Terrell Owens vs. Randy Moss: Which Veteran WR Has More to Offer in 2011?

There were major developments this week concerning two legendary veteran wide receivers and their prospects for taking the field this season.

Terrell Owens held an open workout on Tuesday, meant to showcase his skills just six months after ACL surgery could have ended his chances to land with a team in the 2011 season.

While no teams attended the workout, at Calabasas High School in southern California, it was well-attended by the media (including ESPN and the NFL Network, which broadcast it live).

Agent Drew Rosenhaus said a tape of the workout would be sent to all 32 teams in hopes that one would choose to bring Owens in as a result. Public workouts are commonly avoided by NFL coaches and scouting teams, who generally prefer workouts in their own team facilities.

Meanwhile, Randy Moss, who donned three different uniforms in a very strange 2010 season for the legendary receiver, seems to be ready to return from his retirement, were the right team to call with the right offer.

According to Jason LaCanfora, Moss receives calls every 10 days to two weeks from teams interested in his services, but he's only willing to join a team with a winning record and a solid quarterback.

Both are just as likely—and unlikely—to play this season, but for different reasons. Moss will only join a clear playoff contender, which limits the number of teams he's going to give serious consideration to, while Owens is likely open to join any team that wants him, but it's unclear if any team will be willing to take the risk on a 37-year-old receiver so recently under the knife.

Examining the two players' stats, and it's obvious that both are legends practically cut from the same cloth. In fifteen seasons, Owens has played 219 games and has a total 1,048 receptions for 15,934 yards and 153 touchdowns. Moss has played for 13 seasons and 202 games, for a total of 954 catches for 14,858 yards while also scoring 153 touchdowns.

Both are polarizing figures, the very definitions of modern-day "diva receivers," hopping from team to team after alienating fans, coaching staffs and quarterbacks with their demands. Of course, that reputation comes from their respective impressive stats and unparalleled playmaking abilities, rather than just causing drama for drama's sake.

But that penchant for drama is a liability for both receivers as they approach the end of their careers.

Moss has a reputation for quitting on his teams when he feels he's not as big of a piece of their offense as he'd prefer, and this is what cost him two jobs last season. His 2010 stats reflect this, with a total of 28 catches for 293 yards and five touchdowns combined for the New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans last year.

Considering what Moss accomplished with the Patriots in 2009, with 83 receptions for 1,264 yards and 13 touchdowns, and it's clear that it's Moss' moodiness, and not declining skills, that caused such a sudden precipitous drop off in his production the following year.

In what amounted to a "farewell" press conference as a Patriot last season, Moss' trademark attitude was very much on display:

The past three years of Owens' career has been marked with similar moodiness, with the Dallas Cowboys parting ways with the receiver after a productive 2008 season in which he caught 69 passes for 1,052 yards and 10 touchdowns.

He then spent a forgettable 2009 with the Buffalo Bills before heading to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010, in what was a failed experiment in ego juggling as he joined fellow diva receiver Chad Ochocinco as yet another distraction for the struggling team.

But that volatile personality is no longer Owens' biggest strike against him; it's that reconstructed ACL. In the little bit of yesterday's workout that I viewed, it was clear that his left leg is significantly less muscular than his right leg, especially from the knee down.

He tried to distract viewers with his otherwise ripped physique, performing a number of drills shirtless, but it still didn't do much to convince members of the media that he's healthy enough to take the field any time soon.

ESPN's John Clayton was not convinced that Owens' knee is healthy enough for him to play in a live game

And FOX Sports' Nancy Gay said that Owens looked both bored and gassed:

Needless to say, as of today, no NFL teams have reached out to Owens or Rosenhaus about giving the receiver a private workout:

However, the Arena Football League's Chicago Rush has extended an offer to Owens to join the team for its 2012 season, which as of now may be his best, and maybe last, chance to return to professional football. Knowing Owens' pride and Rosenhaus' stubbornness, and it's unlikely he will want to play anywhere but the NFL.

Considering Moss is ostensibly more healthy than Owens at the present moment, it seems he would benefit an NFL team more, and more immediately than Owens. His pickiness regarding which team he would agree to play for would likely stave off any threat of him not giving his all, and the fact that his lowered 2010 production is not related to any physical limitation means he's not an injury risk.

Moss would likely make a good team better in 2011, while Owens would be an expensive loadstone and a major question mark, regardless of which team he'd join. Both are nearly through in the NFL, but it's Moss who can still make a significant contribution.