No one will argue that Randy Moss is considered one of the greatest receivers to have played the game of football but at Super Bowl Media Day in New Orleans the Rand, WV native and former Thundering Herd star took it one step further.
“I do think that I’m the greatest receiver to do it,” Moss proclaimed with his southern West Virginia twang. “I don’t really live on numbers, I live on impact and what you can do out there on that field and I really do think I’m the greatest to ever play this game.”
When strictly considering the numbers, Moss is never going to win his argument. Jerry Rice is widely considered the greatest receiver of all-time and for good reason. Rice holds the record for career touchdown catches with 197, receiving yards with 22,895 and receptions with 1,549. Moss is 2nd, 3rd, and 9th respectively in each category.
That’s nothing to be ashamed of.
However, DuPont High graduate frames his argument around the impact he has had on the game, and quite frankly he has a point.
When Moss first entered the league in 1998 defenses struggled to find ways to defend his speed and athleticism. Quarterbacks could merely throw the ball up for grabs and knew Moss could go over the defensive back to make the catch. That is the legacy Moss believes he will leave behind when his career is over.
“For me to go up above the defensive back and make a catch, sort of like a slam dunk,” Moss answered when questioned about his legacy.
Moss, now in the twilight of his career, has had to assume a new role with the 49ers, one that he hasn’t been used to and understandably doesn’t like that much. Moss has been the decoy receiver and finds himself low on the depth chart. However, even at 35 year-old he still draws enough attention from the defense that other receivers are left in one-on-one matchups.
“I understand my presence out on the field, that I don’t always have to touch the ball to help the offense score touchdowns. Like I said, I don’t really like that, but it’s something that I’m used to. I had to grow to understand it.”
As a young player in the NFL Randy Moss was mentored by outspoken Vikings receiver Chris Carter and while Moss is not the vocal leader that Carter was, he has now taken on the role of mentor and believes he is setting an example for younger receivers to follow.
“Just by looking at the younger guys and how they respond and how they look at me is just something that I never imagined,” said Moss. “I never did want to be a vocal guy, I wanted to go out there and lead by example.”
Experts will now debate Moss’s self-proclamation that he is greatest receiver to ever play the game and most will disagree with his assessment. However, in Randy Moss’s mind the argument is already over.