Randy Moss
Randy Moss After a tough week leading up to the New England Patriots game against the Carolina Panthers, Randy Moss left much of the Gillette Stadium crowd thinking that he didn't really even want to be there. In spite of the Patriots 20-10 win on Sunday, Moss turned in what many would call his worst performance in three years in New England.

Moss finished with one catch for 16 yards, one dropped pass, one lost fumble, and had a fourth-quarter false start penalty that caused almost all of the Foxboro crowd to shower him with boo's.

One of the big questions heading into the Panthers game this weekend was, how the sensitive Moss would respond to adversity after he was one of four players sent home by head coach Bill Belichick for being late to an 8 a.m. meeting on Wednesday.

"He was really hurt about the situation, getting sent home," said Kevin Faulk, one of Moss' closest friends on the team.
"At the same time he knew that's what Bill's wishes were and he had to respect Bill, and that's what he did."

Apparently, he let his feelings translate to his play on the field. Even the Carolina secondary could tell that Moss wasn't all there. Cornerback Chris Gamble and safety Chris Harris felt like he wasn't going all-out.

"I don't want to say he quits," said Harris. "But he kind of doesn't run the routes the way they're supposed to be run."

Gamble described Moss as a sneaky player, because at times it might look like he's not giving a top effort, attempting to lull a cornerback into thinking he isn't part of the play before suddenly shifting into top gear. However, on Sunday Gamble said there was little deception with Moss.

"Some of his body language let me know it was a run," he said. "That's how I got a feel on when to help out on the run."

After the game, Moss skipped out of the locker room without addressing the media.