When does Reggie decline

[IndyTrav]

Here we are with a 34 year old Reggie Wayne, coming off a quality year.

However, he will be 35yrs old about week 5. And although he did have 106rec. He was force fed the ball, 194targets (2nd to Calvins 205), with a paltry 5TDs.

Lets take a look at similar WR and the career paths they took.

Reggie Age 34-106/1355/5

Chad Johnson: Age 31-72/1047/9

Age 32-67/831/4

Age 33-15/276/1

Age 34-Out of the NFL

Marvin Harrison

Age 34-95/1366/12

Age 35- Injured

Age 36-60/636/5

Age 37- Out of the NFL

Torry Holt

Age 31 93/1189/7

Age 32 64/796/3

Age 33 51/772/0

Age 34 Out of NFL

Isaac Bruce

Age 34 74/1098/3

Age 35 55/733/4

Age 36 61/835/7

Age 37 21/264/0

Age 38 Out of NFL

Derrick Mason

Age 34 80/1037/5

Age 35 73/1028/7

Age 36 61/802/7

Age 37 19/170/0

Age 38 Out of NFL

The WR drop off seems to happen, and happen very quickly around ages 33-36. Even among WR not included here...Looking at some of these guys, they have a quality year, a slightly less quality year, then poof gone...

With the emergence of some younger guys on our team, Hilton and DHB, along with hopefully Fleener and Allen getting a bit more looks, I can see Reggie getting around 85/1000/5, but then?

[That Guy]

Reggie won't decline until Reggie decides to decline.  No earlier.

[AntonMcG]

I think inevitably his targets will drop considerably this season with more weapons and a more expansive offense, and thus his production will take a hit.

 

However, his effectiveness will depend on how he is used, Arians did a great job with Reggie last year, moving him around and sticking him in the slot after playing his whole career out left. If he is used well, then he should still see another 1000 yards, draw double coverage and be the main man when a play is needed.

[Dustin]

It'll be a slow decline imo. Last year he was spectacular (caught 106 of 112 catchable passes). He would have had even more yards if Luck had been able to hit him in stride more often and even more TDs if we actually had good play calling in the red-zone.

 

The thing with Reggie is that what he relies very rarely disappears with age. He relies on his route-running (best in the league), hands (top 3), timing, and instincts. Not speed, strength, or jump ball ability.

 

I think that this year will be the last year that he can hit 100/1,000. After that I think he'll be able to float around 65/800 for of the remainder of the time he's here (hopefully he can take a team friendly contract and stay on another year or two)

[HtownColt]

Hopefully its Something like Terrell Owens without the off the field stuff last 4 years T.O was in the league he had( I know his tds wouldn't be as high like TO's was, but would be icing on the cake):

Age 34 Cowboys 2007: 81 rec 1355yrds 15tds

Age 35 Cowboys 2008: 69 rec 1052yrds 10tds

Age 36 Buffalo 2009: 55rec 829yrds 5tds

Age 37 Bengals 2010: 72rec 983yrds 9Tds

[mvbighead]

As long as he is healthy, IMO.

 

Granted, what usually ends up happening is teams start to wean older guys out to build for the future.  That will inevitably happen at some point.  But until Reggie suffers injuries, I suspect he could go for a while.

 

Like another said, it isn't his speed or agility that makes him a top threat.  It's his awareness, catching, timing and instincts.  I suspect we get at least a season or two more before he starts to get too banged up, or before he gets written off.

[NewColtsFan]

I've been saying for months that I think Reggie will catch roughly 20-25 fewer passes this year....   but not because he's declining, but rather because the team wants and needs to spread the ball around to all of our possible weapons.

 

Have a more diverse offense.   That should make everyone more difficult to defend --- including Reggie.

 

That said,  the numbers shown by the OP clearly show that the decline,  whenever it comes,  will come pretty fast....

 

Reggie has one more year on his contract....  and who knows how much more beyond that....

