Randall Cobb came to the Green Bay Packers in 2011 as the 64th pick overall of the Packers in the second round of the NFL Draft. The wide receiver out of Kentucky proceeded to score a pair of TDs in his very first game as a pro, scoring on a TD reception and a kick-off return. While Cobb had a productive rookie season, it was the next year where he would make his mark in the league.
December 16, 2012: Randall Cobb goes 1,000/1,000 for the season
On December 16, 2012, in a game at Chicago against the Bears, Cobb had six catches for 115 yards. The 115 receiving yards gave him 1,024 yards from scrimmage for the year. With the 1,217 yards he already had amassed on the season for punt and kick-off returns, Cobb became only the eighth player in NFL history to have more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage and 1,000 return yards on kick-offs and punts in a season. His stats for 2012:
Receiving Yards: 954
Rushing Yards: 132
Yards from Scrimmage: 1,086
Kick-off Return yards: 964
Punt Return Yards: 292
Yards from Kick Returns: 1,256
In fact, Cobb is the last player to reach 1,000 yards from scrimmage and 1,000 kick return yards. Here are the eight players in NFL history with 1,000 scrimmage yards/1,000 kick return yards in a season:
NFL players with 1,000 yards from scrimmage and return yards
Randall Cobb, Green Bay, 2012 (1,086 scrimmage/1,256 kick return)
Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh, 2011 (1,149 scrimmage/1,062 kick return)
Darren Sproles, New Orleans, 2011 (1,313 scrimmage/1,383 kick return)
Fred Jackson, Buffalo, 2009 (1,433 scrimmage/1,083 kick return)
Terry Metcalf, St. Louis, 1975 (1,194 scrimmage/1,245 kick return)
Mack Herron, New England, 1974 (1,298 scrimmage/1,146 kick return)
Timmy Brown, Philadelphia, 1963 (1,328 scrimmage/1,097 kick return)
Dick Christy, New York Titans-AFL, 1962 (1,073 scrimmage/1,074 kick return)
If we move the numbers down, say 500 yards from scrimmage and 500 yards from kick returns, Cobb is one of eight Packers players to reach the 500/500 milestone in scrimmage yards and kick return yards. The eight:
Green Bay Packers with 500 scrimmage yards/500 return yards
Randall Cobb, 2012
Vernand Morency, 2006
Robert Brooks, 1994
Walter Stanley, 1986
Steve Odom, 1976
Travis Williams, 1969
Dave Hampton, 1969
Billy Grimes, 1950
Randall Cobb is the second greatest quadruple threat in NFL history
One final stat to ponder: Cobb’s career stat line through Week #13 of this season reads 7,517 pass receiving yards, 364 rushing yards, 1,926 kick-off return yards, and 886 punt return yards. Did you know that only one other player in NFL history has more yards in each of these four stats?
Steve Smith, who had a 16-year NFL career with Carolina and Baltimore, is the only player to surpass Cobb in each of these four stats. His stat line reads: 14,731 pass receiving yards, 387 rushing yards, 2,371 kick-off return yards, and 1,684 punt return yards.
You can make a pretty good case that Smith, and Cobb are the two greatest quadruple threats in the history of the NFL.
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