Joey Galloway vs. the league

If you're a Redskins fan, you've likely heard a lot of discussion about Joey Galloway. Most of the talk hasn't been very positive and has been along the lines of, "Joey Galloway shouldn't be on an NFL roster"; "Why is Galloway starting?"; "Why don't the Redskins start Devin Thomas instead?" etc. Those seem like fair points/questions, especially since through three games, Galloway has just three receptions for 88 yards (all coming in the Houston game).

Now, obviously the Redskins' two best receivers are Santana Moss and Chris Cooley. Fred Davis, the No. 2 tight end behind Cooley, is probably the third-best receiver. Galloway isn't necessarily the fourth-best option, and he may not even be in the top five.

Anyway, I decided to take a look at how Galloway stacks up against other No. 2 wide receivers in the NFL (ranked by receiving yardage). Granted, not only have just three games been played, but several teams have solid receiving options at tight end and running back, meaning they all don't need to have great No. 2 options at wide receiver. Still, I figured it was worth a look.

Teams' No. 2 receiving leaders (WR)

1) Indianapolis Colts: Reggie Wayne: 18 catches, 260 yards
2) Houston Texans: Kevin Walter: 16, 207
3) Dallas Cowboys: Roy E. Williams: 12, 191
4) Denver Broncos: Jabar Gaffney: 17, 189
5) New York Giants: Steve Smith: 18, 181
6) San Diego Chargers: Legedu Naanee: 10, 177
7) St. Louis Rams: Danny Amendola: 16, 162
8) Cincinnati Bengals: Jordan Shipley: 13, 161
9) New Orleans Saints: Marques Colston: 14, 154
10) Arizona Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald: 12, 152
11) Pittsburgh Steelers: Hines Ward: 10, 151
12) Miami Dolphins: Davone Bess: 13, 149
13) Philadelphia Eagles: Jeremy Maclin: 11, 147
14) Oakland Raiders: Darrius Heyward-Bey: 10, 140
15) Jacksonville Jaguars: Mike Thomas: 12, 139
16) New England Patriots: Randy Moss: 9, 139
17) Buffalo Bills: Steve Johnson: 9, 137
18) Green Bay Packers: Donald Driver: 18, 129
19) Tennessee Titans: Justin Gage: 7, 113
20) Chicago Bears: Devin Hester: 6, 110
21) Seattle Seahawks: Deion Branch: 12, 102
22) Washington Redskins: Joey Galloway: 3, 88
23) Baltimore Ravens: Derrick Mason: 7, 82
24) San Francisco 49ers: Michael Crabtree: 6, 81
25) Kansas City Chiefs: Dexter McCluster: 5, 78
26) Atlanta Falcons: Harry Douglas: 6, 71
27) Carolina Panthers: Brandon LaFell: 3, 66
28) New York Jets: Jerricho Cotchery: 8, 64
29) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Michael Spurlock: 3, 59
30) Minnesota Vikings: Greg Lewis: 5, 56
31) Cleveland Browns: Mohamed Massaquoi: 3, 55
32) Detroit Lions: Bryant Johnson: 2, 28

Some of the names on the list are No. 1s (Wayne, Moss, Colston, Fitzgerald) who are routinely doubled by opposing defenses and may not be on the list as the season progresses.

If not for a 62-yard bomb from Donovan McNabb in the Houston game, Galloway would be near the bottom with Bryant Johnson. Also, Galloway's three catches are tied with LaFell, Spurlock, and Massaquoi for second fewest.

I'm not sure why Galloway has started all three games. Maybe he's a nice guy who knows all of the plays, plays hard, and runs his routes correctly at all times. But he's not much of a threat, and when he's on the field, he makes it easier for opposing defenses to focus more on Moss and Cooley. Unless something is seriously wrong with Devin Thomas, like he's completely forgotten how to play wide receiver or catch the ball, he seems like a much better option at this point than Galloway. So does Anthony Armstrong.