More raw talent: R. Moss vs. B. Sanders (1 Viewer)

[Hastur]

Forget that Randy liked to take plays off, and that Sanders did not have a solid OL to run behind.

 

[mrnick33]

Randy was a freak straight line speed..... but I dont think this is close. Watch Barry's highlights. Then pick your jaw up come back and vote on this.

 

[wodahSShadow]

Randy was a freak straight line speed..... but I dont think this is close. Watch Barry's highlights. Then pick your jaw up come back and vote on this.

Way to just completely ignore his world class body control and hands - just as important as speed.

 

[mrnick33]

Ehh. I'd take Calvin now over Moss.

 

[jurb26]

Moss hands down and I say this with Barry as my favorite all time player.

 

[mrnick33]

Man maybe I've forgotten how good Randy really was..... or maybe im blinded by my lions homerism.

 

[Pots]

Randy was a freak straight line speed..... but I dont think this is close. Watch Barry's highlights. Then pick your jaw up come back and vote on this.

I think this is Nostalgia talking. I've seen the Barry Sanders highlights, the same ones every video puts in their compilation, and while they were impressive, and possibly the best RB career out of anyone, Randy Moss was the more gifted athlete of the two.

 

[Rookie_Whisperer]

The answer is, "YES".

They are both once in generation talent. Anyone trying to talk them down really didn't see either of them play, and certainly never saw them play in person.....

 

[Ever Present Lurker]

Wow. Very tough call here - I went with Barry Sanders. Both had the ability to do the seemingly-impossible, but I gave Barry the edge just based on the amount of "holy crap" moments he gave us. Still love to watch his highlights!

 

[Lt. Bardolph]

That's actually a very good question. If someone were to ask me who were the two most physically gifted players to play in the NFL during my lifetime it would be Moss and Sanders. Both did things that just made your jaw drop. You can talk about Jim Brown and Jerry Rice and Adrian Peterson and those guys may have had a bigger impact on the game, but none of those guys were quite the physical magicians that Moss and Sanders were. Tough call.

 

[VaTerp]

This is actually a great Shark Pool question.

Talent and ability are somewhat subjective but I would go with Moss by a hair. Sanders had incredible stop and go quickness, agility, vision and elusiveness. Moss combined great size, speed, body control, fluidity and innate understanding of how to run routes.

In my lifetime I'd say they are both well positioned in the top 5 of elite athletes at their position and all of the NFL. Lawrence Taylor and Deion Sanders also come to mind. Great, and impossible to answer, question when you look at all of the different talents at different positions over the history of the game.

 

[Ilov80s]

Barry's balance was unreal. He was almost impossible to knock off balance. No matter how sharp the cut was, he was always in total control. Plus his leaping ability and strength are really underrated. He had a 40 inch vertical. At OK State he would leap completely over the line into the endzone and just sky over everyone from 5 yards out. He mostly made guys miss, but he would get caught up in the arms of multiple defenders, keep those short stocky legs moving and run right through the defenders.

 

[Manster]

Wow, strong feelings on both sides.......Both all-time greats.....Barry by a hair.

 

[Ilov80s]

Ehh. I'd take Calvin now over Moss.

I agree that Calvin is probably the more all around gifted athlete because he is so much stronger than Moss was.

 

[ghostguy123]

Barry Sanders was an incredibly hard worker I can only assume.

Was Moss?? Just asking cause I am not sure.

My gut tells me Barry was a harder worker in college and early on in the pros, in which case, I have to side with Randy as far as more raw talent.

Not saying Randy wasn't a hard worker, I am sure he was, but there are different levels of hard work.

 

[Nero]

Randy was a freak straight line speed..... but I dont think this is close. Watch Barry's highlights. Then pick your jaw up come back and vote on this.

Watching Barry's highlights don't really give you a sense of why he is the obvious choice. There are a lot of 2 yard and -2 yard runs that don't count as highlights. Barry was must see TV because of those runs too. You were on the edge of your seat every time he touched it. His stop, start, change of direction, acceleration just seemed physically impossible. Still have yet to see anything like it.

 

[Ilov80s]

Randy was a freak straight line speed..... but I dont think this is close. Watch Barry's highlights. Then pick your jaw up come back and vote on this.

Watching Barry's highlights don't really give you a sense of why he is the obvious choice. There are a lot of 2 yard and -2 yard runs that don't count as highlights. Barry was must see TV because of those runs too. You were on the edge of your seat every time he touched it. His stop, start, change of direction, acceleration just seemed physically impossible. Still have yet to see anything like it.

Moss seemed to have perfected the role of deep threat, Barry seemed to have created something entirely new. Both were so amazing though. Moss was like a race car and Sanders was an artist. There are others who can do what Moss did at a lower level, but I'm not sure another back can approach running the football the way Barry did.

