Nickname: Moose

Introduction

This very well could be one of the most productive players on this website. Muhsin Muhammad was a solid player for the Carolina Panthers for a long time and had a ridiculous breakout season at the age of 30. Unfortunately, I really only got to see him at the backend of his career as his return to Carolina was when I first really saw him play (I guess I am not officially Unc just yet). An introduction into the Carolina Panthers Hall of Honor gave him some recognition that he deserved, but this article will attempt to give him even more.

Why He Should Be Remembered

Standing 6-2″ and weighing in at 215 lbs, Muhammad certainly lived up to his nickname. Drafted in the second round, “Moose” was a physical playmaker for the Panthers for 10 total seasons. He had three 1,000 receiving yard seasons during his first 8 seasons with Carolina to go along with two Pro Bowls and one First Team All-Pro. His best season came in 2004, where fellow teammate Steve Smith was lost for the season due to injury in Week 1. At the age of 30, Moose stepped up and caught 93 passes for 1,405 yards (league leading) as well as catching 16 touchdowns (also league leading). And yes obviously I am leaving you with his highlight tape:

Once you look past the poor quality, you can really see that this guy was definitely a talented player in his own right. For me, he has become one of those lost gems that I can show my buddies on YouTube after the bar one night. He would also be a cool, unique jersey to have as those throwback Panthers uniforms are gorgeous and tell me the last time that you saw a Muhsin Muhammad jersey.

Oh, he also still has the longest reception in Super Bowl history with his 85-yard touchdown in Super Bowl XXXVIII (yes, against my Pats).

Why He Is Not Remembered

As much of a dog that Moose was, he also had many seasons of mediocrity. While he was durable and consistently showed up for the Panthers, they didn’t think he was worth the cash after his 2004 season and released him where he was eventually signed to the Chicago Bears. To me, that says something as clearly he wasn’t in the top tier of wide recovers for his time even AFTER his best career year. He falls in that “Good, But Just Not Great’ category of athletes. Already, I don’t think he’s surviving the test of time as when do you ever hear him being talked about. He had no career ending injuries and consistently produced, but just did not do it at a high enough level over time.

Where He Is Now

Currently, he is the managing director at Axum Capital Partners, a firm he co-funded. I’m not even sure what that is, but it sounds like on top of being an All-Pro wideout, Moose is smart. He also has his own charity, “The M2 Foundation For Kids,” which focuses on improving the mental and physical development of children. I mean, he sounds like an all around great dude. I kind of feel bad now for calling him good, but not great. I kind of hope he never sees this. I’m sorry Moose, it’s nothing personal.