By Tim Graham
At first glance, Scott Chandler's stat line doesn't look overly impressive: 19 receptions for 234 yards and four touchdowns.
Chandler ranks third on the Buffalo Bills in catches. Among all tight ends he's tied for 24th in catches and 21st in yards.
Big whoop.
But then I sorted a couple more columns on the spreadsheet and noticed something spectacular about Chandler's efficiency.
Of his 19 receptions, Chandler has either scored a touchdown or gained a first down on all but three of them.And if you were to break down each of his plays, you'd see his first 12 catches of the season went for touchdowns or first downs, and he didn't fail to do at least one or the other until Week Five against the San Francisco 49ers.
The official numbers at NFL.com show Chandler has gained a first down on 78.9 percent of his receptions, second among tight ends with more than 10 catches -- behind only New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski.
He is tied for fourth in touchdowns. Other tight ends with four include big names Jimmy Graham, Tony Gonzalez and Vernon Davis. Antonio Gates has half that many.Chandler is one of only eight tight ends with a 40-yard gain. Nobody has two. He's tied for eighth with four gains of at least 20 yards.
All on 19 receptions.
And his 12.3-yard average is higher than those of Bills receivers Stevie Johnson and Donald Jones.