 

[Ilov80s]

Barry Sanders was an incredibly hard worker I can only assume.

Was Moss?? Just asking cause I am not sure.

My gut tells me Barry was a harder worker in college and early on in the pros, in which case, I have to side with Randy as far as more raw talent.

Not saying Randy wasn't a hard worker, I am sure he was, but there are different levels of hard work.

I'm sure both worked hard, you don't get to that level without real dedication. That said, I'm not sure how much you can train to do what Barry did. He operated on a level of instincts that don't seem human.

 

[ghostguy123]

Barry Sanders was an incredibly hard worker I can only assume.

Was Moss?? Just asking cause I am not sure.

My gut tells me Barry was a harder worker in college and early on in the pros, in which case, I have to side with Randy as far as more raw talent.

Not saying Randy wasn't a hard worker, I am sure he was, but there are different levels of hard work.

I'm sure both worked hard, you don't get to that level without real dedication. That said, I'm not sure how much you can train to do what Barry did. He operated on a level of instincts that don't seem human.

Right, there are hard workers, and then there are harder workers.

Since I can't decide between the two because they are so different, I will give the edge to "raw talent" to the guy I think was NOT the harder worker, if that makes sense.

So hard to compare though, like trying to decide what is a better entree, steak or lasagna. Might just depend on my mood that day.

 

[bucsbaby]

Not voting because I didn't get to see enough of Barry play, but Moss did things that were so incredibly dominant, more so than Calvin imo. Two plays that really come to mind for me are: 1) the no look over the shoulder lateral after catching the ball downfield when he was in Minny; and, 2) Revis pulling up lame after Brady to Moss in NE. Moss was a freak of nature and it is mind-blowing to think of how dominant he would've been if he had the same mental makeup as Jerry Rice.

 

[FUBAR]

Ehh. I'd take Calvin now over Moss.

Funny, my first reaction to the OP was to say Barry may not have even been the most talented Lion of the past 30 years.

But I think there's some recency bias in both of our posts.

 

[jurb26]

Not voting because I didn't get to see enough of Barry play, but Moss did things that were so incredibly dominant, more so than Calvin imo. Two plays that really come to mind for me are: 1) the no look over the shoulder lateral after catching the ball downfield when he was in Minny; and, 2) Revis pulling up lame after Brady to Moss in NE. Moss was a freak of nature and it is mind-blowing to think of how dominant he would've been if he had the same mental makeup as Jerry Rice.

How about the hitch pass Randy caught vs. Dal his rookie year? Caught the ball about 5 yds down the field, broke a tackle and just proceeded to out run the angle of about 3 other Cowboys this prompted the comment of "angles and things like that don't matter vs speed like Moss" from Madden. Something along those lines anyway. Or the 1 handed jumping catch over top of Woodson in Oak.

 

[tdmills]

Not voting because I didn't get to see enough of Barry play, but Moss did things that were so incredibly dominant, more so than Calvin imo. Two plays that really come to mind for me are: 1) the no look over the shoulder lateral after catching the ball downfield when he was in Minny; and, 2) Revis pulling up lame after Brady to Moss in NE. Moss was a freak of nature and it is mind-blowing to think of how dominant he would've been if he had the same mental makeup as Jerry Rice.

How about the hitch pass Randy caught vs. Dal his rookie year? Caught the ball about 5 yds down the field, broke a tackle and just proceeded to out run the angle of about 3 other Cowboys this prompted the comment of "angles and things like that don't matter vs speed like Moss" from Madden. Something along those lines anyway. Or the 1 handed jumping catch over top of Woodson in Oak.

That first play you mentioned was unbelievable and the first I thought of with Moss. He legitly could've been a sub 4.25 guy.

For those that forget "mossed em" was more than any other deep threat guy.

 

[Nero]

Ehh. I'd take Calvin now over Moss.

Funny, my first reaction to the OP was to say Barry may not have even been the most talented Lion of the past 30 years.

But I think there's some recency bias in both of our posts.

It's definitely recency bias. Moss had 90 TD through 7 seasons. Calvin has 66. Even though his dominance is more Moss like than anything we have seen, he is not on Moss' level.

 

[finito]

I really have no idea who I'd vote for; both amazing talents, top 2-3 to play at their position from a pure talent perspective IMO. Completely flummoxed.

 

[Ditka Butkus]

I think LeSean McCoy is as talented as Barry Sanders was...scoff if you like....Barry would have 10 carries for 11 yards and then rip off a 80 yard run more often than not...........At least that is how it seemed

 

[Nero]

I think LeSean McCoy is as talented as Barry Sanders was...scoff if you like....Barry would have 10 carries for 11 yards and then rip off a 80 yard run more often than not...........At least that is how it seemed

I really can't envision someone watching both players and coming away with that conclusion. So my guess is that you really didn't see much of Barry or you were really young when you did. So, you must be early thirties or younger.

