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  • Home : News : News : Local Sports
    Local Sports
    Bodden ready for challenge vs. Moss
    Jeff Schudel, JSchudel@News-Herald.com
    10/05/2007
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    In two games vs. Browns corner, WR has two catches - both touchdowns

    No cornerback Randy Moss has faced so far this season has been able to stop him.
    Then again, he has not faced Leigh Bodden yet.
    The Browns' right cornerback is eager for his duel with Moss on Sunday when he and his teammates take on the Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots are 4-0.
    Moss, with seven touchdown catches and four 100-yard games, is a major reason New England is one of four undefeated teams in the NFL.
    This will not be the first time Bodden, 6-foot-1, is matched against Moss, who is three inches taller.
    It won't even be the second.
    Moss played with the Raiders in 2005 and 2006, and Bodden covered him in one game each year. Moss caught only one pass in each game each year, but he scored a touchdown both times.
    "He's one of the best receivers in the league, and I'm up for the challenge," Bodden said confidently before practice Thursday. "Everybody says he's going to be different because he's new and improved.
    "He looks the same. He's good. He's fast. It's that he has a quarterback who can get him the ball."
    That quarterback is Tom Brady. Last year in Oakland, Moss' quarterbacks were Aaron Brooks and Andrew Walter. No wonder the Raiders had the first pick in the draft last spring.
    To illustrate the difference the right quarterback can make, consider these numbers: Moss played 13 games last season and caught 42 passes for 553 yards and three touchdowns. Just four games into 2007, Moss already has 31 catches for 505 yards and seven touchdowns. He is on pace for 2,000 yards receiving and more than 25 touchdown catches. It is unlikely he can keep up that torrid pace, but he shows no signs of slowing down.
    "He's really a smart guy," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in a teleconference. "He understands football concepts and concepts in the pass game very well, probably as well as any player I've coached. He makes great adjustments and understands what you're trying to do on pass patterns and what the defense is trying to do on a coverage standpoint. He's been a very consistent and dependable player for us."
    There might not be a stranger marriage in all of football than Randy Moss and Bill Belichick.
    Moss was a headache for the Vikings and a headache for the Raiders. He was outspoken in both places and wanted out both times.
    Belichick has a history of not putting up with wave makers. In that sense, Moss can a tropical storm on the verge of becoming a Category 5 hurricane any time something goes wrong.
    But so far, Moss has been no trouble at all for the Patriots.
    Browns coach Romeo Crennel, who worked with Belichick 10 years with the Giants, three with the Jets and four with New England, is not surprised Moss is behaving. Nor is he surprised Belichick is the one that made him toe the line.
    "Bill tries to improve his football team the best way he can," Crennel said. "He just doesn't grab anybody to do that. He's diligent in doing his homework. He's able to sit down and talk with the guy he's interested in bringing in. He finds out if they're willing to do the things the way he does them. If they don't like it, then they won't be there."
    Moss' 505 yards tops all other NFL receivers. Second on the list is Chad Johnson of the Bengals with 495 yards. Bodden covered Johnson in the second game of the season, and Johnson caught 11 passes for 209 and two touchdowns.
    Bodden was slowed by an ankle injury when the Browns played the Bengals. He is healthy now.
    Moss has proven he can adjust to catch a pass from Brady not necessarily thrown right on target. If Brady throws one of those passes Sunday, Bodden will be ready for it.
    "If he throws it up, I have a chance to make a play, too," Bodden said. "I love playing against guys like that because the quarterback is going to try to get them the ball."
    Bodden leads the Browns with two interceptions. His pick last week was a key play in the 27-13 victory over Baltimore and preceded a 78-yard touchdown pass from Derek Anderson to Braylon Edwards.


    ©The News-Herald 2010

    Reader Comments
     Submit your own comment!
    Added: Friday October 05, 2007 at 05:21 PM EST
    Moss did not want out in Minnie
    Randy Moss did not want out in Minnesota, his agent and Al Davis's guys had to convince him Oakland was a good fit (obviously it was not). What people fail to remember as well was he was hurt his last season in Minnesota but torched the Packers once again in the playoffs that year (2 TD's).

    Finally, for the most part he was a popular teammate in Minnesota.
    Jake

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