Old-School Comparison Column: James Lofton or Michael Irvin

This 'Old-School' Comparison Column looks at the Hall of Fame careers of two of the most prolific wide receivers in the annals of NFL history - James Lofton and Michael Irvin.

Though each player carved out a spectacular career that led all the way to the Hall of Fame, each wide receiver did it by means that couldn't have been more different.

Lofton was a big speedster who could beat any cornerback he wanted with his flat-out speed - and brains, while Irvin was also a deep threat with size and speed, but a much better possession receiver in traffic, not to mention, one of the first wide receivers to perpetuate the new-age, me-first, diva style, that wide receivers at every level of football have come to know, love and imitate, (Just think, Chad Johnson).

Despite the differences that defined each player's greatness, I am forced to make a decision on which player I believe was the better overall receiver - or at least, the one I would pick first for one of my all-time teams.

First, I'll 'catch-up' by taking a brief look at each player's career before providing my own analysis and selection on which player I believe was better.

Here we go.

James Lofton

Lofton was the No. 1 draft pick of the Green Bay Packers in 1978 (No. 6 overall) and almost immediately lived up to all of the potential the Packers envisioned when they selected him. Not only was Lofton an Academic All-American wideout at Stanford University, but he was also an excellent track and field star who won the long jump at the 1978 NCAA Track & Field Championships with a wind-aided jump of 26 feet 11¾ inches as a senior and once ran a 20.7 in the 200 meters.

Lofton played 16 seasons for the Green Bay Packers, the Los Angeles Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, and the Philadelphia Eagles and caught 764 passes for a whopping 14,004 yards - and a jaw-dropping career average of 18.3 yards per catch.

Lofton recorded more than 50 catches in a season nine times and his 14,004 career yardage mark was an NFL best at the time of his retirement. Lofton was the first NFL player to score a touchdown in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s and retired ranked in third place on the all-time list with 43 games of 100 or more yards and 75 touchdown receptions.

During his nine-season stay in Green Bay, Lofton was elected to play in seven Pro Bowls and led the Packers in receptions every season except one. Lofton also gained 1,000 receiving yards in five of those seasons.

In 1987, the Packers foolishly traded Lofton to the Oakland Raiders, where he stayed for two seasons before moving on to the Bills where Buffalo recognized that the future Hall of Famer still had plenty of gas left in his tank despite the popular thinking at the time.

Lofton responded with a spectacular season in 1991 at the age of 35 to become the oldest player in league history to rack up 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Lofton also put up a career-high 220 receiving yards in one game against the Cincinnati Bengals that same season and earned his eighth selection to the Pro Bowl.

Lofton was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Michael Irvin

The Dallas Cowboys selected Irvin with the 11th overall selection in the first round of the 1988 draft following a standout career at the University of Miami where he helped the school win a national title in 1987.

Like Lofton, Irvin immediately displayed the jaw-dropping skills that would later make him a perennial Pro Bowler. As a rookie, Irvin led the NFC in yards per catch with an eye-opening 20.4-yard average though the Cowboys went a dismal 3-13 that season.

After the Cowboys added quarterback Troy Aikman and running back Emmitt Smith in the following successive drafts, the Dallas soon had one of the most fearsome trios in all of football.

The 1991 season typified Irvin's impact on the Cowboys' transformation as Irvin helped the team to an 11-5 record and a return to the playoffs by catching 93 passes for a league-high 1,523 yards and eight touchdowns to give him his first of five career trips to the Pro Bowl.

As the Cowboys reached four consecutive NFC championship games from 1992-1995 while winning three Super Bowl titles, Irvin's star grew even brighter. Irvin set an NFL record with eleven 100-yard games in 1995 when he recorded his finest season ever, catching a whopping 111 passes for 1,603 yards and 10 touchdowns. By the time Irvin hung up his cleats, he had caught 750 passes for 11,904 yards and 65 touchdowns.
Irvin has six career 100-yard postseason games, jut two shy of Jerry Rice's career mark. Irvin's 87 postseason grabs for 1,315 receiving yards, are both, second to only to Rice, (151 catches, 2,245 yards).

Unlike Lofton however, Irvin was very flamboyant and had several off-field incidents, which may have prolonged his entrance into the Hall of Fame. In early 1996, Irvin was arrested on charges of cocaine possession at a hotel party. Of course, the extranagant Irvin showed up at court wearing a full-length mink coat before pleading no contest to the charges and receiving his sentence.

After sitting out the first five games of the 1996 season, the Cowboys struggled in his absence. When Irvin did return from his suspension, he still managed to rack up 962 receiving yards in only 11 games.

After not getting inducted in either of his first two years of eligibility, Irvin was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 3, 2007.
Analysis: I'll be honest and admit that this selection almost literally, drove me nuts, (not that I haven't been accused of being off my rocker already). '
After debating back and forth with Me, Myself and Irene, I have come to some not-so-concrete conclusions.

First, let me say that, I thoroughly enjoyed watching both players play their entire careers for all of the respective teams that employe d each player. While Lofton didn't achieve nearly the team success playing in Green Bay, pre-Brett Favre, that Irvin did playing in Dallas, that fact certainly doesn't take way from his amazing acomplishments in my mind.

As I always say, football, more so than almost any other sport, relies heavily on teamwork, coaching and competent play on both sides of the ball and so does individual success.

I fully believe that Lofton would have achieved the same team success had he come along a bit later and been drafted by the Cowboys, while Irvin would have put up similar career numbers, without the titles, had he been playing for those same dreadful Packers teams that Lofton did for those same years.
With that said, this call was extremely close. Forget the receiving yards and touchdowns, this pick is all about preference as both of these players were of similar size and talent. (Lofton, 6-3, Irvin, 6-4) Though Lofton was a bit faster, Irvin was a bit stronger and tougher.

Although I'm an 'old-school' kinda' guy that generally prefers 'old-school' athletes who don't rock the boat or cause controversy, I've got to go with Michael Irvin here.

I think Irvin had an uncanny ability to fight for - and catch - 'uncatchable' balls while routinely coming up with crucial catches in traffic.
I also love the fact that, despite his off-field problems, Irvin was likely, the biggest - and most respected - vocal and emotional leader of the Cowboys during the time he played for the team.

As former teammate, Daryl "Moose" Johnston once told a national conference call of media members, "Michael was the hardest working guy on our team. He was a guy who made some wrong decisions, but he never took anything public, and he never spoke out against anyone on our team. He wasn't a problem. He was more of an inspiration."

Say what you want about Michael Irvin's off-field experiences, his on-field accomplishments cannot be diminished. While James Lofton was an absolutely fine wide eceiver and certainly one of the greatest to ever play the game at his position, my choice for the better wide receiver here is Michael Irvin and I'm sticking by it - for the next hour that is.

The Pick: Michael Irvin