They called the Rams The Greatest Show on Turf. And to Herman Moore and the rest of the Lions offense in 1995, "we felt we were slighted and being overlooked because we weren't in a certain market or at that point Super Bowl-bound."
"But we were the No. 1 offense," said Moore. "We struck fear and we never felt like teams could stop us. And that’s a great feeling, if anyone's ever been in that position."
The engine of that offense, which fueled a 10-win season and the Lions' third straight playoff berth, wasn't Barry Sanders, for all his horsepower. It was the receiving duo of Moore and Brett Perriman. Moore, a first-team All-Pro, led the NFL in receptions and finished third in yards. Perriman was sixth in receptions and yards. They combined for 18 100-yard games, five on the same day.
Together, Moore and Perriman also set an NFL record that still stands today: most combined receiving yards -- 3,174 -- by a pair of teammates in a single season.
A record that's suddenly in jeopardy. Down in Miami, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are on pace* to break it. Entering Week 14, the dynamic Dolphins duo is on track for 3,330 combined yards. The asterisk? 17 games. At their current pace over a 16-game season, Hill and Waddle would fall just short of Moore and Perriman.
"People always use the cliche that records are meant to be broken," said Moore. "I think records set the bar of what is great and what is outstanding. For us to have that standing this long tells us that we did something very special. If it’s broken in this day and age, that’s great, but when you look at our numbers, you have to look at the totality of everyone that was in play.
"It’d be different if it were just me and Brett."
To Moore's point, there were mouths galore to feed in the Lions offense that season. There's no Barry in Miami taking away touches from Hill and Waddle. (There's also no Barry forcing defenses to respect the run.) There's no "true No. 3" receiver, as Moore said, like Johnnie Morton was for the Lions. (And there's no true No. 3 receiver to give Hill and Waddle a break.) Not that Moore is undermining anything Hill and Waddle have done this season -- he's a big fan of both -- but he also points out that "one has five touchdowns (Hill) and one has six (Waddle)." Moore and Perriman combined for 23.
"A lot of times when you look at records, people don’t factor in all that goes into the recipe to make it happen. When you have more options, you have less opportunities," said Moore. "I’m a numbers guy even though I don’t get deep into my own, except when people give them to me and make me look at them. And when I started to look at it on that level, I go, ‘Kudos if it can be broken, but it won’t be replicated.’
"Because it’s one thing to break the numbers on yards, but there’s catches, touchdowns, there’s a whole lot that goes with it other than just yards."
There's also this: Hill and Waddle are catching passes from the NFL's top quarterback in passer rating in Tua Tagovailoa (112.0), in an age where the rules of the game favor receivers more than ever. (Again, not to detract!) Moore and Perriman were catching passes from -- no disrespect -- Scott Mitchell (92.3 rating), before the NFL was ruled by the pass like it is now. They were such a good duo, said Moore, "because we challenged one another."
"Brett and I were very, very competitive. Brett felt that he was the No. 1 receiver, and we always considered ourselves 1A and 1B. We felt that our skills were comparable, although we were physically different in terms of our size and playing style. It’s just the fact that we were competitive with one another, and that led to us being even greater as teammates against our opponent," said Moore.
Hill and Waddle are different than Moore and Perriman in that they are similar. Both beat you with speed, as the Lions could attest. When the Dolphins came to Detroit in Week 8, Hill and Waddle went so berserk -- 20 catches for 294 yards and two touchdowns in Miami's 31-27 win -- that Dan Campbell fired his defensive backs coach the next day. Where the 5'9 Perriman was the speed for the Lions, the 6'4 Moore was the power. Waddle and Hill are both 5'10 and freaky fast.
"They do a lot with timing and getting the ball out quick because they know their receivers have the ability with speed to make things happen," Moore said of the Dolphins. "It was a little different for us. When we took shots down the field, we knew that I had the advantage in out-leaping guys. We played the middle a lot and possession style, but we were aggressive. I think Brett fits the mold of those two more than when you look at me as a standalone, which was more bruiser. I would play across the board and use my athleticism and physical attributes as more of a weapon than my speed.
"They’re more comparable to each other in terms of their physical traits. Brett and I were just complete opposites, but we played within our abilities and we really maximized that. It gave us great balance."
So, about that asterisk. Hill and Waddle are combining for 195.9 yards per game. Moore and Perriman combined for 198.4. If Hill and Waddle break the record with a lower per-game average, the asterisk has to come with it, right?
"Nah, I don’t think so," said Moore. "I’m always happy for players. I have to admit, you want to keep your name up there, but your name stays anyway because you always have to mention whose record was broken. I wish all these guys tremendous success. It’s a short career, so go out and do it and have fun with it.
"It's for their franchise, it's for their team, it’s for their kids to able to enjoy if they have them. I know what that feels like. Like I said, I’m a big fan of the duos that are out there. I was rooting for Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs when they were together (in Minnesota) and pushing up on some of the records as a combo, big fan of guys like Justin Jefferson and Mike Evans. I just love when these guys are achieving and ascending and setting high bars."
Besides, no one will ever do exactly what Moore and Perriman did in 1995, twin cylinders of an air show unlike any other.
"It’s always when I look back, a phenomenal season with myself and Brett. Almost 1,700 yards on my end, almost 1,500 on his and 23 touchdowns. It's like, wow," said Moore, "that’s pretty good."
Listen live to 97.1 The Ticket via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker