Shooting for the stars: we spotlight 10 players who had breakthrough seasons in 2004

Football Digest, April, 2005 by Steve Silverman

THE USUAL SUSPECTS CAME TO the fore in 2004: Peyton Manning set records with his passing, LaDainian Tomlinson once again was a stud, and Terrell Owens was everything he advertised he would be when he moved from the San Francisco 49ers to the Philadelphia Eagles.

But it was also a great year for new stars--particularly in San Diego. Drew Brees and Antonio Gates combined with Tomlinson to give the Chargers a prolific offense and a first-place finish in the AFC West. Here's a look at 10 players who had breakthrough seasons in 2004:

ANTONIO GATES, tight end SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

After years of getting pounded by Kansas City Chiefs light end Tony Gonzalez, the Chargers decided they wanted an impact player of their own at that position. After being a bit player in 2003, Gates came into his own in 2004 and was the most productive fight end in football.

Gates caught 81 passes for 964 yards with 13 touchdowns and became an impact player for Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer. Gates, a former college basketball stud at Kent State, combined low-post power with surprising athleticism to emerge as one of the most dominant players in the league. His breakout performance was a three-touchdown game against the New Orleans Saints in Week 9.

"He was just a great weapon for us," says Chargers general manager A.J. Smith. He has great physical tools, and he has worked hard to get the most out of them. He's becoming a dominant player at the position."

DREW BREES, quarterback SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

Brees appeared to be on his way out when the Chargers came away with Philip Rivers in the draft, but Brees decided he was not going to give up the No. 1 quarterback job without a fight. He came to training camp determined and focused, and was very sharp from start to finish. Brees completed 65.5% of his passes for 3,159 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Brees led the Chargers to the AFC West championship, and San Diego was the most efficient red-zone team in the league in 2004.

"We never had any idea that Drew would play the way he did this year," Smith says. "If I told you that I expected him to play like this--well, it would not be truthful. He was very accurate and smart with his decisions."

BEN ROETHLISBERGER, quarterback PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Although he went high in the 2004 draft--llth overall--nobody expected Roethlisberger to tear it up for the Steelers and go undefeated in the regular season. Although h e was an accurate passer, completing 66.4% of his passes for 2,621 yards, it was his decision-making that allowed him to excel.

Roethlisberger was able to buy time in the pocket because he could sense where the pass rush was coming from, and that allowed him to make plays all season. His size and strength--6'4" and 241 pounds--helped him shake off tacklers and then get rid of the ball. "He doesn't play like any rookie," Steelers running back Jerome Bettis said. "He just stands in the pocket, delivers the ball, and then does it again."

REGGIE WAYNE, wide receiver INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

The Colts were the most explosive team in football by a large margin, as Peyton Manning had the best regular season of any quarterback in history. His favorite target, used to be Marvin Harrison, but Wayne became the team's biggest receiving threat in 2004.

Wayne refused to look at himself as the Colts' No. 2 receiving option, and he caught 77 passes for 1,210 yards with 12 TD receptions. On a team with three receivers who caught 10 or more TD passes (Harrison and Brandon Stokley were the others), Wayne would get upset if he wasn't Manning's primary target. Wayne has big-time speed and the ability to run through arm tackles. His 11-catch, 184-yard game against the Green Bay Packers in Week 3 opened eyes around the league.

BERT BERRY, defensive end ARIZONA CARDINALS

It was another rough season for the Cardinals, but first-year coach Dennis Green found the pass rush that had been missing when he signed Berry during the free-agent period. Berry recorded 11.5 sacks for the Denver Broncos in 2003 and was even better for the Cardinals. He had 14.5 sacks, forced four fumbles, and recovered two more.

Berry is not huge for the position-6'3" and 275 pound--but he uses his exceptional quickness to make life miserable for opposing offensive tackles and quarterbacks. After rocketing from bench player to Pro Bowler in just a couple of years, Berry does not take his business lightly.

"Sacks are so hard to come by that when you get one, you cherish it," Berry says. "There's such a lot of work that goes into it, and it's really the result of the whole defensive scheme. It's not just one person getting the sack--it's the combination of everybody doing their job and you being in the right place at the right time."

MUHSIN MUHAMMAD, wide receiver CAROLINA PANTHERS

Talk about a change in expectations. Muhammad has always been a solid performer for the Panthers, but he was thought of as a possession guy who could make key plays on third downs to keep drives alive. A home-run hitter? No way. That was speedy Steve Smith's job.