Moss is Maturing

Randy Moss has taken more than his fare share of criticism in his six years in the league. Some has been just criticism of a young man growing up, other backlash is highly due to his perceived persona. I personally think he's the most talented WR in the NFL, due to a combination of speed, size, and sticky hands.

I thought he really turned a corner maturity-wise last year, and this year he has continued it. He doesn't seem to be griping anymore for working the short routes while his teammates are getting the deep passes for the TD's. Most of his TD catches come from inside the 10 yard line. The attitude and excessive comments have been toned down considerably, as has his celebratory me-me-me persona. I'd like to think that he's maturing into a really good guy.

I think that Moss, deep down, beneath the bravado, is a genuinely tender & caring guy. This was first brought to my attention a few years ago when his teammate and friend Korey Stringer died of heat stroke. When it came time for him to address the media, his thoughts toward his fallen friend and Stringer's children was too much to bear, and he simply broke down. It was a rare display of raw emotion completely unchecked by concern for appearance. Then, this past Sunday, Moss caught two TD's in his game against the Bears. In each case, instead of celebrating, he took the ball, ran over to the sidelines, and deposited the TD ball in the hands of a quadriplegic man. I don't know if it was staged or premeditated. All I know is that, even though replay cameras didn't linger on the image long, the image of the man's face is etched in my mind. It was an expression of pure excitement, joy, and elation. Maybe Moss did it to bring attention to himself, but I hope and tend to think otherwise. He saw an opportunity to bring joy to another man's life, and that was more important to Moss than his own glory. That, to me, is a humble sign of understanding pure love of the game, and I applaud him for it.