Randy Moss may not be making much of an impact on the stat sheet, and in the past that was a recipe for disaster.
But that doesn’t mean he’s crabby.
Moss told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com he was having a blast with the 49ers, primarily because it was a new kind of offense for him. Coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman preach a kind of offense that he hasn’t necessarily been around before.
That overshadows the fact he’s playing about a third of the offensive snaps, and only has nine catches for 99 yards and a touchdown this season.
“Coach G-Ro, Greg Roman, and his staff have shown me a different side to an offense,” Moss said. “And that’s the thing about being a student of the game. You think you know so much but each level or each year that you grow, you’re still learning. I think if I stop learning, then I’ll stop having the love and the passion to go out and play the game.
“So, right now, I’m having a great time.”
Certainly, the level of activity is different for the guy who caught 23 touchdowns for the Patriots in 2007, and still identifies closely with coach Bill Belichick.
“One thing I still hold to my heart before I even went to New England, I thought I knew a lot about football,” Moss said. “Coach Belichick taught me a lot about football. And then when I came here to the 49ers, I’m still learning. And that’s a good thing. . . .
“I learned a certain way in Minnesota,” Moss said. “Then, I went to New England, and learned a different way there. And then coming here, it was just like re-energizing my thought process of how I thought that it was.
“I learned from coach Dennis Green and his staff. Then going to New England, and learning from Coach Belichick and his staff. Now, I’m here learning from coach (Jim) Harbaugh and his staff. It’s like the three different levels I’ve been on. I’m still learning and still having fun.”
Harbaugh raved about Moss’s approach, one which hasn’t always appeared from the outside to be so geared toward the good of the team.
“If not daily, it’s weekly, most days,” Harbaugh said. “Randy’s got an enthusiastic suggestion for what we can do or try. The neat thing about it is, it’s never a self-centered thing. It’s never how to get him more balls. It’s how it would help the team or help the group or the unit.”
A Moss that’s gone happy go lucky for the good of the team runs counter to the perception most have. But the 49ers are winning, so for the moment, it’s all working out.