I’ve got the inside-the-10 receiving stats in front of me, and a couple of names stand out. Cameron Brate and Rishard Matthews, believe it or not, were statistically the most effective players in that part of the field. And plenty of notable names underperformed.
Jameis Winston was banging the drum for Brate to go to the Pro Bowl, and I understand why. The converted Ivy League wide receiver had a great year for the Bucs, and he was particularly good around the goal line, catching 7 of 9 passes.
There were 40 players with at least 8 targets in that part of the field, and the only two to score on at least two thirds of their passes there were both from the Bucs – Mike Evans and Brates.
Matthews caught 6 of 8 passes for Tennessee, with 5 TDs.
Jermaine Kearse, on the other hand, has been a disaster for Seattle. They used him plenty in around the goal line – 10 attempts inside the 10 – but he caught only one of those balls. The Seattle Times suggested last week that Kearse’s contract makes it look pretty certain he’ll be on the roster in 2017, but I don’t know. He was also 1 of 10 inside the 10-yard line in the 2014-15 season. He’s been hurting them.
Amari Cooper has also been strangely ineffective. They didn’t use him at all in that part of the field his rookie year (literally – no targets inside the 10), and he wasn’t very good down there in 2016. He caught a pair of 2-point conversions but otherwise didn’t catch any of his 8 pass attempts.
Dez Bryant also struggled (just 2 of 9), and that follows an ineffective 1 of 7 in 2015. So when you here somebody say Bryant is one of the best on fade routes, or that his size makes him almost impossible to cover around the goal line … well … 3 of 16 in two years. He was 5 of 10 in the 2014 season.
Antonio Brown went 3 of 11 in the regular season. Teams are really working hard against him. He caught 22 of 35 passes in that part of the field the previous year.
Here are the numbers for all 40 with at least 8 attempts. These include regulation NFL stats and also 2-point conversions. So when you see Davante Adams with “5+1” in the touchdown column, that means he caught 5 TDs and a 2-point conversion.
| RECEIVING INSIDE THE 10 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Att | Com | Pct | TD | EZ% |
| Cameron Brate, T.B. | 9 | 7 | 78% | 6 | 67% |
| Rishard Matthews, Tenn. | 8 | 6 | 75% | 5 | 63% |
| Jordy Nelson, G.B. | 15 | 11 | 73% | 9 | 60% |
| Mike Evans, T.B. | 11 | 8 | 73% | 6+2 | 73% |
| T.Y. Hilton, Ind. | 10 | 7 | 70% | 2+1 | 30% |
| Hunter Henry, S.D. | 9 | 6 | 67% | 5 | 56% |
| Davante Adams, G.B. | 12 | 8 | 67% | 5+1 | 50% |
| Michael Thomas, N.O. | 11 | 7 | 64% | 6 | 55% |
| Seth Roberts, Oak. | 11 | 7 | 64% | 3+2 | 45% |
| Anquan Boldin, Det. | 11 | 7 | 64% | 4 | 36% |
| Antonio Gates, S.D. | 8 | 5 | 63% | 5 | 63% |
| Willie Snead, N.O. | 8 | 5 | 63% | 3 | 38% |
| DeMarco Murray, Tenn. | 8 | 5 | 63% | 3 | 38% |
| Mohamed Sanu, Atl. | 10 | 6 | 60% | 3+1 | 40% |
| Brandon LaFell, Cin. | 10 | 6 | 60% | 4 | 40% |
| Tyrell Williams, S.D. | 10 | 6 | 60% | 2 | 20% |
| Jordan Reed, Wash. | 9 | 5 | 56% | 5 | 56% |
| Kenny Britt, L.A. | 9 | 5 | 56% | 4 | 44% |
| Jesse James, Pitt. | 9 | 5 | 56% | 3 | 33% |
| Emmanuel Sanders, Den. | 11 | 6 | 55% | 3 | 27% |
| Michael Crabtree, Oak. | 10 | 5 | 50% | 4+1 | 50% |
| Odell Beckham Jr., NYG | 10 | 5 | 50% | 5 | 50% |
| Michael Floyd, Ariz. | 8 | 4 | 50% | 4 | 50% |
| Allen Robinson, Jac. | 12 | 6 | 50% | 4+1 | 42% |
| Travaris Cadet, N.O. | 8 | 4 | 50% | 3 | 38% |
| Doug Baldwin, Sea. | 8 | 4 | 50% | 3 | 38% |
| Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 12 | 6 | 50% | 3+1 | 33% |
| Travis Kelce, K.C. | 8 | 4 | 50% | 1+1 | 25% |
| Devonta Freeman, Atl. | 8 | 4 | 50% | 1 | 13% |
| Kyle Rudolph, Minn. | 13 | 6 | 46% | 4 | 31% |
| Justin Hardy, Atl. | 9 | 4 | 44% | 4 | 44% |
| Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. | 12 | 5 | 42% | 4 | 33% |
| Quincy Enunwa, NYJ | 10 | 4 | 40% | 1 | 10% |
| Greg Olsen, Car. | 8 | 3 | 38% | 1+1 | 25% |
| Marvin Jones, Det. | 8 | 3 | 38% | 2 | 25% |
| Julian Edelman, N.E. | 10 | 3 | 30% | 1+1 | 20% |
| Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 11 | 3 | 27% | 3 | 27% |
| Dez Bryant, Dall. | 9 | 2 | 22% | 2 | 22% |
| Amari Cooper, Oak. | 10 | 2 | 20% | 0+2 | 20% |
| Jermaine Kearse, Sea. | 10 | 1 | 10% | 1 | 10% |
—Ian Allan