Greg Cosell Expects Bengals Wide Receiver A.J. Green To Improve Significantly

Greg Cosell, NFL analyst and senior producer at NFL Films, irked many Bengals fans by digging into Andy Dalton's arm strength last month. It wasn't so much what he said was a matter of right or wrong, it's that he had to audacity to say it; thus forcing Bengals fans to emphasize Dalton's other intangibles, which Cosell highlighted weeks later. Cosell has since moved onto wide receivers, ranking the best in the NFL. And if this post is appearing on a Bengals site, one can only assume what that means.

Though he emphasizes that rankings are ultimately pointless in the discourse, Cosell ranks the best wide receivers in the game today, listing A.J. Green No. 5.

That leads to A.J. Green at No 5. He’s almost 6-foot-4 and 211 pounds. He does not look that big on film. He has elements of Randy Moss as a vertical receiver, with his long fluid stride, his excellent body control and leaping ability, and his soft hands. Green, much like Andre Johnson, moves like a smaller man. But he’s a smoother, more elegant athlete, a glider with deceptive separation and acceleration. His ease of movement belies his explosiveness. This year marks is his first real NFL offseason, and I would expect Green to improve significantly, particularly at the small details of the position, like beating press coverage. There’s no question Green has an elite skill set with his combination of size, movement and hands. So it’s no surprise that he’s already in the conversation regarding the league’s top wide receivers.

This is why I ultimately enjoy reading Cosell's work. Highly respected as an analyst, his writings aren't ever about rankings, rather his observations watching countless reels of film -- who wouldn't want that gig?

Unfortunately a handful of Detroit Lions fans came out in droves to insult Cosell for ranking Houston Texan's receiver Andre Johnson over Calvin Johnson.