Marginalized Moss

duck wrote:Well, HD, the bottom line is the bottom line. Moss did indeed come out of retirement to catch a pass this year... and you got your money.

However, I feel good about the fact that my fundamental take on the guy is being validated. He is now a very marginal player who has a minor role in the Niners' offense... a far, far cry from the talented receiver who was perhaps the best receiver in the game in his early years.

Even better, you can see signs of the cancer beginning to creep in. Dropped passes, half-hearted efforts and -- most telling -- glib responses to point blank questions about his role on the team. "Next question", indeed. The below article spells it out.

If Moss indeed does finish the season with the Niners he will undoubtedly be languishing most of his time on the bench. I'm going to laugh like hell if his cancer spreads and they are forced to dump him before the season ends. Stay tuned.


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I assumed Harbaugh was smart enough to at least understand that, at best, there was no point bringing Moss in unless he intended to use him...but more importantly...what downside, negative effect would be produced if he does bring him in and doesn't use him... The pattern has always been clear. There's nothing inconsistent in Randy's nature to expect any deviation. Jimmer could be in for a little lesson that shouldn't have been necessary for him to suffer...

JnC4GB wrote:Regarding Harbaugh "underutilizing" Moss, could it actually be that he's using him the best possible way?

Hear me out. Moss has famously burned a few bridges on almost always the same reason: not going full out all game long. More specifically, when your deep route guy doesn't bust his balls downfield 'cause he knows he's just a decoy, it hurts the primary reciever's chances of getting YAC as the db(s) that are supposed to be taken out of the play chasing Moss are cheating over. Using Moss selectively reduces this concern AND keeps him fresh and motivated for when his number gets called. Some say he never was a 60-minute player, but I'd think we'd all agree he certainly isn't one now.

You're a product of the spin, my friend...

When I was just starting out building my business in my 20's...I remember having cocktails with a particular CEO who retained me for a major project to build out the ground floor of a new company... He was immensely successful and wealthy beyond imagination--and just had returned from a two-week vacation with his wife to the south of France--that ended up lasting over a year... After they arrived they loved it there so much that when they pulled up at the airport to return they both just looked at each other and said fuck it--let's stay!... I asked him why he ultimately ever returned--quite naively in my youth assuming it was for the money... He smiled and said--you'll someday understand that money doesn't buy happiness--merely a different set of challenges to contend with... Same shit--just on a bigger scale. What money buys is freedom...the freedom to say what you feel, be who you are and live the life you choose--for real... So true... He said he came back because it would make him happy to take the incredible potential of this new medical technology and realize that potential to put the therapy out there in hands of all the people who could benefit from it...

_HD_ wrote:

duck wrote:Well, HD, the bottom line is the bottom line. Moss did indeed come out of retirement to catch a pass this year... and you got your money.

However, I feel good about the fact that my fundamental take on the guy is being validated. He is now a very marginal player who has a minor role in the Niners' offense... a far, far cry from the talented receiver who was perhaps the best receiver in the game in his early years.

Even better, you can see signs of the cancer beginning to creep in. Dropped passes, half-hearted efforts and -- most telling -- glib responses to point blank questions about his role on the team. "Next question", indeed. The below article spells it out.

If Moss indeed does finish the season with the Niners he will undoubtedly be languishing most of his time on the bench. I'm going to laugh like hell if his cancer spreads and they are forced to dump him before the season ends. Stay tuned.


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It's quite clear to me that Jimmer is underutilizing Moss... Wasted opportunity. He's there to open things up. The corners give themselves enough catch up room whenever Moss is out there to set up a fucking deli...but instead Jimmer keeps him on the bench. You're right, Duck... There is no question that Randy's attitude will go south if he's not--what he perceives to be--respected...and if you don't actually run a racehorse--you've got trouble on your hands because the only thing that actually makes them happy...is to run...

I assumed Harbaugh was smart enough to at least understand that, at best, there was no point bringing Moss in unless he intended to use him...but more importantly...what downside, negative effect would be produced if he does bring him in and doesn't use him... The pattern has always been clear. There's nothing inconsistent in Randy's nature to expect any deviation. Jimmer could be in for a little lesson that shouldn't have been necessary for him to suffer...

duck wrote:HD, did it ever occur to you that the reason Moss has such a marginal role on the Niners is because he simply isn't that good anymore? Seriously, if he was truly still a great receiver, don't you think the Niners would want to ride that horse as far as it would take them? You'd have to have absolute shit for brains for benching a guy who had blinding speed and could beat multiple defenders. No NFL team would be so fucking stupid to not utilize a great talent at any position.

The truth of the matter is that Randy Moss is not anywhere near the player he was fourteen years ago... or even five years ago. He's just, well, average... and he gets playing time accordingly. The Titans realized that two years ago and the Niners are figuring that out now.

He gets some respect for his reputation but that's about it. On the field, he's not as productive as 50 or 60 wide receivers in the league. Look it up. The stats are available to anyone who cares to look at them.

But, of course, you're going to tell me that Jeff Fisher and Jim Harbaugh are just fucking idiots and your beloved Randy Moss is still a magnificent race horse.

Riiiiiight.