It must be something in the water down here. The vibes are good, the pace is slow, and a lot of washed up rock stars, actors, and football players want to put themselves out to pasture in the verdant sprawl of Middle Tennessee. Maybe Randy Moss is the latest addition.
In case you haven't been following the Titans' mercurial (shitty/schizoid) season, there is a guy named Randy Moss that is very likely a Hall of Fame to be receiver, and through some weird Magic Bullet type chance alignment, he wound up being picked off waivers and coming to Nashville. In case you haven't paid attention to pro football in the past decade, he's pretty good at catching balls and scoring touchdowns. But far be it for me to judge offensive play calling. It's just that, since acquiring Moss, the Titans have seen fit to throw the ball his way less than a dozen times, even in the midst of a nauseating six game losing streak.
Two weeks ago, Moss was actually receiving praise from commentators on his BLOCKING ABILITY, something he has been notoriously averse to doing in the past. In fact, Moss used to be known for his pouty demeanor when passes weren't tossed his way enough. (He is also apparently not a fan of Minneapolis area catering, but that's another, um...plate.)
So this guy, probably the highest profile wide receiver to ever spend time on the Titans' roster, has been on the field the last month in a sporadic fashion, and when he has been, the ball very rarely finds itself being chucked in his direction. Yet somehow, someway, the supposedly difficult Moss is as chill and all smiles as ever. This week, he spent an unprecedented SIX minutes with Nashville media in the locker room (please people, this could possibly be his longest media moment of the season), joking and opining that he would LOVE to return to the Titans next year. Well maybe not "love", but at least "not mind", which honestly I am just going to take as a synonym for "love".
Like, i said, it must be something in the water down here.
With all deference to the incomparable Jim Wyatt, I reprint from his Titans blog two days ago....
Randy Moss has every reason to be frustrated by his lack of production and opportunities, but the Titans receiver insisted Wednesday that he’s not mad. In fact, he said he’s enjoying his time in Tennessee so much he’d like to come back next season.
"This organization has been good to me. My production has not been where I want it to be or where the organization wants it to be. But when it comes down to it, I think they are happy with where they are at with me and I am happy with where I’m at," Moss said.
"Next year, hopefully, if the opportunity presents itself for me to be here, I would love to. I like the city and I like the people. There’s a lot of history here and football is one of the many things they have going on around here in this city and I am a country boy in a country city. I love it. I can’t speak enough about the city and the fans."
Moss has five catches for 62 yards since the Titans claimed him on Nov. 3. He was not targeted in the past two games. He will be a free agent when the season ends.
"At 33 I am still running with the 20-year olds. It might take me a little longer to warm up," Moss said with a smile. "But other than that I still have fun with the guys. I still can compete and I still can get open. The bad thing about me being so old at 33 is I still have a lot of football left to be played. So we’ll see what the future holds."
Asked if he’d need a promise to get more passes thrown his way next season, Moss passed on the opportunity to make a case for himself. Instead he praised others, including receiver Kenny Britt.
"Man, this is a business. It is really not my call or for me to say, 'Throw me every ball or throw me balls.' Earlier in my career if I think you’d have asked me that question I would have probably been a little more biased and a little more as an individual. But I’ve always understood the concept of team," Moss said.
"I’ve always felt I could take over a game and things like that. Now I am a little older and there are younger guys coming into the league with a little bit more pizazz and determination. But I am still determined … to go out there and make it happen. Last week I told Kenny 'There is only one Moss' and when I leave this league there will never be another Moss come through this league. The last couple of years I want to finish out I want to give the league something to remember me by and hopefully if it is not here in Tennessee it would be somewhere else.
"But I wouldn’t mind staying here in Tennessee. I really wouldn’t."
No comments:
Post a Comment