alum96

September 1st, 2014 at 1:43 PM ^

Teammate pumping up current teammate - this is what guys do on teams; they talk up their teammates.  That's what there is to it.  If Funchess played 13 years ago, and Braylon was in his 3rd year with Devin, Devin would have said "Braylon could be the best WR to ever play here."  

Joined: 04/28/2012

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M-Dog

September 1st, 2014 at 4:39 PM ^

 not to mention he can catch.

It is starting to look that way.  He hasn't shown the dropsies he showed last year that made you say "I see why he was a TE and not a receiver in the first place."  That was the only thing holding him back.

 

 

 

Joined: 07/06/2008

MGoPoints: 256987

DonAZ

September 1st, 2014 at 1:45 PM ^

If this is just post-game exhuberance, then okay.

If this is early-onset overconfidence ... then yellow warning lights are flashing.

Funchess is good, no doubt.  But "best ever" is a damn tall mountain to climb. 

Joined: 12/05/2011

MGoPoints: 16679

RockinLoud

September 1st, 2014 at 1:52 PM ^

I don't think so. I think he clearly has the ability to be exactlyl that. We'll see if it works out that way or not. If he's double/triple covered every game and other WRs have equally as good stats as a result, does that mean he wasn't as good? Or does that mean he was so good he had to be double teamed every play and thus his stats don't truly reflect how good he actually was? Would we even be able to measure how good he really was at the end of the season taking context into consideration?

Joined: 10/12/2008

MGoPoints: 24444

LSAClassOf2000

September 1st, 2014 at 2:02 PM ^

I was thinking about this a bit too - definitions of "best ever" are going to be wide and varied. If we were going to base it on sheer production and that's all, it's going to be hard for Funchess to catch Edwards perhaps, but I think if we think about it based on pro potential perhaps, I think Funchess has the potential to be right up there anyway. Again, it's a subjective thing to say, but I certainly don't mind a QB having that level of confidence in a WR. It's nice to see really. 

Joined: 01/07/2011

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DonAZ

September 1st, 2014 at 2:11 PM ^

Again, it's a subjective thing to say, but I certainly don't mind a QB having that level of confidence in a WR. It's nice to see really.

Certainly a nice thing to see ... but I think the flip-side of this is our natural pins-and-needles recollection of last year post-ND.  Then it was juggernaut in motion ... only to run into the Akron Zips, who injected a little ... reality ... into things.

So while I like Gardner's confidence in Funchess, and I think Funchess does indeed have tremendous abilities ... my preference would be for a more quiet, determined, workmanlike attitude at this juncture of the season.  But that's just me.

Joined: 12/05/2011

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DonAZ

September 1st, 2014 at 2:18 PM ^

I think he clearly has the ability to be exactly that. We'll see if it works out that way or not.

Agree whole-hearedly ... he has the ability to be an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses.  The season will bear it out.

If he's double/triple covered every game and other WRs have equally as good stats as a result, does that mean he wasn't as good?

If he's double/triple covered then the other receivers should have stellar years.  If not, then there's a bigger problem.

Funchess's stats might not be eye-popping with double/triple coverage, but to be the "best ever" will mean despite the double/triple he has to have some pretty memorable play in there. 

This is not diminishing Funchess at all ... I love the guy's game ... it just that I'm a bit protective of the "best ever" tag since I go back to the days of Jim Smith, Anthony Carter and Desmond Howard.  They did remarkable things with guys all over them.

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M-Dog

September 1st, 2014 at 4:45 PM ^

He won't be here long enough to prove it.  He's probably gone after this year, and he did not play enough pure receiver last year.

That does not necessarily mean he's not the best, but his stage to prove it is very small.

Welcome to the New Age.  Guys like Peppers only typically have 2 years to show their stuff, then they are gone.  I don't like it, but that's how it is.  It limits them from being in conversations about "Best Ever".

Look at Charles Woodson.  He did not become "Charles Woodson" until his third year.  Had he left after '96, we'd be looking at someone else's giant bobble-head statue in the stadium concourse.

 

Joined: 07/06/2008

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nowayman

September 1st, 2014 at 2:25 PM ^

He should get better as the season progresses (his progress last year was pretty remarkable).

I'll be conservative in my estimate and guess that he increases his td production by one per game.

Plus, just wearing the #1 jersey is good for an additional td per 3 games.

My conservative estimate is 112 tds before the season ends (before the post season begins, of course).

And since I used basic third level arithmetic, I feel pretty confident in that prediction.  

(my actual prediction is that Funchess is going to be hard to stop in the red zone).  

Joined: 06/14/2012

MGoPoints: 1610

MDot

September 1st, 2014 at 1:54 PM ^

It is starting to feel like Funchess is in line for a Jimmy Graham/Aaron Hernandez (minus, well...you know) type of impact in the NFL. He wont end up with a more prolific college career than the some of Michigan's greats, but it wouldn't be surprising if he ended up having the most successful NFL career of any WR/TE (a la Brady not being the greatest UM QB ever, but being the greatest QB to come out of the school).

Joined: 11/16/2013

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goblue20111

September 1st, 2014 at 5:38 PM ^

That's completely asinine in a sport like football and you know it. Tony Gonzalez is the best tightend in NFL history and he played on the Chiefs and underachieving Falcons. This isn't basketball where one dominant player can change a team. I'm not saying Funchess is the best ever or that he'd even be in the running after the first game of the season but to day that his individual accomplishments should be overshadowed because of the teams he played displays a terrible understanding of football. So he puts up gaudy numbers and catches everything his way but the defense gives up as more points on average than the offense scores and that somehow should reflect upon his accomplishments?

Joined: 10/31/2010

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alum96

September 1st, 2014 at 6:32 PM ^

Marquise Walker also never in the discussion for 1 year dominance - we used to have a production line at WR (and QB) in the Carr years.  Clancy was before my time but considering that era 76 receptions was amazing.

All time single season receptions

  1. Braylon 97
  2. Gallon 89
  3. Walker 86
  4. Braylon 85
  5. Avant 82
  6. Clancy 76
  7. Roundtree 72
  8. Manningham 72
  9. Terrell 71
  10. Terrell 67
  11. Braylon 67
  12. Streets 67
  13. Arrington 67
  14. Howard 63
  15. Howard 62

Joined: 04/28/2012

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Grampy

September 2nd, 2014 at 10:31 AM ^

Apart from Desmond's two best years showing up at the bottom of the list, where's the love for AC on this thread?  He was the most exciting player I've ever seen in a Michigan uniform.

- 3 time All-American

- Braylon 1st in career yards (3500 and change), 14 yds/catch, TD every 6.46 catches

- AC 2nd in career yards (3000 and change), 19.1 yds/catch, TD every 4.35 catches

It's a different passing game now, but in terms of dominance when they played, nobody comes close to AC.

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