NEW ORLEANS -- One day after Randy Moss proclaimed himself the best receiver in the history of the game, the San Francisco 49ers wideout responded to criticism from the other guy in this debate: Hall of Fame pass-catcher Jerry Rice.
Rice shot back Tuesday, saying he was "very surprised" Moss called himself the "greatest" of all time.
"You'd never hear me say I'm the greatest football player to ever play the game," Rice told ESPN, via Yahoo! Sports. "I let my body of work speak for itself, and I think I was able to be very productive on the football field."
Rice pointed to his own gaudy numbers -- 22,895 receiving yards and 197 touchdowns through the air -- and three Super Bowl rings, but Moss doesn't view the debate through that lens.
"What I said was what I felt," Moss said. "Like I said, I don't want to get in a shouting match with Jerry Rice or anybody. I mean that's my own personal opinion. I mean there's people that think just because he has the numbers, that he's the greatest, but I don't believe in numbers. I really don't."
Added Moss: "What I think, is what I think ... I changed the game. I'm not really trying to make it all about me. I just made a statement and I stand by my statement, so I'm gonna leave it at that."
Best receiver in NFL history? There hasn't been much debate here. Rice has stood as the clear answer for forever and a day, but Moss simply doesn't agree.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
