NEW ORLEANS — Wide receiver Randy Moss showed he could be one of the best receivers to play the game when he helped the Patriots light up scoreboards during their 2007 undefeated regular season.
So, there was Moss at the Super Bowl in New Orleans last week proclaiming that he is the best receiver to ever play the game. Moss opened that can of worms during Tuesday’s media day, and then as his words spread and resulted in outspoken reaction, Moss simply repeated it the next day.
Said Moss, “Everybody is going to have their opinion. I do not live on numbers. I really do not. If you sit here and just said, ‘Who is the greatest running back?’ Statistically it is Emmitt Smith. People would say Barry Sanders, Gale Sayers or Jim Brown. (But) their numbers do not match Emmitt Smith.
“You make your own judgment. You really do. I know what I think. I am not going to sit up here and tell you how to look at it and how to judge it. I think when it comes to going out there, making plays and helping the team do the things that they are able to do to win the game, I think I am the greatest receiver ever. Point blank. Next question.”
In another comment, Moss made it sound like the reaction he got confirms the impact he has had on the game.
“I think that it speaks of the impact that I have made on this NFL football league,” he said. “If Joe Blow would have said it, I do not know if it would have been in USA Today. Since Randy Moss said it, it is front of the sports page. Like I said, I just try to stay humble and do my job. That is what I am able to do. I am able to come out and try to say these things, but I do believe in my heart and my mind I am the greatest to ever do it.”
And he claims to be humble.
Meanwhile, all-time leading receiver Jerry Rice had some fun with Moss’ comments.
Said Rice, “I’m very surprised Randy Moss used that in those words, that he’s the greatest. You’d never hear me say I’m the greatest football player to ever play the game. I let my body of work speak for itself, and I think I was able to be very productive on the football field.”
Commenting on what Moss said about stats and impact, Rice said, “You have to look at the stats, you have to look at how you impacted the game, and it’s all about winning this right here, this is it, the Super Bowl, and I was fortunate to win three. Randy, he finally has a chance to prove himself this weekend, and I wish him the best.”
Fatherly Advice
It was after the first round of the draft in 2011 that on his way home, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh gave his father Jack a call.
Jack Harbaugh said, “We didn’t have much to talk about as it relates to the draft, but he had not expressed to me who they were thinking about drafting at the quarterback position. So I said, ‘Jim, tomorrow in the second round, surely you’re going to draft a quarterback, but which one is it going to be?’ and it was dead silent. He said ‘Are you talking to anybody?’ and I said ‘I swear I’m not talking to anyone.’
“He said, ‘We’re drafting Colin Kaepernick. Do I not only think that he’s the best quarterback in the draft, I think he’s the best football player in the draft and we’re going with Colin Kaepernick.’ And I thought to myself, ‘wise decision.’”
Roman Receives Kudos
One misconception is that the Pistol offense can only work with a quarterback that can run. Not so. 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh had strong words of praise for offensive coordinator Greg Roman and the way he has incorporated several styles into the team’s game plans.
“I think Greg Roman has done a job that is revolutionary in football,” Harbaugh said. “I think the way he has mixed the trap, the power, the wham plays, into the pistol offense and into our conventional offense has been revolutionary in many ways.”
Harbaugh won’t go overboard and claim this will be the new wave in the NFL, but he did say, “It’s possible that it is here to stay. I won’t make any predictions on that. I think that it’s been successful for us because of the players we have executing it. I think they’re extremely good at it.”
Just a Little OCD
Ravens safety Bernard Pollard made some headlines with his comments about the future of the NFL, but he was also quite revealing when it comes to sensitivity about cleanliness.
Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata described Pollard as being high-maintenance. Asked about that perception, Pollard said, “My teammates tend to get upset with me because I carry my hand sanitizer, I carry my disinfectant wipes, my baby wipes. When you sneeze, I tell you to cover your mouth, and when you cough, I tell you to cover your mouth. If you pick your nose, I tell you not to touch me. They don’t like that.”
As for how that developed, Pollard said, “That’s how I came up. My mom would yell at us if we drank out of someone else’s glass. It’s just one of those things where that’s how I grew up. That’s how my mom raised and groomed us. But I’m starting to rub off on some of the guys. Now you see some of them also with hand sanitizer in their pockets and everything else. It’s like I’ve told my teammates. We’ve got to be clean. We’ve got to protect each other. But some guys are disgusting – they ought to be ashamed on themselves.”
Ray Did it for Us
Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis provided a unique reason for why he decided to announce his retirement prior to the team’s first playoff game.
Lewis said, “I’ve watched many people on how they retire, and when they retire. I had not just an obligation to myself, but I had an obligation to my teammates and I had an obligation to my city – that I did not want to end the season and then say, ‘I’m gone.’ I’ve invested too much time into Baltimore, into my teammates and into the organization to ever just walk out like that.
“I believe that you should give everybody a fair chance to say their goodbyes. Playing that last game in Baltimore, announcing it the way I did, and knowing that it would be my last ride. Knowing that it would be my last time in M&T (Bank Stadium), it was one of the most amazing feelings ever. Just being able to appreciate that moment and not get to the end of the season – whenever the road stops – and say, ‘Oh, I’m done. I’m never coming back again.’
“I would have robbed a lot of people of those last goodbyes for me and them. That is why I did it that way.”
Thanks, Ray. We appreciate it.
Investigate This
Last season, Kyle Williams of the 49ers fumbled twice in late-game punt returns that allowed the Giants to come from behind, tie the game in regulation and then win in overtime.
Following the game, Giants players acknowledged targeting Williams because he had experienced concussions earlier in the season. Yet, Williams was shocked that there wasn’t an investigation into the tactics, especially in light of the Saints’ pay-for-performance program, which was announced by the league a month after the Super Bowl.
Williams said, “When the bounty stuff came out and Gregg Williams had said the same things, basically, they went for his neck with that and they took that to the absolute highest level they could. But it was almost like when the Giants said it, it was not a big deal. That’s the only thing that kind of shocked me. I thought that would have the same reaction because it was the same exact thing.”
Giants linebacker Jacquian Williams said after last year’s Super Bowl, “The thing is, we knew he had four concussions, so that was our biggest thing, was to take him outta the game.”
Wide receiver Devin Thomas said, “He’s had a lot of concussions. We were just like, ‘We gotta put a hit on that guy.’ … (Giants reserve safety Tyler) Sash did a great job hitting him early and he looked kind of dazed when he got up. I feel like that made a difference and he coughed it up.”
Williams then vocalized the real issue, noting he wasn’t upset by what the Giants said. He said matter-of-factly, “Guys try to put guys out of the game every single game.”