Felger will love this: CHFF calls Moss the 2008 Patriots MVP

[JSn]

WEEI 850AM Sports Radio - No One Makes An Impact Like Randy Moss

Good stat analysis.

Excerpt:

Need more evidence of Moss’s impact? Here a touchdown’s worth of exhibits:

ONE – Moss was the top receiver on the two highest scoring offenses in NFL history, the 2007 Patriots (589 points) and the 1998 Vikings (558 points).

TWO – Only five teams in history have won 15 or more games in a season. Moss is the only player who started for two of them: the 1998 Vikings (15-1) and the 2007 Patriots (16-0).

THREE – With 1 catch for 5 yards against Buffalo Sunday, Moss will have had 1,000-yard receiving seasons with a record six different quarterbacks: Cunningham, George, Culpepper, Kerry Collins, Brady and Cassel.

FOUR – Moss has been on the receiving end of the two of the five best passing seasons in history: Brady in 2007 (117.2 passer rating) and Culpepper in 2004 (110.9).

FIVE – If you include Cunningham’s 106.0 passer rating of 1998, Moss has been a fixture of three of the top 12 passing seasons of all time.

SIX – Moss averages 0.8 TD catches per game, the highest scoring rate for a receiver in the Super Bowl Era.

But for all the numbers in the past, remember 2008 as one of Moss’s finest seasons.

The Moss of petulant repute back in Minnesota or Oakland might have gone into a shell when his quest for a Super Bowl ring went up in smoke and Brady went down in a heap.

Instead, Moss quietly leads the NFL in TD catches. The New England running game (4.5 YPA) is as good as it’s been in 25 years. NFL reception leader Welker is heading to the Pro Bowl. Cassel has earned himself a big fat payday with a performance nobody would have predicted. New England fields the best offense in the AFC. And the Patriots just might earn another shot at the playoffs despite losing the game’s best quarterback way back in September.

None of it would be possible without Moss, the team MVP, who has shown over the years that he makes everyone around him better – the 2008 season simply provides further proof.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Glad to see someone giving Moss his due. Hopefully this argument picks up some notice in mainstream sports media, although I doubt it will since it isn't what people outside NE want to read.

 

[bigjunk1]

I just have a hard time thinking of anybody other than Welker being this teams MVP. There are very few players in the whole league that I think have been more valuable than Wes.
Moss is a legend, and he has been great this season again, but it seemed to me anyway, that when this team needed something they went to Welker.

 

[JSn]

There are very few players in the whole league that I think have been more valuable than Wes.

I think, as the article establishes, Moss contributed to a lot of Wes and Matt's stats.

 

[JMarr]

I agree with this. The Pats now more-than-leathal passing game is made possible not only by what Moss has done when he's gotten the ball, but also by his opening up plays for Welker and Gaffney just by his presence on the field. And, as has been said in other threads, his blocking has been much more noticeable and impressive of late.

As to all the stuff about his dogging it at times earlier in the year, I really didn't see it. What I saw was more like a team-wide despondency (with a few exceptions) during certain games after Brady went down.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I just have a hard time thinking of anybody other than Welker being this teams MVP. There are very few players in the whole league that I think have been more valuable than Wes.
Moss is a legend, and he has been great this season again, but it seemed to me anyway, that when this team needed something they went to Welker.

I don't want to take anything away from Wes, who is absolutely awesome, vital to our offense, and one of the best WRs in the league. But even when Moss isn't catching the ball. He's taking two defenders out of the play, guaranteed. You just can't overstate the importance of that in terms of how it opens up the field.

There's a reason why Culpepper became a crappy quarterback the second Moss left Minnesota- because he'd spent his entire career, to that point, working with that kind of an advantage.

I think the fact that we're looking at 1000 yards and 11 TDs (so far) as a quiet year for Moss says a lot about him, too...

 

[RayClay]

Imagine if he was trying. *sarcasm*

 

[blackglass3]

Don't let facts like these fool you. Randy Moss is not giving his best effort. He is a selfish, greedy, me first type of person who gave up the second Brady went down. Also, he is the A Rod of the NFL. It is his fault we didn't win the SB last year.

 

[JSn]

Don't let facts like these fool you. Randy Moss is not giving his best effort. He is a selfish, greedy, me first type of person who gave up the second Brady went down. Also, he is the A Rod of the NFL. It is his fault we didn't win the SB last year.

$50 says someone flames you for this, even though you were being sarcastic AND I pointed it out.

 

[primetime]

I don't deny that Moss is important to the Patriots, but the reasoning here is anything but "cold hard football facts." They cited a bunch of statistics that refer to Moss's career or the 2007 season, then they point out that the Patriots have a high average running the ball and Welker has had a great season. Then they say, well, that was all Moss. I don't get how you can make that logical leap.

 

[Xzibit23]

Although you could make a case for Moss as team MVP, I still think Welker gets the edge for team MVP because he adjusted quicker to Cassel, since Cassel picked up the short game with more ease. But Moss has gone under the radar imo, he will end the season with 1000+ Yards and at least 11 TDs, and for anyone else that would be a great season.

