2012-GameRelease-Divisional

49ers: School in for Professor Randy Moss
By Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle
Player Feature Story
Fifteen months ago, 49ers wide receiver Randy Moss worked as a volunteer assistant football coach at
DuPont Middle School near his hometown of Rand, W.V.
It was just a few weeks before he announced what became a one-season “retirement” from the NFL and
Moss was treating his three-week, early summer gig as if it would be his next calling, recalls thenassistant
Tommy Canterbury.
Determined to pass along his knowledge, Moss had a sixth-grade quarterback recognizing Cover 2 or
Cover 3 schemes before the snap. Similarly, 13-year-old wide receivers were taught to identify different
defenses and adjust their routes accordingly.
Canterbury, an assistant principal at a nearby high school, marveled at how Moss presented complex
concepts in an-easy-to-understand way. And he noted Moss’ ability to gently redirect kids who weren’t
quite as engaged without embarrassing them or raising his voice.
“The way he spoke to the kids, that’s what impressed me more than anything he’s ever done on a football
field, which is all outstanding and amazing,” said Canterbury, who grew up in the area. “Randy would
have been as good a teacher as he is a football player.”
Fifteen months later, Moss, 35, is back in the NFL, poised to make his official return Sunday when the
49ers visit Green Bay, but much of the conversation still involves his ability to instruct.
This week, Fox television analyst Tim Ryan, discussing Moss’ football acumen, termed him a “freakin’
professor.” NFL Network analyst Joe Theismann recently called him a “coach on the field.” His fellow
49ers wide receivers have eagerly followed Moss’ lead on topics ranging from football to fitness (rookie
A.J. Jenkins has adopted his swimming regimen) to philosophy (Michael Crabtree: “You can learn from a
guy like that. You don’t have to change for nobody. All you have to do is go be yourself.”).
Summed up cornerback Perrish Cox, “He’s a teacher, all around.”
Yes, Moss, whose bouts of moodiness and mild motivation have marked parts of his 13-year, Hall of
Fame career, has exceeded all off-the-field expectations. Jim Harbaugh initially asked Moss to sit in the
front row during offensive meetings. Moss has taken the next step and embraced tutoring.
Skills still there
Entering his first game in 20 months, however, a not-so-insignificant question lingers. Can Professor
Moss still school opposing secondaries?
This week offensive coordinator Greg Roman and quarterback Alex Smith dismissed any doubts –
pointing to Moss’ impressive body of work during minicamps and training camp when he routinely gave
San Francisco’s starting cornerbacks fits.
But those endorsements came with qualifiers.
“Nobody’s got a crystal ball,” Roman said. “Who knows what’s going to happen?”
Smith acknowledged the difference between practice or preseason and meaningful games, “It’s a matter
of all of us just taking that to the game field.”