| Randolph Charlotin. 10th September, 2008 - 12:52 pm
 By the time the New England Patriots handed out the press release announcing quarterback Tom Brady was out for the rest of the season due to knee surgery, the team had moved on. There are still 15 games left in the season starting Sunday at the New York Jets.
Regrouping after the loss of a franchise quarterback is nothing new to this team. It happened in 2001 when Brady stepped in for Drew Bledsoe. Expecting the same result as Matt Cassel replaces Brady is asking too much, but the team knows they must step up.
It starts with strong leadership from the captains to get more out of each other and support Cassel. They must help the USC product in any way possible and try to keep as much of the load off Matt’s shoulders.
While captains Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, and Matt Light can be helpful, none will be as vital to helping Cassel as captain Randy Moss.
Moss was voted a team captain by his teammates the week before the season opener. It is an indication of how valuable Randy is to the team after posting 1,493 yards receiving and catching 23 touchdowns. It is also a reflection of Moss being a model citizen in his first year as a Patriot. But now he must live up to his new title.
Before being named captain, Moss was labeled as immature and selfish. Moss lived up to those descriptions when he wouldn’t run routes as a decoy, tried to spray a referee with water, and walked off the field before the game was over.
He only enhanced his reputation in two years with the Oakland Raiders. Moss, who said, “I play when I wanna play” while as a Minnesota Viking, took his own words to heart as his performance plummeted with the Raiders. In his second and final year with Oakland, Moss posted career lows in receptions (42), yards (553), and touchdowns (3).
By playing his way out of Oakland, Moss got his wish and was traded to New England. The move reinvigorated Moss as the season had meaning. He was also in a locker room that allowed Randy to keep his contact with the media to a minimum. Moss was able to hide behind Brady as the franchise passer took the brunt of the attention.
Now Moss must reverse the role with Brady out of the picture. Moss must draw the media scrutiny away from Cassel and become more available. Head Coach Bill Belichick likely will reduce Cassel’s availability to once a week, but Moss has to be out there to deflect criticism and protect Cassel from the abrasive Boston press.
Anything Moss can do to keep the pressure off Cassel while off the field would do wonders for Matt’s psyche. Of more value will be what information Moss passes along to Cassel during games.
Belichick said Moss is the smartest receiver he ever coached. Brady said Moss is like another quarterback on the field for being able to recognize defenses. Anything Moss picks up on during the course of the game, he must quickly relay to Cassel as he won’t be as keen to opponents’ strategies or able to recognize disguised coverages.
This is nothing new in the NFL. Receivers believe they are open on every play and aren’t afraid to let the QB know. The difference for Moss will be telling Cassel when other receivers will be open. Moss knows all the routes for every player on the field. If Moss realizes when he’s getting double or triple-teamed, Randy must tell Cassel Wes Welker should be open underneath or Jabar Gaffney will be one-on-one down the sideline. Any defensive tendencies Moss picks up on that create opportunities for teammates, Moss must share every detail even if it means less passes his way.
For all the help Moss can provide Cassel, most importantly Moss can’t revert to his old self. This season won’t be the joyride 2007 was. If the team loses a few tough games, Moss has to stay positive. If he’s not getting the ball as much as he wants, Moss can’t start sulking and letting his displeasure affect his play. And if the play is not designed for Moss, he must run his route as if the ball is coming his way.
Moss never handled adversity well in the past, and this season could be a trying one. His teammates paid Randy the ultimate honor by electing him a team captain. Moss appreciates the respect paid for the title. Now Moss must act like a captain.
Randolph Charlotin has a blog at http://www.newenglandpatriotsnews.com/randolphc/weblog/. He can be contacted at lordrc@netzero.net. |