 

Since rookie WR's often need a year to get fully adjusted to the NFL,  I wouldn't be surprised to see the Colts use a relatively high pick (2/3) on a WR in the 2014 draft.....    at some point, the Colts need to start grooming a replacement....

[TKnight24]

If Reggie has another season like last year, we've failed as an offense. The point of all these signings was to give more options to Luck so Reggie wouldn't be targeted every play. He's gonna have a down year technically cause he shouldn't have the numbers he did with all these new weapons and hopefully a good running game. But Reggie is the most consistent receiver in the NFL period

[chad72]

I feel it depends on how healthy he is, mainly his knees

 

If he is asked to run block A LOT in this Pep Hamilton's offense, he could get hurt just the same way Marvin got hurt run blocking with someone running into him, to me Arians' offense put him in space much more. It will be interesting to see how Pep uses him.

 

At this age, if the WR has good health in his knees, he can separate to a decent level and can be effective well into 35 or 36. But if any issues happen with his knees (knocking on wood as I am typing that), in a game of inches at the highest level, the last thing I want to see is another Marvin deja vu where the separation is not there because the same strength and agility is not there with the knees.

[Superman]

Here we are with a 34 year old Reggie Wayne, coming off a quality year.

However, he will be 35yrs old about week 5. And although he did have 106rec. He was force fed the ball, 194targets (2nd to Calvins 205), with a paltry 5TDs.

Lets take a look at similar WR and the career paths they took.

Reggie Age 34-106/1355/5

Chad Johnson: Age 31-72/1047/9

Age 32-67/831/4

Age 33-15/276/1

Age 34-Out of the NFL

Marvin Harrison

Age 34-95/1366/12

Age 35- Injured

Age 36-60/636/5

Age 37- Out of the NFL

Torry Holt

Age 31 93/1189/7

Age 32 64/796/3

Age 33 51/772/0

Age 34 Out of NFL

Isaac Bruce

Age 34 74/1098/3

Age 35 55/733/4

Age 36 61/835/7

Age 37 21/264/0

Age 38 Out of NFL

Derrick Mason

Age 34 80/1037/5

Age 35 73/1028/7

Age 36 61/802/7

Age 37 19/170/0

Age 38 Out of NFL

The WR drop off seems to happen, and happen very quickly around ages 33-36. Even among WR not included here...Looking at some of these guys, they have a quality year, a slightly less quality year, then poof gone...

With the emergence of some younger guys on our team, Hilton and DHB, along with hopefully Fleener and Allen getting a bit more looks, I can see Reggie getting around 85/1000/5, but then?

 

We keep beating Reggie up for five touchdowns and a ton of targets, but Calvin Johnson had five touchdowns and even more targets. I'm thinking it's not the receiver's fault, in either case.

 

As for the comparison with those other guys you listed, Reggie is already outperforming all of them, age-wise, except Marvin. And Marvin's drop off was tied to his injury, so it's hard to say what would have happened if he hadn't been hurt. But Reggie is holding his own for a 34 year old wide receiver. And it helps that he's never been seriously hurt. His efficiency numbers are about the same as they've been since 2009.

 

If we decrease his usage, I think his efficiency could improve in 2013. And decreased usage hopefully keeps him upright and make it easier for him to perform at a solid level in 2014, barring injury. Then his contract is up, and it depends on him what he wants to do from there. 

 

But I'm not really worried about a Reggie decline. With star receivers, the decreased production is usually tied to a) diminished athleticism, or b) injury. Can't do anything about injury that Reggie doesn't already do (he takes great care of his body and avoids unnecessary contact) so might as well not worry about it. As for athleticism, that will undoubtedly happen, and may have already started. But Reggie's game was never predicated on superior athleticism. He was never a burner or a leaper, not like some of those other guys. So I could see his decline being more gradual.

[BOTT]

November 12, 2016

[Smonroe]

Reggie won't decline until Reggie decides to decline.  No earlier.

Reggie declines to decline.

