Moss To The Sidelines

When motived there's no question Moss was a
cut above the rest.

Thirteen years ago the Minnesota Vikings selected a slender wide receiver out of Marshall University setting the stage for one of the greatest careers in NFL history, now that career has apparently come to a close. Future Hall of Fame wideout Randy Moss made a surprise decision Monday by announcing his retirement from professional football at age thirty-four.

Most forget how great Moss really was as his on and off the field issues overshadowed an eventual trip to Canton career. If in fact this is the end of the line, what a ride it was.

Prior to the 1998 draft many believed that Dallas Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones would select Moss with the eight overall pick, instead Jones went in a different direction selecting defensive end Greg Ellis out of North Carolina.

Thirteen picks later Minnesota would take a chance on the former Florida State castoff. In his rookie season in Minneapolis he caught a rookie record 17 touchdowns grabbing the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and leading the Vikings to 15-1 regular season mark.

Although the Vikings would come a field goal kick away from the Super Bowl that season it began one of the most decorated careers the game has ever seen.

As for the Jones and the Cowboys, Moss would torch them every time he stepped onto the gridiron carrying a chip on his shoulder. In his eight career games against America's team he had 40 receptions for 789 yards and 11 touchdowns.

After bursting onto the seen, Moss electrified the Metrodome crowd with his dynamic speed and circus act catches. He spent his first seven seasons in Minnesota leading them to four playoff appearances while appearing in five of his seven Pro Bowls before being ship to Oakland prior to the 2005 season.

Like it has been for many players Oakland was a black hole for Moss in the prime of his career. Many believed his days of torturing defensive corrdinators were over after only tallying 11 touchdowns in two seasons with the Raiders.

Then on draft day of 2007, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots shocked the football world by trading for the disgruntled wide receiver, hoping to catch lighting in bottle. They did just that. Moss caught a single-season record 23 touchdowns from quarterback Tom Brady that season, helping the Patriots cap off an undefeated regular season before losing to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

It was the first time in his career he had played with a Hall of Fame caliber quarterback after years of making mediocre signal callers like Daunte Culpepper, Jeff George, and Brad Johnson look like world beaters.

While the Patriots never got back to the Super Bowl during Moss' tenure in New England they made the playoffs his final three years in Foxborough racking up 27 touchdowns.

Last season he started with Brady and Co., but wore out his welcome by voicing his displeasure with his expiring contract in a post-game press conference, days later he was traded back to where it all began.

The Minnesota experiment last all of four games before then-Vikings head coach Brad Childress decided he wasn't the type of player his team needed and released the thirteen-year veteran. Moss latched on and spent the final eight games of the season with the Tennessee Titans as a non-factor catching a total of 6 passes for 80 yards with no touchdowns.

Moss mooning the Lambeau crowd is only one
of many actions that was frowned upon by
his piers. 

Despite being one of the most colorful and controversial athletes in recent memory, Moss' place among the elite cannot be denied.

His 153 career touchdowns has him tied for second most among wide receivers and third all-time behind only Jerry Rice (207) and Emmitt Smith (175). He is currently 46 receptions shy of 1,000 for his career with 954, good enough for eighth on the all-time list. His ability to lure defenders to sleep has him second in games with 100 receiving yards or more with 64 and fifth all-time with 14,858 receiving yards.

While it's not even up for debate that the greatest receiver in NFL history title belongs to Rice, Moss is the closest thing we have to compare. His freakish ability earned him the nickname "Super Freak" and leave many to wonder what could have been if Moss would have been able to put in all together on a consistence basis.

For thirteen seasons Moss wowed NFL crowds on Sundays with his jaw-dropping receptions and ability to do what other great players dare to dream. A Super Bowl ring is the only piece that eludes his already impressive resume, but nonetheless if this is the end, it was one hell of a show.