Tag: Randy Moss (Page 10 of 15)

      Patriots sign Torry Holt, but why?

      April 20, 2010 /

      Tom Curran of WEEI reports via his Twitter page that the Patriots have agreed to terms with wide receiver Torry Holt on a one-year, $1.7 million contract. Curran doesn’t get into why they signed him, however, which is the question I have.

      The Patriots have a habit of signing aging veterans on their last or next-to-last legs (see Fred Taylor, Shawn Springs, Joey Galloway, Marcus Pollard and Kyle Brady) and who are looking for a Super Bowl ring before they exit stage left. In the case of Holt, he technically gives the Pats what they need (a receiver), but he’ll hardly be the answer.

      More than anything, New England needs to add a playmaker opposite Randy Moss. Julian Edelman can play the slot position until Wes Welker returns from the knee injury he suffered in Week 17 of last year, but Holt isn’t the answer on the other side. He was somewhat effective for the first five or six games last season in Jacksonville, but then he faded badly down the stretch.

      It’s never a bad idea to add competition to any position group, but this signing seems like a waste in my eyes. Chances are the Pats will still add a receiver in the middle rounds this weekend.


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      Moss doesn’t expect Pats to re-sign him after 2010

      February 21, 2010 /

      Randy Moss doesn’t expect the Patriots to re-sign him once his contract is up after the 2010 season.

      From the Boston Globe:

      “I don’t think they are going to extend my contract here,” said Moss, speaking to reporters at the charity softball game of former Patriots teammate Heath Evans.

      “I understand the beast, the nature of it. I think that just with what I think and what I know I don’t think they’re going to re-sign me back. So, after this season if there is not a lockout I’ll be looking for a new team. I got a lot of respect for the Patriots and what they did for me and my family. So, the only thing I can do is just play this year out and see what my future holds after that. “

      There’s no question that Wes Welker is the Patriots’ most productive receiver, but Moss still shows the ability to get open and make plays when he’s motivated. If he plays well next season, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Patriots at least offer him a modest one or two-year deal.

      That said, his play faded down the stretch in 2008 and in 2009. He’ll be 34 next year and while he still has the capability to dominate from time to time, his speed often diminishes throughout the year as his legs get tired. (Thus, his prediction that he won’t be brought back after 2010 might be spot on.)

      We’ll see – a lot depends on this year. If he sleepwalks through the season (as in, if he performs in 2010 like he did every year in Oakland), then there’s no way the Pats will bring him back. If he stays motivated and produces, then I wouldn’t rule anything out for 2011.


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      NFL Playoff Preview: Sunday games

      January 10, 2010 /

      Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots
      1:00 pm ET
      TV—CBS

      Last season, the Ravens began their playoff journey as a wild card by upsetting the AFC East champion Dolphins, and then upsetting the top seeded Tennessee Titans, before losing to the eventual champion Steelers in the AFC championship game. This season the Ravens went 10-6 and eked into the playoffs in Week 17, but their losses have mostly been close games, including a 27-21 defeat in New England in Week 4. The Ravens’ fifth ranked rushing attack is led by RB Ray Rice, and they will once again use their stout defense (ranked third overall) to try and stop Tom Brady, Randy Moss and company. The Patriots will try to run the ball to control the clock and keep it away from Rice, and also try to use said running game to allow Brady and his receivers to stretch the field. Of course, everyone knows that Wes Welker is out for the season after jamming his knee into the Reliant Stadium turf last Sunday. But did anyone expect rookie WR (and 7th round draft pick) Julian Edelman to catch 10 passes for 103 yards and run up and down the field looking like a Welker clone doing it? Not really. Still, Brady didn’t have guys named Lewis, Suggs and Reed lining up on the other side last week, and those guys in purple jerseys could force him into making a few mistakes. The bottom line, however, is that the Patriots are 8-0 at home this season, and a Bill Belichick coached team is a tough out in the playoffs.
      THE PICK: PATRIOTS 26, RAVENS 17

      Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals
      4:40 pm ET
      TV—FOX

