Top five rankings have become as common in sports as overused clichés by outdated broadcasters. There was a time when these were preserved for special conversations, but now, we get them year-round for every sport on multiple topics. We’re constantly flooded with some NFL list ranking the top 5, 10, 20, or 32 players to do something better than anybody else in the game’s history. Earlier this week, Tyreek Hill sat down with NFL Network during Miami Dolphins training camp and was asked to reel off his top five wide receivers of all time.
Tyreek Hill’s top 5 WRs of all-time:
- Antonio Brown
- Torry Holt
- Calvin Johnson
- Randy Moss
- Terrell Owens
First off, let’s be clear. This is Hill’s list, nobody else’s. These were the guys Tyreek enjoyed watching most when he was coming up. All players were very good to great in their day. But it really is amazing the level of disrespect the GOAT WR receives these days, as Jerry Rice is often omitted from this conversation by NFL players. Moss is on record diminishing Rice’s career as almost an afterthought, saying he’s “third or fourth” on that list.
Moss also stated that stats and championships are political and should be thrown out of football. Clearly, Mr. Moss isn’t aware of what he was trying to say here. Unless the statistics were rearranged behind the scenes, Moss had no clue what he was talking about. Sure, it shouldn’t only be based on stats, but that’s the major metric used in sports. Other than winning. Rice has the upper hand there too.
We all have our preferences and top five lists, and Hill, Moss, and whoever else are entitled to their opinions. But you know what they say about opinions…
Regardless of what these players say, the amount of disrespect is appalling. Hill has the excuse of being too young to have seen Rice in his prime, being born in 1994. Moss was drafted to the NFL in ‘98, so his saying this comes off as jealousy. Even if this isn’t how Moss feels, that’s how it sounds from the outside looking in.
Each of the receivers on Hill’s list was blessed with physical talents and skills Rice did not possess at the same magnitude, other than Holt. Moss, Owens, and Johnson were bigger, faster, or stronger than Rice. Brown was much quicker and more elusive than Jerry and had a tougher climb up the ranks, having been drafted in the sixth round. The same can be said for Hill, who was a fifth-round pick.
For Rice to accomplish all he did without being the mega athlete compared to some guys is quite a feat. Rice was voted All-Pro 10 times, meaning he was seen as the best wideout in the NFL for half of his career that spanned two decades. A Pro-Bowl selection 13 times, three-time Super Bowl champion, and MVP of Super Bowl XXIII. All-time leader in receptions, yards, and touchdowns, and second place isn’t that close in any of those categories. No, it’s not all about statistics, but adding all the winning and accolades paints a crystal clear picture.
Many of you might disagree, and that’s fine, but leaving Rice off this list is a travesty; it doesn’t matter who does it. Sure, Mr. Rice is guilty of some buffoonery in retirement. This isn’t to absolve him of anything off the field. So, have at it if you want to call him out for that. However, those Popeyes commercials have nothing to do with what he did on the field. Jerry is still the GOAT receiver whether Randy Moss or anyone else objects.