DMN Blog: T.O., Playmaker among the best

by Albert Breer

Cowboys Blog follower Mike Sando put together this piece on NFL receivers for ESPN.com, and it includes a list of the Top 10 of all-time, as compiled through a blue-ribbon panel of seven experts.

Michael Irvin's fourth. Terrell Owens is ninth. Here's the complete list ...

1. Jerry Rice
2. Randy Moss
3. Don Hutson
4. Michael Irvin
5. Paul Warfield
6. Charley Taylor
7. Steve Largent
8. Chris Carter
9. Terrell Owens
10. Marvin Harrison

And if you're interested, they also labeled the Original 81 the biggest enigma in the debate. Here's what Sando had to say on that ...

No receiver generated a wider range of opinions than Owens.
Most panelists criticized the Dallas Cowboys receiver for dropping far too many passes. (Owens dropped a league-high 17 in 2006 and 10 more in 2007, tied for third-most in the league, according to Stats, LLC.) But most panelists also lauded Owens' toughness and big-play ability (he has nearly twice as many touchdowns as Monk -- 129 to 68 -- despite 58 fewer receptions and 51 fewer games).

Dowler, who retired in 2007 after a decade in scouting with the Atlanta Falcons, ranked Owens third, behind only Rice and Moss. Two other panelists ranked Owens sixth and seventh. A fourth panelist ranked him 10th.