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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Randy Moss is a hard man to stop in the month of May.
Just ask local reporters, who have watched Moss run go routes past them as he’s walked off the field following recent San Francisco 49ers practices.
Niners defensive backs haven’t fared any better. Moss is as lean, lithe and long-armed as he was a decade ago, and he quickly has become a favorite target for the four quarterbacks on hand at the team’s organized team activities.
“He’s easy to throw to,” starter Alex Smith said. “You know, a guy who’s that big and catches everything. Yeah, he’s easy to throw to. Makes you look good.”
The 13-year veteran must have run at least a half-dozen deep routes in a recent practice, including a 50-yard bomb from Smith that Moss snatched in the back of the end zone.
The catch was vintage Moss in two ways: It was the route he first made famous as a member of the Minnesota Vikings and one likely to earn him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And it had teammates on adjacent practice fields peeking over their shoulders and pumping their fists.
As much as Moss has tried to avoid the spotlight, he can’t help but be the main attraction. He has rookies like first-round draft pick A.J. Jenkins following him around like a groupie. And he’s even captured the attention of grizzled veterans like defensive end Justin Smith.
"Had a chance to go by (defensive lineman) Ray McDonald the other day, and Ray and Justin were talking,” coach Jim Harbaugh recounted. “And Ray goes, 'I don't think Randy Moss has lost at step.' And Justin says, 'That's Randy freakin' Moss over there. It doesn't matter if he did lose a step. That's Randy Moss.' "
Indeed, the early returns on Moss have been decidedly positive.
He arrived in Santa Clara on April 30 for the start of Harbaugh’s so-called “Football School,” a precursor to the OTA sessions and minicamps currently taking place.
Harbaugh does not take a leisurely, dip-a-toe-in-the-pool approach to spring practices. His “Football School” sessions were fast-paced, intense and eye-opening for newcomers not used to his hyperactive style.
Moss didn’t complain and more than kept up. In fact, Harbaugh said the 35-year-old has been like another coach on the field.
“He’s not a B.S.-er,” Harbaugh said. “He’s rock-solid. We just couldn’t be happier with him.”
The caveat is that Moss always blooms in the month of May.
Similarly florid descriptions have followed him on recent stops in Oakland, Minnesota, Tennessee and New England. The adjectives, however, became vastly different when the pads and helmets went on and the regular season began.
Moss’ low point came in 2010 when he bounced among three teams—the Patriots, Vikings and Titans—and made little impact on any of them. The whispers were that Moss, the man who once struck fear in the hearts of 31 defensive coordinators, was done.
And Moss appeared to confirm that the following offseason when, through his agent, he announced he was finished with football.
His retirement lasted only a year.
The 49ers, who had inquired about Moss when they grew thin at receiver late in 2011, dialed his number again this year. He visited in March and immediately hit it off with Harbaugh, who conducted the workout by throwing Moss passes on an overcast afternoon.
Though Moss’s numbers generally have dipped at the end of his career, the 49ers point to his stats upon joining the Patriots in 2007. The receiver provided an extra gear—23 touchdowns and a 15.2-yard per-catch average—to an already excellent Patriots team that went undefeated in the regular season before losing to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.
The 49ers feel they can re-create those New England-like conditions this year. They’re coming off a 13-3 season, are one of the Super Bowl favorites and, like the Patriots, have a strong, no-nonsense coach.
The overtime loss to the Giants in the NFC championship game is still vivid to the 49ers, and it’s guided their offseason moves. The team was short on receivers entering that game, and the ones that did play had little impact. In fact, the only San Francisco wideout with a reception was Michael Crabtree, who had one catch for three yards.
Moss’ mere presence, the thinking goes, will create more room for Crabtree over the middle. He’ll be an excellent example for speedy Jenkins, the 30th overall draft pick. And he’ll prevent teams from placing their safeties close to the line of scrimmage to stop running back Frank Gore.
The wild card is Alex Smith, who throughout his career has favored safer, shorter passes to the deep strikes for which Moss is famous. Then again, Smith never has had a receiving corps like this one—and he’s never had anyone like Randy Moss.
"It's like waking up on Christmas," Smith said. "You've got a lot of new toys out there, new presents."