[Iancolts]

Fountain of youth so never

[Lucky Charm]

It'll be a slow decline imo. Last year he was spectacular (caught 106 of 112 catchable passes).

That's insane!

[John Dee]

WR's can stay relevant if they are great rout runners... and have great hands.   

 

Wayne fits that bill.         He doesn't rely on speed.     The Colts have surrounded RW with a lot of speed.  

 

SO...    Wayne will be Luck's "comfort zone" this year .    again.,

[stat2883]

I could see him taking a similar path to what Derek Mason has above, and for reasons like others have stated - more weapons and a more balanced offense (we hope). Reggie seems to take pretty good care of himself with no major injuries that I can remember. We could maybe see him push to 40 like Jerry Rice, though maybe not quite as productive.

Just for comparison:

Jerry Rice

Age 34 - 108/1254/8 (lead NFL in receptions)

Age 35 - 7/78/1 (injured most of season)

Age 36 - 82/1157/9

Age 37 - 67/830/5

Age 38 - 75/805/7

Age 39 - 83/1139/9 (first season in Oakland)

Age 40 - 92/1211/7

Age 41 - 63/869/2 (started 15/16 games; played in all 16 though)

Age 42 - 30/429/3 (played for both Oakland and Seattle; started 14 games)

[stat2883]

WR's can stay relevant if they are great rout runners... and have great hands.

just got done putting that Jerry Rice post together above....same qualities

[IamSAR]

I could see him taking a similar path to what Derek Mason has above, and for reasons like others have stated - more weapons and a more balanced offense (we hope). Reggie seems to take pretty good care of himself with no major injuries that I can remember. We could maybe see him push to 40 like Jerry Rice, though maybe not quite as productive.

Just for comparison:

Jerry Rice

Age 34 - 108/1254/8 (lead NFL in receptions)

Age 35 - 7/78/1 (injured most of season)

Age 36 - 82/1157/9

Age 37 - 67/830/5

Age 38 - 75/805/7

Age 39 - 83/1139/9 (first season in Oakland)

Age 40 - 92/1211/7

Age 41 - 63/869/2 (started 15/16 games; played in all 16 though)

Age 42 - 30/429/3 (played for both Oakland and Seattle; started 14 games)

Wow...I never realized he played until he was 42, and he faced some injuries in his career.

[Carlos Danger]

Reggie had a great year last year and has shown no real signs of slowing down... that being said, if we don't have his eventual replacement on the roster after next offseason, it will be quite a gamble... I don't think it would be wise to still be having this discussion two years from now despite the fact that I hope Reggie stays a stud as long as Rice did and longer... DHB has to improve greatly to even be part of the discussion...

[crazycolt1]

Here we are with a 34 year old Reggie Wayne, coming off a quality year.

However, he will be 35yrs old about week 5. And although he did have 106rec. He was force fed the ball, 194targets (2nd to Calvins 205), with a paltry 5TDs.

Lets take a look at similar WR and the career paths they took.

Reggie Age 34-106/1355/5

Chad Johnson: Age 31-72/1047/9

Age 32-67/831/4

Age 33-15/276/1

Age 34-Out of the NFL

Marvin Harrison

Age 34-95/1366/12

Age 35- Injured

Age 36-60/636/5

Age 37- Out of the NFL

Torry Holt

Age 31 93/1189/7

Age 32 64/796/3

Age 33 51/772/0

Age 34 Out of NFL

Isaac Bruce

Age 34 74/1098/3

Age 35 55/733/4

Age 36 61/835/7

Age 37 21/264/0

Age 38 Out of NFL

Derrick Mason

Age 34 80/1037/5

Age 35 73/1028/7

Age 36 61/802/7

Age 37 19/170/0

Age 38 Out of NFL

 

 

 

I guess overlooking the paltry 5TDs is OK if you count up how many 1st down he caught. The TD catch against the Packers was one of the greatest efforts I have ever witness by any receiver. Maybe I nit picked with the term paltry but it did equal Calvin Johnson's TD total.

