T1B

Boston Globe wrote:Former Oakland Raiders OC Tom Walsh said from his ranch in Idaho, where he now lives after being fired along with HC Art Shell and Oakland's entire offensive staff following last season's 2-14 debacle, that WR Randy Moss' skills are declining. "Randy was a great receiver but he lacked the work ethic and the desire to cultivate any skills that would compensate for what he was losing physically later in his career," said Walsh. "He told me last year, 'I'm too old to practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but I'm not too old to play on Sunday.' Did they start a senior league?" Even though Walsh was disappointed with the Moss he grew to know, he still concedes that when Moss is right physically and mentally, defenses cannot be right. At least not for very long. "When he's right, he still makes an impact," Walsh said. "He looked like a world-beater in a preseason game against the Lions. I never thought he was difficult to coach, but we expected him to be a complete receiver and he wasn't. His whole game in Minnesota was outside the numbers [on or near the sidelines]. For him to run shallow crosses and in-routes was new for him. Initially, he showed all the interest but later on . . . I don't know." Walsh described a play in a loss to the Cleveland Browns in which a play-action pass was called and Moss was asked to run a square-in on the weak side.

The linebacker was sucked up inside by the fake, according to Walsh, and Moss was expected to run the in-route behind him into the open area. As Walsh recalled it, "He runs a 9 [deep go] route. "Andrew Walter was at quarterback. He makes the play-fake and a huge hole opens up for Randy in the middle of the field but he's running down the sideline. Walter nearly threw his arm out pulling the ball back. When Randy gets to the sidelines, [wide receivers coach] Freddie Biletnikoff says, 'What were you doing?' Randy told Fred, 'I didn't feel like running the 6 route on the dirt part of the infield.' That's the Randy I coached. There were some games where out of 28 plays he'd have 13 or 14 busts. Wrong routes, wrong reads. Dogging it. Whatever."

PSUFAN wrote:The thing is, though...you can bet the NE staff knows this. They'll find a way to get production out of him, rather than trying to change him.

mvscal wrote: The only thing he is even half-assed willing to do is run (kinda) fast down the sideline and that isn't what the Pats do.

mvscal wrote:The only thing he is even half-assed willing to do is run (kinda) fast down the sideline

War Wagon wrote:...with his right arm stretched skyward and screaming "I'm open, I'm OPEN!" while having a defender(s) draped on him

PSUFAN wrote:Another perspective from Kerry Collins:

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/p ... nd/?page=5

mvscal wrote:Read what he says. He's looking at it from a QB's perspective in that Moss will attract a lot of coverage his way which will open up things underneath for Brady. True enough, but that isn't going sit well with Cunty Moss. There's no way he's going to be content with a role as a bit player or decoy.

poptart wrote:There are a lot of telling things in that Globe article (James only posted part of it), but the funniest thing was Walsh saying that Moss was always asking him, 'When are we going to do some playground stuff?'

Well, the Moss of old ran 4.33 coming out of college, which is plenty fast for anybody, but 4.29? In Kuharich's recollection, "Only two guys I ever timed ran below 4.3. Deion Sanders and Herschel Walker. Randy is plenty fast, but what are the odds you run 4.33 in college, play nine years in the NFL, have several injuries, and run faster?"

According to the man who coached him last year, the idea is laughable.

"This is a guy who couldn't practice last year but he's going to jump up and run a 40 for somebody?" Shell said. "I never had a problem with him, but he's one of those guys where it's always everybody else's fault but his. They'll find out Randy can't run consistently anymore. He'll drive [Tom] Brady and [Bill] Belichick crazy. He teases people because every now and then you see something, but he can't keep it up consistently anymore.

"He's always had problems with his legs and he seems to feel if he practices too hard he's got nothing left for the game. I think that's why he takes a lot of plays off. But you can't just turn competitiveness on and off like that.

Raydah James wrote:NFL Total Access just had Art Shell on for an interview.



He said that Moss was in serious denial and his skills are diminishing rapidly.


He went on to say that he is no longer a "great" WR and he needs to get his knees checked out. He also said he looks like an old man on the field now.




Dayum..........Shell stone cold hammered him.