It would be hard to replicate Randy Moss even in a lab. The Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver kept opposing defensive backs up at night, a one-of-a-kind type of talent that Wave’s Bomani Jones and college football writer Spencer Hall recently reminisced about.
What Made Randy Moss Such a Legendary Receiver?
When Moss called it a career after 14 NFL seasons, he ranked third all-time in receiving yards (15,292) and ninth in receptions (982). His 156 touchdown catches trail only Jerry Rice. Moss burst onto the scene as a rookie with the Minnesota Vikings, posting 1,313 receiving yards and a league-leading 17 touchdown grabs on 69 receptions.
One performance in particular still stands out to Jones today.
“The game against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving where he had three catches for three touchdowns? He’s taller than everybody, he’s faster than everybody, his hand game is crazy, his route game is crazy,” Jones said on the latest episode of “The Right Time with Bomani Jones.” “I believe, for the position that he played, he is the most perfect football player who ever existed.”
“Nobody was better built to do whatever their job was than Randy Moss was at being a wide receiver because he was a borderline All-American basketball player, so when you’re going up for the ball and you’re fighting for the rebound basically, look who’s there.”
Moss paced the league in touchdown grabs five times, including a single-season record 23 with the New England Patriots in 2007. He totalled 10 seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards.
How Did Moss Break Down Even Elite Defenses?
“He did the thing that is not supposed to happen against defenses,” Hall said. “Defenses are built to constrain and defenses are built to have a top. You’re not supposed to be able to take the top off a defense. As a pro, against some of the most god-tier athletes you will ever see, cornerbacks who are built to read, react and live in space all day long, Randy would be like, ‘My job is to take the top off a defense.'”
However, Moss’ skill wasn’t all that separated him from the pack. The Rand, a W.V. native, had a personality and swagger to him. He did things on his own terms, too. Former Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier once termed him “the Michael Jordan of offenses in our league.”
“On top of Randy just being physically superlative … Randy is just singular for being Randy,” Hall said. “Just the fact that that voice, that look, he had the visor, he had the high socks, he just looked different.”
