NFL


Moss, Pats Won't Live Up to Hype

By JIM ARMSTRONG,
AOL
Posted: 2007-07-28 10:22:51
Filed Under: NFL
Sports Commentary

We interrupt this dogfight for the opening of NFL training camps.

Not that it's a big deal or anything. According to the wise guys in Las Vegas - and the dumb ones, for that matter - they might as well cancel the season and hand the Lombardi Trophy to the Patriots right now.

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"I'm just trying to do what I can and contribute to the team," Randy Moss said as the Patriots' camp started. Will he be the go-to guy for Tom Brady, or will he lapse into the troubling behavior he has become notorious for?

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New England as we speak is hovering between 2-1 and 8-5 odds to win the Super Bowl. Not since the Cowboys of the mid-'90s has a team been so heavily favored to bring home the hardware.

I only bring it up because I'm not as pit bullish on the Patriots as everyone else seems to be. I'm not so sure that, in the end, they'll be the top dog. In fact, it says here they're more bark than bite.

Maybe it's the born contrarian in me. Or maybe it's all those aging players on the Pats' defense. Or maybe it's Asante Samuel's contract dispute with the front office. Or maybe it's none of the above.

Speaking of dogs, maybe it's all about Randy Moss.

You remember him. Or maybe you don't. He did, after all, retire three years ago.

Back in the day, Moss claimed that he only played hard every other down. By last season, he was down to every other month. He quit is what he did. On himself, on his team, on the game.

And now that he's in New England, away from Al Davis and the asylum, we're supposed to believe he can flip a switch, put on a new uniform and become Randy Moss again. Sorry, call me a pessimist, but I've got to see it to believe it.

Oh, sure, they're saying all the right things, he and his new teammates, but we've been down these roads before with Moss. We've seen enough to know that, when trouble comes, he'll probably be the one who started it. And if not, he certainly won't be the one to stop it.

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Moss is a marvelous talent. Was, anyway. But who's to say he'll ever again be the player who put up Jerry Rice numbers early in his career? He caught 49, 60 and 42 balls in the past three seasons, during which his touchdowns dropped from 13 to eight to three. Three touchdown catches? Marvin Harrison has that many before he breaks a sweat on Sunday.

It's more than that, though. Even if Moss still has it at 30, even if he again puts up Hall of Fame numbers, the question remains: Given all his baggage, is he worth having around? Truth is, he's a karma killer, a shameless frontrunner, a player who steps up big when times are good, but can't be trusted when things go wrong.

Don't tell me his new teammates aren't wondering about him. Football players, more than any other athletes, talk about having each other's backs, being a good teammate, playing for each other. They are the unwritten rules of the game. Follow them and teammates will accept your off-field issues and pat you on the back after a crucial fumble.

Break them, as Moss has done not once, but twice in his career, and your reputation precedes you. You may catch a bunch of balls, but you may never earn your teammates' trust.

Who knows? Maybe it will work out. Maybe Moss will resurrect his career in New England. Maybe the Patriots will prove to be every bit the team so many people envision. But I wouldn't count on it.

Why? Let's put it this way. You know what they say about teaching an old dog new tricks.

Mail Bag



Questions? Comments? Feel free to e-mail me at dontmissjim@aol.com. A few random excerpts from recent e-mails ...

It's about time they put your picture on the AOL page. It doesn't look like they chiseled your features. Hell, I can't even count your chins.

- Y2KBIGSHOT@aol.com

Yeah, well, don't blame me because you flunked math.

Long-time reader, first-time writer. I can't argue with most of what you said in your AFC is stronger than the NFC column. But you forgot one man who is better than any pass rusher in the AFC - Julius Peppers. Come on, doesn't that man get any love?

- robbyhensley84@hotmail.com

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You're right, my bad. Don Pardo, tell him what he's won.

You forgot Julius Peppers. He's one of the best pass rushers in the league.

- John M., Charlotte

Is there an echo in this mail bag?

Just a note to send praise for your terrific work.

- A. Blauner

Gee, thanks. In the immortal words of the Cowardly Lion, "Shucks, folks, I’m speechless!"

Having read some of your columns on Barry Bonds, I'm wondering what you're going to do when he breaks the record.

