Randy Moss made headlines last week by laying claim to the title of the greatest wide receiver of all-time. He put another Hall of Famer, Terrell Owens, at No. 2 on his list.
Where does Jerry Rice, the legend who most feel is the greatest to ever play the position, rank in Moss' mind?
"Jerry's probably third or fourth," Moss declared on Owens' "Getcha Popcorn Ready" podcast.
It sounds like Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill agrees with Moss. Of course, a generation gap may have something to do with it. Hill was just 10 years old when Rice was playing in his last NFL season. Rice had already been twice named the Offensive Player of the Year and won two Super Bowls before Hill was born in March of 1994.
Hill looked up to Moss growing up.
"Everybody know I'm going to say Randy Moss," Hill told TMZ Sports. "Randy Moss was my favorite player growing up. Randy Moss is my favorite player of all time. Randy Moss, Randy Moss, Randy Moss. Randy Moss is the G.O.A.T. of all wide receivers because you've got to think about it — he just changed the game. Six-four, run a 4.2 (40-yard dash), can create separation, can run routes, can catch the ball.
"Like, come on. Like, I understand Jerry got the stats, and he got the touchdowns, he got all this, he can run routes, but if I'm picking a receiver who's going to make me some plays in crunch times when I need them, Randy Moss, definitely."
Moss didn't want to factor Rice's many records into the conversation when making his own claim and instead focused on his impact on the game.
"I'm talking about dominating the game and changing the game of football," Moss said. "I don't live on statistics because if you live on statistics and live on championships, that's all political."
Respected NFL analyst Brian Baldinger can't side with Moss and Hill on the greatest-ever debate. He was asked on 95.7 The Game's The Morning Roast if Rice is the greatest receiver ever to play the game.
"Yes," Baldy responded without hesitation. "Look, I don't know what Randy's argument is, but nobody did it better than Jerry Rice. I, unfortunately, saw it live too many times. So, I don't know what Randy's saying; I'm not really up to date on it, but there's no debate here. Jerry Rice is number one, and everybody else is fighting for number two."
Rice took an opportunity to respond to Moss' comments on Monday during an interview on 95.7 The Game.
"He continues to say it's political or whatever, but if Randy wants to be No. 1, that's fine," Rice said. "There are so many G.O.A.T.s. If T.O. wants to be No. 2, that's fine. But my main thing is it was all about the rings, the championships, and that's why we play the game."
Rice racked up 1,549 receptions for 22,895 yards and 197 receiving touchdowns, all of which are NFL records, during his dominant 20-year NFL career.
"I think the thing about me was that I might not have been the most gifted receiver, but one thing that I did have? I had heart, and I was going to outwork you," Rice added. "... When people think about my work ethic and what I was able to accomplish, I always give credit to my teammates."
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