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Catching ultimate compliment
Coach calls Moss smartest receiver
By Mike Reiss and Christopher L. Gasper, Globe Staff | October 25, 2007
FOXBOROUGH - With 44 receptions for an NFL-leading 732 yards and 10 touchdowns, Randy Moss's athletic prowess has been on full display through the season's first seven games.
Boston.com
Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts But Patriots coach Bill Belichick pointed to a different part of Moss's game while speaking with Commanders reporters on a conference call yesterday.
"He is probably the smartest receiver I have coached," Belichick said.
Considering that Belichick said he had little history with Moss prior to his April trade to the Patriots, the words carry significance. Belichick, a coach with 33 years in the NFL, has been won over in six months.
"Randy has come in and done a great job for us," Belichick said on the conference call. "He is smart and competitive. He has outstanding receiving skills. He makes great decisions on the field, in terms of reading coverages and making route adjustments."
Moss's smarts have helped him pick up the Patriots' complex offense, despite the fact he didn't get on the field for the bulk of training camp. His combination of physical skills and sharp mental approach has also contributed to him playing 83 percent of the team's snaps, the highest percentage of skill-position players (other than quarterbacks).
Dogged persistence
Coach Joe Gibbs framed Sunday's game between the Patriots and his Commanders as a David vs. Goliath battle when he said Washington would "probably be the biggest underdog in the history of sports."
When that statement was relayed to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady yesterday, the eight-year veteran questioned the veracity of Gibbs's statement. "I think he's blowing smoke," Brady said. "I promise you that he's not telling his team that, I'm sure.
"That sounds like something that Coach Belichick would say, so he's trying to butter us up. You know, it doesn't work for us. We know what we're getting ourselves into. We're playing one of the best defenses in the league and they've been in every game this year. They're 4-2, could easily be 6-0."
But Gibbs, speaking with New England reporters via conference call yesterday, insisted he was simply telling it like it is. "What I was trying to be there was real truthful about it," Gibbs said. "What are we now? I don't know. How many points [of an underdog]?"
Told that the pointspread is in the 16- to 17-point range, Gibbs was quick with the reply: "Seventeen or sixteen? Is that blowing smoke?" he said. "I would say 17-point underdog, that's pretty realistic. And it will probably climb, let's put it that way.
"They're at the top of their game and I think everybody in the world realizes that I wasn't trying to blow smoke. I was trying to be realistic. I was trying to say, 'Hey, look, these are what the facts are.' I wasn't trying to kid somebody
Coach calls Moss smartest receiver
By Mike Reiss and Christopher L. Gasper, Globe Staff | October 25, 2007
FOXBOROUGH - With 44 receptions for an NFL-leading 732 yards and 10 touchdowns, Randy Moss's athletic prowess has been on full display through the season's first seven games.
Boston.com
Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts But Patriots coach Bill Belichick pointed to a different part of Moss's game while speaking with Commanders reporters on a conference call yesterday.
"He is probably the smartest receiver I have coached," Belichick said.
Considering that Belichick said he had little history with Moss prior to his April trade to the Patriots, the words carry significance. Belichick, a coach with 33 years in the NFL, has been won over in six months.
"Randy has come in and done a great job for us," Belichick said on the conference call. "He is smart and competitive. He has outstanding receiving skills. He makes great decisions on the field, in terms of reading coverages and making route adjustments."
Moss's smarts have helped him pick up the Patriots' complex offense, despite the fact he didn't get on the field for the bulk of training camp. His combination of physical skills and sharp mental approach has also contributed to him playing 83 percent of the team's snaps, the highest percentage of skill-position players (other than quarterbacks).
Dogged persistence
Coach Joe Gibbs framed Sunday's game between the Patriots and his Commanders as a David vs. Goliath battle when he said Washington would "probably be the biggest underdog in the history of sports."
When that statement was relayed to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady yesterday, the eight-year veteran questioned the veracity of Gibbs's statement. "I think he's blowing smoke," Brady said. "I promise you that he's not telling his team that, I'm sure.
"That sounds like something that Coach Belichick would say, so he's trying to butter us up. You know, it doesn't work for us. We know what we're getting ourselves into. We're playing one of the best defenses in the league and they've been in every game this year. They're 4-2, could easily be 6-0."
But Gibbs, speaking with New England reporters via conference call yesterday, insisted he was simply telling it like it is. "What I was trying to be there was real truthful about it," Gibbs said. "What are we now? I don't know. How many points [of an underdog]?"
Told that the pointspread is in the 16- to 17-point range, Gibbs was quick with the reply: "Seventeen or sixteen? Is that blowing smoke?" he said. "I would say 17-point underdog, that's pretty realistic. And it will probably climb, let's put it that way.
"They're at the top of their game and I think everybody in the world realizes that I wasn't trying to blow smoke. I was trying to be realistic. I was trying to say, 'Hey, look, these are what the facts are.' I wasn't trying to kid somebody
