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PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK
Offensive bar set high for Moss & Co.
By Christopher L. Gasper, Globe Staff | August 16, 2008
FOXBOROUGH - Randy Moss now knows how the cornerbacks lined up across from him feel before the snap of the ball - nervous.
Speaking yesterday in a team setting for the first time since the Patriots' Super Bowl XLII loss in February, Moss admitted being nervous about trying to equal the offensive output that he and his teammates produced in 2007, when Moss notched an NFL-record 23 touchdown receptions, Tom Brady had a league-record 50 TD tosses, and the Patriots set NFL marks for points (589) and touchdowns (75).
"I'm actually kind of nervous, and the reason why is that I think [about] what we did last year as a whole unit," said Moss, who in his first season in New England had 98 catches for a franchise-record 1,498 yards. "We're going to try to come out and put points on the board because that's what we're coached and asked to do, but the expectation, the bar is set so high here - not by you all, not by the fans, but by the coaches and the team."
In an interview that only lasted three questions - the number of queries Moss stated he would field before the session began - Moss touched on why he returned to the Patriots, his comfort level in his second season with the team, and the chances of he and the Patriots' offense topping their historic 2007 campaign.
"We have high expectations for this offense, and this team as a unit, but what we did last year I don't think we can really live and dwell off that because that was last year," said Moss. "Like I said, it's a little bit of nervousness because I know how high the bar is here."
During the offseason, Patriots fans were nervous about Moss's possible departure. The 31-year-old Moss, who took a pay cut to play for the Patriots last season, flirted with leaving Brady and coach Bill Belichick behind when the Eagles offered him a lucrative deal, but he ultimately took less money to keep the Randy Renaissance in Foxborough, signing a three-year, $27 million deal ($14.1 million in bonuses and guarantees).
The end of the Patriots' undefeated season at the hands of the Giants in the Super Bowl tugged at him to return.
"I just think that first and foremost we have some unfinished business," said Moss. "I like the camaraderie around here, especially in the locker room, on the field. We've got a great group of guys in the locker room. I think that's all you can ask for - and coaching. Coach Belichick understands football and understands his players and really puts us together as one. We come together as a team, and that's what you can definitely respect playing in this profession, playing in this league."
Despite Moss's anxiety regarding an encore, Brady said that Moss, who has been dominating camp with a series of highlight receptions, is actually ahead of where he was last year at this time. In 2007, Moss missed more than a month of preseason practices and sat out all four exhibition games after suffering a leg injury early in camp.
"The good thing that I can really say about our offense, and I'm speaking for myself, is that you had guys that came in late, myself, Chad Jackson was hurt last year, and [Wes] Welker coming in last year, so for us to have a whole offseason, a training camp to really understand the offense and the concept, is really scary," Moss said.
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