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We've reached the halfway point of June, and with that the midway point of the 30 Day Challenge. We've still got a lot of different positions we need to look at and discuss favorites for, so let's get back into that with one that will probably strike up some debate.
Who is your all-time favorite Minnesota Vikings' wide receiver?
I'm guessing that, for the most part, this discussion is going to come down to two particular names. There might be a couple of outliers, but in today's social media parlance, I have a feeling that most folks are either going to be #TeamCarter or #TeamMoss. I'm no different, quite frankly. For me, my all-time favorite Vikings' wide receiver is the great Randy Moss.
From the first time he set foot on a National Football League field, everyone could see just how special Moss was. In the Vikings' blowout victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to start the 1998 season, Moss caught four passes for 95 yards and two scores, the first one coming on a juggling catch at the goal line on a long pass from Brad Johnson. Moss possesses five of the top seven seasons in Vikings' history in terms of receiving yardage, and that 1998 season. . .one that saw him catch 69 passes for 1,313 yards and 17 touchdowns. . .is the lowest total of those five.
Moss completely shifted the way that teams defended the Minnesota Vikings. In the 1999 draft, the Green Bay Packers. . .who got a good look at Moss in his Monday Night Football debut at Lambeau Field. . .spent their first three selections on defensive backs, hoping to find an answer for Moss. Teams couldn't leave Randy Moss in single coverage, because there was no one defensive back in the league that had a chance against him. He was too fast, too tall, could jump too high. . .a lot of times, even two players couldn't cover him.
Sure, fans of other teams looked down on Randy Moss because of his off-field behavior. That's their right. . .frankly, they were probably angry that their team was one of the many that passed on Moss in the 1998 NFL Draft. Any opposing fan from that era that said they wouldn't want Randy Moss on their team was, quite frankly, an idiot. Or a liar. Or, in all likelihood, both.
For all his off-field "issues," Randy Moss did a lot more for the Twin Cities than people realize, particularly for the children of the Twin Cities. He did almost all of it without it being publicized until well after the fact. Why? Because that's just how Randy Moss operated.
The Vikings are fortunate to have had as many great wide receivers in their history as they have. Cris Carter is already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Moss will join him someday (though I have a sneaky suspicion that Moss' wait will be much longer than it has any business being). But, to this day, he's the greatest wide receiver I've ever watched. Period. Nobody could hang with Moss in his prime. That's why he's my all-time favorite wide receiver.
With that, I want to leave you with my favorite Moss moment. . .the catch that, with all apologies to Odell Beckham, Jr., remains the single most ridiculous catch I've ever seen.