Randy Moss Retires

[Big Sexy]

I figured this was big enough news to get its own thread outside of the official NFL thread. After 13 NFL seasons future HOF receiver Randy Moss has decided to retire. This came out of left field somewhat because just a couple weeks ago Moss's agent was saying that Moss was in freakish shape and had been doing two a day workouts to get ready for the season.

Moss spent his 13 NFL seasons with Minnesota, Oakland, New Engalnd, and most recently half a season with the Tennessee Titans. He is second all time to only Jerry Rice for most TD catches, 100-yard receiving games, and most games with two TD catches or more. He is also tied for 8th all time in total receptions. Moss is not only known for his great play on the field but also his antics both on and off the field.

So I ask you:

What stands out the most to you about Moss's career?
Where do you rank him among the all time wide receiver greats?
Do you think he will remain retired?

If you have any other thoughts or memories about Randy Moss and his career don't hesitate to add more.

 

[Nate DaMac]

What stands out the most to you about Moss's career?

I've always associated him with the other "Diva" Wide Receivers in the league. T.O., Chad Johnson, and Randy Moss. I always put him slightly behind T.O., but when he was at his best he was the best receiver in the league. His first season in New England was legendary, especially considering hie was coming off of the 2 worst years in his career.

Unfortunately, he'll always be labeled as a guy who wasn't a team player.

Where do you rank him among the all time wide receiver greats?

Definitely top 10, but I don't know exactly where at. Sure fire Hall of Famer, but I bet the writers leave him out for a year or 2.

Do you think he will remain retired?

Tough to say. It really just depends on what kind of offers he gets vs how much he wants to play. If a Super Bowl caliber team gives him an offer he can't refuse, I wouldn't be surprised to see him back.

 

[LSN80]

What stands out the most to you about Moss's career?

It's a double standard on my part, but when I compare Moss to another "great" like Terrell Owens, both of whom were well-known for both on-field and off-field exploits, I remember Moss' brilliance and Owens antics. Moss is the greatest wide receiver of my generation that Ive seen play from beginning to end, career wise.

What stood out to me was that Moss was considered to be an off-field trouble, a "risk", even having fallen all the way to 21st to the Vikings in the 1998 draft. Yet Moss rose immediately above it---setting a to this day this day record of 17 TD catches in his rookie season---and go for over 1300 yards as well.

I remember watching his first MNF game against the Packers and catch a 70ish yard reception on the Vikings first offensive series. When the play was called back for holding, many a rookie would have folded under the pressure, especially against a division rival at Lambeau Field. All Moss went on to do was catch 2 TD's later in the game and go for almost 200 yards. The Vikings went something like 15-1 that year, and lead the league in offense, much due to Moss. He had better years after, but none that left as much of an impression to me.

Where do you rank him among the all time wide receiver greats?

Jerry Rice is a shoe-in ahead of Moss as the greatest WR's of all-time. Rice played with two of the greatest QB's of all-time and under one of the greatest coaches, but the argument could be made that Rice made the talent around him so much greater. But he holds the record for most receiving yards, receptions, and receiving TD's, so it's hard to look at anyone else as being the greatest. In the modern day, Marvin Harrison, Cris Carter, and and Michael Irvin are all close, but Id rank Moss as a solid second behind Rice all-time. Moss, when he played hard, had the best hands Ive ever seen. He could literally catch the ball from any scenario; falling down, covered, dragging his feet with his body out of bounds, over people, and running past people. Moss had the size to jump over people for the ball, the athleticism to make the toughest catches, and the speed to run past people. Had he fulfilled his full potential and worked near as hard as Rice did, whose to say he wouldn't have surpassed Rice's numbers, and his slot for all-time greatest? Still, with all the off-field issues and drama he created, number two is pretty darn good.

Do you think he will remain retired?

