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To say that the San Francisco 49ers need help at the wide receiver position would be like casually mentioning that Michael Jackson sold a few records.
In two playoff games last season for the NFC West champion Niners, quarterback Alex Smith completed 23 of his 36 passes to either running back Frank Gore or tight end Vernon Davis. Only eight of them went to a wide receiver, led by Michael Crabtree's five.
In fact, during San Francisco's 20-17 setback to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship game, Smith completed just one pass to a wide receiver, a 3- yard reception by Crabtree.
So it went without saying that the 49ers, coming off a 13-3 season, were going to be active in upgrading the group in free agency.
What was surprising is that San Francisco got a head start with the position enhancement by signing enigma Randy Moss to a one-year deal Monday night. Moss returns to the NFL after sitting out all of last season following a disappointing 13th season in 2010 in which he played for three teams and made just 28 catches.
Hopefully Moss' tenure with the 49ers goes better than his last trip to the Bay.
After making a name for himself with the Minnesota Vikings, Moss was traded to the Raiders before the 2005 season and spent two campaigns in Oakland that translated into a 6-26 record. Moss essentially played his way out of town, hauling in just 42 passes with three touchdowns in '06 before getting traded to the New England Patriots. He went on to form a dangerous tandem with quarterback Tom Brady as the duo broke a number of records together.
Needless to say, the Bay Area won't be littered with Black and Silver No. 18 Moss jerseys anytime soon. That won't matter to the 49ers, who made a low-risk move to bring in a hopefully motivated Moss. If they can get even decent production out of Moss, it should translate into another division title.
"I had personal reasons outside of football to step away from the game," Moss said in a conference call on Monday night. "I think it was a family decision to get back in the game because I still love the game and still think I can play at a high level and I'm passionate about the game of football."
The 35-year-old Moss didn't want to get into details about his doomed 2010 season, one that saw him suit up for the Patriots, Vikings and Tennessee Titans, but he sounds like a man ready to make plays on the field once again and said his decision to join the up-and-coming Niners was "really a no- brainer."
San Francisco hopes it will agree.
"I think I can still play at a high level," Moss said. "So I look forward to learning the offense and getting with the group of guys in the locker room and learning what my role is going to be on this team. Like I said, I accept the challenge, and I'm ready to bring the fans out of their seats."
Few could blame the 49ers if they were cautious in bringing in a player with Moss' reputation. They made a similar move late last offseason by signing wide receiver Braylon Edwards, a player who had numerous off-the-field incidents before coming to town. The union didn't pan out, with Edwards battling injury and logging just 15 receptions over nine games before his release on Dec. 27.
Moss, who announced on his birthday on Feb. 13 his plan to come out of retirement, will come with baggage as well. He has a reputation for quitting on the field and no matter what kind of numbers he ends up with in his career, the image of him mooning the Packers fans during a playoff game while with the Vikings in the 2005 playoffs will always be linked to his bio.
In two playoff games last season for the NFC West champion Niners, quarterback Alex Smith completed 23 of his 36 passes to either running back Frank Gore or tight end Vernon Davis. Only eight of them went to a wide receiver, led by Michael Crabtree's five.
In fact, during San Francisco's 20-17 setback to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship game, Smith completed just one pass to a wide receiver, a 3- yard reception by Crabtree.
So it went without saying that the 49ers, coming off a 13-3 season, were going to be active in upgrading the group in free agency.
What was surprising is that San Francisco got a head start with the position enhancement by signing enigma Randy Moss to a one-year deal Monday night. Moss returns to the NFL after sitting out all of last season following a disappointing 13th season in 2010 in which he played for three teams and made just 28 catches.
Hopefully Moss' tenure with the 49ers goes better than his last trip to the Bay.
After making a name for himself with the Minnesota Vikings, Moss was traded to the Raiders before the 2005 season and spent two campaigns in Oakland that translated into a 6-26 record. Moss essentially played his way out of town, hauling in just 42 passes with three touchdowns in '06 before getting traded to the New England Patriots. He went on to form a dangerous tandem with quarterback Tom Brady as the duo broke a number of records together.
Needless to say, the Bay Area won't be littered with Black and Silver No. 18 Moss jerseys anytime soon. That won't matter to the 49ers, who made a low-risk move to bring in a hopefully motivated Moss. If they can get even decent production out of Moss, it should translate into another division title.
"I had personal reasons outside of football to step away from the game," Moss said in a conference call on Monday night. "I think it was a family decision to get back in the game because I still love the game and still think I can play at a high level and I'm passionate about the game of football."
The 35-year-old Moss didn't want to get into details about his doomed 2010 season, one that saw him suit up for the Patriots, Vikings and Tennessee Titans, but he sounds like a man ready to make plays on the field once again and said his decision to join the up-and-coming Niners was "really a no- brainer."
San Francisco hopes it will agree.
"I think I can still play at a high level," Moss said. "So I look forward to learning the offense and getting with the group of guys in the locker room and learning what my role is going to be on this team. Like I said, I accept the challenge, and I'm ready to bring the fans out of their seats."
Few could blame the 49ers if they were cautious in bringing in a player with Moss' reputation. They made a similar move late last offseason by signing wide receiver Braylon Edwards, a player who had numerous off-the-field incidents before coming to town. The union didn't pan out, with Edwards battling injury and logging just 15 receptions over nine games before his release on Dec. 27.
Moss, who announced on his birthday on Feb. 13 his plan to come out of retirement, will come with baggage as well. He has a reputation for quitting on the field and no matter what kind of numbers he ends up with in his career, the image of him mooning the Packers fans during a playoff game while with the Vikings in the 2005 playoffs will always be linked to his bio.