 

[Ditka Butkus]

I think LeSean McCoy is as talented as Barry Sanders was...scoff if you like....Barry would have 10 carries for 11 yards and then rip off a 80 yard run more often than not...........At least that is how it seemed

I really can't envision someone watching both players and coming away with that conclusion. So my guess is that you really didn't see much of Barry or you were really young when you did. So, you must be early thirties or younger.

No ..just an old Buccaneers season ticket holder who watched Barry dance and jitterbug in the backfield to negative gains and then rip - off that 80 yard run. Don't get me wrong it was usually a highlight run but man it seemed like he got stuffed a lot also. McCoy has some similar moves and possibly more acceleration.. IMO

 

[Ilov80s]

Ehh. I'd take Calvin now over Moss.

Funny, my first reaction to the OP was to say Barry may not have even been the most talented Lion of the past 30 years.

But I think there's some recency bias in both of our posts.

It's definitely recency bias. Moss had 90 TD through 7 seasons. Calvin has 66. Even though his dominance is more Moss like than anything we have seen, he is not on Moss' level.

The poll isn't about better football player or better production, just raw athletic talent. Colston scored m 33 TDs his first 4 years, Demaryius scored 30. Does that mean that they are very similar athletes?

 

[fantasycurse42]

As hard as Barry worked, he had the talent too match. Poor guy played on a group of ####ty teams. I like Moss, but I go Barry on this.

 

[Pots]

Ehh. I'd take Calvin now over Moss.

Funny, my first reaction to the OP was to say Barry may not have even been the most talented Lion of the past 30 years.

But I think there's some recency bias in both of our posts.

It's definitely recency bias. Moss had 90 TD through 7 seasons. Calvin has 66. Even though his dominance is more Moss like than anything we have seen, he is not on Moss' level.

The poll isn't about better football player or better production, just raw athletic talent. Colston scored m 33 TDs his first 4 years, Demaryius scored 30. Does that mean that they are very similar athletes?

Brees vs Tebow? Really that's your comparison?

 

[ROYALWITCHEESE]

Ehh. I'd take Calvin now over Moss.

I agree that Calvin is probably the more all around gifted athlete because he is so much stronger than Moss was.

Stronger, but not nearly as fast.

 

[Ilov80s]

Ehh. I'd take Calvin now over Moss.

Funny, my first reaction to the OP was to say Barry may not have even been the most talented Lion of the past 30 years.

But I think there's some recency bias in both of our posts.

It's definitely recency bias. Moss had 90 TD through 7 seasons. Calvin has 66. Even though his dominance is more Moss like than anything we have seen, he is not on Moss' level.

The poll isn't about better football player or better production, just raw athletic talent. Colston scored m 33 TDs his first 4 years, Demaryius scored 30. Does that mean that they are very similar athletes?

Brees vs Tebow? Really that's your comparison?

That's my point. TDs are a dumb way to compare the athleticism of players because there are lots of other factors. Hell, some of the best athletes even end up being unproductive failures in the NFL.

 

[matuski]

Might be seeing another Randy right now, doubt I'll ever see another Barry.

 

[Nero]

Ehh. I'd take Calvin now over Moss.

Funny, my first reaction to the OP was to say Barry may not have even been the most talented Lion of the past 30 years.

But I think there's some recency bias in both of our posts.

It's definitely recency bias. Moss had 90 TD through 7 seasons. Calvin has 66. Even though his dominance is more Moss like than anything we have seen, he is not on Moss' level.

The poll isn't about better football player or better production, just raw athletic talent. Colston scored m 33 TDs his first 4 years, Demaryius scored 30. Does that mean that they are very similar athletes?

Moss' athletic talent is why his production is so much greater than Calvin's. Calvin can't match Moss' top end speed. It's the reason there is a three year touchdown difference between the two over the same time span.

 

[John Paul]

Other than the TDs, they are damn near identical. I would think Johnson will close that gap some over the rest of his career.

 

[Ilov80s]

Ehh. I'd take Calvin now over Moss.

Funny, my first reaction to the OP was to say Barry may not have even been the most talented Lion of the past 30 years.

But I think there's some recency bias in both of our posts.

It's definitely recency bias. Moss had 90 TD through 7 seasons. Calvin has 66. Even though his dominance is more Moss like than anything we have seen, he is not on Moss' level.

The poll isn't about better football player or better production, just raw athletic talent. Colston scored m 33 TDs his first 4 years, Demaryius scored 30. Does that mean that they are very similar athletes?

Moss' athletic talent is why his production is so much greater than Calvin's. Calvin can't match Moss' top end speed. It's the reason there is a three year touchdown difference between the two over the same time span.

