Moss' Demise Greatly Exaggerated

POSTED BY Kenneth England, 25 October 2007

If you've spent much time reading my columns here over the summer, you've probably noticed by now that I tend to spend a lot of energy and column space analyzing not only sports, but analyzing the analysts that analyze sports. That is to say I spend a lot of time measuring the entirety of the sports journalist field. The predictions, the hype, the fabricated controversies, it all piques my interest. Typically, sports prognostication by both fans and analysts can be a dicey thing. A lot of predictions get made, a lot of predictions turn out to be utterly false, but most are so innocuous or blessed with enough potential to be true that it escapes notice. However, there was one prediction from this year's NFL pre-season that sounded insane then, but looks more ridiculous with each passing week.

The prediction in question was that Randy Moss would not only be a bust for the Patriots, but that his very existence in New England would shred the camaraderie and cohesiveness of the team and turn them into a miserable wreck, as Owens did to the Eagles in not-so-recent memory. From sports talk radio to ESPN to print journalism, analysts across the sports landscape were predicting gloom and doom on the Moss front, with very few voices raising the possibility that he would fit in and do fine with Brady delivering the ball.

I think it's safe to say now that Moss has exceeded even the most positive mid-summer predictions since being traded to the Pats (in one of the biggest steals of a trade ever, I might add). He is absolutely tearing up the stat page and opposing defenses with shocking ease. Now, admittedly, I've never been a huge Moss fan, and for most of his career I considered him to be vastly overrated. Just another flashy wide receiver with an attitude that wasn't living up to the mountain of hype that accompanied him. This year, I've had to admit that he's all he was ever hyped to be, and perhaps even more. The now ubiquitous "shoulder grab" from the Miami game pretty much sums it up... Moss and the Patriots have created a synergy where even the seemingly impossible now looks exceedingly simple.

This is grudging praise for me to give. In the entirety of the sports landscape, there is perhaps nothing I hate more than the Patriots. I hate that Belichick has gotten so much done in New England compared to his Cleveland days. I hate that they have dominated football for nearly a decade. I hate the tuck rule that was invented so they could get to that first Super Bowl of the dynasty. But despite my preconceptions coming in to this year regarding the Patriots, I have to admit that they are damned good. I must grudgingly give them respect.

A lot of respect, at that. They are the best team in football this year, yes. But beyond that, they might at this moment be the best football team I've ever seen in my life. Brady is flawless with his new bounty of receivers. Moss is playing with unparalleled grace and precision. The offensive line is ridiculously good, giving Brady time to eat a picnic, take a nap and sign autographs in the pocket. Even players most thought would be, at best, role players in the offense are on fire. Donte' Stallworth looked like Jim Brown against the Dolphins with the stiffarms, jukes, and spins he was showing off on long catches (yeah, I know, it was just the Dolphins, but still). Wes Welker has come out of nowhere to become a household name. Even the aging defense is looking better than advertised. The running game... well... so they have one weakness. But the hard reality is that they seem to have enough bit pieces to throw in the ailing running game to keep the train on the tracks, and that's all they need out of the running game right now. When you have a passing offense that no one can stop, even without a great running game, that's frighteningly good.

So the Moss/New England predictions turned out to be the complete opposite of the reality. The new predictions floating around about the Patriots probably won't be. Most analysts had already started the undefeated talk 2 weeks ago. It sounded a little premature then, but with each passing week it looks like they could be on to something. I thought the Cowboys would throw a wrench in the Pats march to a perfect season, but instead the Pats turned the game into a cakewalk. If the Colts can't keep up with them, then it's season over for the rest of the league, and Shula and friends won't be making that annoying champagne toast anymore.