title>
      <description>Let's put it this way the Dolphins need more than Keyshawn

"First, Bill Parcells decided to leave ESPN for the Miami Dolphins to resurrect his career in the NFL. Now, one of his favorite players might consider doing the same.

Former Pro Bowl wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson has not ruled out the possibility of making a comeback to play specifically in Miami for Parcells, a mentor and close friend.

In an e-mail to The Miami Herald, agent Jerome Stanley said Johnson remains in ''great shape'' while also remaining close to Parcells, who coached Johnson with the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys."</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:51:51 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/59106</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/59106</guid>
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      <title>T.O. Calls Out Keyshawn, Keyshawn Responds And Is Bleeped On Sports Center</title>
      <description>&lt;embed style="width:400px; height:326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-6734630174588893050&amp;hl=en" flashvars=""&gt; &lt;/embed&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 13 Dec 2007 15:47:46 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/43483</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/43483</guid>
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      <title>Terrell Owens vs Keyshawn Johnson</title>
      <description>I honestly didn't even know this was going to be an issue but I should have known better than to think that Terrell Owens could keep his mouth shut for too long. After some comments made directly to him from former Dallas Cowboy Keyshawn Johnson on ESPN's NFL sunday countdown. It's interesting though because both of these guys are known to have big mouths.</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:56:58 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/43365</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/43365</guid>
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      <title>Where have you been all season?</title>
      <description>Is it a surprise to anyone that after T.O. had his worst game of the season he finally runs his mouth? All the media has been on him and the fantastic season he has been having, but he can't handle the spotlight being taken off him for one game. Jason Witten has a career game and T.O. catches just 3 balls for 21 yards in a win against the Lions.

It continues how Keyshawn Johnson sticks up for former Dallas coach Bill Parcells and how T.O. apparently isn't a fan</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 13 Dec 2007 03:47:41 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/43344</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/43344</guid>
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      <title>Nickname Hall of Fame</title>
      <description>Congratulations to Vinny "Teste" Testaverde (GreenBalls) on his enshrinement by Keyshawn Johnson into the nut-inspired Hall of Fame beside Randy "The Big Unit" Johnson.</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:44:33 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/42259</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/42259</guid>
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