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16 Dec 2009
Merril Hoge: Randy Moss Didn't Quit
I don't generally like to jump into arguments about diva wide receivers -- as I said back during the T.O. saga in Philadelphia, this site is called "Football Outsiders" and not "Football Psychologists." But I did find it interesting that a somewhat unexpected voice has risen up to defend Randy Moss' play against Carolina. There's actually two posts on Mike Reiss' blog about this; the first one is here.
17 comments, Last at 17 Dec 2009, 5:46pm by Purds
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Re: Merril Hoge: Randy Moss Didn't Quit
It's highly unexpected, as Hodge used to fill up any unused air time on the STATE FARM EDGE GEL CIALIS MATCHUP by isolating film of Moss with the Vikings lollygagging off the line of scrimmage when the play wasn't going to be a deep ball to him.
Re: Merril Hoge: Randy Moss Didn't Quit
Hodge is pretty awful regardless.
Re: Merril Hoge: Randy Moss Didn't Quit
Dave Hodge was great on Hockey Night in Canada - hell, the story of why Harold Ballard had him fired is the stuff of legend. As for this Merrill Hoge guy, I defer to your judgement
Re: Merril Hoge: Randy Moss Didn't Quit
And Ken Hodge was great playing for the Bruins with Esposito and Sanderson.
Re: Merril Hoge: Randy Moss Didn't Quit
I believe the line was Esposito, Cashman and Hodge
Re: Merril Hoge: Randy Moss Didn't Quit
Greg Cosell, who probably commands more respect from this audience (and probably for good reason), agrees.
http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/rap_sheet/index.php/2009/12/16/...
Re: Merril Hoge: Randy Moss Didn't Quit
*obligatory rant about availability of coaches tape to fans*
Why is it merely NFL-only ESPN?
Yeah, really. That's the sort of thing I thought NFLN would be about back when it started, rather than being an NFL-only ESPN.
Re: Merril Hoge: Randy Moss Didn't Quit
he's a concussed madman
Re: Merril Hoge: Randy Moss Didn't Quit
Interesting. While I was in the camp of thinking that Moss mailed it in the second half, I actually had been defending the fumble play. He didn't have particularly bad ball security--he just got nailed hard by a safety he didn't kno was there, while trying to get extra yardage.
What I hadn't realized was that the dropped slant was tipped. That makes two out of three bad plays that Moss made weren't fully (or really much) his fault.
The INT is still partially on him...I'm not sure I buy the excuse "the coverage was playing it smart so I figured Tom wouldn't throw it to me". If he runs the route correctly, it may not be a catch, but at least he's in a better place to break things up and prevent the INT. And, obviously, the false start is totally on him.
Still, that's two plays that were his fault out of the game. While I still think he did mail it in a bit, you can't blame him for not getting targeted more. If I'm the Pats offensive coordinator, or Tom Brady, and the other team is willing to take away Moss and leave Welker single covered on every play, I know who I'm getting the ball to.
Re: Merril Hoge: Randy Moss Didn't Quit
Agreed. On a team like the Patriots, Moss's job is to either draw excessive coverage or make the other team pay for not giving him extra coverage. It is not to draw extra coverage and still make a ton of catches.
The exception would be max-protect plays where he has time to beat double coverage, or certain short routes.
Re: Merril Hoge: Randy Moss Didn't Quit
I don't think Hoge is that bad. He's not among the best NFL analysts out there, but he's certainly not among the worst either.
Re: Merril Hoge: Randy Moss Didn't Quit
If this is true, then the coverage by analysts have been extremely unfair.
Re: Merril Hoge: Randy Moss Didn't Quit
Randy Moss is the most unappreciated superstar of all-time.
Re: Merril Hoge: Randy Moss Didn't Quit
That's the kind of over-the-top hyperbole that could win you an analyst job! You could be the NFL version of Bill Walton if you keep it up!
Re: Merril Hoge: Randy Moss Didn't Quit
shouldn't you be practicing unnecessary behind the back passes in an empty gym
Re: Merril Hoge: Randy Moss Didn't Quit
I agree and disagree. He's an unbelievable talent, I agree. His talent might even be under appreciated.
But, looking at his history, the word "front runner" (okay, it's a phrase) screams out at me. He's unbelievable when things are going well. However, he does not seem at all out of the ordinary (in a good way) when things are not going well. I may be overly influenced by the Oakland years, but before he moved to NE, almost every NE fan would have felt/said the same about him. He played way below potential there, not even close to the realm of superstar.
Yeah, Oakland sucked. Too bad. Be a pro, have self respect, and play hard.
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