[IndianaJones]

 Please not this year... please not this year!

[BPM_Colt]

Honestly I could see 3-4 more years of 800+ yards.. He doesn't rely on size and speed which is a good thing. He relies on his hands, great route running, and his knowledge of the game. He won't get the targets he got last year, but still think he will push 100 catches. Also could see a few more TDs his way this year.

 

Hate to say that he will decline, but it is just part of the game... It'll happen eventually, lets just hope it's not sooner than later

[throwing BBZ]

His inability to get separation in man coverage showed plenty last season.
But he does still have great hands and given time certainly can find the open space against a zone.

[ColtStrong]

Not worried. I'm sure grigsie has a plan. The man lives and breathes football. I have full confidence in grigson. 

[oldunclemark]

Here we are with a 34 year old Reggie Wayne, coming off a quality year.

However, he will be 35yrs old about week 5. And although he did have 106rec. He was force fed the ball, 194targets (2nd to Calvins 205), with a paltry 5TDs.

Lets take a look at similar WR and the career paths they took.

Reggie Age 34-106/1355/5

Chad Johnson: Age 31-72/1047/9

Age 32-67/831/4

Age 33-15/276/1

Age 34-Out of the NFL

Marvin Harrison

Age 34-95/1366/12

Age 35- Injured

Age 36-60/636/5

Age 37- Out of the NFL

Torry Holt

Age 31 93/1189/7

Age 32 64/796/3

Age 33 51/772/0

Age 34 Out of NFL

Isaac Bruce

Age 34 74/1098/3

Age 35 55/733/4

Age 36 61/835/7

Age 37 21/264/0

Age 38 Out of NFL

Derrick Mason

Age 34 80/1037/5

Age 35 73/1028/7

Age 36 61/802/7

Age 37 19/170/0

Age 38 Out of NFL

The WR drop off seems to happen, and happen very quickly around ages 33-36. Even among WR not included here...Looking at some of these guys, they have a quality year, a slightly less quality year, then poof gone...

With the emergence of some younger guys on our team, Hilton and DHB, along with hopefully Fleener and Allen getting a bit more looks, I can see Reggie getting around 85/1000/5, but then?

 

   The drop off in those you detail sems to be after age 36....

 

I think that because he plays almost exclusively indoors and in warm weather (seems to me the cold weather divisions are harder on perimiter players) and avoids hits as opposed to taking them in exchange for yards aftre the catch....

 

.....he's got at least 2 more 75-100 catch years but probably no more.....

[Jules]

He will start his decline after he wins ring #2 with the Colts.

[Bbswatching]

I think he will have a couple more years of good production.  Then start to fall off.  Hopefully dhb steps up and takes over the number 1.  And then we can look at maybe signing or drafting another wr next off season.

[ColtsBTM12]

NNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CroatianColtsFan21]

as much as i love reggie, i don't see him getting a new contract after 2014 season.. somehow i feel we'll be looking to spend a first/second round pick on a wr in next years draft, cause dhb is not an adequate replacement/heir, not by his talent level or charisma..

[jvan1973]

Never, he is like the curious case of Benjamin buttons

[amfootball]

He reminds me of Troy Brown. He will always make plays as long as he plays even if his production drops.

[Rich Cannon]

I think his numbers drop slightly due to us running the ball with Peps new offense I wouldnt call that a decline.  I think 90 Rec and 1100 yds 6tds is what im looking for him to have this year. 

[lollygagger8]

As long as he has the orange gloves, he will never decline  

[JoKeR]

Reggie will decline with injuries, so far he's durable but that won't last forever.

[bavanlan]

If we were in the same system as last year or even before, I'd probably say now.

 

But given that Reggie's strengths play in well to a WCO, I think we may see a couple years of good productivity before it just becomes too much.  I think he plays out his current contract, maybe signs here or somewhere else on a one year deal, then is done.

