It’s easy to forget nearly two decades after the fact, but when Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss landed with the New England Patriots, he was at a crossroads in his career. Still, Bill Belichick and the Patriots coaches tapped into him and revitalized his career in New England.
From 1998 to 2004, Moss was a five-time Pro Bowl selection and led the NFL in receiving touchdowns three times. Then, he went to the Oakland Raiders, and for two seasons, it looked like his career was spiraling. So, it was hard to know what the Patriots were going to get in 2007 when Moss entered off the worst season of his career. He ended up giving them the best season of his career.
Belichick recently appeared on Pardon My Take. There, he explained that the trick was finding a way to best utilize Moss’ speed.
“He explained to me how he would use his speed,” Belichick said. “And how he didn’t feel like he was really able to do that at Minnesota and Oakland. It was like, ‘You gotta run a go-route.’ Well, they’re rolling into him and the safety is over the top. We’re not gonna throw the ball. He said, “Exactly. They get p***** off because I’m not running as fast as I can, but honestly there’s no where for me to go, and if they throw me the ball it’s gonna get intercepted. So, I’ll tie up both guys, but… the guys 25 yards on top of me I can’t run past him.’ I said, “Yeah, I wouldn’t expect you to.”
The trick was to move Moss to a slot position, and he took off from there. Moss would finish the season with 98 receptions for 1,493 yards and 23 touchdowns. Those 23 touchdowns were and are a single-season NFL record for receiving touchdowns.
“Half of his touchdowns in 2007 came when he was in the slot,” Belichick said. “Or he was the outside receiver, but he motioned and lined up in a position that would have been where the slot receiver lined up. So if there was a middle of the field safety, he would run right at the middle of the field safety. If the guy overplayed him, he’d break back to the outside. If the guy played him high, then he’d cross his face and go to the far pylon.”
The best example that Belichick has goes back to the first quarter of the Patriots’ Week 1 win against the New York Jets. Immediately, the Tom Brady and Randy Moss connection was working by attacking safeties this way.
“First quarter of the Jets game. He ran that pistol route, touchdown against the Jets. Just took off from there. It was like trying to cover Tyreek Hill, some of the same issues we had with Hill where you line up so far on top of him that you give up so much space in front of him that when he catches it now you can’t even tackle the d*** guy. And Brady, who could process it and understand it, made it work,” Belichick concluded.
Randy Moss Thought Call From Bill Belichick was a Prank
GettyNew England Patriots WR Randy Moss
The relationship between Randy Moss and Bill Belichick ended up being a strong one. At one point, Moss even invited Belichick to a costume party in a moment that would later go viral, but their relationship did get off on the wrong foot.
When Belichick first called Moss to tell him he had made a trade to land the star receiver, Moss thought it was a bad joke. So, he responded like most people would to a prank call.
“I remember I was in Houston, Texas, during the (2007) draft and I got a call from Bill Belichick. I thought it was one of my friends playing. I was like ‘Who is this?’ He was like, ‘Uh, it’s Bill Belichick.’ I was like, ‘Man, get real! Who is this?’”
Belichick had to get the message through to Moss quickly. After all, he was due by 10:00 a.m. the next morning, or the trade wouldn’t go through.
Randy Moss Was Open During His Cancer Battle
GettyRandy Moss with ESPN
In his retirement, Randy Moss has become known for his time at ESPN as one of the network’s major personalities. However, in 2024, he would have to step away to battle cancer. Luckily, he has since beaten it and been able to be open about that battle.
“Just being able to experience that was nothing I wish on any man or any human being,” Moss said at the time. “But for the fact that God took me through it and brought me out of it back healthy, being able to be back with my family, great support system, and some great doctors around me. Like I said, it was an emotional roller coaster. But the people I met on the way, I’m a blessed man. I’ll leave it at that.”
Moss battled a rare form of bile duct cancer between his liver and his pancreas. After beating it, he was again able to return to ESPN.
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