by Chris Warner, Patriots Daily Staff

mossWithout getting hysterical, can we analyze what’s going on with Randy Moss? Can we do that without forwarding a pathetic agenda, or do we have to revert to the “I told you so” game?

Really, it’s like the Boston media are weathermen who warn of hurricanes every day: when one finally happens they feel vindicated, despite being wrong for two years.

Make no mistake, Moss had a terrible game against Carolina. He gave up on a pass route (interception), caught only one pass (fumble) and dropped one on an open slant. His performance stands out only as a contrast to the nifty play of Wes Welker, who continued his torrid reception streak to reach 105 grabs on the season with three games to play.

Welker gets the tough yards across the middle. Welker gets tater-mashed and pops up for more. Welker fights for the ball.

Randy Moss? Not all that much. He needs coddling, and he needs attention. Most of all, though, he needs to make plays. It’s possible that he’s harder on himself than others and goes turtle due to his own poor execution. We can say that he can’t handle adversity, but in some ways that’s a projection from his fans. We love him when he does well, but after a few bad games we’re ready to ship him out of town.

Next week’s performance at Buffalo will tell us whether or not Moss has packed it in: there will be snow (Moss likes the cold about as much as gila monsters) and the Bills have a statistically strong pass defense, partly due to the fact their run defense is the worst in the league.

Mr. Moss, you’ve had some rough going the past couple of weeks. PD asks you to shake it off, and there’s no better way to do that than to take a lap.

Email Chris Warner at chris.warner@patriotsdaily.com