A touchdown every touch

 

Scoring on your first try has been the objective of many a red-blooded young man. Scoring at every opportunity can make you a legend.

 

At the start of a new season, it's not uncommon for players to have their first NFL catch go for a touchdown. This past Sunday alone, there were four examples. Detroit top pick Mike Williams, the former USC wideout who was denied early entry to the league a year ago, scored on the lone reception of his delayed debut. Similarly, tight end Heath Miller, Pittsburgh's rookie first-rounder from Virginia, made his one catch count for six points. Indy tight end Ben Utecht, playing his initial game after spending his rookie year on the physically unable to perform list, got in the end zone from 26 yards out the only time he touched the ball. And Buffalo's Jason Peters lived a lineman's dream when he caught a 1-yard TD pass on a tackle-eligible play.

 

Maintaining a perfect string of scoring on every reception is far more difficult, however. The Cold, Hard Football Facts reveal just one active player who has exclusively caught touchdowns over a multi-year career. He has gone an astounding five for five – but you won't find him by perusing the offensive rosters of the 32 teams. He is New England's Mike Vrabel, a linebacker by trade and an extra tight end by versatility.

 

Vrabel first saw action on offense during 2002, as part of coach Bill Belichick's goal-line package. His sole reception was a 1-yarder for a touchdown in a 21-14 loss at San Diego. Since then, Vrabel has only been on the receiving end in winning efforts. In fact, his next visit to the end zone came at a crucial time, after the Patriots had fallen behind Carolina, 22-21, late in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

 

Last season was Vrabel's finest as a receiver. It featured two of his three regular-season catches for scores, against the Rams and 49ers, and his second consecutive Super Bowl TD in the Pats' win over the Eagles. He had officially become a touchdown machine.

 

When Buddy Ryan was the head coach in Philly, he notoriously explained his decision to release wide receiver Cris Carter by saying, "All he can do is catch touchdown passes." The importance of doing so was evidently lost on the former defensive coordinator. Ryan had largely focused on preventing points as the architect of the famed 46 defense that propelled Chicago to a resounding 46-10 victory over New England in Super Bowl XX.

 

In actuality, Carter scored on 11 of his 45 receptions in 1989, his third and final season with Ryan and the Eagles. Although reaching the end zone on nearly a quarter of your receptions is noteworthy, other pass catchers have been far more impressive in their touchdown productivity.

 

A bird of a different feather, Philly tight end Jeff Thomason, turned half of his receptions into TDs in 2000, when he converted five of 10. Washington tight end James Jenkins had just four catches in 1997, but three of them were for scores. And the likely record holder for consecutive touchdown receptions is former Buffalo tight end Butch Rolle, who caught 10 straight passes for TDs between 1987 and 1991.

 

But those players were prolific scorers for limited stretches of time. Infinitesimally few have had the knack for catching touchdown passes – and nothing but – from the beginning of their careers until the end.

 

Through exhaustive research, we have discovered just one other player whose lifetime receiving statistics are the equal of Vrabel's. His name is Carl Hilton, and he was a tight end for the Vikings from 1986 through 1989. He caught exactly three regular-season passes in 36 games, but all of them were for touchdowns. In the 1987 divisional playoffs, a 36-24 win over San Francisco, Hilton's one reception resulted in a score. He then duplicated the feat the following season in a 28-17 wild-card victory over the L.A. Rams.

 

Since no "pundits" ever acknowledge Hilton's accomplishments, we decided to catch up with his old college coach. Longtime University of Houston head man Bill Yeoman described his former tight end as "a great athlete with staggering talent. He could fly." Yeoman fondly recalled Hilton's combination of size and speed. "He took a little ol' duck pass 70 yards against SMU and nobody could catch him." While Hilton's abilities as a receiver were underutilized in the pros according to the coach, he certainly made the most of every pass-catching opportunity.

 

Here's how Hilton stacks up against Vrabel:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hilton holds a considerable edge in yardage, 29-7. His per-catch average is a robust 5.8 yards, dwarfing Vrabel's puny 1.4. For significance, however, Vrabel gets the nod, as both of his postseason receptions have come in the second halves of close Super Bowls. Vrabel also has the advantage of still being active, which might allow him to move into first place by himself.

 

So pay close attention when Vrabel lines up on offense this season, because you could see history being made. If his first catch of 2005 is for a touchdown, he will have started his career with more consecutive TD receptions than any other player. On the other hand, if Vrabel doesn't score on his next catch, he will be denied much more than six points: He will no longer have a touchdown percentage of 1.000 with a minimum of three receptions.

 

That rarified distinction would belong only to the legendary Carl Hilton.