- Sharon, Denver

I'm still pondering my options, but my wife has hidden all the sharp objects, just in case.

Jim Armstrong is a sports columnist for The Denver Post.

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2007-07-27 19:30:12


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Recent Comments

1 - 10 of 68
68 comments

rchrdrdfx 11:42:30 PM Jul 31 2007

i believe the patriots will be second best this year

sharkbited 10:20:56 PM Jul 31 2007

Face it the Pats have the BEST offfensive line in NFL....This and just enough defense wins championships...The offense will take care of itself

sharkbited 10:20:56 PM Jul 31 2007

Face it the Pats have the BEST offfensive line in NFL....This and just enough defense wins championships...The offense will take care of itself

Cooliebaigtz55 09:35:49 PM Jul 31 2007

Yes everyone can agree that Randy Moss is not the most reliable player on the Patriots depth chart, But I think that you forget the Patriots also signed Donte Stallworth and Adaulius Thomas. These two guys make the Patriots a loaded team already. While the Asante Samuel situation is a little disturbing if worst comes to worst Tpry James can fill in for him. Brandon Meriweather might even make a good cornerback. Who knows? Besides football is a team game not the game of Randy Moss.

jasonconger79 08:13:22 PM Jul 31 2007

With the lackluster defense of the Colts and the tougher schedule they will have, I don't see them repeating, so why not the Pats? I mean, the Colts lost to the Texans for crying out loud! Aside from the monster that Dwight Freeney is, what else do the Colts have on defense? Notta is the answer. Anybody can run on the Colts, even the 2-14 Raiders. The only reason Larry Johnson couldn't run on the Colts is because Dungy kept stacking 8 men in the box. Good luck Indiananapolis on getting home-field advantage in the playoffs. You're gonna need it, but I am afraid to tell you, you won't get it.

BBurkie 12:40:57 PM Jul 31 2007

I think everyone is forgetting about the other players the Pats have signed lately!! even with out Moss, the pats are a heavy favorite!! stop hating and focusing just on him and focus on the rest of the amazing team!!

baylesshal 07:15:00 AM Jul 31 2007

ok mr broncos stop hating on pats

swtnsofiticated 10:47:00 PM Jul 30 2007

SEEMS LIKE JIM JUST NEEDED SOME ATTENTION postitive or negative.... i have to agree with all of you that stated that moss is but a piece of a larger puzzle ..and what you have to look at is the fact that even though they didnt win the superbowl they have CONTINUED TO CONTEND.. when they lose big players everyone panics but what happens.. SOMEONE ELSE STEPS TO THE PLATE.. its how belicheck creates his players and team............ they play as a team together..one week seymour might be on his game..the next week its troy brown or samuels.... or the next bruschi... each one of them does THEIR JOB.. they are trained to play as a machine each with a specific job to do and they do it......Again as i stated earlier they have continued to contend and be a force in the afc ... and if you notice most of they time they arent losing by big numbers either.... I moved from New england but remain a fan..sitting here int he heart of steeler country now........ i wear my pats colors and brady and br

swtnsofiticated 10:47:00 PM Jul 30 2007

SEEMS LIKE JIM JUST NEEDED SOME ATTENTION postitive or negative.... i have to agree with all of you that stated that moss is but a piece of a larger puzzle ..and what you have to look at is the fact that even though they didnt win the superbowl they have CONTINUED TO CONTEND.. when they lose big players everyone panics but what happens.. SOMEONE ELSE STEPS TO THE PLATE.. its how belicheck creates his players and team............ they play as a team together..one week seymour might be on his game..the next week its troy brown or samuels.... or the next bruschi... each one of them does THEIR JOB.. they are trained to play as a machine each with a specific job to do and they do it......Again as i stated earlier they have continued to contend and be a force in the afc ... and if you notice most of they time they arent losing by big numbers either.... I moved from New england but remain a fan..sitting here int he heart of steeler country now........ i wear my pats colors and brady and br

Wolfy1946 10:46:25 AM Jul 30 2007

as a Jet Fan i just want to win. Pats have been become what we are trying to become. To Prognosticate about the Pats downfall is like saying Montana and 49ers were lucky....

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