Colts' 2004 WR Trio Named Best-Ever In NFL History
While they may be a trio or two — or five — of pass catchers in the NFL that each crack 1,000 yards receiving in a single season, there can only be one that did it first.
That was the 2004 trio of Indianapolis Colts receivers featuring Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, future Hall of Famer Reggie Wayne and outstanding slot receiver Brandon Stokley. Wayne led the way with 1,210 yards and 12 touchdowns on 77 catches, while Harrison was second, recording 1,113 yards and 15 touchdowns on 86 catches.
Stokley added 1,077 yards and 10 touchdowns on 68 catches, making history for the Colts.
Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports
Now, that trio has another distinction: best trio ever, at least according to ESPN and Football Outsiders' Aaron Schatz.
"Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement totals. Using harmonic mean instead of normal arithmetic mean gives us a list of teams where all three receivers had excellent seasons.I ranked teams using the harmonic mean of their top three receivers' DYAR (Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement) totals," Schatz writes. "Using harmonic mean instead of normal arithmetic mean gives us a list of teams where all three receivers had excellent seasons."
That's where the '04 Colts come in, landing at No. 1 in Schatz's rankings, edging out the 2015 Arizona Cardinals for the top spot in NFL history, based on DYAR in a single season.
"Easily the best wide receiver trio of all time," Schatz writes. "This list is ordered by harmonic mean of DYAR between the three receivers; the gap between the 2004 Colts and the 2015 Cardinals at No. 2 is equal to the gap between No. 2 and the 2007 Patriots at No. 10. Wayne had the best DYAR total of his career, leading the league for the 2004 season. Although Harrison tied a career high in touchdowns, he had enjoyed more receiving yards and a higher DYAR in each of the five previous seasons. Meanwhile, while we think of Stokley as a prototypical small slot receiver working near the line of scrimmage, he was three inches taller than Wes Welker and averaged 15.9 yards per reception. He was running downfield routes out of the slot, not just short slants and crosses."
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Even in that era, the trio was transcendent as part of a historic offense that could score from anywhere on the field, carried the 2004 Colts to a 12-4 record and an AFC South division title.
Despite having all that firepower, the Colts painfully lost to the New England Patriots 20-3 in the divisional round that year, adding more fuel to the narrative that Peyton Manning couldn't win the big one.
We know that obviously changed in the end, but it's great to see such an incredible trio continue to get so much love and respect all these years later.
Have thoughts on the 2004 Colts' receiving trio landing the No. 1 spot in NFL history? Drop a line in the comments section below letting us know how you feel!
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