Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss broke the all-time single-season receiving touchdowns record of Jerry Rice on Saturday, and after the game, Moss told reporters this:"I don't think me breaking Jerry Rice's record is special," Moss said. "I think shutting you guys up is what made it special, all the negativity, all my critics."
Rice knows a thing or two about breaking records, and when he broke the records of the great receivers who came before him, he always showed respect for those receivers. So how did Rice feel about Moss saying breaking his record wasn't special? On a radio interview Wednesday, Rice said, "I's almost like a little slap in the face, but that's typical of Randy Moss."
Ouch. As great a player as Moss is, he's always lacked Rice's work ethic, both on the field and during the off-season, and he's always lacked Rice's classy, dignified approach to the game. Rice is right to say what he said about Moss.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 32)
1. rice is one classy guy, and the greatest to ever play the game.
Posted at 8:18AM on Jan 3rd 2008 by Matt
2. Jerry Rice seriously needs to step off his high horse. Randy Moss doesn't care about individual records. He came to the Patriots to win a championship, not to set the receiving TDs record. You want him to pretend to care about that? I'll take Moss's sincerity over Rice's false humility.
Posted at 8:26AM on Jan 3rd 2008 by BlueStarDude
3. people forget that jerry did it in 12 games (during the strike season). it took randy moss 16, so moss should at the very least recognize that.
Posted at 8:34AM on Jan 3rd 2008 by joe andrews
4. jerry rice is and always will be the best ever he's a class act. moss is from a differnt generation.
a differnt way of thinking. now don't get me wrong
i'm not saying anything bad from moss cause he's a great player but he needs to show some class and respect for those who came before him, and i know he can do it. congrats to him and to the NEW ENGLAND PATS GOOD JOB
Posted at 8:45AM on Jan 3rd 2008 by charlie
5. tyical remark by a obnoxius boring idiot. I swear, i don't know who is a bigger jerk, Moss or TO.Being a good player doesn;t make u a real man.
Posted at 9:10AM on Jan 3rd 2008 by Don Wojcik
6. These records are a joke anyway. The game is much different now, especially the # of games played, Moss would have never touched that record if not for the more games, its the same with almost every record broke now, same as in all sports really. It really showed me how hard Moss was "trying" for the Raiders, people forget he just quit and sulked, he"s a candy ass. If guys like Moss and T.O. aren't getting there way, they are the biggest sissy's in the game. Football is nothing like it use to be, nor are the players. They are faster, stronger, and more smart ass, and cockier than ever. The game with its so called records being accomplished in 4 or more games played have nothing on the old school game. How, in 16 games no one can rush for 1600 yards is an embarressment to the league, not 1 runner good enough to get 100/game??? Oh yeah, Jim Brown is getting a good laugh out of that. There is still not a runner today that could carry his jock.
Posted at 9:12AM on Jan 3rd 2008 by Mike
7. Prior to his missing 12 games this year, Marvin Harrison was the foremost candidate to break any of Rice's records. While it wasn't likely, and is less likely now, of course, how nice it would have been to have record's broken by another classy guy who has much in common with Jerry Rice.
Posted at 9:15AM on Jan 3rd 2008 by James
8. Jerry Rice is still the greatest Wide Reciever.
Posted at 9:45AM on Jan 3rd 2008 by DChosen1
9. Jerry Rice is one of the finest men to have ever played football
Posted at 10:26AM on Jan 3rd 2008 by bob
10. Moss is one of the biggest idiots walking around the earth today. If he couldn't run and catch a football he would be on welfare. The Vikings dumped him for this reason. Not a single working brain cell in that arrogant head..................
Posted at 10:44AM on Jan 3rd 2008 by leo G
11. Jerry rice is a class act and a person with character.
Randy Moss is devoid of class and is a character...
Posted at 11:20AM on Jan 3rd 2008 by steve bresset
12. I am not much of a football fan, although I agree that both Jerry and Randy are awesome.... however, I really do not believe that Randy meant any disrespect to Jerry. I believe that the "jab" was directed to the media... he seemed to be very clear about that, just reread Randy's comment about the "negativity and the critics". Why are people so hard on this guy? Had he celebrated breaking Jerry's record, then people would have said that he was being disrespectful to Jerry... he is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't! I would like to congratulate both of them for the records they have set and broken. I personally feel that "pitting" them against each other is most disrespectful... in many ways.
