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Yes!
look at first 3 seasons of each player: Puka, Rice and Moss
1998 Moss was dominant
2007 Moss was dominant
Moss had way more TDs than Puka but Puka has definitely been great.
Seattle has a tough defense except vs the Rams why?
one reason is 3 TE formation but the main reason is Puka
Puka is WR built like a TE, he made Cooper Kupp expendable, Kupp can still play but he had no role in the Rams offense because of Puka
What if I say he is the most dominant WR since Rice and Moss? will that still trigger @Undisciplined ?
Moss was not a dominant playoff WR, look at 1998 and 2007
There is no certainly no other WR that is the same kind of threat that Puka is. as you say he is built like a TE but can also play like a small shifty slot WR.
This is my last comment on this topic
Claude:
Sure — here’s a quick recap of what I said across this chat:
- Tim Brown: Great, borderline inner-circle Hall of Famer, but more of a “compiler” than a generational talent — huge career volume (1,094 catches, 100 TDs, nine straight 1,000-yard seasons) built on longevity and consistency rather than big-play dominance (13.6 YPC is modest). No Super Bowl win, took 9 years to get into Canton. Your “overrated” instinct isn’t crazy, but he was legitimately great at his peak.
- Puka Nacua intro: Clarified who you meant (Rams WR) and asked what angle you wanted to discuss.
- “Most dominant WR since Rice” claim: Pushed back — his rookie/early production is historic (1,486 rookie yards, an NFL record), but “since Rice” is a high bar given Moss, Owens, Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Julio, Hopkins, Adams, and especially Justin Jefferson, who’s sustained similar or better dominance for longer with better health. Said it’s more accurate to call it one of the best starts to a career, not the most dominant stretch overall.
- Efficiency + eye test: Agreed his per-target numbers and physical/contested-catch ability are special, but noted recency bias — Jefferson, Chase, Moss, and Calvin Johnson all had similarly jaw-dropping stretches. Said Nacua’s case is strong for “best two-year debut” but needs 4-5 more healthy years to justify “most dominant since Rice.”
- Loving both Jefferson and Nacua: Said that’s a great spot to be in as a fan — no need to rank them yet, just enjoy watching two potential era-defining receivers develop.
Edit: I probably jinxed his career
Interesting that Antonio Brown wasn't mentioned. He was actually on pace to catch Rice through about 8 seasons until he completely imploded.
I remember the first time I saw Jerry Rice in 1986, my reaction was who is this guy, he is the best WR in the league with a backup QB (Montana was hurt for most of 1986)
His second year as a pro
I thought Moss was the best receiver in the league as soon as he hit the field. He had a shit QB too, which might have actually helped him, since he had to attempt more spectacular catches from off-target throws.
The Rams lost to Seattle because of their special teams and secondary
The offense was not the problem, MacDonald doesn't have a cheat code for Puka
49ers new DC is Raheem Morris who should have inside information about the Rams offense
Was there a cheat code for Tim Brown? of course not because he didn't play in big games and when he did he was invisible
The Raiders stunk through his entire prime. He was already in his mid-30's when they were good. You're holding longevity against him, when most guys can't even make a roster at that age.
In his prime they were in exactly two playoff games and he had 213 yards and 2 TDs.
Btw, as I was digging into this, I discovered that your Chargers probably had the only great WR before Rice. Lance Alworth was 1st Team All Pro 6x and was putting up modern receiving numbers in the 60's.
For what it's worth, Puka's my favorite current receiver and I hate that you're making me argue against him.
When did Hill stop being a dominant receiver? When did Hill peak?
He had one great season in Miami, right?
And we know Tua sucks and Mahomes' hasn't been great since Hill left. He might have been worth almost 20 passing TDs a season because of how he warped defenses.
Chiefs won 2 super bowls after trading Hill
Miami made the playoffs in 2022 and 2023
edit: maybe one day Puka will be as dominant as Tim Brown
Hill had 2 great seasons in Miami
Chiefs won 2 super bowls after trading Hill
Because they had awesome defenses and Mahomes is incredible. I'm just saying the passing offense tanked without Hill. Same QB, same system, same play caller.
maybe one day Puka will be as dominant as Tim Brown
Not as a returner, he won't. Brown wasn't physical like Puka but I do think they're the same kind of dominant. Neither is putting the fear of God in the defense but they both get open exactly when and where they intended to and then catch anything near them.
I don't even think he's as dominant as Tyreke Hill was a few years ago.
that's because of your raider bias
I'm sure that's part of it. We did see Hill a lot and had absolutely no answer for him.
I don't sense that teams are terrified of Puka the way they were of Hill or Moss.
More dominant than Randy Moss?