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Randy Moss

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Randy Moss
refer to caption
Randy Moss during the Patriots 2007 Training Camp.
New England Patriots
Career information
College:Marshall
NFL draft:1998 / round: 1 / pick: 21
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Randall Gene Moss[1] (born February 13, 1977 in Rand, West Virginia) is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 1998, and played the first stage of his career in Minnesota before a trade in 2005 brought him to the Oakland Raiders. On April 29, 2007, Moss was traded to the New England Patriots for a fourth-round draft pick. Moss holds the NFL single season touchdown reception record (23, set in 2007), and the NFL single-season TD reception record for a rookie (17, in 1998).


College career

Moss's dream was to play for Notre Dame, but he also considered going to Ohio State, where his half-brother, Eric, had played offensive tackle. According to former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz, Moss was "the greatest high school athlete I had ever seen — a bigger Deion Sanders."[2]

After originally signing a letter of intent to play college football with Notre Dame in 1995, Moss took part in a racially-charged fight at his high school that left one person hospitalized. He entered a plea of guilty to battery, and received probation along with a 30-day suspended jail sentence.[3] Notre Dame subsequently revoked his scholarship, but this did not stop another high-profile college football program from giving him a chance. Notre Dame officials suggested he attend Florida State due to the reputation of its coach, Bobby Bowden, for handling troubled players.[4] However, because of his signed letter of intent at Notre Dame, the NCAA considered him a transfer student, which made him ineligible to play for the Seminoles in the 1995 football season. He was red-shirted in his freshman season.[4] While at Florida State, Moss ran a 4.25 40-yard dash,[5] with only Deion Sanders being faster (4.23).

In 1996, while serving his 30-day jail sentence in a work-release program from 1995, Moss tested positive for smoking marijuana, thus violating his probation, and was let go by Florida State. He served an additional 60 days in jail for the probation violation.[4]

Ultimately, Moss transferred to Marshall University, about an hour's drive from his home. Because Marshall was then a Division I-AA school, NCAA rules allowed him to transfer there without losing any further eligibility. In 1996, he set the NCAA Division I-AA records for most games with a touchdown catch in a season (14), most consecutive games with a touchdown catch (13), most touchdown passes caught by a freshman in a season (29), and most receiving yards gained by a freshman in a season (1709 on 78 catches), a record which still stands. Moss was also the leading kickoff returner in Division I-AA on the season, with 484 total yards and a 34.6 yard average. Marshall went undefeated and won the Division I-AA title in its last season before moving to Division I-A.

In the 1997 season, Marshall's first in Division I-A, Moss and current New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington were the centerpiece of an explosive offense that led the Thundering Herd to the Mid-American Conference title. Moss caught 25 touchdown passes that season, at the time a Division I-A record, and was a first-team All-American.[5] For the season, he had 96 receptions for 1820 yards, and 26 touchdowns. He won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation's leading wide receiver, and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy (finishing fourth in the balloting, behind Ryan Leaf, Peyton Manning, and Charles Woodson, who won the award).

Moss left Marshall with 168 receptions for 3,467 yards and a school record 53 touchdowns.

NFL career

Joining The Vikings

During the 1998 NFL Draft, Moss, who was projected as a high first-round pick, was taken by the Minnesota Vikings with the 21st overall pick after a number of NFL clubs-- even those in need of a WR-- were concerned with Moss' well-documented legal problems.

In 1998, Moss helped the Vikings to become the number one ranked offense that season while they set a record for total points by a team. They finished with a 15-1 winning record and were poised to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. However, the Atlanta Falcons stunned the Vikings by winning the NFC Championship Game 30-27 in overtime. At the end of the 1998 regular season, Moss was named a Pro Bowl starter and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year for his rookie record 17 touchdown receptions and the third highest receiving yardage (1,313) total of 1998.

In 1999, Moss had another impressive season, catching 80 passes for 1,413 yards and 11 touchdowns. He went on to record 5 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown in the Vikings 27-10 NFC wildcard playoff win over the Dallas Cowboys. Minnesota lost in the divisional round to the St. Louis Rams 49-37, despite Moss catching 9 passes for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns. Moss was fined $40,000, which was later reduced to $25,000, during that game due to squirting an NFL referee with a water bottle. There was a stipulation that he would have to pay the difference in addition to any other fine if he had another run-in with the league.[6]

Moss's fortunes took a better turn on the football field during the 2003 regular season, where he became the second wide receiver in history (behind Jerry Rice in 1995) to play more than 12 games (he played 16) while averaging over 100 yards and one touchdown per contest. He finished with 111 receptions for 1,632 yards and 17 touchdowns. All three of the numbers either tied or became a new personal best.

