Yeah, it's pretty widely accepted that the VZW GNexus doesn't have a very good radio and that Motorolas typically have pretty good radios. Sadly, someone decided to give the VZW GNexus a poor radio.
It's usually not a good idea to compare signal bars though, esp. across manufacturers, carriers or phone OS's. They're just interpretations/representations of signal strength by the phone OS. Different manufacturers/OS's/carriers may display more bars for a similar signal strength (to make themselves look better). It would be more accurate to look at actual signal strength numbers. On android, you can go to Settings -> About phone -> Status to see signal strength numbers. Or use an app like Network Signal Info.