[IndyTrav]

I guess overlooking the paltry 5TDs is OK if you count up how many 1st down he caught. The TD catch against the Packers was one of the greatest efforts I have ever witness by any receiver. Maybe I nit picked with the term paltry but it did equal Calvin Johnson's TD total.

 

I agree that Packers TD was a nonstop fight to get into the endzone. Brilliant play. 

 

But as for 1st downs. Reggie caught 73. Calvin caught 92. Also for what its worth, Calvin was tackled inside the 2, 7x this past yr. But I don't want this to be a Reggie/Calvin debate, because there is no debate. 

 

But Reggie not getting TDs isn't anything new. He's played 12 seasons, and  7 of them he has had 6TDs or less. 

 

 

 

That being said, my thoughts would be I think this is the year his decline begins. With a less down the field Off, better line and run game, along with an improved defense, I dont know that I see Luck throwing the ball 627x again this year. Similar to a year Eli had last year, around 536. 

 

Im thinking 85/1030/4 is his ceiling this year.  Which is still a pretty solid year. 

[BOTT]

He reminds me of Troy Brown. He will always make plays as long as he plays even if his production drops.

He reminds me of Tory brown too....to the extent they both played receiver in the NFL

[a06cc]

I remember a pro bowl interview with Marvin, Reggie andPeyton. The question was brought up about how long Marvin Harrison had left.He said he could play forever when answering. That 2007 season he got hurt. We know the story that follows. I hope this thread doesnt do the same to Reggie lol

[Superman]

I agree that Packers TD was a nonstop fight to get into the endzone. Brilliant play. 

 

But as for 1st downs. Reggie caught 73. Calvin caught 92. Also for what its worth, Calvin was tackled inside the 2, 7x this past yr. But I don't want this to be a Reggie/Calvin debate, because there is no debate. 

 

But Reggie not getting TDs isn't anything new. He's played 12 seasons, and  7 of them he has had 6TDs or less. 

 

 

 

That being said, my thoughts would be I think this is the year his decline begins. With a less down the field Off, better line and run game, along with an improved defense, I dont know that I see Luck throwing the ball 627x again this year. Similar to a year Eli had last year, around 536. 

 

Im thinking 85/1030/4 is his ceiling this year.  Which is still a pretty solid year. 

 

That's a statistical decline, not anything due to his ability. I also can't imagine Luck throwing 600+ passes this year, nor can I imagine Reggie getting targeted 31% of the time. So there's almost no way that Reggie's numbers don't come down. I think that's a given.

 

I thought the question was whether he'll continue to play at a high level. You can knock 15-20% off his numbers, and he'll still have very good production. But there's a difference between his numbers coming down because our offense is more balanced, and his numbers coming down because he's not as good anymore. I think it will be the former, and I think that will actually help us squeeze a couple more years out of him.

[ColtsFanMikeC]

We keep beating Reggie up for five touchdowns and a ton of targets, but Calvin Johnson had five touchdowns and even more targets. I'm thinking it's not the receiver's fault, in either case.

 

As for the comparison with those other guys you listed, Reggie is already outperforming all of them, age-wise, except Marvin. And Marvin's drop off was tied to his injury, so it's hard to say what would have happened if he hadn't been hurt. But Reggie is holding his own for a 34 year old wide receiver. And it helps that he's never been seriously hurt. His efficiency numbers are about the same as they've been since 2009.

 

If we decrease his usage, I think his efficiency could improve in 2013. And decreased usage hopefully keeps him upright and make it easier for him to perform at a solid level in 2014, barring injury. Then his contract is up, and it depends on him what he wants to do from there. 

 

But I'm not really worried about a Reggie decline. With star receivers, the decreased production is usually tied to a) diminished athleticism, or b) injury. Can't do anything about injury that Reggie doesn't already do (he takes great care of his body and avoids unnecessary contact) so might as well not worry about it. As for athleticism, that will undoubtedly happen, and may have already started. But Reggie's game was never predicated on superior athleticism. He was never a burner or a leaper, not like some of those other guys. So I could see his decline being more gradual.

