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Here comes trouble - for Giants secondary

Maturing Moss puts problems in the past

By GARY SHELTON
Published February 1, 2008

Randy Moss doesn't apologize for actions that he can't take back, but acknowledges "I do understand that I'm a bit older."
	[AP photo]

ADVERTISEMENT [U.S. Presswire] Randy Moss scores in the Patriots' regular-season win over the Giants. New York's secondary, maligned but capable of big plays, gets another shot at the 6-foot-4 Moss on Sunday.

PHOENIX - Funny how much he looks like the other guy. Funny how much he sounds like him, too.

The man the Patriots swear is Randy Moss sits at a table, and for a change, he is surrounded by cameras instead of controversies. His wide, dark eyes flash from beneath his hoodie. He strokes his beard as he listens to a question, and when he answers, his words are framed by time and the familiar twang of West Virginia.

From a distance, you could swear Randy Moss reminds you somewhat of, well, Randy Moss. You know, the other Randy Moss.

Alas, it cannot be the same guy. The other Randy Moss once said "I play when I want to play." This one says "I live and die football."

Remember when the other Randy Moss walked off a field in disgust while his teammates were still playing? This one swears that he does not care whether he catches a pass as long as his team wins.

The other Randy Moss spent two seasons going through the motions. This one has raced through the record books.

In other words, things have changed for Moss, and you can feel free to believe it is the player or the perceptions of him. Surrounded by talent, lifted by success, Moss has been rejuvenated, reformed and, most of all, repatriated. Coaches rave about his intelligence. Teammates laud his dedication.

As for the rest of us.

Frankly, we would like to see some identification. Just to be sure.

"I don't know if the perception of me has changed," says Moss, 30. "At this point, I really don't care. No one plays my game for me. To sit up there and let people judge me on just a game? That's like us playing a game of Monopoly and me judging you because you make the wrong move."

Moss should know. Before this season, his career was a series of wrong moves leading to a wasted career. There were times Moss seemed selfish and times he seemed disinterested, times when a million dollars worth of talent wasn't worth a nickel on delivery.

Even this year's success doesn't erase all of that.

It does, however, invite you to look again, and to wonder if perhaps Randy Moss might be a little more complicated than you once believed.

Moss has done himself some good this week. He has been thoughtful, friendly, mature. At times, he has even flirted with humble. Perhaps if he had offered an explanation for the restraining orders issued in the name of Rachelle Washington of Fort Lauderdale - he would not discuss her or her allegations of battery - you might suspect that Moss had grown up.

"One of the hardest things I had to deal with early in my career was adjusting to losses," Moss said. "I'm not really good with losing. When we would lose two games in a row, or three or four weeks in a row and no one would say anything or do anything, it bothered me."

Critics and defenders of Moss agree on that one. Losing drives him to distraction. On a bad team having a bad season, Moss is a bad teammate. That is not to defend him. Given his salaries over the year, a little effort isn't too much to ask.

Take last year. With the Raiders, Moss caught only 42 passes for 553 yards. The Raiders practically gave Moss away, getting only a late fourth-round draft pick for him.

In return, the Patriots got a star. This year, he caught 98 passes for 1,493 yards. His touchdowns surged from three to 23.

It was the kind of year that reminded you of what Moss should have been all along. No receiver adjusts to the deep ball the way Moss does. He is big, he is fast, and he has hands like Velcro.

"When I was younger, I was very angry," Moss said. "Not at anyone in particular. It was just the game of football. Now I still carry that same chip on my shoulder. I do understand that I'm a bit older."

Moss stops short of saying he regrets some of his actions over the year.

"Not at all," he said. "What can I take back? I am who I am, and I am going to do what I want to do and say what I want to say. It's already happened, and there is nothing that I can do."

By now, perhaps you expected to hear Moss calling for the ball. After all, he has only two catches in the postseason. He hasn't scored a touchdown in a month. Still, Moss says it does not matter.

Ah, but it does. Moss suggests he is the "possibly the finest receiver to ever lace them up." If so, he needs to show it Sunday.

If you remember, one of the hallmarks of Jerry Rice's career was how big he played in the big games. The entire world might know that Joe Montana was going to throw to Rice, and still, Rice would get open. This postseason, Moss has not done that.

"Randy is having a hard time with the bump and run," Rice said. "Teams try to take you out of the ball game, but if you're running precise routes, you can still get open and do some things. But he isn't doing that."

On Sunday, he has another chance to lift his legacy, another chance to show what he has left.

If the Patriots have their way, he will run fast. He will run smooth.

For perhaps the first time in his career, he will run trouble-free.

[Last modified February 1, 2008, 00:27:43]