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Moss must consider Walter Payton's example
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The good Lord gave Michael Jordan a gift. He did the same with Jerry Rice. The late Walter Payton had it. I think Peyton Manning is more physically gifted than people first suspected.
|  | | Minnesota's John Davis lifts Randy Moss after he caught a 61-yard touchdown pass Sunday. |
Randy Moss, he's got the gift. Oh, does he have the gift. He can be Michael Jordan, although one player in the NFL cannot alone bring the championships that one such as Jordan delivered in the NBA.
Moss reminded us of this talent Sunday against the Lions when he dominated with a three-touchdown performance in the Vikings' 31-24 win that kept unbeaten Minnesota atop the NFC Central.
Yet, in his spectacular exhibition, he also has reminded us this year that he is no Michael Jordan. He is no Jerry Rice. He is no Walter Payton. He is no Peyton Manning.
Those superstars either have or had an unparalleled work ethic.
There was controversy last weekend when my ESPN colleague, Merrill Hoge, dissected Moss on the popular "Edge NFL Matchup" show. Hoge has access, via NFL Films, to the coaches' tape that gives a total view of the playing field. He was shocked, and disgusted, when he analyzed Moss' performance during the first month of the season.
In fact, Hoge broke down 60 plays -- in 34 of them, he documented that Moss gave zero or little effort running his routes or blocking (when required). He gave a handful of examples on the show, then appropriately lambasted the young Pro Bowl receiver.
Moss was caught on tape. This was supported by a few coaches who also had mentioned that Moss was "dogging it" on several plays.
"He looks like he's bored, disinterested, whatever you want to call it," said one coach. "If you do what Hoge did and break down the tape, you could take all those plays and show your young receivers on what you can't do and survive in this league. Most guys would have been benched or cut. But this guy is such an incredible talent, you can't do that to him. Catch-22."
There was a suspicion that Hoge's analysis and criticism motivated Moss to his best game of the season. Moss denied it, which shows he isn't stupid. For if it takes criticism from an outside source to motivate you, it's another sad statement on the integrity of a player.
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He looks like he's bored, disinterested, whatever you want to call it. ... Most guys would have been benched or cut. But this guy is such an incredible talent, you can't do that to him. Catch-22. ” |
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— An NFL coach on Randy Moss |
It's very likely that because of his extraordinary gift, Moss gets bored, as the one coach suggested. Those who have observed him practice see many of the same habits and are a little taken aback at how many balls he drops when it doesn't really count.
When Moss entered the NFL under the cloak of controversy three years ago, he seemingly had a model rookie season. He had a great mentor in veteran wideout Cris Carter, who is another MVP candidate when you weigh his total contributions to the Vikings. Back then, Carter gave Moss his due, but always buttressed his praise with, "Let's see how Randy handles success."
Moss clearly has experienced on-field success, and from what we know publicly, his off-field demeanor has not further damaged his reputation.
The next step for Moss is financial success. A bargain in the '98 draft as the 21st player chosen, he will seek to become the highest-paid player in the NFL when the 2000 season is over. Word is, he'd like to be the first $10-million football player. That's why I was a little surprised to learn that Moss has not sought a higher standard in his work. There's a big payoff down the road, although he no doubt will show again that he can do the spectacular almost anytime he wants.
Moss will be on center stage Monday night when the Vikings play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a crucial NFC Central game. It doesn't take a genius to know that he will have a prime-time moment, even against the excellent Bucs' defense.
What we want out of our superstars is a little more than that, I guess, if only because of the road paved by Jordan, Rice, Payton, Manning and, yes, even Moss' greatest model, Carter.
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