by By David Pevear, dpevear@lowellsun.com , Lowell Sun

Certainly, Randy Moss' name pops into cranky Football minds assessing the active ringless greats.

Only five players in NFL history have scored more touchdowns than Moss (137), who holds both the single-season (23) and rookie single-season (17) records for touchdown catches.

This freakishly talented wide receiver has even played his way into playground lexicon. A badly beaten defender is one who has been "Mossed."

Besides Moss' freakish physical ability, Patriots coach Bill Belichick puts Moss' Football IQ in a league with Tom Brady and Lawrence Taylor. "He's the smartest receiver I've ever been around," said Belichick, considered by many to be the smartest coach alive. "He not only knows what he's doing, he knows what everybody else is doing. He knows what the defense is doing and he usually knows what the quarterback is doing with the ball, based on all that information he compiles in a very short amount of time ..."

Brady has three rings, Taylor two, Moss none.

Of course, had the Patriots' defense snapped Eli Manning out of his dream state in those final dreary moments of Super Bowl XLII, Moss would own both a ring and the winning touchdown that delivered perfection.

Instead, he has been to the playoffs five times in his 12-year career -- often performing brilliantly (not so in '07 playoffs) -- and at 32 is still after his ring.

Perhaps this is Randy Moss' A-Rod Year. Things are trending that way. The Patriots scored 94 points while trampling Tennessee and Tampa Bay in their final two games before the bye. Though both victims were winless at the time, this is still the NFL, and the Patriots made both the Titans and Buccaneers look hopeless. Today, the 5-2 Patriots meet the 3-4 Miami Dolphins in Foxboro.

In these teams' second meeting last season, Miami was "Mossed" by Moss for eight catches for 125 yards and three TDs in a 48-28 Patriots victory. Moss felt insulted that the Dolphins believed single coverage would often be enough.

Last Sunday in New Jersey against the Jets, the Dolphins started two rookie cornerbacks (Sean Smith and Vontae Davis) for the first time in franchise history. Brady and Moss have no doubt taken serious not of this. Regarding what coverages Moss can expect today, "I wouldn't tell you what we're going to do one way or the other," Miami coach Tony Sparano said during a conference call with the New England media last Wednesday. "But that (single coverage last November) didn't work out so good."

Prediction: Patriots 38, Dolphins 27

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