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Moss, secondary can bounce back

Print | Comments () Posted by Adam Kilgore, Globe Staff December 4, 2009 03:51 PM

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No phase of the Patriots could be absolved after their humbling loss to the Saints, but two areas stand out as most in need of a recovery this week. First, Randy Moss has not been his typically explosive self for two weeks. Second, the secondary was embarrassed Monday night.

In that regard, the schedule does the Patriots a favor. The Dolphins should give Moss and the Patriots an ideal opportunity to bounce back and regain confidence.

Start with the secondary. Drew Brees torched them for 371 yards and five touchdowns, completing 18 of 23 attempts while throwing deep balls at will. The Patriots yielded seven pass plays of at least 25 yards. The Patriots were toasted, but after studying film they believe their mistakes are correctable, not symptomatic of a larger issue.

“We got to go out there and perform the way we know how,” cornerback Leigh Bodden said. “We didn’t do it last week. Just communication, consistency. That’s pretty much it. We get those things done, just little things, technique here and there, we’ll be fine. But we’ve got to get over it. It’s going to happen in this league. You just got to overcome. That’s what we’ve got to do, as a whole, as a defensive backfield, whatever.”

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If pass defense is a problem again this week, then the Patriots have a serious problem on their hands. Four wide receivers have caught passes for the Dolphins this season, and this is where you can find them on the NFL rankings for total receiving yards:

54. Davone Bess: 431 yards, 1 catch of 25+ yards, 0 TD

75. Greg Camarillo: 281, 0, 0

77. Brian Hartline: 270, 2, 2

78. Ted Ginn: 268, 1, 1

Fifty-three wide receivers – again, that’s only wide receivers and does not include tight ends and backs – have more yards than Miami’s best. Their receivers have four catches of more than 25 yards and three touchdowns. That’s an all right game for the Saints.

And then there is Moss. He leads the NFL with 992 receiving yards and is tied for fourth with eight receiving touchdowns. He has had a great year, but also a strange year. Some weeks, he has been the best player on the field. Other weeks, he has blended in or disappeared. That’s what happened the last two weeks – against the Jets and Saints combined, Moss has eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown.

Against the Dolphins in Week 9, though, Moss had one of his best games of the season. The Dolphins chose to cover him with minimal safety help, leaving rookie cornerback Vontae Davis on him. Moss responded with six catches for 147 yards, including the 71-yard touchdown that still stands as the longest play of the Patriots season.

One would think the Dolphins will change their coverage, especially after the Saints showed how a defense can contain both Moss and Welker. But then, Moss crushed the Dolphins in Miami last year when they played him largely one-on-one, catching eight passes from Matt Cassel for 125 yards and three touchdowns. And they didn’t change much for the first meeting this year.

This week may be a perfect chance for Moss – and the Patriots secondary – to regroup after last week’s dreadful performance.