ShareThisFOXBORO, Mass. - Maybe it's because we've seen Randy Moss make one extraordinary play after another through the years.
Maybe it's because the New England Patriots receiver makes it look so easy.
Whether it's one-handed catches or sprinting past two defenders and grabbing a 65-yard bomb like he did in the third quarter of the Pats' 36-35 loss to the Rams last Thursday, Moss does so many spectacular things on a regular basis that it's easy to forget how difficult some of the plays he makes really are.
"Randy is tough," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said. "When he gets behind those guys, there're not many people that are catching him. It's amazing to me how he catches the ball like he does."
That 65-yard catch alone surpassed Moss' combined total yardage in New England's first two preseason games (4 passes for 54 yards). He finished the game with three catches for 74 yards and a touchdown.
"It's hard to do, obviously. To run full speed like he does as fast as he does, your head bobbing up and down (and) it looks like there are three balls up there, and he just puts his hands out there like they're baseball mitts and the ball never bobbles or anything like that," said Brady. "He's an incredible player and athlete and I'm glad he's on our team."
While that was the first long bomb of the season between Moss and Brady in game action, fans can expect to see more of that as the year progresses. In practice against Atlanta, for example, the two hooked up for two 50-plus-yard passes.
Moss has been stellar in practice. Not only has the 33-year-old phenom not taken any "veteran" days off, but also when doing drills, he does them at full tilt.
From watching him at camp, it's evident that he's still got a great first step. He's added another gear that he can shift to on deep routes, too.
Because Moss, who is entering the final year of the three-year, $27-million contract he signed at the end of the 2007 season, avoids the media better than he does defensive backs, it's tough to gauge how he feels.
But his teammates have certainly been impressed, as has coach Bill Belichick, who said that Moss has had a good camp.
"Randy is Randy," said receiver Wes Welker. "He always looks great. He's been fantastic."
"Randy is a great leader," fellow receiver Julian Edelman said of Moss earlier this summer. "A lot of people ... mess with him and the kind of guy he is, but I think it's an unfair perspective of him.
"He's always been helpful. He's, ultimately, a team player. A lot of people don't think that of him. He's here to try to help us get better. Last year, he'd pull me aside and he'd teach me up on little things, trying to get me better."
Moss hasn't given any interviews to the media, but his offseason training and career decisions have been well documented.
In fact, you can actually see a video of him working out from his upcoming documentary "Feeling the Heat" on DraftNasty.com. He's doing drills like hopping one-legged into a trash can, jumping as high as he can with weights in each hand, cutting between cones while being chased by a defender, and sprinting and cutting while pulling a chain attached to a resistance band.
His personal trainer is Tim Martin, his former teammate at Marshall.
Daily workouts weren't the only things Moss did during the offseason. He fired his agent, Tim DiPiero, and signed with Joe Segal in July. He did everything to come into camp with a renewed focus and energy. And if his performances in training camp are a glimpse of what he will accomplish this year, the seven-time Pro Bowler will have another spectacular season.
"You're talking about one of the greatest receivers ever," said Saints cornerback Randall Gay of Moss, who ranks second behind Jerry Rice in NFL history in career receiving touchdowns (148), 100-yard receiving games (64), and games with two or more receptions (35).
In addition, Moss ranks first all-time in receptions per touchdown (6.25 receptions per touchdown), and second behind Houston's Andre Johnson (77.9) in career receiving yards per game (77.8) For the most part, Moss, who appears to be on a mission to make his eighth Pro Bowl, has been sensational since the Patriots obtained him from Oakland for a fourth-round pick prior to the 2007-08 season.
He's racked up 248 catches for 3,765 yards and an NFL-best 47 touchdowns over the last three seasons. He fought through a separated shoulder and back spasms among other bumps and bruises and caught 83 passes for 1,264 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2009.
But now Moss is back healthier than ever and it has shown throughout training camp. He's ready to have another big season.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit The Providence Journal