      Amazingly, this game is the third contest of the weekend that is a rematch of a Week 17 game, and like the Philly/Dallas game, this one is also in the same building, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona. Will it be the same outcome though? Last week, the Packers played all of their starters in annihilating the defending NFC champs 33-7, but Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt did not use star QB Kurt Warner after the first quarter. Still, how much of that crap about tipping your hand before playing an opponent again do you believe? This is the NFL, and the team that executes their game plan usually wins. Packers’ coach Mike McCarthy believed that letting Aaron Rodgers and his receivers stretch the field against the Cardinals’ 23rd ranked pass defense, as well as mixing in a heavy dose of Ryan Grant and Ahman Green to run the ball and keep it away from Warner and Matt Leinart was an effective strategy. Of course, McCarthy’s Packers boast the #1 rushing defense in the NFL and the #5 passing defense, so they feel like they can stop whoever is trying to move the ball against them anyway, especially if star CB Charles Woodson suits up after aggravating a shoulder injury last week. Remember, though, that the Cardinals are recently playoff tested, and came within a brilliant Santonio Holmes touchdown catch from winning it all less than a year ago.
      THE PICK: PACKERS 33, CARDINALS 30

      NFL

      Did Moss give up during Panthers game?

      December 15, 2009 /

      There’s a disagreement going on between the Panthers and Patriots players about whether or not Randy Moss tanked it last Sunday in New England’s lackluster win over Carolina in Week 14. Moss finished with just one catch on the day, which he promptly fumbled.

      Following the game, Panthers’ cornerback Chris Gamble said Moss shut it down (via the Boston Globe):

      If you asked the Panthers what their game plan was, it’s simple. They helped whoever was covering Randy Moss early in the game with a safety. Then, once he was frustrated, they no longer needed to. Because by then, it was Game Over for No. 81.

      “We knew he was going to shut it down,” Panthers cornerback Chris Gamble told me after the game. “That’s what we wanted to do him. That’s what we did. … He’d just give up a lot … Slow down, he’s not going deep, not trying to run a route. You can tell, his body language.”

      Gamble continued … “I know everyone who plays against him, they can sense that. Once you get into him in the beginning of the game, he shuts it down a little bit.”

      Following Gamble’s comments, Pats head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady defended Moss:

      “I have a lot of respect for Randy,’’ Bill Belichick said. “I think he’s one of our best players. I think if you watch other teams defend him, they think the same way. Other than these two guys from Carolina after they lost another game, I guess they didn’t think that way. They haven’t won a lot of games.’’

      “Everyone takes liberties to say whatever they want to say in a situation like [Sunday’s],’’ Brady said. “I’ve seen plays made on Chris Gamble over the course of the season, too. Guys, when they play Randy, want to show what they can do, and I guess they came off the game pretty confident. But Randy’s one of the best players in the history of the NFL.’’

      I love the not-so-subtle shots at the Panthers in Belichick and Brady’s quotes.

      Moss was clearly frustrated during the course of the game, but only he knows whether or not he gave up. The good thing for the Patriots is that this situation has bonded them together.


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      NFL

      Patriots win, but issues continue to pile up

      December 13, 2009 /

      While the Patriots managed to earn a 20-10 victory over the Panthers in Week 14, they hardly have reason to celebrate.

      They gained 377 total yards, but turned the ball over three times. They held the Panthers to just 179 passing yards, but gave up 305 net yards. Tom Brady led the Pats on a nice 13-play scoring drive to give them the lead late in the third quarter, but his interception set up Carolina’s first touchdown. Wes Welker caught another 10 passes for 105 yards, but Randy Moss hauled in just one pass for 16 yards…and fumbled it.

      Speaking of Moss, he flat out dogged it on the field today. He ran lackluster routes, was seen pouting on the sidelines and appeared to give up on a pass that was intercepted by Carolina in the first half. In other words, he was the exact opposite of Welker, who continues to give his all on every play.

      Bill Belichick also decided to go for it again on fourth down and once again the Patriots failed. It wasn’t a bad decision because his offense was in no man’s land, but maybe it’s time for Belichick to scale back the aggressiveness if his offense can’t be counted on to convert.

      In the NFL, a win is the only thing that matters and at 8-5, the Pats are still in good position to win their division. But this is hardly an elite team anymore and if they do wind up making the postseason, things are setting up for an early exit for New England.


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      NFL

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