NFL Notebook: As he enters the Hall, memories of Randy Moss and his time with the Patriots

In this week’s edition of the NFL Notebook, we look at Eric Decker being on the verge of joining a very exclusive club, who has the best shot at being named captain this year in Foxborough, and why this spring was so special for Patriots offensive lineman Teddy Karras and his family. But first, on the occasion of his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a look back at the New England career of Randy Moss.

1. On the occasion of his entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, here are three Patriots-centric thoughts on the career of Randy Moss.

A. In the 17-plus years I’ve covered the Patriots, Moss was the most compelling guy I’ve ever covered. Equal parts entertaining, thoughtful, and maddening, he was never dull. His famous phrase when approaching the media: “Y’all got three,” a reference to the fact that we could ask him three questions before he’d walk off. (He did it once in the middle of a press conference; a reporter was trying to ask a follow-up, and he simply strolled away from the mic.) When he did talk with us, he could be really insightful, but those cases were few and far between. He saved his gems for his teammates — there were several pass catchers who said he was open and generous with his secrets, including the art of “shooting late hands.” Brandon LaFell and Danny Amendola opened up to me about that a few years ago, and said that most all modern-era receivers trace that back to Moss. But it was the on-field work that was his most memorable legacy around here: Ultimately, his 2007 season was one of the single greatest seasons for any local athlete I can recall.



A special player who was at the absolute zenith of his ability that season.



B. One of the biggest takeaways for me when it comes to Moss? What might have been. If he hadn’t forced his way out of New England in 2010, it would have been fascinating to see his career arc, as well as the prospect of him growing old in New England with Tom Brady. Does he find a way to help get the 2011 team over the top? Was there a scenario where he could have won a ring with the Patriots? It would have also been interesting to see what would have happened to the Patriots’ offense: Would New England have been so quick to willingly embrace the two-tight end sets of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez? And you can almost guarantee that if he sticks round, Deion Branch doesn’t get a second act with the Patriots. At the end of the day, he’s a lot higher on this list of career catches via Brady.

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C. The sneaky underrated aspect to the 2010 team? There was a stretch at the start of that season where the Patriots had Moss, Brady, Gronkowski, Hernandez, and Welker all on the roster at the same time. An odd collection of talent, all at really unique periods of their career. Bet there has to be a few stories there.

2. With the Hall of Fame ceremonies taking place this week in Ohio, every year we offer a few thoughts on the chances of some of the more recent Patriots. Based on conversations with Hall voters, we’ve come up with a list of long-time Patriots and broken it down into the following categories — “no-brainers,” “borderline,” “long shots” and “other.” (And for purposes of this drill, we won’t include Ty Law, a guy we’ve written about on several occasions. We’re on record as believing he should be in.)