I do. He was sad to watch last year, and not only because I had him on two fantasy football teams. He played in a seemingly "ideal" situation in New England, and wanted out. He was then traded back to the team he started his career with, Minnesota, and created drama in catering before being ultimately waved. He was then claimed by Tennessee, where he looked utterly unmotivated, much like he had the rest of the season. Moss seemingly lost interest in football last year, and best shape of his life or not, I don't see him coming back. He's 34, had a full career, and he appeared to have disintegrated significantly skill-wise last year. It's just my opinion, but I think he's felt it was better to retire now and preserve his legacy then play more and place it into further jeopardy. Moss was always a joy to watch play, and the game has truly "lost" one the all-time greats, headcase or not.

 

[Big Sexy]

I'd also say Moss is probably the second greatest receiver of all time. Jerry Rice is the clear cut number one and anyone who says otherwise is just flat out wrong. Moss talent wise is easily number two, the only reason he has some competition for the second spot is because he didn't always use that talent to its full capabilities. With that said, even half-assing it Moss was still better then most guys playing at their best.

Moss was a game changer like no other and he put up huge numbers with a wide variety of qbs. Randall Cunningham, Jeff George, Daunte Culpepper, Matt Cassell, Tom Brady. He made all of those guys better.

 

[Theo Mays]

What stands out the most to you about Moss's career?

Moss will likely be remembered as much for his off the field issues as his play on the field. Moss is one of my all time favorite players and has had a great career. When he was on and wanted to put his mind on football he was truly amazing to watch. He would make amazing plays out of nowhere sometimes.

Where do you rank him among the all time wide receiver greats?

Off the top of my head I'd probably put Moss as a top 5 WR. Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Cris Carter, Don Hutson (not necessarily in that order).

Do you think he will remain retired?

It is tough to say. If a contender loses a key WR due to injury in training camp or preseason, Randy Moss might be the perfect guy to take a risk on. If the team has a strong core leadership and presence in the locker room to keep Moss in check it could work out. That is pretty much the only way I can see Moss coming back.

 

[Unsold Bacon]

For me as a Canadian, Mr.Moss was almost like the football version of Vince Carter. When the man put his mind to it he would play phenomenally but a lot of the time he would became distracted an his play would reflect that. In fact in a Bill Simmons book, Carter admitted to not trying in the second half of the season when he was in the T.dot.

What stands out the most to you about Moss's career?

Has to be his first season with the Patriots after coming off of ttwo lackluster season Brady connected to him for 23 of his 50 TDs that season. Which has to be considered as one of the greatest season ever by a wide receiver. During his career , he also threw for 2 touchdowns, has one kick off return for a touchdown and 159 yards rushing on 25 attempts. He truly was a fantastic player.

Where do you rank him among the all time wide receiver greats?

Top 10, at least. Maybe even top eight. So many credentials but unfortunately the one that is missing is a Superbowl ring.

Do you think he will remain retired?

Yes. Best shape of his life or not I can't see him coming back. It's the last we will hear from him for a while.

 

[Goliath Uterus]

I figured this was big enough news to get its own thread outside of the official NFL thread.

Damn straight.

What stands out the most to you about Moss's career?

His amazing talent and athletic ability of course. People these days anaylze players way too much these days, and sometimes are blinded to the fact by, at the end of the day, all that matters is what you do on the field.

Another thing that stood out was his personality. I always thought he was one of the funniest dudes in the league (straight cash homie). He also was a kush blowin ni99a, so he's cool in my book.

Where do you rank him among the all time wide receiver greats?

I personally think he is the most talented Wide Reciever of all time. Jerry Rice was definitely better, but I think Moss definitely had potential to be better. That's not to say Randy is a "wasted potential" type player though, 2nd best WR of all time aint to shabby.

 

[Mustang Sally]

This came out of left field somewhat because just a couple weeks ago Moss's agent was saying that Moss was in freakish shape and had been doing two a day workouts to get ready for the season.

