Every day, SBNation.com will celebrate a random photo series from the past or present, making your morning a little more colorful.
Photo Of The Day: Remember Randy’s Rookie Year?
On the list of most emphatic entrances to anything, you’d be hard pressed to one-up the first nine months of Randy Moss’ NFL career. Statistically speaking, there have been running backs who made a bigger impact, but who was more spectacular? The acrobatic catches, the 60-yard touchdowns, effortless speed... It all helped turn Minnesota, overnight, into the most exciting team in the NFL.
Oh, and statistically speaking, Moss’ rookie year totals of 1,313 yards and 17 touchdowns was better than any receiver in the NFL that year, last year, and most any year. By comparison, Jerry Rice had 49 receptions for 927 yards and 3 TDs as a rookie.
As Minnesota’s Chris Carter summed up everyone’s reaction to Moss: “My brother played pro basketball, so I was around when guys like Magic and Bird were coming in. Do you understand that this kid could be Michael Jordan? That we’re on the ground floor of something huge?”
We weren’t sure what we were watching, but it was something really special.
...Ultimately, it was something we'd never seen before, and haven't really seen since. Either from Randy or anyone else. And Moss has been great, don't get me wrong. But never that great.
Three touchdowns on Thanksgiving? GIVE HIM THE TURDUCKEN.
He was God’s gift to Vikings fans. All of this is apropos of nothing, of course--this isn’t to say Randy Moss is the greatest player ever, or some paragon of football perfection. But his rookie year was damn close to being exactly that, and unless you’re a Packers fan, there’s never a bad time to think about Randy Moss’ rookie year.
The images are courtesy of Getty Images, and you can click on any of them to enlarge and enhance. With that, rest in peace Korey Stringer, and long live Randy Moss, the most electrifying rookie we’ve ever seen.
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