Yesterday, we reported that Las Vegas Raiders legend Charles Woodson had been ranked No. 100 on ESPN’s list of “top 100 professional athletes since 2000.”
While last place may have some scratching their heads at the placement, nevertheless, being dubbed one of the best athletes of the century is an honor that should not be taken for granted.
Another former Raider, however, was placed much higher up on the list.
Pro Football Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Randy Moss, who spent two of his 14 NFL seasons with the Oakland Raiders, was ranked No. 27 on the list.
Here’s what ESPN’s Kevin Seifert had to say about Moss:
“At 6-foot-4 and with a 47-inch vertical jump, Moss could reach or jump over the tallest defensive backs who tried to cover him — hence the phrase “You got Mossed.” But with speed that was measured below 4.3 seconds in the 40 during a private workout before the 1998 draft, Moss also could run away from the fastest defenders, be it on deep routes or even on what would now be called “bubble screens.” Other factors contributed to his success as well, but the league had never before seen a player like Moss.”
Moss was traded to the Raiders after spending his first seven seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, where he transformed into perhaps the best wide receiver in the game.
In his first season in Oakland, Moss posted 1,005 yards and eight touchdowns on 60 receptions while playing in all 16 games. He played just 13 games the following year, recording 553 yards and three touchdowns on 42 receptions.
Moss would be traded to the New England Patriots in the spring of 2007, and from there, his career was resurrected. Moss would yet again establish himself as one of the game’s best, catching passes from arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady.
Moss was selected to six Pro Bowls and four Associated Press All-Pro First Teams. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
Moss’s stint in Oakland was the bridge between the two most successful phases of his career, but as is known in Raider Nation, once a Raider, always a Raider.