 

[363839]

Don't let facts like these fool you. Randy Moss is not giving his best effort. He is a selfish, greedy, me first type of person who gave up the second Brady went down. Also, he is the A Rod of the NFL. It is his fault we didn't win the SB last year.

Well you haven't got a cl....PSYCH JSn.

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

Half of that article is why he should have been the MVP last year, not why he should be MVP this year.

My vote is Welker, 2nd choice Cassel.

 

[Tip_Drill_81]

some of you guys are missing the point:
Moss' effect does NOT show up in the stat sheet!

all of those "facts" were to show that he is still the same player that heavily contributed to those teams in the past, and that he's still doing it on this 2008 team, but that it doesn't show up in the stat sheet. i agree with this.

i don't know if i would go so far as to call him the team mvp though. however, i do think that his effect on the team is severely under appreciated by non-patriots fans.

 

[brdmaverick]

Randy Moss is my favorite Patriots player, but even I would have to concede the notion of the 2008 Pats MVP to Wes Welker.

 

[Xzibit23]

I agree, Welker should be this teams MVP. But there is middle ground between saying Wes is MVP and Moss hasn't had a good season. I think Moss has gone under the radar and has been great for the Pats this year. He isn't getting 23 TDs but he'll have 1000+ Yards again and lead the NFL in TDs...again.

 

[primetime]

some of you guys are missing the point:
Moss' effect does NOT show up in the stat sheet!

all of those "facts" were to show that he is still the same player that heavily contributed to those teams in the past, and that he's still doing it on this 2008 team, but that it doesn't show up in the stat sheet. i agree with this.

Again, this is a completely illogical leap. I could be like "well Dan Marino threw lots of touchdowns in 1993, that's why he is the 2008 Patriots MVP," and it would have the same relevance as talking about Moss's 1998 season with the Vikings.

 

[Tip_Drill_81]

Again, this is a completely illogical leap. I could be like "well Dan Marino threw lots of touchdowns in 1993, that's why he is the 2008 Patriots MVP," and it would have the same relevance as talking about Moss's 1998 season with the Vikings.

but Dan Marino isn't on the 2008 Patriots. Moss is.
I think you might be only looking at the "stats" that the article is using and not the implied impact that Moss had on the teams that he's been on.

I think we can all agree that the 3 Offensive MVP's are: Cassell, Welker, and Moss.

From all the info from the article, i concluded:
-We know that Moss can put up big #'s and carry a team without Welker or Cassel. We also know that people around Moss have had career years!
-We DON'T know if Welker or Cassel can do the same without Moss. Cassel and Welker have never had better years than when they've been with Moss.

...hence, the reason for all the "stats" referring to players having career years while playing with Moss. I dunno, it seemed pretty logical to me.

all i'm saying is that the author makes a valid argument, and he used pretty logical facts.

 

[363839]

As other posters have said, Welker is as good a candidate as Moss for Pats MVP. Matt Cassel also has a good case.
In Cassel's case, I have to say that if he didn't have the recievers and coaching he has there is a good chance he would not be as successful.
As for Randy, there are at least 3 TDs he has dropped. Not that Randy hasn't been a monster despite that but Wes has really stepped up, too.
But I don't know that Wes gets that many catches without Randy's presence.
Tough call between Wes and Moss and Cassel.
Tri Co MVPs, out of the question?

 

[Satchboogie3]

Again, this is a completely illogical leap. I could be like "well Dan Marino threw lots of touchdowns in 1993, that's why he is the 2008 Patriots MVP," and it would have the same relevance as talking about Moss's 1998 season with the Vikings.

No it is not. I could probably show you video of every reception Welker has had this year and I guarantee that at least half of his receptions were due to Moss pulling 2-3 defenders away from Welker, leaving him open.

Although you could make a case for Moss as team MVP, I still think Welker gets the edge for team MVP because he adjusted quicker to Cassel, since Cassel picked up the short game with more ease. But Moss has gone under the radar imo, he will end the season with 1000+ Yards and at least 11 TDs, and for anyone else that would be a great season.

Moss didn't take longer to adjust to Cassel, its the other way around. Cassel need time to get the long ball working. Moss was getting open deep from game 1, Cassel just took a while to be able to hit him. Hell, Cassel himself answered questions about him finally being able to "gel" with Moss on the deep passes and he responded "The deep ball is the hardest pass to make, the short stuff is much easier, it takes much longer to get the deep ball timed." or something to that effect.

And finally, who is it that actually SCORES? Moss has 11TD so far (could easily have more) while Wes has 3. Moss is the single most dangerous WR in the redzone in the HISTORY of the NFL.

Now I LOVE Wes, but all stats, logic, and history (body of work) heavily suggest that Moss is the MVP of the offense.

That being said, I would put Cassel 2nd because he has done an amazing job for a guy who hadn't played a real game in 7 years.