Jerry Rice is widely regarded as the greatest football wide receiver of all time. However, some wonder if Randy Moss’s career had unfolded differently, would he claim the title as the greatest wide receiver? This discussion around wide receiver greatness is a fascinating one.
Bill Walsh traded up in the 1985 draft to acquire Rice. The San Franscico 49ers traded their first, second and third-round picks for the New England first and third-round picks. In moving up to the No. 16 spot, the 49ers leapfrogged the Dallas Cowboys, who also were interested in Rice. Rice would play for fifteen seasons with San Franscico, five with Joe Montana, and five with Steve Young.
Rice is the career leader in most NFL statistical categories for wide receivers, including receptions, receiving touchdowns, receiving yards, scrimmage yards and total touchdowns.
Randy Moss was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 1998 draft with the 21st overall pick. Several teams, including the Dallas Cowboys, passed over Moss due to off-the-field legal problems. Moss’s perceived slight fueled his anger for much of his career. In his first season, Moss helped the Vikings become the number one offense of all time. The Viking finished 15-1 in the regular season before losing to the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship 30-27 in overtime. Randall Cunningham, enjoying a Pro Bowl season, was Moss’s quarterback.
Montana and Young
Rice had Montana and Young for ten seasons, winning three Super Bowls during that time span. Moss, played for a season with Cunningham and, and a season with Tom Brady while with the New England Patriots in 2007. Moss holds the NFL single season touchdown reception record (23 in 2007) and ranks second in career touchdowns receptions as well as fourth in career receiving yards. How would Randy Moss’s career numbers compare if he had tier one quarterbacks for most of his career?
Nowhere is this conversation more prevalent than when Moss played for the Oakland Raiders in 2005 and 2006. During one post-game interview Moss in commenting on several dropped passes, said. “Maybe because I’m unhappy and I’m not too much excited about what’s going on, so, my concentration and focus level tend to go down sometimes when I’m in a bad mood” At the end of the 2006 season Moss was traded to the New England Patriots.
Wide Receiver Greatness
The Moss-Tom Brady tandem connected for 23 touchdowns during the season. Interestingly enough, Moss was again part of a team that should have won the Super Bowl. The Patriots were undefeated heading into the Super Bowl, only to lose to the underdog New York Giants.
Many may link Jerry Rice with Emmitt Smith in terms of longevity and accomplishments. Smith is the league’s all-time rushing leader, playing for 15 seasons, an extraordinary period for a running back. Chosen by NFL’s Network’s NFL Film productions in 2010 as the greatest player in NFL history, many of Rice’s accomplishments are attributed to his longevity in the game. Rice played for 20 seasons, an extraordinary period for a wide receiver.
Randy Moss played for 13 seasons in the NFL. If he and Jerry Rice played for similar number of seasons, and if Rany Moss played for 10 of those seasons with Hall of Fame quarterbacks, our perspective on Jerry Rice and Randy Moss in the conversation of wide receiver greatness wold likely be different today.
Barry Schustermann
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