What's wrong with this ranking of the top wide receivers to ever play in the NFL?
- Randy Moss
- Terrell Owens
- Jerry Rice
Nothing, according to Moss. All three are Hall of Fame receivers. All three are considered to be among the best ever to play the position. Rice is widely considered to be the best of all-time, with whoever is behind him in a distant second.
Moss feels he and Owens were better, though, and declared that on Owens' "Getcha Popcorn Ready" podcast. Moss was asked who he feels is the best ever to play the position.
"You're talking to him," he answered.
Moss ranks fourth all-time in receiving yards while Owens ranks third. Both are eclipsed by Rice and Larry Fitzgerald, who occupy the No. 1 and 2 spots, respectively. But Moss isn't looking at statistics. He is looking at impact.
"I'll put myself first. I'll put T.O. second," Moss continued. "Jerry's probably third or fourth. I'm talking about dominating the game and changing the game of football. I don't live on statistics because if you live on statistics and live on championships, that's all political.
"You've seen guys released or cut from a team just by a couple of words in the media. You've seen guys given contracts, or you've seen guys not given contracts just because of the color of their skin. So, I think that you've got to throw politics out of the game of football and look at the impact of what each individual was able to make in the game of football."
Although, Moss doesn't want to give the impression that he is discrediting any of Rice's achievements.
"I don't discredit anything that a guy like [Marvin Harrison], Jerry, Terrell has done for the game," Moss continues, "but when I look at the game of football, and my impact ... respectfully, I give myself the nod because if you're not going to bet and believe in yourself, then really, who are you?"
Added Moss: "I don't want the fans and the people watching you all's podcast to get it messed up that we dislike or discredit anything Jerry Rice was able to do or ever accomplish. I think when you look at the top of the pedestal, when you see that Jerry Rice's name is at the top, then when you look at the numbers that he had, and then you start calculating and stuff like that, I've got to play this many years to obtain this? The heck with all that. I just want to play football and just be an impactful type of ball player. I don't want people to really think myself and T.O. is slandering or bashing anything Jerry did because Jerry was the pedestal. He was at the top of it."
Meanwhile, Owens notes that Rice benefitted from playing with some of the best quarterbacks ever to play the game.
"Look at the quarterbacks he played with," Owens said, "and at that time, the system that he played in, and the competition. ... When you think about Jerry and the quarterbacks he played with, he never had a drop-off in quarterbacks. He went from one Hall of Fame quarterback to another."
You can watch the entire interview below. Moss is asked the question at about the 33:50 mark.
H/t to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk for the find.