KIRKLAND — Jordan Babineaux had never heard the nickname. The only Fab Five that meant anything to the Seattle Seahawks’ 25-year-old defensive back were the star freshmen who played basketball at the University of Michigan when Babineaux was a kid growing up in Texas.
So when Babineaux was asked to compare Seattle’s receiving corps to the Green Bay Packers so-called “Fab Five,” he simply pointed across the locker room and started counting.
“One, two, three, four … we’ve got a good six,” he said, his index finger moving along the lockers of Seahawks receivers Bobby Engram, D.J. Hackett, Deion Branch, Nate Burleson, Ben Obomanu and Courtney Taylor. “And every one of them, I think personally, could be a starter in this league.”
While the Packers have gotten plenty of publicity this season for having one of the deepest receiving corps in football, the Seahawks feel pretty good about their group as well.
“I’ll go out and say it: we do have the best receiving corps in the league,” Seattle’s Branch said on Wednesday. “But we haven’t had a chance to show that on the field. Right now, we’re just working with a two- and three-man tandem, not all four of us at the same time.
“If (the top) four of us are healthy and on the field, you can match us up with anybody. It’s a no-brainer.”
Branch and fellow starter Hackett have been hobbled by injuries at times this season, playing just two full games together. In their absence, Engram has had the most productive year of his career, while Burleson has a team-high nine touchdown receptions.
Obomanu, a second-year player, has made the most of his playing time, while some people in the organization believe that the rookie Taylor could be as good as any of them.
“With his playmaking ability,” Babineaux said of the Auburn rookie, “he can be a special kind of receiver.”
Branch, Hackett, Engram, Burleson, Obomanu and Taylor give the Seahawks six quality receivers, while the Packers have been getting plenty of attention for their so-called Fab Five.
Green Bay’s Donald Driver ranks ninth in the NFC with 82 receptions, while Greg Jennings (53 receptions) and rookie James Jones (47) have had breakout years. Former Seahawk Koren Robinson (21 receptions) and second-year player Ruvell Martin (16) round out the Packers’ fabulous fivesome.
“I think they’ve really upgraded their receiving corps over last year,” Seahawks defensive coordinator John Marshall said. “They’ve got some good, young receivers. And when they do catch the ball, you’ve got to make the tackle.”
When evaluating the Green Bay receiving corps, people like to talk about a statistic known as YAC — yards after the catch. According to the Packers’ weekly media release, Green Bay averaged a league-best 143.3 yards after the catch per game during the regular season.
The Seahawks haven’t been as productive running after the catch, with an unofficial average of about 78 yards per game in that category, but Seattle’s receiving corps has proven to be reliable and has shown enough big-play ability to help quarterback Matt Hasselbeck set a franchise record in passing yards (3,966).
If there was a weakness in the Seahawks’ passing game this season, it may well have been health. Opening-week starters Hackett and Branch struggled with injuries. Players like Engram, who caught a franchise-record 94 passes during the regular season, have more than filled the void.
“One of the things we talked about in the preseason was the depth of this unit, and how hard it was going to be to make this team,” said Engram, who ended up starting 15 games during the regular season. “And that held very true. All of these guys are good. And you’re seeing that now.”
This was supposed to be the week that the Seahawks had all their depth available, but Hackett’s ankle injury flared up Wednesday and has left his status for Saturday’s game in question. Branch, who missed the past two weeks with a calf injury, is expected to return to the lineup.
“You haven’t seen the best of Seattle’s receiving corps yet,” Branch said this week. “So I’m looking forward to it.”
While Branch isn’t backing down from his proclamation that Seattle has the best corps in football, Engram was in no mood to argue the point.
“I really don’t put a lot of weight on (comparisons of different receiving corps) because most of the people talking about it don’t really know what they’re talking about,” Engram said. “It’s about who’s making the most plays to help their teams to win games. Stats can be a little misleading at times.”
The receiving corps in Green Bay and Seattle had similar stats this season. But when it comes to which team has the better five — or six — beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
“I like my five guys,” Seahawks receivers coach Nolan Cromwell said. “I think we’ve done a nice job this year. The competitiveness that they’ve shown, and the resiliency that they’ve shown through all the injuries, it’s been good. I’ve really enjoyed this group.”
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