San Francisco Freak
Randy Moss is officially back and he’s landed in San Francisco. The 49ers have decided to take a chance on the future Hall of Fame receiver and have signed him to a one year deal.
After working out for the Saints last week, it was pretty obvious Moss still had something left in the tank athletically. We won’t know about his mental state until the season starts, but his signing with an NFL team is no surprise after his “lights out” workout session in New Orleans.
Moss caught passes from San Francisco Head Coach Jim Harbaugh today and apparently ran the entire route tree to perfection. The 49ers obviously were impressed enough to make sure he never left town. His impressive workout, combined with the fact San Francisco is on the verge of possibly losing both Josh Morgan and Ted Ginn Jr. to free agency, apparently left the 49ers with no choice but to take the risk on the mercurial, but uber-talented wide receiver. Straight cash homey!
The 49ers are no strangers to taking on big name wideouts, as we saw last year with Braylon Edwards. Make no mistake, the leash on Moss won’t be much longer than it was on Edwards. Coach Harbaugh has undoubtedly done a fantastic job in San Francisco, but one has to wonder if things have come just a little too easy for Captain Comeback. If he gets through to Moss and has him play hard all year, he’ll have earned some pretty serious street credit. If Moss misbehaves, he’ll likely be done for good. Remember, this is the same player who burned through three different teams in one season the last time we saw him in the NFL.
For Moss, this is a good landing spot in reality. San Francisco plays in a weak division and is fresh off a deep playoff run. They give him the chance to win the thing he covets most – a Super Bowl ring.
In fantasy terms, this is a nightmare for Moss owners. Alex Smith will likely be re-signed, but his strength has never been throwing the deep pass. To put it simply, Moss has thrown better quarterbacks than Smith to the wolves. Unlike the Saints, the 49ers do not have an explosive offense and are dependent on a solid running game and a great defense. Predicting anything more than 50-60 catches, 800-1,000 yards and 7-9 touchdowns for Moss would be unwise. Even that is probably asking way too much. Â Even if he’s in great shape, this is likely not a place where Moss can put up a vintage monster season.
Moss’ signing could be good for a few different 49ers. Alex Smith obviously benefits from having a legitimate deep threat in Moss. Vernon Davis and Frank Gore could benefit as well since Moss can at least take the top off a defense. His presence should open up some short passing lanes that Davis and Gore could both take advantage of.
On the other hand, Michael Crabtree’s value takes a temporary hit. Moss will take away some of his targets and likely be Smith’s first option on the outside. The signing of Moss also makes it very likely that the 49ers don’t bring back Morgan and Ginn. I’d actually buy on Crabtree if an owner is really down on him. Even if he behaves, Moss’ presence is very temporary in San Francisco. If you can convince an owner that bringing in Moss is an total indictment on Crabtree, I’d explore getting him on the cheap.
If you own Moss, you know the drill by now. If you’re on a competing team, he’s still a valuable player to have based on ability alone. If you’re a rebuilding team, you need to move him now while you can get something in return. Â His value for the season may very well be at his peak tonight.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