Randy Moss made the Pro Bowl 5 times in his 7-year career with the Minnesota Vikings (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2003).

Trade to the Raiders

On March 2, 2005, Moss was traded to the Oakland Raiders for linebacker Napoleon Harris and the Raiders' 1st round (7th overall, which Minnesota parlayed into WR Troy Williamson) and 7th round picks in the NFL draft. Adding a player of Moss's caliber generated a lot of optimism,[7] but the Raiders' poor play continued after acquiring him. Nagging injuries limited his production, as well as what some saw as his unwillingness to play. Moss's own controversial remarks to the media drew more negative attention.

Trade to the Patriots

There were rumors leading up to the 2007 NFL Draft that the Patriots and Green Bay Packers were the two teams most interested in acquiring Moss. On April 29, 2007, the Raiders agreed to a trade with the New England Patriots, sending Moss to Foxborough, Massachusetts in exchange for a fourth-round selection, the 110th overall, in the 2007 NFL Draft (the same selection the Patriots acquired from the San Francisco 49ers during day one of the draft).[8] On November 4, 2007, James Black, NFL Editor for Yahoo! Sports wrote, "Every week, in addition to out-leaping at least one defender for a touchdown, [Moss] keeps making incredible one-handed grabs that make you mutter, 'How the heck did he come up with that?'"[9]. His play with the Patriots has led to his sixth Pro Bowl Selection.[10]

On December 29, the Patriots defeated the New York Giants 38-35, finishing their season with a perfect 16-0 record. Moss caught two touchdown passes for a total of 23 season catches, breaking the single season record of 22 touchdown catches previously set by Jerry Rice (note: Jerry Rice accomplished this feat in just twelve games due to a players strike). On the same play, Tom Brady broke Peyton Manning's single season record of 49 touchdowns set in 2004 with his 50th touchdown.[11]

Controversy

Marshall plane crash

In 1997, Randy Moss was quoted, in a Sports Illustrated article as saying the 1970 Marshall plane crash "was a tragedy, but it really wasn't nothing big."[12] Moss claimed that the quote was taken out of context.

Traffic incident

On September 24, 2002 in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, Moss was driving and was preparing to make an illegal turn. A traffic control officer, noticing what he was about to do, stood in front of his car, ordering him to stop. Eyewitness accounts of the event differ at this point, but Moss didn't comply with the officer's order, and she was bumped by his vehicle and fell to the ground. Moss was arrested, and a search of his vehicle revealed a small amount of marijuana.[13] Initially charged with Suspicion of Assault with a Deadly Weapon which is a felony and a misdemeanor marijuana possession, Moss pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor traffic violation, and was ordered to pay a $1,200 fine and perform 40 hours of community service.[14]

Leaving the field during a game

During the last game of the 2004 regular season against the Washington Redskins and with two seconds remaining on the game clock, Moss walked off the field and into the locker room; critics criticized Moss for quitting on his team.[15] Moss stated afterward that he didn’t think Minnesota, who ended up losing 18-21 to Washington, would recover the onside kick.[16]

Playoff mooning incident

On January 9, 2005, the Minnesota Vikings traveled to Green Bay to take on the heavily favored division rival Green Bay Packers, in an NFC wildcard playoff game. Moss was effective, finishing the game with 4 catches for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 31-17 win. After the second score, Moss trotted to the end zone goalpost. Facing away from the crowd, he feigned pulling down his pants, and pretended to moon the Green Bay fans. TV announcer Joe Buck, who was calling the game, was incensed at the mooning, calling it "a disgusting act" on-air. Days later, the NFL fined him $10,000, finding it unsportsmanlike and offensive during the playoffs. However, Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy, the former Vikings defensive coordinator, explained Moss' action by pointing out that Green Bay Packers fans are infamous for actually mooning the buses of departing opponents,[17] unlike Moss' fully-clothed imitation. However, he was fined for the incident.