 

I think all of these guys are pretty poor comparisons -- Chad Johnson came into the league with a flash and with

 

Here we are with a 34 year old Reggie Wayne, coming off a quality year.

However, he will be 35yrs old about week 5. And although he did have 106rec. He was force fed the ball, 194targets (2nd to Calvins 205), with a paltry 5TDs.

Lets take a look at similar WR and the career paths they took.

Reggie Age 34-106/1355/5

Chad Johnson: Age 31-72/1047/9

Age 32-67/831/4

Age 33-15/276/1

Age 34-Out of the NFL

Marvin Harrison

Age 34-95/1366/12

Age 35- Injured

Age 36-60/636/5

Age 37- Out of the NFL

Torry Holt

Age 31 93/1189/7

Age 32 64/796/3

Age 33 51/772/0

Age 34 Out of NFL

Isaac Bruce

Age 34 74/1098/3

Age 35 55/733/4

Age 36 61/835/7

Age 37 21/264/0

Age 38 Out of NFL

Derrick Mason

Age 34 80/1037/5

Age 35 73/1028/7

Age 36 61/802/7

Age 37 19/170/0

Age 38 Out of NFL

The WR drop off seems to happen, and happen very quickly around ages 33-36. Even among WR not included here...Looking at some of these guys, they have a quality year, a slightly less quality year, then poof gone...

With the emergence of some younger guys on our team, Hilton and DHB, along with hopefully Fleener and Allen getting a bit more looks, I can see Reggie getting around 85/1000/5, but then?

 

I am not sure that these are the best comparisons -- Chad Johnson came into the league and made a name for himself b/c he was flashy and arrogant.  He was very good for a few years with Carson Palmer, but IMO his career doesn't rival Reggie's and a lot of off-field stuff helped hinder him.  Knock wood, I don't recall a single time in Reggie's career that we have heard him wrapped up in some negative off-field issue.  Also, Chad's decline started in his late-20's, he was out of the league by age 34.

 

Marvin and Reggie played in the same system for the majority of their careers -- however, Marvin was a very different WR than Reggie.  Both have great hands and run great routes, but Reggie is a little bit bigger and was never really the 'big-play' threat that Marvin was.  I think Reggie has used his body and discipline a bit more than Marvin did, whereas Marvin was a burner with amazing agility.  While any injury can put a damper on a career, Marvin's particular injury was just devastating to him because he never seemed to recover his agility or speed.  Knock wood, Reggie doesn't suffer any injuries this year, but if he does, a lot of his 'bounce-back' ability will be determined by the type of injury he has.  I think if Reggie suffered the same injury as Marvin, he could make a better come-back, simply because he doesn't seem to rely on his pure speed and agility as much as Marvin -- Jerry rice suffered a knee injury and came back to have a longer career than Marvin, but Jerry, IMO, was more of a Wayne-type receiver that used his size and body more than pure agility and speed.  Keep in mind, Marvin retired at a time when he was facing serious off-field issues in Philly.

 

Torry Holt, again out of the game by age 34.  Torry Holt was a speedster on the "Greatest Show on Turf" -- while I think Torry was an exceptional WR, probably a HOFer, you must take into account that Torry's career was not as consistent as Wayne's was.  Torry had one of the most incredible 6 year spans ever, but outside of that, his numbers were never that spectacular.  Part of that may be that he was a true speedster, and his decline seemed to happen in 2006 after he dealt with his first injuries and the breaking apart of the 'GSOT' (yes, he made probowl in 2007), but his speed seemed to decline and he was never the same player.  Another in jury in 2010 ended his career.  I guess my point here is, yes Torry had one of the best 6 year spans, and one of the best decades, ever by a WR -- but the minute his speed started declining he was no-longer 'Big Play' Torry Holt.  Like Marvin, I think Wayne is a different type of WR than Torry and an injury that effected his speed slightly would not effect him as much (obviously assuming the injury was something that he could come back somewhat similar to where he was).

