New England Patriots: Once upon a 2007 season, Randy Moss happened

As the Randy Moss’ journey of stardom has led him to the NFL Hall of Fame, let’s take a look back at the historic season he had with the New England Patriots.

Yes, Randy Moss will go down in NFL history as a member of the Minnesota Vikings, but his greatest season was when he rejuvenated his career with the New England Patriots during that unforgettable 2007 season.

There are not many Patriots fans who can’t tell you where they were when Bill Belichick acquired Moss in a deal with the Oakland Raiders for a fourth-round pick.  During that time, the explosive receiver was supposed to be on the down side of his career and driven with attitude.

Like the Patriots have grown accustomed to doing, they took a chance on Moss.  They not only inserted him into a winning atmosphere, but they teamed him up with the greatness of Tom Brady.  Surrounded by other explosive players like Wes Welker and Donte’ Stallworth, that 2007 season could’ve only gone one of two ways.

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Moss would either continue his moping ways or morph back into the player who dominated with the Vikings.  He did the later and helped turn the Patriots offense into juggernaut.

Pure dominance from the start

From the first game against the New York Jets to the regular season finale against the New York Giants, Randy Moss was the shiny new toy that made Brady nearly unstoppable.  There were so many deep bombs and lopsided scores during a season in which the team was just a David Tyree helmet catch away from going 19-0.

Moss did his part even in the team’s only defeat.  It was No. 81 who caught the go-ahead touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLII.  As draining as that loss was, it is hard for any New England Patriots fan to forget the dominance that was on display during the regular season.

2007 was the year of Randy Moss

Tom Brady did his thing by breaking the passing touchdown record and Moss broke the record for touchdowns in a season with 23.  Along with his 1,493 receiving yards, Moss reinvented himself in New England.  Actually, he expected to do what he did.

"“If you ask Kevin Faulk, I expected to do that,” Moss said during the Pro Football Hall of Fame conference call.  “I really did and I’m not just saying that.  I put in the work and I remember telling Kevin Faulk that we’re going undefeated, and I’m going to break the record.”"

That is quite the crystal ball if that is true. Giving more credit to his confidence, Randy Moss did put in the work it took to succeed in New England.  He not only embraced the new opportunity he was given, he taught the greatest coach in the game as much as he learned from that coach.

Asked about the achievements of Moss, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick praised the player and person the new Hall of Famer is and admitted to learning something from him.

"“I learned a lot from him,” Belichick said last Monday night at Gillette Stadium, via Boston.com.  “A great, great, great deep-ball receiver, very smart, has a really good understanding of the passing game and how to attack defenses from his point of view, which is, certainly, as a player, one that I’m not familiar with.  [He’s] fast and can get over the top of the defenses and understand how teams look at an explosive weapon like him.”"

In making some of the most memorable touchdown catches that season, Moss helped turn the Patriots offense from a dink and dunk engine to a long ball fuel of explosion.  He really had that kind of impact.  While things didn’t end well in New England, Randy Moss will always cherish that season.

So will fans…despite that one loss.