Posted at 11:22AM on Jan 3rd 2008 by robin
13. Rice was playing against scabs for crying out loud.
Posted at 11:39AM on Jan 3rd 2008 by eeluk
14. i totally agree with robin, comment #13. ross is an awesome player and had a great year. stop rehashing the past and looking for slights where there aren't any.
Posted at 11:40AM on Jan 3rd 2008 by di di
15. Randy Moss is not and will NEVER EVER be the man that Jerry Rice is....Jerry = Class Randy = _ ss
Remember what took Randy 16 games took Jerry 12..If Jerry had 16 he would have has at least 30..so take that Randy..Jerry is the Best WR ever...
Posted at 11:41AM on Jan 3rd 2008 by stacey
16. Many of you have missed the point regarding Moss’s comments. Simply put, winning is more important than individual achievements. This controversy has more to do with the Press than Moss and Rice. Records will always be broken or tied. Winning is what must of us remember.
I wish Jerry would reconsider his position regarding Randy’s comments.
Posted at 11:42AM on Jan 3rd 2008 by alexandermhay
17. Many of you have missed the point regarding Moss’s comments. Simply put, winning is more important than individual achievements. This controversy has more to do with the Press than Moss and Rice. Records will always be broken or tied. Winning is what must of us remember.
I wish Jerry would reconsider his position regarding Randy’s comments.
Posted at 11:45AM on Jan 3rd 2008 by alexandermhay
18. I have never seen a bigger bunch of whining babies in my life. The retired NFL players who are doing nothing but complaining about the Patriots, are just a bunch of has beens who can't believe that a team like the Pats has come along. To those of you who are complaining that it took Moss 16 games to break the record, call the NFL and complain. Moss isnt making up the rules for the record books. Jerry Rice was a great ball player, but Moss's comments again were misconstrued. He was merely stating that breaking the record was not a big deal to him.
As far as Miami Dolphin class of 72 goes, BOO HOO OLD TIMERS..GET ON YOUR WALKERS AND GO TO HELL
Posted at 12:03PM on Jan 3rd 2008 by Trixie
19. As great a player as Moss is, he's always lacked Rice's work ethic, both on the field and during the off-season, and he's always lacked Rice's classy, dignified approach to the game. Rice is right to say what he said about Moss.
Jeez, MDS, what the heck has happened to you in the past year? I used to love your work on EPC, but now you've turned yourself into Florio-sans-inside-sources. You've become the worst sort of muckraker, hovering like a vulture over NFL newswires looking for the slightest bit of controversy.
Is Rice a better human being than Moss? Probably, but in this situation, Rice is being a bit dense. Obviously, Moss' comments were intended as a slap in the fact, but one to the members of the NFL media whom Moss perceives as having doubted him. Immature and unwarranted? Sure, but also nothing to do with Rice.
If you wanted to use Moss' comments as a chance for you to deliver the kind of from-your-high-horse moral condemnations that you seem to get off on, fine -- but let's not laud Rice for his inability to parse a sentence correctly.
Finally, and of more importance: exactly when has Moss ever been accused of lacking work-ethic during the off-season? Do you have any actual backup for this accusation? So far as I recall, Moss has always been known to work as hard during practice and the offseason as anyone.
Posted at 12:13PM on Jan 3rd 2008 by knidsrok
20. Looking at their respective situations, I wonder if their reputations would have been different if the circumstances of their careers were reversed.
Rice was drafted by a team with a few SBs under its belt and one of the greatest QBs of all time, in the prime of his career, distributing the ball. His team won two SBs in his first 4 years as a starter. The Niners had double-digit wins every season during his tenure there.
How hard is it to come off classy in that situation? Who could possibly have anything to complain about in that situation?
Meanwhile, imagine if Rice hadn't been part of any championship teams early in his career, and felt that the last of his prime was being wasted in a situation like Oakland's -- think he would've had the same public demeanor as he did on the Niners?
Posted at 12:13PM on Jan 3rd 2008 by knidsrok