 

Isaac Bruce, to me, may be the most similar player to Reggie on this list.  He was never flashy, you never heard a peep about him off field, much of his career he had a speedier counterpart (Holt), and pretty much he just put up numbers and shut up.  While Wayne has more pro-bowls than Bruce, the 2 of them have had very solid, careers but have never really been flashy or 'spectacular' -- by that I mean, although Wayne led the NFL in receiving yards one year, he's never really put up NFL record breaking numbers (see Marvin's 143 receptions in a season).  Don't get me wrong, I think both of these guys are spectacular.  Another difference between the 2 is that Bruce started off his career hot, Wayne had 27 then 49 receptions in his first 2 years -- afterwards he has been very solid (I am not sure that anyone would have had more than 75 catches 2 seasons ago when we were at rock-bottom between Peyton and Luck).  I think Wayne will surpass Bruce's reception numbers next year, but may need 2-3 more years for the yardage and TD numbers to fall.  Something I don't like about Bruce's career is that he left the Rams b/c they did not want to pay him his big salary any more in 2008 -- after which he had 1 productive and 1 crappy season in San Fran -- I hope that we don't have to see Reggie end his career in a different uniform, although it seems very possible.

 

Derrick Mason, while never plagued by off-field issues, was never as good as Reggie.  He did have return duties to go along his WR duties for part of his career, but Reggie has put up better numbers in TDs, Receptions and Yards in 3-4 less seasons than Mason.  To Mason's credit, some of the more productive years of his career as a WR came towards the end, he was playing in a run-first style of offense and was never really looked at as the go-to or keystone piece like Reggie has been since Marvin has left.  For some reason, I remember Mason as a very quite, tame guy early in his career, but remember it seemed like a bad-departure with the Ravens (a few sideline arguments with Flacco in his rookie year) and he was deemed a poor-teammates by the Jets.  I guess Derrick Mason could be considered a poor-man's Reggie Wayne, as he was never very flashy and I don't remember him being a burner or very agile, just a smart football player that could use his body and route running to seperate from defenders and get the job done -- however, Mason's biggest production seasons of his career were during times when he was playing with the best defense in the league and in run-first, run-second, and throw sometimes offense (to his credit, he didn't have half the caliber of QB quality as Reggie did).  To my knowledge, Mason never suffered any serious injuries, I know he had some shoulder-seperation injuries one year but he never had any sort of lower body injury that would have caused him to slow-down much. 

 

I guess my overall point is, Reggie has had a great career -- it has gotten off to a slow start, and had the downward spike when we were the worst team in the league with no QB's that still remain in the NFL.  However, unlike some of these players who (IMO) saw their downfalls or career-ending seasons be linked with off-field issues, Reggie ahs always been one of the highest-character NFL players.  Also, unlike a couple of these guys (Marvin and Torry), Reggie had never had 'elite speed' or 'elite agility', Reggie is a very smart ball-player who keeps himself healthy, runs good routes and can anticipate defenses very well, and can make plays in space with tremendous hands.  In my opinion, unless it were a 'career-ending' injury (I don't consider Marvin or Torry's injuries career-ending, b/c they came back - just not anywhere as near as they were), I think Reggie could come back and have a few good years left b/c he has a great QB in Luck, and a knack for getting open and making plays that doesn't depend on the speed or agility of the other's as much.  I think, so long as he doesn't suffer the big career-ending injury, and as long as he stays focused and excited on football, Reggie still has 3-4 solid years in him before we see him fall off the map.  In some ways, before-during-and-after last season, I felt like Reggie has become rejuvenated and knows how important it is for him to step up and be the leader of this bright, upcoming franchise.  I really hope that Reggie will be able to leave Indy on his terms -- if he wants to retire when his contract is up and spend more time with his family, good for him, but if he doesn't want to retire, I think that we owe it to him to give him a decent 2-3 year contract to finish his career on rather than see his career end the way Isaac's did.