Tate could be on the verge of monster year

Tate’s 1,331 yards in 2014 should give fans cause for optimism

Much has been made of what the Lions will and won’t be able to do without Calvin Johnson next season. Marvin Jones is a nice piece, but analysts don’t see him as a true number-one receiver. Golden Tate had a breakout season in 2014, finishing with 99 catches for 1,331 yards, playing next to an often-injured Johnson.

Last season, Johnson was healthier and got back to being the team’s top receiving option. His elevated production pushed Tate back to being the clear number-two receiver, and his numbers reflected that. In 2015, Tate had just 813 yards, over 500 less than the previous year.

Both years, Calvin still reached over 1,000 yards, despite playing through his injuries. So Tate’s production, while impressive, was coming as the second-fiddle in the Lions offense. Without Johnson eating up yards and touchdowns, somebody will have to pick up the slack.

A good comparison is former Pittsburgh duo, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders. Brown had some good seasons playing opposite Sanders, but he wasn’t nearly as productive until Sanders was gone and he was the clear-cut number one.  Similarly, when Sanders left for Denver in 2014, he had the most productive season of his career.

Marvin Jones has never had a 1,000-yard season, but many think that could change in Jim Bob Cooter’s offense. As I wrote last week, Jones played next to another elite wide receiver in A.J. Green of the Bengals. It’s likely that Green hindered Jones’ stats the way Johnson’s production slowed Tate in 2015.

Tate and Jones are both considered high-end secondary options. If we look around the league, several of today’s top receivers weren’t thought of as elite until the opportunities arose for them to prove their worth. A good comparison is former Pittsburgh duo, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.

Brown had some good seasons playing opposite Sanders, but he wasn’t nearly as productive until Sanders was gone and he was the clear-cut number one.  Similarly, when Sanders left for Denver in 2014, he had the most productive season of his career. After never cracking 1,000-yards in Pittsburgh, Sanders emerged on the scene with 101 catches for 1,404-yards in his first season in Denver.

While they were a great duo in Pittsburgh, both Sanders and Brown reached heights they’d never seen when they were given extra opportunities. Tate and Jones have both had similar career trajectories. If we assume Tate is going to be the number-one option in Detroit next season – which he should be given his experience in the system – then it’s fair to assume he could be in for a monstrous year.

I’m not saying Tate is Antonio Brown in waiting, just that he’s proven he can put up numbers comparable to most top receivers in the league. With Johnson gone, the chances will be there for him to capitalize on and put himself on the map. If Tate put up 1,300 yards when Calvin was here, I think it’s realistic to think he will have better numbers with Marvin Jones filling that spot.