NY Giant's Steve Smith: NFL 2009 Breakout Player

Steve Smith of the New York Giants - that's the 5'11" 195 lb wide receiver in the dark blue #12 jersey, not the 5'9" 185 lb wide receiver in the baby blue #89 jersey - is the NFL's 2009 breakout player of the season. After playing in the shadows of Plaxico Burress - remember him? - and longtime Giants stalwart Amani Toomer, Smith has emerged as Eli Manning's number 1 target and one of the most reliable receiving threats in the league.

It only took him a month of the 2009 NFL season to reach his new status. After five weeks in the season Smith leads the league in receptions, total yards and yards per game. He has caught 37 balls for 481 yards and is averaging 96.2 yards per game. He's tied for the league lead in TD receptions with 4 and he he's tied with a handful of other players in the second slot for receptions of 20 yards or more, with 7.

The Rise of Steve Smith

After being drafted in the second round of the 2007 draft by the New York Giants, Smith had a largely injury plagued rookie season. He was hardly even an afterthought as the playoffs arrived, with just 8 receptions in the regular season. However he had an excellent postseason making some crucial catches en route to the Giants' Super Bowl victory over the Patriots.

As the number three wide receiver on the Giants in 2008 he ended up leading the team in receptions by the end of the season with 57. However he was primarily a short yardage and third down option, averaging just 10.1 yards per catch and getting into the end zone only once. Additionally, he only had three receptions for more than 20 yards on the year.

If you're paying attention, that means he has quadrupled his TD number from last season and more than doubled his big play catches from last year after just crossing the quarter point of the 2009 season. Additionally, he's raised his average per reception from 10.1 yards to 13 yards and with 37 receptions out of Manning's 87 completions, accounts for 42.5% of the Giants' passing game.

Last year, Smith began to make his name by proving to be a consistent and reliable player. Without great size or speed, he operated primarily in underneath routes like quick posts, comebacks and slants.

In 2009, Smith has shown that he has improved his all around receiving game. Additional practice time with Eli Manning, and holding court as one of the few wide receivers on the team with any substantial experience prior to the year has certainly boosted his role. He has been finding seams in the middle of the defense and has readily broken free from his coverage, ending up down the field ahead of his man.

Steve Smith Compared to Other Top Receivers in the 2009 NFL Season (After 5 weeks)

Steve Smith - 37 receptions, 481 yards, 4 TDs

Hines Ward - 33 receptions, 440 yards, 1 TD

Reggie Wayne - 32 receptions, 459 yards, 4 TDs

Randy Moss - 30 receptions, 367 yards, 1 TD

Andre Johnson - 28 receptions, 437 yards, 4 TD

Wes Welker - 26 receptions, 227 yards, 1 TD

Brandon Marshall - 24 receptions, 283 yards, 4 TDs

Chad Ochocinco - 24 receptions, 352 yards, 3 TDs

Larry Fitzgerald - 22 receptions, 260 yards, 4 TDs

If Smith kept up this pace for the rest of the 2009 NFL season, he would end up with 118 catches for 1,534 yards and 12 touchdowns. As a comparison, in Torry Holt's best season with the high flying St. Louis Rams he finished with 117 receptions for 1,696 yards and 12 touchdowns. Larry Fitzgerald's much-heralded 2008 season saw him catch the ball 96 times for 1,431 yards and 12 touchdowns.

In the best year of Hines Ward's career he caught 112 balls for 1,329 yards and 12 TDs. Reggie Wayne's top year saw him bring in 104 balls for 1,510 yards and 10 touchdowns and the other Steve Smith's best season had tallies of 103 catches for 1,563 yards and 12 touchdowns.

In other words, if Steve Smith continues at the pace he's at for the rest of the 2009 he's more than just the breakout offensive player of the 2009 NFL season, he's officially one of the best wide receivers in the game.

At just 24 years old and with a solid and improving quarterback locked in place for the foreseeable future on the club, Smith may go on to have an extremely prolific and memorable career. You better drop that "reliable third down threat" terminology out of your vocabulary.