Don Wassall said:
Lofton only played for the Bills through '92. Why didn't Beebe get a shot at starting after that?
When Beebe had a chance to play more frequently as a Packer in 96 he played very well. He should have been on the field twice as much as he was and should have had many more balls thrown his way. If he was a featured target he could have been way over 1,000 yds without breaking a sweat.
He totalled 700 yards with only 39 catches, about 18 YPC. Because the receiving crew was banged up badly he got the nod in a very critical game against the Niners. He totalled 220 yds. on 11 catches. When the brothers got healthy it was back to the same old grind. This story explains the situation pretty well.
http://www2.jsonline.com/packer/arc/rev/beeb1014.html
Oct. 14, 1996
Green Bay -- If the Green Bay Packers aren't the best bargain hunters in the Western world, then they're a close second.
How else could you explain finding a wide receiver like Don Beebe for a mere $300,000 and then getting a spectacular performance from him on national television in the Packers' biggest game of the year so far?
The Packers took a chance on the 31-year-old free agent, who seemed to be nearing the end of his career after a not-so productive year with the Carolina Panthers.
The payoff was an 11-catch, 220-yard performance in the Packers' 23-20 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field on Monday night.
Beebe was on the field
only because of a serious injury to Robert Brooks, the Packers' No. 1 receiver. The improbable star took over as the big-play target after Brooks suffered a season-ending knee injury on the first play of the game.
... Beebe's performance was critical because of the
up-and-down performance turned in by Freeman. He dropped several key passes that could have resulted in first downs for the Packers, and it was obvious he was out of sync.
Beebe played the garbage man most of the night, taking advantage of rollouts from Packers quarterback Brett Favre,
who turned to him when there was nothing else available. Favre kept going to Beebe even though the veteran was playing split end, the position that's more of a decoy for the flanker.
He was called upon
for the second time this season to fill the spot Brooks normally holds.
Just two weeks ago, he had the best game of his career against Seattle after Brooks suffered a concussion on the Packers' first offensive play.