Muniman

Cleveland Browns expect a dangerous Randy Moss with the New England Patriots

Friday, October 05, 2007
Tony GrossiPlain Dealer Reporter

The last two times the Browns played against receiver Randy Moss, he didn't destroy them. They held him to two catches for 33 yards.

"And two touchdowns," pointed out Browns cornerback Leigh Bodden.

Of course, Moss was wearing Oakland silver and black, bemoaning pedestrian play at quarterback and not exactly running his routes hard and crisp.

Reborn with the New England Patriots, Moss has returned to the form that had him on a direct path to Canton's Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Minnesota Vikings.

Moss leads the NFL with 505 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in four games. Quarterback Tom Brady has thrown 34 passes in Moss' direction, and he's come down with 31 of them.

"The new, improved Randy Moss?" Bodden said incredulously. "Randy Moss is Randy Moss. I know what he's capable of. I knew what he was capable of with the Raiders, and he's capable of those same things now. He's got a quarterback who can get him the ball."

The way the Raiders ran their offense in 2005 and '06, Moss pretty much lined up in the same spot, and that enabled Bodden to cover him almost exclusively. The Patriots have positioned Moss at both wideout spots and also inside as a slot receiver.

The Browns like to restrict their corners to left and right sides of the field, so it's possible rookie cornerback Eric Wright and possibly Daven Holly may get some cracks at Moss, too.

Moss' big year no doubt will earn Scott Pioli, Patriots vice president of player personnel, votes for Executive of the Year in February. The Patriots acquired Moss from Oakland for a fourth-round draft pick, which turned out to be a defensive back named John Bowie.

Tucker OK:

Right tackle Ryan Tucker, on his first practice after missing four weeks because of a league suspension for steroid use:

"It was fun. I'm not where I was [conditionwise] at the end of training camp, but it wasn't like starting over. I felt fine. I'm not sore at all."

Tucker took reps only at right tackle, the position at which he has started in 84 NFL games. Eventually, though, Tucker may see time at guard, as he did in preseason.

Coach Romeo Crennel said he has not made a decision on Tucker's roster status for Sunday's game. If Tucker is put on the active roster, someone would have to be let go -- probably a lineman.

Cribbs ready:

The Patriots average seven kickoffs a game, which may lead to a busy day for Josh Cribbs, the NFL's kickoff-return leader with a 34.3-yard average.

"You don't necessarily want a lot of kickoffs because that means the other team's scoring a lot," Cribbs said. "But I'm going to use all my chances to provide field position for our team."

Cribbs can catch a rest from the other half of his dual-return role. The Patriots have punted only five times in four games.

"That means whenever I get the ball I've got to make something happen," he said.

Crennel began his daily press briefing this way: "How 'bout those Indians? Wish them good luck for us."

Later he was asked his prediction for the Indians' playoff series against the Yankees.

"My prediction is I'm pulling for the Indians and hope they are able to go on to the next one."

Final word:

The last question posed to Patriots coach Bill Belichick on a Wednesday conference call was whether the Spygate flap, in which he was fined $500,000 for videotaping defensive signals flashed by New York Jets coaches, proved to be a rallying point for his team.

"I thought we could get through this without bringing up that situation," Belichick said. "Right now, the only thing I'm thinking about is Cleveland, and that's plenty."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

tgrossi@plaind.com, 216-999-4670

__________________
The key to winning is poise under stress -
Paul Brown

GO BROWNS!