There’s nothing objective about this poll—it’s about art, not science.
So as I gathered my very own blue-ribbon panel of accomplished NFL receivers, with a combined 59 seasons between the four of them, I wanted their opinions on what—to them—was most impressive about some of the best catches in league history. Inspired by the Vikings’ Justin Jefferson’s outrageous one-handed grab on fourth-and-18 against the Bills on Nov. 13, we put together a list of catches over the course of the Super Bowl era—with video of each—and sent them to Larry Fitzgerald, Brandon Marshall, Danny Amendola and Brandon Stokley.
Each guy was free to interpret the question however he wanted and rank the catches as he saw fit—with stakes, stage, degree of difficulty … all of it as part of the mix.
But there was one overriding question I wanted their answer to: Exactly what impresses the guys who are actually paid to do this?
“When you’re playing that position, everyone can really move. Everybody’s fast, everybody can get off the line, everybody can get into their route,” Amendola said. “What really intrigues me is how effortlessly they can catch the ball, and not really use their body, but their ball skills. Obviously, everyone on your list has fantastic ball skills—Randy Moss, Julian [Edelman] has good ball skills. Being in the building every day with these guys at receiver, you see which guys have more of a natural ability to catch the ball and which guys have to work at it.
“And when it shows up on Sunday, it’s a great thing to see. You got the OBJ catch, the Randy Moss one-hander over the middle and then a completely different category with the [Jermaine] Kearse and the [Antonio] Freeman, where it’s almost like the ball fell into their lap and it was circumstance a little bit. And then you get more of the body-control catches, like Lynn Swann and then the Edelman catch.”
We asked Amendola, Fitzgerald, Marshall and Stokley for their top five, then compiled the results, with five points given for a first-place vote, four for a second-place vote and so forth. Before we get to the composite top five, here are some honorable mentions:
• The Catch, Joe Montana to Dwight Clark (four points) in the 1981 NFC title game, finished sixth. Older catches had a harder time in this ranking, which I’d chalk up to the simple evolution of these positions and what guys are capable of now.
• Mario Manningham (three points), Julio Jones and Rob Gronkowski (two each) received top-four votes. I’d say the votes for Manningham and Jones were the result of their catches coming in Super Bowls XLVI and LI, respectively. Gronkowski, meanwhile, was the only non-receiver of this era to get a vote.
• Randy Moss’s one-handed catch over Darrelle Revis from 2010 also received a vote.
And now, on to the list.
FIFTH PLACE: Franco Harris, Steelers
Total points: Five
Circumstance:Dec. 23, 1972, divisional playoff, fourth quarter, down 7–6 with 0:22 left, fourth-and-10 at his own 50-yard line
Result:60-yard touchdown
How it happened:Perhaps the most famous catch in NFL history—“The Immaculate Reception”—and one that’s often credited for launching the Steelers’ dynasty. Believe it or not, this was the first playoff win in franchise history, and the bottom line: If Harris doesn’t make this play, the game is over and the Raiders are playing the perfect Dolphins for the AFC title the next week.
On the play, 66 Circle Option, Terry Bradshaw escaped pressure and launched a pass to Frenchy Fuqua down the middle of the field. Just as the ball arrived at Fuqua, Hall of Fame safety Jack Tatum did, too, jarring the ball loose and knocking Fuqua to the ground. The ball sailed end over end, and Harris (running downfield after blocking earlier on the play) just so happened to be there, scooped it up just before it hit the Three Rivers Stadium turf and took it the remaining 35 or so yards to the end zone for the winning score.
Fitzgerald ranked this one first because, in his words, “My rankings reflect the biggest catches in the biggest moments.”
And for what it’s worth, Fitzgerald did have one non-playoff catch on his list—Jefferson’s.
