Vikings

Brad Johnson Reveals An Insane Fact About Randy Moss

Photo Credit: Aaron Doster (USA TODAY Sports)

Everyone loves a good “top ranked” list. The top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL? The five best defenses of all time? The 20 biggest busts in draft history? Yes, yes, and absolutely.

The Athletic recently released their list of the top 100 NFL players of all time. The Minnesota Vikings had three players ranked: Adrian Peterson and Fran Tarkenton came in at numbers 72 and 95 respectively. The Vikings top entry was none other than the superfreak, Randy Moss.

Moss came in 38th on the list and is profiled by Mike Sando. In addition to an overview of his career and accomplishments, Sando got reactions from former opponents and teammates. That’s where things get super interesting for Moss fans.

Brad Johnson, the first of 13 quarterbacks to throw Moss a touchdown, dropped this insanely absurd bit of information:

Johnson, a Vikings quarterback from 1994-98, offered some insights. According to Johnson, a two-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champ with Tampa Bay, Moss told him he would run full speed on deep routes against Darrell Green, Deion Sanders and Dale Carter, but rarely against lesser corners.

“The rest of them, he said, ‘If you will just throw it as far as you can, I’ll go get it,’ ” Johnson said. “That is unique for someone to say that. Usually, they are full tilt all the way. What is really cool about it was, if it was a jump ball, the defender was running at 100 percent at the tail end of the catch, and Randy would be at 80 percent and more under control for the jump ball.”

You read that right. If Moss wasn’t playing the best of the best he played at a slower pace to give himself an ADVANTAGE.

Sando also revealed what former opponents thought.

LeRoy Butler relished competing against the NFL’s great offensive players as an acclaimed safety for the 1990s Packers. With one exception.

“When I played Jerry Rice, I was excited — ‘Oh, man, I’m playing the GOAT,’ ” Butler said. “Cris Carter, OK, we have to be smart about how we are going to double. Herman Moore, he is going to catch a lot of passes’ we’ve gotta get him on the ground because he is so big.”

Moss triggered a more visceral reaction.

“Randy Moss, your heart is on an EKG machine and it explodes,” Butler said. “Your heart is thinking, ‘I’m going to be on SportsCenter. He is going to jump over me and catch it, and I just got Mossed.’ “

Most fans have maintained that if Moss would’ve had the work ethic of Jerry Rice, he likely would’ve gone down as the greatest football player of all time. Stories like these just further that case. He truly was an absolute freak.

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