Just ask local reporters, who have watched Moss run go routes past them as he’s walked off the field following recent San Francisco 49ers practices.
Niners defensive backs haven’t fared any better. Moss is as lean, lithe and long-armed as he was a decade ago, and he quickly has become a favorite target for the four quarterbacks on hand at the team’s organized team activities.
“He’s easy to throw to,” starter Alex Smith said. “You know, a guy who’s that big and catches everything. Yeah, he’s easy to throw to. Makes you look good.”
The 13-year veteran must have run at least a half-dozen deep routes in a recent practice, including a 50-yard bomb from Smith that Moss snatched in the back of the end zone.
The catch was vintage Moss in two ways: It was the route he first made famous as a member of the Minnesota Vikings and one likely to earn him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And it had teammates on adjacent practice fields peeking over their shoulders and pumping their fists.
As much as Moss has tried to avoid the spotlight, he can’t help but be the main attraction. He has rookies like first-round draft pick A.J. Jenkins following him around like a groupie. And he’s even captured the attention of grizzled veterans like defensive end Justin Smith.
"Had a chance to go by (defensive lineman) Ray McDonald the other day, and Ray and Justin were talking,” coach Jim Harbaugh recounted. “And Ray goes, 'I don't think Randy Moss has lost at step.' And Justin says, 'That's Randy freakin' Moss over there. It doesn't matter if he did lose a step. That's Randy Moss.' "
Indeed, the early returns on Moss have been decidedly positive.
He arrived in Santa Clara on April 30 for the start of Harbaugh’s so-called “Football School,” a precursor to the OTA sessions and minicamps currently taking place.
Harbaugh does not take a leisurely, dip-a-toe-in-the-pool approach to spring practices. His “Football School” sessions were fast-paced, intense and eye-opening for newcomers not used to his hyperactive style.
Moss didn’t complain and more than kept up. In fact, Harbaugh said the 35-year-old has been like another coach on the field.
“He’s not a B.S.-er,” Harbaugh said. “He’s rock-solid. We just couldn’t be happier with him.”
The caveat is that Moss always blooms in the month of May.
Similarly florid descriptions have followed him on recent stops in Oakland, Minnesota, Tennessee and New England. The adjectives, however, became vastly different when the pads and helmets went on and the regular season began.
Moss’ low point came in 2010 when he bounced among three teams—the Patriots, Vikings and Titans—and made little impact on any of them. The whispers were that Moss, the man who once struck fear in the hearts of 31 defensive coordinators, was done.
And Moss appeared to confirm that the following offseason when, through his agent, he announced he was finished with football.
His retirement lasted only a year.
The 49ers, who had inquired about Moss when they grew thin at receiver late in 2011, dialed his number again this year. He visited in March and immediately hit it off with Harbaugh, who conducted the workout by throwing Moss passes on an overcast afternoon.
Though Moss’s numbers generally have dipped at the end of his career, the 49ers point to his stats upon joining the Patriots in 2007. The receiver provided an extra gear—23 touchdowns and a 15.2-yard per-catch average—to an already excellent Patriots team that went undefeated in the regular season before losing to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.
The 49ers feel they can re-create those New England-like conditions this year. They’re coming off a 13-3 season, are one of the Super Bowl favorites and, like the Patriots, have a strong, no-nonsense coach.
The overtime loss to the Giants in the NFC championship game is still vivid to the 49ers, and it’s guided their offseason moves. The team was short on receivers entering that game, and the ones that did play had little impact. In fact, the only San Francisco wideout with a reception was Michael Crabtree, who had one catch for three yards.
Moss’ mere presence, the thinking goes, will create more room for Crabtree over the middle. He’ll be an excellent example for speedy Jenkins, the 30th overall draft pick. And he’ll prevent teams from placing their safeties close to the line of scrimmage to stop running back Frank Gore.
The wild card is Alex Smith, who throughout his career has favored safer, shorter passes to the deep strikes for which Moss is famous. Then again, Smith never has had a receiving corps like this one—and he’s never had anyone like Randy Moss.
"It's like waking up on Christmas," Smith said. "You've got a lot of new toys out there, new presents."
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