I think Moss is smarter than that.
I've been lucky enough to watch a lot of great players over 35 years of being a Pats fan. Especially in the last decade. Brady. Francis. Rodney. Mosi. Brown. Stingley. Some greats. But I don't think I've ever enjoyed watching a guy play the game is I did Randy Moss the three-plus years he was a Patriot. Moss had an amazing 2007 season, the greatest ever by a wide receiver, and he and the Gillette crowd loved each other. The next year Brady went down in the first game and Moss -- despite being broken hearted to lose his Tommy boy for the year -- had another great season and helped make Matt Cassel a rich man. In 2009, when Brady returned but the team struggled with a young defense, Moss had 13 more touchdowns and another Pro Bowl visit.Things ended weirdly in New England. They often do with Moss. He's that kind of guy. But from my seat in Section 109 Moss looked like a great teammate. He wanted to feel the love the Pats just gave to Ochocinco. But Belichick wasn't feeling it. As Moss said, he just wanted to play for the Pats for the rest of his career.
What a career it was. Sure-thing Hall of Famer.
The best way to explain why Moss was the most entertaining football player I've ever watched? A list of his 10 best moments. Moss caught 50 touchdowns (50!) in just over three seasons. Many of them left me shaking my head and laughing. I can't think of too many wide receivers who have left a Top 10 list behind (which could have been Top 20 or 30 if I had the time) in just three seasons. Thanks for the memories, Randy.
10. Spy this: The first game after Spygate broke. The rival Chargers came to Gillette talking tough as usual. Belichick and his team were under fire from all corners. How would they respond? Like champions. In the first quarter Moss broke down the seam untouched and Brady hit him for a 23-yard touchdown that made it 14-0. Late in the game Brady and Moss connected again on a 24-yarder to put the game away 31-14. Moss caught 8 passes for 105 yards. Critics answered, if not quieted.
9. Paying the Bills: Two of Moss's most dominant games from that '07 season came against Buffalo. In Week 4 Moss had 115 yards catching with two TDs. The second catch was a finger-tip beauty down the sideline. A few weeks later Moss topped that with an incredible four touchdown performance that saw him catch 10 passes for 128 yards.
8. One-handed: Moss was often charged with not having the guts to go across the middle. Of course that wasn't his game. It was down the field. But for those who thought Moss would always turtle when taking a pass in the slot with a DB or two closing in on him, take a look at the catch he made in an epic battle against Indy in 2007. He went across the field and leaped, making an amazing one-handed catch before getting whacked. It was only for 17 yards but it sparked a key drive in the Pats victory. Moss couldn't catch a ball across the middle? He could. He was just better going deep.
7. Hello, old friends: OK. These highlights are all from 2007. Why? Because it was the greatest single season performance by a wide receiver. But there were many moments in 2008 and 2009. One of the best '08 games was his two touchdown performance against his former team the Raiders in Oakland. The Pats were 9-5 and fighting for a playoff spot. Moss had only 67 yards but many of them were clutch.
6. Welcome: Moss's first game as a Patriot was in the '07 season opener on the road against -- who else? -- the Jets. The Pats had added several new players to get back on top. Key among them was Moss. But he came with a lot of questions. Could he focus on football and get back to being the top wideout in the game? Game 1 answered those questions quickly. Nine catches, 183 yards, and one ridiculous 51-yard TD catch in which he glided 45 of those yards and then put on a burst past three defenders to get the ball as they watched him helplessly.
5. Taking the lead: For a few briefs moments it looked like the Pats were going to win their fourth Super Bowl and put up a perfect 19-0 season. In fact, I was pretty sure of it. Those moments came after Moss caught a touchdown pass with just more than two minutes to play. The Pats' offense had been under attack all day but Brady, Welker, Faulk, and Moss put together a great drive to take the lead. If only for a moment.
4. You talkin' to me?: Steeler D back Anthony Smith was trash-talking all week leading up to another Pittsburgh-New England prime-time battle.The Pats were 13-0 but the 9-4 Steelers once again thought they were the better team. Brady and Moss shut them up. Fast. Smith had promised that the Pitt D would shut down Brady and the record-setting offense. The Steelers took a 3-0 lead late into the first quarter when Brady and Moss connected on back-to-back touchdowns. The second one was a 63-yard rocket with Brady hitting Moss in stride as Smith scrambled to recover from a scrimmage line fake by Moss. Brady ran down the field to congratulate #81 ... and to rub Smith's face in it.
3. Buzzer beater: Another one from the Matt Cassel season. The Jets came into Gillette looking to avenge a Week 2 loss. It was a game the Pats would lose in overtime but one that brought the Brady-less team together. The game went back and forth and New York held a 31-24 lead as the clock ticked down. The Pats had the ball at the Jets 16-yard line and time for one last play. Cassel scrambled and found Moss at the right front corner of the end zone. Moss made a great catch as he fell out of bounds, tapping his toes in the end zone to tie the game and send it to overtime.
2. Circus act in South Beach: This was the one that really left me laughing. Moss had two touchdown catches in just a matter of minutes in the second quarter that turned a 21-7 battle into a 49-29 romp in Miami. The first one was a 35-yarder in which the defensive back had position on Moss at the goal line, but #81 jumped about five feet and snatched the ball right out of the D back's hands. The second one -- 51-yards -- was one of the best Brady to Moss bombs ever. Brady reared back and let one fly deep down the middle and Moss -- with two defenders on top of him -- looked behind him and caught the ball in the nook of his elbow. Oh, he may have given one of the defenders a gentle little push. Another thing Moss was great at.
1. Record-setter against Giants: One of the most entertaining plays in one of the most entertaining regular season games ever played. The Pats were going for 16-0. The Giants were determined to stop them. With New England trailing 28-23 in the fourth quarter, Brady went deep to Moss for a bomb but the ball was thrown short and it ticked off of Moss's fingertips. The Pats went back to the huddle and called the exact same play. Brady dropped back, Moss raced down the right sideline again, and this time Brady hit Moss perfectly for a 63-yard touchdown that put the Pats ahead and completed the unbeaten regular season. 16-0 and Randy Moss. Two of my favorite things that didn't quite work out as I had hoped.
So many great catches. Too many to recall. This video will help.
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