Phil Taylor of SI.com wrote an interesting article on Thursday about how Randy Moss will likely never be as dominating as he was while in Minnesota.
The most discouraging part is that Moss doesn’t seem to care about his obvious decline. He doesn’t seem to mind that he’s no longer among the most feared players at his position, surpassed by players like Steve Smith and Chad Johnson. Moss throws out the occasional cryptic comment about the pathetic Raiders organization, but he doesn’t really complain, because that would be too much trouble.
I think Taylor makes an excellent point. Anyone who has watched Moss play this year (or God forbid has him on a fantasy team) has seen a guy who barely tries. His route running has become lackadaisical, his hands have become average and his overall effort has to be reaching a career low. Many site the fact that since he plays for the Raiders he just doesn’t try as hard because Oakland isn’t that good. I’d argue that it doesn’t matter whom this guy plays for, because he’s obviously given up. Moss won’t break records set by Jerry Rice like many thought when he first entered the league. And after watching him play against Seattle last Monday night, I doubt if he’s even a top five receiver anymore.
I think the motivation of being passed over by 18 teams before finally being selected by Minnesota is gone – and so is his passion for that matter.