Marijuana use

In August 2005, during an interview with Bryant Gumbel, Moss admitted that he has smoked marijuana during his NFL career "every blue moon."[18]

Lack of effort

On November 14, 2006, Moss was honored for his success in college as a kick returner by having an award named after him, becoming only one of two black athletes (along with John Mackey) so honored. During the press conference, Moss responded to questions about his dropped passes and lackluster effort in several games, saying "Maybe because I'm unhappy and I'm not too much excited about what's going on, so, my concentration and focus level tend to go down sometimes when I'm in a bad mood."[19] Days later, he reiterated his unhappiness with losing games and being a member of the Raiders on his weekly segment with Fox Sports Radio, saying, "I might want to look forward to moving somewhere else next year to have another start and really feel good about going out here and playing football."[20] Moss made similar comments during his tenure with the Vikings, when he infamously proclaimed, "I play when I want to play."[21]

On May 15, 2007, more than two weeks after the trade to New England, Moss was called out by his former Raiders coaches. His former offensive coordinator, Tom Walsh, who was fired from the Raiders after Oakland's 2-14 losing season, said of Moss, "Randy Moss is a player whose skills are diminishing, and he's in denial of those eroding skills...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." Walsh also reported that Moss told him, "'I'm too old to practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but I'm not too old to play on Sunday.'"[22] However, Moss stated the losing seasons on the Oakland Raiders negatively affected his playing and discouraged him during the team's practice: "...Losing sometimes can get contagious, but as a player I can't let that settle in, and I think that's one of the things that bothered me [in Oakland]. I didn't want it to set in and it didn't set in. It was just really nerve-racking that it was hard for me to win."[22]

Dating violence allegations

On January 15, 2008, Rozzie Franco from Orlando-based radio station WDBO reported that, "New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss has been hit with a temporary injunction for protection against dating violence. According to the affidavit Moss committed a battery upon Rachelle Washington,[23] causing serious injury, and then refused to allow her to seek medical attention. The affidavit out of Broward County reveals Moss cannot come within 500 hundred feet of the victim and cannot use or possess firearms."[24]


The next day, in a locker room press conference, Moss claimed the woman was simply looking for money "over an accident,"[25] because her lawyer came to his lawyer, threatening a lawsuit, and asking for money to settle before she went public to the media. Moss claims he has known this woman for about eleven years, and in defense of himself, claims that he has never assaulted a woman in his entire life, and asked that the media and fans "find out the facts" before "rush[ing] to judgment."[26] Moreover, Moss' lawyer, in an e-mail to the Boston Globe accused the woman's lawyer of "blatant threats and attempts to extort money" from Moss.[27] He has not been charged with any crime. There is a hearing set to discuss the possibility of a permanent restraining order, the hearing is set for Jan. 28 (6 days prior to Super Bowl XLII). Moss is not required to attend this hearing.[28]

NFL records

  • Rookie record 17 TD catches.
  • He is third only to Anquan Boldin and Bill Groman for most rookie receiving yards with 1,313.
  • Moss has caught 124 TD passes through 10 seasons, 4th most in NFL history. He trails Jerry Rice, Cris Carter, and Terrell Owens.
  • Has caught 13 or more TDs in a season 5 times. He trails only Terrell Owens and Jerry Rice in such seasons.
  • Is the only player other than Jerry Rice to catch 17 or more TDs in a multiple seasons (Moss accomplished the feat in 1998, 2003 and 2007).[29]
  • Moss has had 4 seasons in which he averaged at least one receiving TD a game: 1998 (17 TDs in 16 games), 2003 (17 TDs in 16 games), 2004 (13 TDs in 13 games), and 2007 (23 TDs in 16 games). He is the only wide receiver in NFL history to do so.[30]
  • He had back-to-back 100 catch seasons, in 2002 and 2003. He joined Sterling Sharpe, Jerry Rice, Herman Moore, Cris Carter, Marvin Harrison, and Rod Smith as the only receivers to accomplish this feat.
  • At the end of the 2007 season, Moss averaged 12.4 receiving TDs per season, an NFL record.
  • He had 1,000+ yards in each of his first 6 seasons, setting an NFL record.
  • In 2003, Moss became the second player in NFL history to average 100 yards and one TD per game in a 16 NFL game season, scoring 17 touchdowns and 1,632 yards.
  • In 2007, Moss became the only player in NFL history to record four 100+ yard games in his first four games with a new team.
  • Moss has eclipsed the 1,000 yard receiving mark 8 times in his career. He is tied for 3rd all-time in that statistic.
  • Also in 2007, Moss set a record with 16 touchdowns in his first 10 games with a new team.
  • On December 29, 2007 he set the NFL record for most touchdown receptions in a regular season, with 23.