It helped that Moss had Culpepper almost that whole time awhile Calvin's first 3 years were spent with guys like Orlovsky and a much different version of Culpepper.

 

[bucsbaby]

Calvin is dominant. What I think makes Calvin so dominant is his incredible wingspan and height, leading to his ability to beat triple coverage and still come down with the ball. However, I agree with the comment above that he doesn't have the top end speed, and I would say he doesn't quite have the near-GOAT "it" factor that Randy had. Randy just had the ability to blow the entire top off the defense any play. Stupendous speed, incredible body position and soft, soft hands. I think if Randy hadn't had the Oakland phase of his career and/or if he had a stronger mental makeup...wow. Calvin is a top, top stud, no doubt, but I watched him a lot this year and he was pretty banged up. I wonder if his play style will see him stay healthy in the coming years...

 

[Neofight]

Bo Jackson was the most talented RB I've seen play. That's not really debatable for me. Randy I'd rank as the most talented WR , but I'd throw it open to debate CJ as a possibility.

I'll take Moss though.

 

[Nero]

Ehh. I'd take Calvin now over Moss.

Funny, my first reaction to the OP was to say Barry may not have even been the most talented Lion of the past 30 years.

But I think there's some recency bias in both of our posts.

It's definitely recency bias. Moss had 90 TD through 7 seasons. Calvin has 66. Even though his dominance is more Moss like than anything we have seen, he is not on Moss' level.

The poll isn't about better football player or better production, just raw athletic talent. Colston scored m 33 TDs his first 4 years, Demaryius scored 30. Does that mean that they are very similar athletes?

Moss' athletic talent is why his production is so much greater than Calvin's. Calvin can't match Moss' top end speed. It's the reason there is a three year touchdown difference between the two over the same time span.

It helped that Moss had Culpepper almost that whole time awhile Calvin's first 3 years were spent with guys like Orlovsky and a much different version of Culpepper.

Moss had Randall Cunningham his first year, and Jeff George for the most part in year two. He was just unstoppable. I don't think the QB would have mattered. If not for Moss, we would not know who Culpepper is.

 

[ghostguy123]

Might be seeing another Randy right now, doubt I'll ever see another Barry.

Barry is more unique for sure.

 

[FUBAR]

Ehh. I'd take Calvin now over Moss.

Funny, my first reaction to the OP was to say Barry may not have even been the most talented Lion of the past 30 years.

But I think there's some recency bias in both of our posts.

It's definitely recency bias. Moss had 90 TD through 7 seasons. Calvin has 66. Even though his dominance is more Moss like than anything we have seen, he is not on Moss' level.

The poll isn't about better football player or better production, just raw athletic talent. Colston scored m 33 TDs his first 4 years, Demaryius scored 30. Does that mean that they are very similar athletes?

Moss' athletic talent is why his production is so much greater than Calvin's. Calvin can't match Moss' top end speed. It's the reason there is a three year touchdown difference between the two over the same time span.

It helped that Moss had Culpepper almost that whole time awhile Calvin's first 3 years were spent with guys like Orlovsky and a much different version of Culpepper.

Moss had Randall Cunningham his first year, and Jeff George for the most part in year two. He was just unstoppable. I don't think the QB would have mattered. If not for Moss, we would not know who Culpepper is.

Cunningham was a darn good QB. George had issues, but the deep ball was not one of them.

The Vikings offense was top 5 in most years while Moss was there. It wasn't all Moss when he had a HOF WR across from him and a solid running game. Not to take anything away from him, but he had better players around him than either Barry or Calvin had. Calvin's teammates may finally be catching up talent-wise with Stafford, Bush, Bell, Tate, etc. Stafford is the reason Calvin's past 3 years are so much better than his first four.

 

[Jeff Vader]

Voted Sanders because I've never seen anyone run full speed, stop on a dime, then accelerate up to full speed again as fast as him.

That's pure physical gift and no one has come close to matching it.

 

[Jeff Vader]

Also the correct answer here is Bo Jackson.

In terms of raw physical talent, he was better than both.

Maybe Deion too.

 

[jurb26]

Also the correct answer here is Bo Jackson.

In terms of raw physical talent, he was better than both.

Maybe Deion too.

Moss was Deion but 4 inches taller.

 

[Dismattle]

I believe this is an apples to oranges comparison However Sanders Wins due to effort in a losing battle ie. Moss could go home and dream of SB MVP honors /records..

fwiw I used to enjoy watching Moss, but it kinda pissed me of to see Sanders working for nothing So I didn't watch him much

 

[sn0mm1s]

If you were to take the measurables of both players you would probably choose Moss. In this case though, the sum is greater than the parts. I don't think I have witnessed anyone make NFL players look as incompetent as Barry did.