Moss, Owens have had parallel careers
By Jerry McDonald
Special to NFL.com
(Sept. 21, 2005) -- Randy Moss, who is choosing his media opportunities carefully these days, hasn't been available to give his thoughts about Terrell Owens.
But he did on March 2, the day he arrived by police escort and was introduced as a member of the Oakland Raiders.
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"There's no argument about who's the best. I know who's best, this organization knows best, the NFL knows who's best," Moss said. "So I really don't have to keep answering the question about who's the best. My numbers and what I've done speak for themselves."
Owens is restricting his media opportunities with the Philadelphia Eagles as well, making a weekly radio appearance on WAXY in Miami and saying nothing else.
"I don't have anything to say to the media," Owens said on the air. "If they want to get a sound bite, they can get it from this radio show."
When asked if he was better than Moss, Owens responded in the affirmative.
"Oh yeah, definitely, by far," Owens said. "If you put myself in a situation where I've got a quarterback for the same number of years, just like Randy had Daunte (Culpepper) for seven or eight years, and like Marvin Harrison had Peyton Manning for all those years ... you give me a guy like Peyton Manning for the number of years I've been in the league, my stats would be untouchable."
As controversial as they are explosive, Moss and Owens can attempt to settle their argument Sept. 25 at Lincoln Financial Field by doing what they do best -- make big plays, score touchdowns and perhaps offer a sideshow that will get as much attention as the football.
Moss leads the NFL with 257 yards on 10 receptions with two touchdowns. Owens is second with 255 yards on 12 catches and two scores.
Randy Moss, the ultimate deep threat, already has gotten comfortable around his new teammates.
Randy Moss, the ultimate deep threat, already has gotten comfortable around his new teammates.
Moss can run underneath but prefers the deep ball. Owens' specialty is catching a short pass and getting big yardage after the catch.
The Raiders were thrilled to get Moss after he had fallen out of favor in Minnesota. The Eagles made it to the Super Bowl in large part because the 49ers had tired of dealing with Owens. They first traded him to Baltimore, then when Owens refused to report, instead dispatched him to Philadelphia.
Moss feuded occasionally with Culpepper. Owens had less than kind things to say about Jeff Garcia in San Francisco, and is working to patch up his differences with Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb.
Moss walked off the field before a game officially ended and simulated a moon for Green Bay fans in a playoff game last season. The 49ers once suspended Owens for celebrating on the Cowboys star and once pulled a Sharpie out of his sock to sign a football following a touchdown.
Owens made training camp news with a holdout over money despite signing a contract only a year earlier. A largely uneventful training camp for Moss was interrupted with an interview on "HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" in which he discussed his use of marijuana. Moss later said he was speaking of past use, not current use.
Their parallel careers are like soap operas on competing networks.
Both are from small southern towns -- Moss from Rand, W.Va., and Owens from Alexander City, Ala. They each thrive on emotion and make little effort to conceal a spectrum which ranges from pure joy to anger and can fluctuate from play to play.
"When it comes to big games, you never know what you're going to see out of me," Moss said. "I'm just having fun. If the antics come, then I'm here to apologize first before they happen. I'm going to have fun, man. Believe that."
Owens said on WAXY he doesn't think he will change any time soon, citing the influence of his grandmother. Alice Black is confined to an Alabama nursing home, suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, and her condition often moves Owens to tears.
"My grandmother raised me with a lot of passion," Owens said. "I'm not a guy that shies away from emotion. My grandmother is very dear to me. It comes to a point where I get to talk about it, and I start to think about the state she's in. She really hasn't been able to see what I've done as a football player. She raised me to be the person that I am."
Coaches and teammates of both players deal with their side issues as if wearing blinders. Philadelphia coach Andy Reid named Owens a co-captain for their Week 2 game against the 49ers, and Owens caught five passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns yards in a 42-3 victory.
"I really appreciate him as a coach because he's phenomenal, how he comes out and works," Philadelphia coach Andy Reid said. "It's not just on the field, but off the field. He's so strict with his diet and workout regimen. He's an unbelievable athlete that way."
Owens was critical of McNabb during the offseason and training camp, but that isn't going to stop the quarterback from utilizing his best wide receiver.
"We're out here acting like professionals and realizing that in order for us to succeed, then we have to have our timing and chemistry together," McNabb said.
Raiders quarterback Kerry Collins said he isn't concerned with the relationship Moss might have with the media at a given moment.
Terrell Owens, a potent playmaker, is trying to rebuild relationships with the Eagles.
Terrell Owens, a potent playmaker, is trying to rebuild relationships with the Eagles.
"The guy's an unbelievable competitor," Collins said. "He keeps amazing me with the things he does, and not just on the field. Whether he says something or doesn't say something, the guy's an unbelievable competitor." Raiders defensive end Derrick Burgess, a free agent who played for the Eagles from 2001-04, said the two have similar practice habits.
"They both come every day to play and work at getting better," Burgess said. "When you're a star athlete like they are, you wouldn't expect that from them. But that's what gets them where they are."
While Owens often keeps to himself in the locker room, Moss can be found virtually anywhere trading barbs with his teammates.
"Moss is a little more loose. He keeps the jokes going," Burgess said. "Owens is more serious."
Moss had a good laugh following a preseason game when someone asked him if he had any advice for Owens, who was sitting out a week and deciding whether to report to training camp.
"Who am I to tell him anything?" Moss said. "I'm Mr. Distraction himself."
