Moss, Owens run different routes

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Terrell Owens and Randy Moss.At one time not long ago, they were the most dominant wide receivers in the NFL. They were also among the most controversial players in the league.Owens, 38, is 3 years older, but their careers have mostly followed the same path . . . until now.Owens, who played his first eight NFL seasons with the 49ers, is out of work -- again -- though many did not realize he was recently employed. Apparently, during the time he was appearing on Dr. Phil, along with three women who say he owes them child support, he was also playing football for the Indoor Football League's Allen Wranglers.It should come as no surprise that the union ended poorly."The proverbial straw that broke the camel's back for Mr. Owens was his no-show to a scheduled appearance at a localchildren's hospital with other Wrangler players and coaches," team president and co-owner Tommy Benizio said in a statement.Owens and Moss, both six-time Pro Bowl selections, were out of the NFL last season.The last time both men played (2010), Owens was the more-productive player. Owens caught 72 passes for 983 yards and nine touchdowns for the Cincinnati Bengals -- his third team in three years. Moss caught 28 passes for 393 yards and five touchdowns for New England, Minnesota and Tennessee. Yes, three teams in one season.And that's where the comparisons end.Since that time, Owens tore his ACL and made no secret of his desire to return to the NFL. He held a personal workout, and zero NFL teams attended.Moss, meanwhile, announced his retirement. He sat out the 2011 season. News of his decision to return to football was quickly followed by workouts with the New Orleans Saints and 49ers.His workout with the 49ers included Jim Harbaugh throwing him passes, and he signed a one-year, 1.75 million contract with no guaranteed money. He can earn another 2.25 million with the 49ers this season through roster bonuses and incentives.All the news featuring Owens in recent months has brought him more negative publicity.Meanwhile, Moss might be having the best offseason of any player in the NFL. He has not spoken a word publicly since the night he signed, March 13. But seemingly everybody around the 49ers has been asked about him.The reviews are glowing. Here is a sampling of what his 49ers teammates and coaches have said about Moss in recent weeks:"We're not a team about fueling the hype, so to speak, (but) Randy has been outstanding in every way. It's neat to watch our players watch a guy like Randy, that people watched growing up. (I) had a chance to go by Ray McDonald the other day and Ray and Justin (Smith) were talking. And Ray (says), 'I don't think Randy Moss has lost at step.' And Justin says, 'That's Randy freakin' Moss over there. It doesn't matter if he did lose a step. That's Randy Moss.' "
--Coach Jim Harbaugh"It's tough to tell that he missed a year of football. I certainly don't see any rust. He's running well, catching well. No surprise, he's a pro and already has a good understanding of the playbook. . . . He's easy to throw to. You know, a guy who's that big and catches everything. Yeah, he's easy to throw to. Makes you look good."
--Quarterback Alex Smith"It's an honor to have a guy like that on our team. For people to say the things they said about him, that's in the past. All we know is what we've seen here, and that's all that counts to us. So far, he's been unbelievable."
--Linebacker Patrick Willis"Anything he does, I'm looking. That's running routes, getting off press (coverage), catching the ball, eating the right thing, getting treatment. He loves to swim after practice. He's constantly treating his body like a machine. That's one thing I want to take up."
--Rookie receiver A.J. Jenkins"When you see him out there, running around catching balls, you can tell the talent he has and what he's going to bring to the team."
--Quarterback Colin Kaepernick"He comes in the building, brings his lunch pail and his hardhat and he tries to do his due diligence in the classroom. He sits up front. And the younger guys see that. He's a Hall of Famer and the younger guys want to be just like him. So it's been great in that aspect."
--Receivers coach John Morton"He's a long strider and when you run against him, he actually runs really fast. So he's running the same as he always does. His body looks like a younger Randy Moss."
--Safety Donte Whitner"Just learning the little things (from him), learning how to practice and learning how to treat your body. He's such a great player, as far as on the field and in the classroom. He does all those little things right. You can't say too much about Randy. He's doing everything the coaches have asked him to do. And he's out there challenging us every day, so it can't do anything but make us better as a secondary. . . Just working against each other is like a chess match every day. Any time you can go up against a guy like that every day in practice, when a game comes around it makes it that much easier to cover other guys."
--Cornerback Tarell Brown"Great dude, and he still has the skills. Great dude to go against. He's a veteran in the game. Everybody knows him and looks up to him. He's a guy you can talk to about everything. As far as as things he hates to see a corner do, he comes over and teaches us some things we can work on also to help out against a receiver like him. He's a teacher all around."
--Cornerback Perrish Cox

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