Nate Burleson got an up-close and personal look last season at Calvin Johnson playing the wide receiver position at a level few have ever reached.
Then again, this isn’t Burleson’s first time in close proximity with a ridiculously gifted pass-catcher. The Detroit Lions’ veteran once was teammates with Randy Moss on the Minnesota Vikings.
Calvin Johnson and Randy Moss both certainly have extensive exercise programs that help them get into NFL shape!
During my chat with Burleson last week, I asked the natural question: Who’s better?
“Very similar,” Burleson said. “Calvin might be slightly stronger. Moss might be slightly faster. They can go back and forth on the attributes, physically. They both have a high IQ for the game. Both (have) extremely strong hands. And they’re freaks of nature.
“These are guys that could have easily not only played a different position on the football field — gained 20 pounds and be the best D-end in the game, or best tight end — but they could also have been premier athletes in other sports,” Burleson added. “You talk about a couple of guys who could have played Major League Baseball, obviously basketball was something they could have done.”
Burleson’s a great guy to ask because he saw both players at the peak of their powers. During Burleson’s rookie season in 2003, Moss — 26 and still a year from sulking his way to Oakland — finished with 111 receptions for 1,632 yards and 17 touchdowns. Last season, Johnson put up a 96/1,681/16 line for the Lions.
For my money, a healthy and motivated Moss remains the most explosive wide receiver of all time. But Megatron’s no slouch.
