FOXBOROUGH - If each skill-position offensive player on the Patriots' roster had an odometer that measured playing time, there is no question who would be first in the shop for an oil change.
Other than the obvious answer of quarterback Tom Brady, it's wide receiver Randy Moss. By a landslide.
In assessing the playing time of receivers, tight ends, and running backs in the first nine games this season, Moss stands out for having been on the field for 500 of a possible 593 offensive snaps, or 84 percent of the time. The snaps don't include quarterback kneel-downs but do take into account plays in which the offense gains yardage via penalty.
For perspective, fellow receivers Wes Welker and Donte' Stallworth are next in line, with Welker on for 376 snaps, a 63 percent clip, and Stallworth for 358 snaps, a mark of 60 percent. The numbers then drop off to fourth receiver Jabar Gaffney (182 snaps, 31 percent) and No. 5 option Kelley Washington (33 snaps, 6 percent).
The playing-time stats provide a different lens through which to view Moss's dandy debut in New England.
Not that his 56 receptions for 924 yards and 12 touchdowns haven't been impressive on their own. But when factoring in that Moss is hardly leaving the field - most of his time on the sideline is when games have been decided - the word "workhorse" also should be associated with his performance.
That hardly matches the perception of the player some felt the Patriots were acquiring. After Moss's seven years in Minnesota and two in Oakland, some coaches - such as former Raiders offensive coordinator Tom Walsh - felt he wasn't willing to run certain routes and didn't always practice or play hard.
In New England, however, the numbers and consistency of performance tell a different story.
"That's why he was brought here, and that's why you condition yourself, to play every snap," said Washington, who has contributed mostly on special teams units. "His job is to stay on the field when the offense is out there and make the plays he has."
Moss's on-field presence was especially noticeable in the Patriots' most recent victory, over the Colts, when he retreated to the sideline for just two of the team's 55 snaps. Both came in short-yardage situations when the Patriots did not have receivers on the field.
That meant Moss was in the huddle as part of seven other positional groupings, which not only illustrates his physical endurance but also his smarts to learn a variety of receiver roles. Patriots coach Bill Belichick previously called Moss "probably the smartest receiver I have coached."
When Moss missed most of training camp after tweaking his hamstring, he said his primary concern was not slowing the tempo of the team's offense. The Patriots eased him into the mix, keeping him on the field for 39 of a possible 63 snaps in the season opener against the Jets, and he announced his arrival by outrunning a triple team on a 51-yard touchdown reception - and finishing with nine catches for 183 yards.
Moss shifted it into high gear that day and has kept it there.
Tempo, it turns out, hasn't been disrupted. If anything, Moss has contributed to a more frenetic pace than expected, while submitting a handful of highlight-reel plays along the way, like his one-handed catch against the Colts.
As for the rest of the Patriots' skill-position players, tight end Kyle Brady has played 386 snaps (65 percent), while the numbers of fellow tight end Benjamin Watson have dropped after he missed 2 1/2 games with a left ankle sprain; he has totaled 297 snaps (50 percent).
Although he is labeled by some as a third-down specialist, Kevin Faulk leads all running backs in snaps with 225, or 38 percent. The injured Sammy Morris is next at 161 snaps (27 percent), while Laurence Maroney - who missed three games with a groin injury - has played 144 snaps (24 percent). Fullback/running back Heath Evans is not far behind at 114 (19 percent).
But all in all, any discussion of offensive snaps played should start with Moss.
"He's a well-conditioned athlete, a top world-class athlete as far as running and conditioning," Washington said. "He knows what type of player he is, and when he's out there, it opens up the whole field. Defenses are always keying to where he's at, and it opens up a lot of other things. Mentally he knows he has to be on the field. He's a big part of the offense, one of the best receivers in the game.
"He is a No. 1 receiver. He has to be on the field."
Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com.
