Jerome Simpson on getting back to the field. "Being a competitor, I've still got that fire in me. It's not fun being injured. I've never had an injury before, so it's really a different experience for me. I'm trying to find the positive — just being smarter about the game and studying it more."
Simpson is being unfairly compared to DeSean Jackson as a means to prove that the Bengals scouting/drafting is wretched bad. If Simpson were drafted by the Eagles, his playing time would dramatically increase without having to leapfrog guys like Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh and, as el-insaciable points out, a majority of Jackson's playing time early in the season came on the heals of injured veteran receivers. Scouting/drafting does have super-flaws evident by the product, though this comparison doesn't fly. Six of the ten wide receivers drafted in the second round have yet to accumulate double-digit receptions, or triple-digit yards receiving. Guys like Eddie Royal and DeSean Jackson were introduced early as primary options thanks in part to unexpected injuries at their respective positions and guys like Donnie Avery and Jordy Nelson are on offenses that are successfully running a pass-first philosophy.
Player | Drafted | Team | Games | Rec | Yards | TDs |
Donnie Avery | 33 | Rams | 8 | 25 | 392 | 2 |
Devin Thomas | 34 | Redskins | 9 | 8 | 63 | 0 |
Jordy Nelson | 36 | Packers | 9 | 20 | 228 | 1 |
James Hardy | 41 | Bills | 9 | 9 | 87 | 2 |
Eddie Royal | 42 | Broncos | 8 | 52 | 625 | 4 |
Jerome Simpson | 46 | Bengals | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
DeSean Jackson | 49 | Eagles | 9 | 38 | 586 | 1 |
Malcolm Kelly | 51 | Redskins | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
Limas Sweed | 53 | Steelers | 4 | 4 | 39 | 0 |
Dexter Jackson | 58 | Buccaneers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |