Keenan McCardell chimes in on Pats/Moss

[SVN]

washingtonpost.com

Randy Moss is the greatest wide receiver in the game today. When you have a talent like that, you've got to keep him interested -- that's the coach's job and Bill Belichick is among the best. In fact, I'm sure he's sat Randy down, and told him what he needs to hear. I've been to meetings like that, I can hear his voice in my head. He probably said something like: "Randy, for us to win you're going to need to buy into everything I say 100 percent. You handle what you need to handle and I'll handle everything else."

But he understands Randy, he understands that level of talent. It's like dealing with a great artist or a genius. Any time he wants, he can just flip a switch and smoke any secondary out there. When you have it that easy though, you can get distracted. Maybe something happened off the field to distract him.

So Randy doesn't go 100 percent on every play, sometimes he takes a little off. But now, because the Patriots aren't the dominating team they were in 2007, people want to blame Moss. What people don't recognize is that maybe he wasn't playing at 100 percent all the time when they were undefeated. Football is a team game and you don't hear him saying the defense isn't stepping up.

This concept may be demoralizing to younger guys struggling to make a team, that Randy has so much talent and can dog it. The older guys, who know Moss, understand. Just cause he dogs it one play doesn't mean he won't go in there the next play and blow everyone away.

Great players, like Randy, need to take a break sometimes, and great coaches like Belichick understand how to exploit that.

 

[Sicilian]

So who HAVEN'T we heard from now? It's all the way down to McCardell!?

I wonder what FredEx thinks about all this...

 

[BSR]

So who HAVEN'T we heard from now? It's all the way down to McCardell!?

I wonder what FredEx thinks about all this...

This is exactly what I was thinking. I'd like to know what what the Pope thinks about this.

 

[SVN]

dont know about the pope or fredex but troy brown and an AFC scout has some words too

Marshall Law - Extra Points - Boston.com

Final words on the week that was ... - Extra Points - Boston.com

 

[tanked_as_usual]

we haven't heard from tiger wood.....maybe tiger's probs are a little more urgent

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Bill had a world of admiration for McCardell throughout his career. He hoped to get him here in his later years but it never worked out so he could. Sadly I think that revisionist rationale about Bill knowing how to coddle great talent to maximize it didn't pan out this season when he swung and missed on another senior outside threat who probably anticipated it would. There was no accommodation for Galloway because there seldom is accommodation here. Guys are getting their Bill's mixed up. One is a master manipulator of underachieving talent. For the other accountability and self starters are the rule here and up until now there haven't been any exceptions. Bill devotes his time to game planning and preparation and coaching motivated players up, not coddling his most talented players to keep them engaged...

 

[Rob0729]

Players take plays off, but not when the ball is coming to him. I am willing to conceed Brady's pass was off on the INT, but when Moss saw the ball was going to go directly to Gamble he made no effort to make a break on the ball. When he dropped the slant, he was more interest in the defender coming at him (I think it was Gamble) than watching the ball into his hands. That is what upset me.

 

[tanked_as_usual]

Players take plays off, but not when the ball is coming to him. I am willing to conceed Brady's pass was off on the INT, but when Moss saw the ball was going to go directly to Gamble he made no effort to make a break on the ball. When he dropped the slant, he was more interest in the defender coming at him (I think it was Gamble) than watching the ball into his hands. That is what upset me.

it upset you? what did you do afterward to get over it? or are you not over it yet?

 

[Keegs]

1999 called. They want their 20th best receiver back.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Players take plays off, but not when the ball is coming to him. I am willing to conceed Brady's pass was off on the INT, but when Moss saw the ball was going to go directly to Gamble he made no effort to make a break on the ball. When he dropped the slant, he was more interest in the defender coming at him (I think it was Gamble) than watching the ball into his hands. That is what upset me.

In the situation we find ourselves in you can't continue to take plays off whether waiting for an ideal situation to present itself or because you're pacing yourself for an opportunity that may as a result never unfold. This is what Brady has been preaching to the entire team for the last month, and apparently to his #1 WR in particular. We cannot waste opportunities because we are encountering all too few of them. We have to maximize them at every turn. That even receiving the message itself hurt his feelings is what the root of the problem is. This has never been a concern here before. There is more to being a leader and playmaker here than hitting the weight room and being upbeat on the sidelines and making plays when it's easy to or your comfortable.

 

[emoney_33]

But he understands Randy, he understands that level of talent. It's like dealing with a great artist or a genius. Any time he wants, he can just flip a switch and smoke any secondary out there. When you have it that easy though, you can get distracted. Maybe something happened off the field to distract him.

This is the problem with many people, it's a slap in the face to all the hard work Moss puts in on a daily basis. He does not have it that easy. He has to work hard every day just like everyone else. He has always been a good role model and shown good work ethic. He was voted by his TEAMMATES two years in a row as a captain. We've always heard about him taking younger players under his wings.

It's naive to think that Moss is some freakishly superhuman being that can never try and just flip a switch on occasion to put up HOF numbers. It's ridiculous.

 

[BSR]

In the situation we find ourselves in you can't continue to take plays off whether waiting for an ideal situation to present itself or because you're pacing yourself for an opportunity that may as a result never unfold. This is what Brady has been preaching to the entire team for the last month, and apparently to his #1 WR in particular. We cannot waste opportunities because we are encountering all too few of them. We have to maximize them at every turn. That even receiving the message itself hurt his feelings is what the root of the problem is. This has never been a concern here before. There is more to being a leader and playmaker here than hitting the weight room and being upbeat on the sidelines and making plays when it's easy to or your comfortable.

The problem is the Moss cannot physically sprint down the length of the field for every snap that he is in the game, which is most of the offensive snaps. He never was able to do it and never will. It is physically impossible for him to do. So your only choice is to find a receiver that can do that, substitute for him more frequently or let him go half-speed on some plays when he feels it is less likely for him to be targeted because of coverage. Based on the coaching staff's reaction, it seems like they feel his ability draw the coverage away from other guys is more valuable then a full speed Sam Aiken in his stead.

 

[emoney_33]

Players take plays off, but not when the ball is coming to him. I am willing to conceed Brady's pass was off on the INT, but when Moss saw the ball was going to go directly to Gamble he made no effort to make a break on the ball. When he dropped the slant, he was more interest in the defender coming at him (I think it was Gamble) than watching the ball into his hands. That is what upset me.

Continue to ignore the fact that he cut the route short and had NO MOMENTUM to the sideline. Continue to ignore the fact that the DB was shading him to the outside. Continue to lie and say that he made no effort. He LIKELY read the defense shading outside, broke his route short expecting an inside pass, and then tried to make up for it after he saw the ball sailing outside. This isn't a Madden game, he can't just stop on a dime and start at 100% speed in any instant.

 

[Rob0729]

it upset you? what did you do afterward to get over it? or are you not over it yet?

It doesn't consume my day. It upsets me when I see it. When a player doesn't give his all when the ball is coming in his direction, it is upsetting.

 

[Rob0729]

Continue to ignore the fact that he cut the route short and had NO MOMENTUM to the sideline. Continue to ignore the fact that the DB was shading him to the outside. Continue to lie and say that he made no effort. He LIKELY read the defense shading outside, broke his route short expecting an inside pass, and then tried to make up for it after he saw the ball sailing outside. This isn't a Madden game, he can't just stop on a dime and start at 100% speed in any instant.

He made an effort to break up the pass? With his arms by his side?

 

[emoney_33]

"It was just a crazy week for everybody and being sent home, the distraction, maybe it did affect his game, but there are not too many things in the past where...I can't say he was dogging it," said Brown, who now works as an analyst for Comcast Sportsnet New England.

"He dropped some catches we're used to seeing Randy Moss make. The controversy highlighted it. When he did it early in the year no one noticed, but there is a little more attention put on those catches when there is some kind of controversy throughout the week, with his being sent home.

"I can guarantee you this, if he's not in that lineup, you will definitely see a lot of changes in the way teams play the Patriots. He is a huge asset to the football team just being on the field because you're not going to put your guard down and give him the chance to change the game with one play, whether he's dogging it or not."

"That situation it looked like he just kind of pulled up when he saw the ball was thrown outside and he didn't have a chance to get it," said Brown. "We are taught to finish plays. It's kind of hard to see. Who knows? I don't think...he has too much respect for that organization and for that team to dog it on these guys. Nobody knows what really happens in his head and the things that are going on during the week, and you don't know his health situation."

Brown said that route-running is an area Moss has really improved upon since first coming to New England.

"Randy has worked really hard to become a route runner, a lot of his game was based on speed and running past people," said Brown, who worked with Moss on route-running. "I think it's paid off for him. He's never been a Reggie Wayne when it comes to running routes. The routes he's run are based on running by people, that burst of speed off the line and then you run an in-cut and the guy is just bailing out."

"Everybody needs to be pumped up and reassured that 'we still need you to make some plays.' It's hard sometimes to go out there and catch one ball," said Brown. "It's hard to stay focused and feel like a part of the game when you're not seeing much action. ... It's kind of hard to understand that when you're not involved in that action.

"We all as receivers want to see the ball. We want to make things happen. I believe that's what Tom was saying, 'Stay in there. Shake it off, forget about it and come back and make the next play.' Tom has done it with me, and he's done it with everybody."

Troy Brown was a dog-faker!

 

[emoney_33]

He made an effort to break up the pass? With his arms by his side?

Recreate events some more. Next thing you know it will be he stopped and looked at his finger nails.

 

[Rob0729]

Recreate events some more. Next thing you know it will be he stopped and looked at his finger nails.

Show me one point on the replay where he tried to reach out and break up the pass before it hit gamble. If you can, I will drop the subject all together and admit I am wrong about Moss. He didn't even break out his trot when he saw that Brady didn't throw in his area. He didn't move his arms until after Gamble caught the ball.

NFL Videos: NFL Scoreboard: Panthers vs. Patriots highlights

Again, it is at the 25 second mark.

 

[emoney_33]

Show me one point on the replay where he tried to reach out and break up the pass before it hit gamble. If you can, I will drop the subject all together and admit I am wrong about Moss. He didn't even break out his trot when he saw that Brady didn't throw in his area. He didn't move his arms until after Gamble caught the ball.

NFL Videos: NFL Scoreboard: Panthers vs. Patriots highlights

Again, it is at the 25 second mark.

I saw the play, I saw it from different angles as well. Are you going to now assume that Moss saw the ball all the way from Brady's hands into the DB? It looked to me he read the outside coverage stopped the route short, when he saw the ball it was pretty late, he tried to get over there but couldn't in time. Do you not realize that passes are frequently thrown while the receiver is NOT looking for the ball or at the QB?

Moss expecting the ball inside or not at all is NOT the same as him watching the ball all the way into the DB's hands and then reaching an arm out. Good grief, stop trying to make it what you want it to be. Moss could very well have screwed up on that play and it's possible he should have cut for the sidelines harder on that route. But you act like it's impossible that Brady made a bad read or poor throw. Now go back and re-watch Brady on that play, does it not look like a rushed throw with a defender in his face? Brady didn't give much effort trying to slide away from the defender

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

It doesn't consume my day. It upsets me when I see it. When a player doesn't give his all when the ball is coming in his direction, it is upsetting.

Yeah

You are consumed by this. No doubt you have some critical emotional issues so this is the binky.

Going into Sunday, RM was:

1st in receiving yards
Ties 1st in 100 yard games
3rd in TD's
Plays with another top 6 receiver

RM played poorly week 14. The monster in your mind seems to be winning. I only hope it doesn't move to other parts of your life. You might want to re-evaluate the wisdom of being Patriots fan.

Anybody who can get so upset over something so stupid as a bad game might want to try figure skating, WWE, or synchronized swimming.