In other words, his agent had been talking to several teams and when he reported back that Randy would have to be the 2nd or 3rd receiver and that no team was willing to pony up $10 million/year, he decided he really wanted to retire after all. Remember, he's the Diva Receiva who announced that he "plays only when I want to" and it's hardly surprising to read this, given that he's always put himself ahead of the team.

As to the question of whether he'll stay retired, that will depend on how much money he has left. If he needs bucks, he'll announce he loves the game too much to stay away.

Personally, I hope he's loaded so he doesn't have to come back and poison another NFL team.

 

[Fizzy]

What stands out the most to you about Moss's career?

i think what stands out most is just how damn exciting he was. I don't pay attention to all that off the field shit and frankly, I don't care. Point is, he was quite possibly the most exciting player in the sports history and was the most threatening deep ball receiver in history. No matter how many guys you put on him, he'd make the play. He could make a catch while being guarded tightly by three men. That's what made him special. You knew what he was going to do and you knew he was getting the ball, but you couldn't stop it.

Where do you rank him among the all time wide receiver greats?

I've got him second behind Jerry Rice which isn't anything to be ashamed of considering Rice is widely considered to be the best receiver of all time. What's scary is that Moss didn't reach his full potential through his own faults and he still dominated the league. Had he worked as hard as Rice and played hard every game, who knows what we could have witnessed. The potential he had was astounding and it's sad we never got to see him live up to it. Still, to be considered the second best of all time while not living up to your potential is pretty damn amazing.

Do you think he will remain retired?

Barring a championship caliber team calling with a huge offer, yes he will. He had a terrible year last year and said he is only looking for Super Bowl contending teams to play for. I feel he will stay retired as long as nobody comes calling. He's a first ballot Hall of Famer and one of the greatest to ever play the game. He has nothing else to prove.

 

[BooCocky]

Actually, this is a perfect place for the argument I had with Blue on Facebook.

Blue said something like

yards don't win games.

This was brought up when he said Moss could have been so much more, and I said the only record he would have touched of Jerry's was the TD record.

While I agree Moss is the second greatest receiver of all time. The guy was a touchdown threat every time he was motivated on the field. No cornerback could cover Moss step for step. It just wasn't going to happen. He ran something like a 4.18 or some shit and he could leap like no other. He averaged nearly 12 touchdowns a season.

Being rated second behind Jerry Rice is nothing to be ashamed of either. Because Rice is regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Not just receiver.

Moss is going to stay retired because he is a detriment to any team and it was proven when the Jets went looking for Burress and the Pats went calling Ochocinco. The talent may be there, but everyone knows what happened last year. Therefore it is going to scare teams away.

O and

Tom Brady. He made all of those guys better.

I strongly disagree with that. Brady had no problem winning championships without Moss. He may have given Brady his best season ever, well best season for a QB ever, but he did not make Brady better by any means.

 

[Big Sexy]

I strongly disagree with that. Brady had no problem winning championships without Moss. He may have given Brady his best season ever, well best season for a QB ever, but he did not make Brady better by any means.

So he gave Brady his personal best season ever and possibly the best season ever for a quarterback in NFL history but didn't make him better? Care to explain?

Brady was an elite quarterback before Moss got there. Easily one or two behind Peyton Manning and he did already have 3 Super Bowl rings but that doesn't mean Moss still didn't bring the best out in Brady. Brady had his best season all across the board numbers wise that first year with Moss. The reason they never won a title was because the Patriots defense was no longer dominant. Back when the Pats won their 3 SB's the defense was always better then the offense. Randy Moss without a doubt made Brady better. The facts are right in front of your face.

 

[Rokitka]

Love the guy. When he had his head on straight he was the best in the league, simple as that. Having him here in New England for those three seasons was incredible and I'll never forget the first day of training camp when he arrived. Him and Brady put on an aerial display for the crowd the entire practice with a packed house "ooh" and "aw"-ing after each catch downfield. Basically foreshawdowing the year to come. Brady-Moss will always remain one of the greatest QB-WR combos ever.