New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss addresses the media during his locker room interview at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Q: How do you feel?
RM: I feel as good as anybody else coming off the [bye] week.
Q: Are you happy to go back to the Bay Area?
RM: I think I am more just glad to get back into football. Last week was kind of off for us because we didn't play on Sunday. Now it's just getting back into the flow of it. I am just glad to be back playing football.
Q: Coach Bill Belichick talked earlier about your role as a leader on this team and how it has grown this year. Can you talk about how you have picked up that role this year?
RM: I think it is just believing in what coach [Bill Belichick] is selling. When you have everybody on the same page I guess it's easier to lead a team. I think everybody is buying in what he is selling. I don't think it is just me being a leader, I think it's just everybody is on the same page. We really have to turn things around and go out with a great week of practice because this is going to be a long road trip. I think we are up for the challenge and hopefully we will get it done.
Q: What did it mean to you to be voted a team captain this year?
RM: It's definitely a blessing. It means that the guys still believe in me that I can lead on and off the field - If it is with my play, with my emotions or if it is verbally. That is a good thing. It definitely felt good to be appointed a captain of the New England Patriots.
Q: Do you have a response to what Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis said yesterday about you and the Patriots?
RM: No, not at all.
Q: What kind of confidence are you developing in quarterback Matt Cassel?
RM: Well, I think that first of all he [Matt Cassel] has to believe in himself. I think it will trickle on down to the whole offense. We have seen Matt progress in these last couple of weeks quicker than we expected him to. We just have to put guys around him. Luckily he is the quarterback so he gets the good and the bad. With the 10 guys that we put around him, we have to make it happen. Not really everything is on him or his shoulders. He has to be smart and distribute the ball but at the same time there are still 11 guys out there that have to get the job done. We like what we are doing as a whole offensive unit and hopefully we can keep it going.
Q: What stands out to you about the San Francisco 49ers' defense?
RM: How fast they are. They have [Patrick] Willis, their middle linebacker, and a very experienced secondary. They really stand out on film. They really hawk that ball. There has been a point of emphasis on playing fast and getting off to a good start. Just by looking at film, they have a great group of guys not just on defense but on offense too. They are very experienced and very well coached. We have our work cut out for us this week and hopefully we can get it done. We will see what happens.
Q: How did the bye week help you and the team with it coming so early in the season?
RM: We had the week off on Sunday but we got down to football. The weekend was really for us to rest our bodies and I think we did that. It is early. We did have an early bye week. The good thing is that we can keep practicing and keep working day in and day out knowing we don't have a week off. I am looking forward to this run. I am just glad to be back and playing on Sundays. That is it.