Career highlights

  • 5-time All-Pro selection.
  • 23 TD's in a season.
  • Is second on the Minnesota Vikings all time receiving TD list with 90. Cris Carter holds the record with 110 receiving scores.
  • Caught his 100th touchdown in 2006 against San Francisco (on a pass he caught with his legs), and he is the 7th receiver to have 100 touchdowns or more.
  • Holds the record for most touchdowns in Minnesota Vikings playoff history with 8.
  • 55 career 100 yard games - third all-time.
  • Has a 15.8 yards per catch average for his career.
  • Has completed 4 of 8 passes for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception, giving him a 95.8 passer rating.
  • Has played on the two highest scoring teams (for a single season) in NFL history: 2007 Patriots (589 points) & the 1998 Vikings (556 points)
  • Had a career-high 12 receptions for 204 yards against the Chicago Bears, at Soldier Field, on November 14, 1999 in a 27-24 overtime win.
  • Holds the Viking record for most 100 yard receiving games with 41.
  • Had a Pro Bowl record nine receptions for 212 yards in the 1999 season's Pro Bowl played on February 6, 2000. NFC won in a shootout, 51-31, marking the highest scoring output in Pro Bowl History.
  • Caught a career high four touchdowns at Buffalo. (Nov. 18, 2007)
  • Caught three touchdowns in six different games: at Dallas (Nov. 26, 1998), a 46-36 victory; vs. Chicago (Dec. 6, 1998), a 48-22 victory; at Detroit (Oct. 1, 2000), a 31-24 victory; vs. New York (November 19, 2001 ) a 28-16 victory; vs. San Francisco (Sep. 28, 2003), a 35-7 victory; vs. Buffalo (November 18, 2007), a 56-10 victory.

References

  1. ^ "Moss on Pro-Football-Reference". rbref.com. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  2. ^ "2006 Player Profile: WR - Randy Moss". 2006-07-14. Retrieved 2007-02-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ "Schoolboy Star Pleads Guilty". Associated Press. 1995-08-02. Retrieved 2007-03-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ a b c Wood, Skip (2002-09-25). "Moss: Misunderstood or immature?". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-03-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ a b Carter, Bob. "Moves, emotions have Moss causin' a commotion". ESPN Classic. Retrieved 2007-02-22. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ "N.F.L. Reduces Moss's Fine". The New York Times. 2000-03-30. Retrieved 2007-03-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ Poole, Monte (2006-11-26). "Star implies he won't stop at pretend moon". Oakland Tribune. Retrieved 2007-02-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  8. ^ "Raiders agree to send WR Moss to Patriots". NFL.com. 2007-04-29. Retrieved 2007-04-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Black, James C. (2007-11-04). "Winners, losers and more: Chargers' woes". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  10. ^ "2008 Pro Bowl rosters". National Football League. 2007-12-18. Retrieved 2007-12-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Patriots set scoring record, Brady and Moss set season marks" (reprint). Associated Press. 2007-12-29. Retrieved 2007-12-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Mosedale, Mike (2002-12-11). "What Makes Randy Run". The City Pages. p. 2. Retrieved 2007-03-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  13. ^ Scheck, Tom (2002-09-26). "Vikings' Moss apologizes for traffic incident". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved 2007-03-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  14. ^ Maske, Mark (2005-02-24). "Vikings Agree to Trade Moss to the Raiders". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-03-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ Rhoden, William (2007-10-29). "This Season, Moss Is in the Mood to Play". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-11-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  16. ^ "Randy Moss Biography". Retrieved 2007-03-07. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  17. ^ "League spokesman points to 'poor taste' rule". Associated Press. 2005-01-11. Retrieved 2007-02-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  18. ^ "Moss admits smoking marijuana since entering NFL". ESPN.com. 2005-08-18. Retrieved 2007-02-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  19. ^ White, David (2006-11-14). "Unhappy returns: Moss in 'bad mood'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-02-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  20. ^ Corkran, Steve (2006-11-18). "Moss looking for a trade". Contra Costa Times. Retrieved 2007-02-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  21. ^ Hartman, Sid (2006-08-15). "Moss OK with fans, but not with Vikings". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2007-02-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  22. ^ a b "Walsh: Moss' skills were 'diminishing' on Raiders". ESPN.com news services. 2007-05-12. Retrieved 2007-07-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  23. ^ Moss Denies Injuring a Woman He Knows
  24. ^ Randy Moss Hit With Temporary Restraining Order
  25. ^ Transcript of Moss's comments regarding battery allegations
  26. ^ Moss responds to off-field issue
  27. ^ Email from Tim DiPiero, lawyer for Randy Moss. Accessed 2008-01-17
  28. ^ Moss gets support, woman's attorney refutes his comments
  29. ^ Pro Football Reference Best Single Season TD record
  30. ^ Pro Football Reference Randy Moss Profile
Preceded by AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
1998 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Most receiving touchdowns in a season
2007 NFL season 		Succeeded by
Current record holder
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