Does Randy Moss Even Care?

Photo Credit: The Providence Journal

By Joe Schackman

As Randy Moss has proven, talent can afford a lot of leniency in life.

Randy Moss always operated on his own terms. He knew just how much talent he had, and the kind of allowances that talent afforded him in life. He could make mistakes that would sink most people, only to see his pure athletic abilities lift him back above water.

But that knack for screwing up every situation never deterred teams from taking a chance on him. Moss didn’t play for Marshall University because he was an overlooked high school prospect; he simply landed there after pissing away opportunities at Notre Dame and Florida State. And yet, that self-inflicted roundabout path still led to NFL stardom.

Now 35 years old, fresh out of retirement and soon to join his fifth NFL team, he is still considered one of the greatest wide receivers of all time. But that same question still looms: Does Randy Moss even care?

Moss has battled this question his entire career. He was a man among boys, seemingly able to jump even higher, run even faster and catch even more balls than anyone else. The ease with which he operated made it appear as if he never put in a full effort, and that appearance frustrated fans to no end.

It’s always been easy to praise the scrappy guys squeezing every ounce of talent out of themselves. People readily identify with the image of the regular guy that made it big because he wanted more. But Moss triggered the opposite emotions. He had so much talent that he could outplay those scrappy guys while still looking like he was running at half speed. In truth, doing that at the highest level is an amazing feat. Yet to most, it simply looked like he was taking talent the vast majority of us will never have and throwing it away. “Sports writers, the honest ones, know envy,” Chris Jones wrote recently for ESPN, words tailor-made for all those that saw Moss play and instantly branded him lazy.

Of course, that perception doesn’t hold water when compared with reality. No slouch could be tied for second all-time in career receiving touchdowns and sit ninth in receptions and fifth in receiving yards. No bust or waste of talent could occupy the leaderboard for every notable receiving statistic and rank among the top five ever to play the position.

But as Moss reached the twilight of his career, it became harder to believe that this was the same player that had dominated the NFL just a few years ago. He flamed out with the Raiders, and then fell out of favor in New England. The Minnesota Vikings snagged him back but quickly dropped him after two games. All the while, Moss was called out by opposing cornerbacks and criticized by offensive coordinators. During one eventual loss, he walked off while his team was still on the field. Where for so many years, the book on Randy Moss was that he produced like someone who cared even while not appearing to play the part, now he simply didn’t care, full stop.

Moss was “a front-runner: someone who has little problem mailing in games or sabotaging situations if the team isn’t winning, if he doesn’t like his coach or quarterback, if his contract status hasn’t been resolved to his liking,” Bill Simmons said.

All that talent, though. It acted as a life preserver, keeping Moss above water, and at least once more, it has done its job. The 49ers are the latest to take a shine to him, in hopes he can jumpstart the passing game. On a team that took three quarters to complete a pass to a wide receiver during the NFC Championship game, it’s hard to imagine that Moss won’t. But nowadays, you never know. Early in the 2010 season, Moss and the Patriot faced cornerback Darrelle Revis and the New York Jets. Revis had recently called Moss a slouch, and Moss responded with under a minute left in the first half by taking off like a cruise missile, beating Revis by a step and hauling in one of the most impressive one-handed catches you will ever see. That was it, though. After flashing all the talent in the world, Moss would catch just one more ball over the course of the game, and the Jets would go on to win, 21-14.

This is the player that the 49ers have welcomed to their team. He is a wild card, enigma and X-factor rolled into one. For San Francisco, it’s a low-risk, high-reward deal. Low risk in the sense that they can cut their losses at any point, like the string of teams before them. High reward if Moss ever channels his early days and decides to care again.

Joe Schackman is an editor and co-founder of Began in '96