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Best CU WR ever.

Best CU WR.

  • PRich

    Votes: 10 8.8%

  • Pritchard

    Votes: 17 15.0%

  • CJ

    Votes: 18 15.9%

  • Westbrook

    Votes: 41 36.3%

  • Branch

    Votes: 21 18.6%

  • Other

    Votes: 6 5.3%
  • Total voters
    113
CJ by a nose over Pritchard. Always a great debate, I wouldn't argue against any of them (or Carruth, who would be in the poll were it not for that murder thing).
 
Pritch was more a more complete football player, as a receiver, I liked CJ a little more. UR right though, there is no wrong answer to this really. Hell, Branch was before my time.
 
CJ's acrobatics, determination, and flash put him at the top for me. I thought about writing in for Sprague or Henry for representing NE CO, yo - but I just haven't had enough to drink yet.
 
hard to compare across eras, but i have been told that no one could touch cliff branch. had he played in a modern offense, a lot of people i respect say he'd have owned every record in the book at CU.

going with guys i saw enough of to have my own opinion, i'd go with pritchard.
 
Westbrook, Carruth, CEJ, PRich, Pritchard in that order. Carruth belongs in poll even though we all know he is a POS.

If Pritchard played REC a few years later he may have been moved up but he was an All Purpose type.

PRich had insane body control and movement and may have pushed for #1.

Branch played on a team that had very little care for passing but he was insanely talented as proof by NFL career.

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Remember running track with CJ. CU football had its pick of sick athletes then. Rae was even faster.
 
For me, this is premature in order to be able to place Spruce.

Statistically, he's got the greatest season in CU history.

He's on track to own pretty much every CU receiving record if he has a similar season this year.

But until he does that, it's hard to know where to place him. He's been on bad teams. He doesn't have the single game moments that live in our memories because his teams have been losing.

Let's see what he does this season. Especially if he wins the Biletnikoff. Most especially if CU makes a bowl game and he has some Sports Center moments.

Overall, this is a tough question. P-Rich and Branch were the most explosive. Branch had the best NFL career, pointing to his talent, but P-Rich is just getting started and Carruth cut his promising career short through sheer evil. Charles Johnson was the man during an era when CU was elite, was a 1st round pick, and had a 9-year career. Michael Westbrook made "The Catch" and was a man amongst boys, consensus All-American, 4th overall pick in the draft, and 8 years in the League.

Then you have Pritchard, who was the team MVP in the National Championship year -- no small feat for a WR on a team that ran an option attack. His 26.4 yards per catch is insane and I doubt it will ever be broken at CU. Plus he rushed for over 500 yards in his career. #13 overall pick in the draft and a 9-year career. Guy was a freak out there. Hard to compare eras, but I'm confident that if you put Pritchard on any CU roster he'd always be the #1 WR and usually the #1 RB. That's my vote.
 
Amongst my favorite players of all time are CJ and Pritchard.

I voted other though, just to throw out another name. Boyd Dowler is one of the greatest Buffs to have played, and is often overlooked because he played such a long time ago. He also spent some time at QB as a senior, but he was a WR his jr season, leading the Big 7. I think Bart Starr said he had the best hands of anyone he'd ever played with, and this was when the ball was oddly shaped...harder to throw and catch.
 
Scotty McKnight is a Top 3 stats wise. We don't hold him in the same regard and same with Spruce (though Spruce is a rung or two better) and it's not because they are white. It's because while they may make some long plays they are more short yardage type guys. Look at their YPC. Both under 12.


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DiggerBuffs said:
Scotty McKnight is a Top 3 stats wise. We don't hold him in the same regard and same with Spruce (though Spruce is a rung or two better) and it's not because they are white. It's because while they may make some long plays they are more short yardage type guys. Look at their YPC. Both under 12.


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Click to expand...

I might make the counter argument that when CU was a running team, passes to the WRs happened when the defense had sucked up to stop the run and were designed to be big play opportunities. That artificially inflated YPC for guys in those offenses. From that standpoint, P-Rich's junior year with 83 for 1343 (16.2 ypc) and 10 TDs may have been the greatest single season.
 
Pritchard and CJ played receiver in the early 90s option attack. Not nearly as receiver friendly system as we had from the mid90s on and especially not a system like we have now.
 
Buffnik said:
I might make the counter argument that when CU was a running team, passes to the WRs happened when the defense had sucked up to stop the run and were designed to be big play opportunities. That artificially inflated YPC for guys in those offenses. From that standpoint, P-Rich's junior year with 83 for 1343 (16.2 ypc) and 10 TDs may have been the greatest single season.
Click to expand...
With average (at best) QB play no less.
 
DJ Hackett belongs on the list, not the best of all time, but he was solid for us and lasted in the league for 6 seasons and at one time he set single season records for receptions. Plus he had the greatest QB in CU history throwing to him, just ask Joel Klatt, he'll tell you.
 
8Jah said:
Pritchard and CJ played receiver in the early 90s option attack. Not nearly as receiver friendly system as we had from the mid90s on and especially not a system like we have now.
Click to expand...

There are two ways to look at that. You may not have gotten as many chances but because of a run first attack, the play action was pretty successful and left many receivers wide open with huge YPC averages.

Cj was the best I've ever seen in person. Guy just went up and got it. Pritchard was used in so many areas, we never saw his true potential as a WR. I remember the Tenn game where he had to play RB and had around 200 yards.

wish I could have remembered Branch when he was at CU. I got to see him as a kid but just don't remember him like I do the more recent receivers.

spruce has incredible hands, it would be interesting to see if he would have started on some of the teams of the players mentioned.

edit. Nik beat me to it.
 
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Charles Johnson and DJ Hackett. CJ is a classic. CJ's Steeler stats are over the top. DJ is often left out of these conversations, but check out his statistics, and even more, his highlights. Absolutely crazy athletic. Everyone else is way second tier.
 
CJ had 4600 yards and 24 Tds in the NFL
MW had 4400 yards and 26 Tds in the NFL
Dj H had 1500 yards and 9 TDs in the NFL

I am not a big fan of these debates because of all the variables discussed here.

If you are to withhold character judgment and just focus on CU on the field performance and not NFL, my votes would fall this way:
+ Carruth
+ Westbrook
+ CJ
+ Richardson
 
Anybody that thinks Spruce or McKnight would have even seen the field if Westbrook, Prtich or CJ were around needs their head examined. Spruce and McKnight, while great Buffs and guys I cheer, or cheered fro, just aren't even in the same league.
 
leftybuff said:
Anybody that thinks Spruce or McKnight would have even seen the field if Westbrook, Prtich or CJ were around needs their head examined. Spruce and McKnight, while great Buffs and guys I cheer, or cheered fro, just aren't even in the same league.
Click to expand...

I don't think it's fair to Spruce to lump him in with McKnight either. Spruce is clearly better IMO.
 
Duff Man said:
I don't think it's fair to Spruce to lump him in with McKnight either. Spruce is clearly better IMO.
Click to expand...

Absolutely, I'd take Spruce over McKnight everyday of the week.

But back to the original question, I'd take Westbrook.
 
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