Randy Moss bolted into the Patriots weight room once reporters were allowed access to the locker room today. Moss, unlike Adalius Thomas, chose not explain his tardy arrival Wednesday or express and opinion on the fallout.

Many have speculated about what impact Bill Belichick's discipline will have on Moss, a team captain who has been compliant and dominant for the duration of his Patriots tenure.

This afternoon, I discussed over the phone with Bob Pruett, Moss's head coach from his college days at Marshall, how Moss might react. Pruett keeps in touch with Moss in the offseasons, but he had not heard about Wednesday's incident until our conversation. His conclusion was direct: Pruett is convinced Moss will pose no problems in dealing with Belichick's decision.

"The people in New England don't need to worry about Randy Moss,"  Pruett said. "He likes it there and he's proud to be there."

Pruett was amiable, but staunch in his defense of his former player. He said he never had any trouble with Moss while he played at Marshall, and he believes people hold a negative view of Moss because "they don't know the man."

"Randy will be fine," Pruett said. "He's a great player. He's a great person. He's really matured. Things have been good for him in New England, and you don't need to blow this thing out of proportion. You can quote me on that.

"I think this is a lot about nothing. If Randy was the only one, it might be different. Everybody is probably pretty tense. They're not accustomed to losing ballgames like that. I'm sure that's all it is. Randy will be fine. Randy shows up on game days. I never heard of any coach say he didn't practice hard or play hard."

In a story later this week, I'll have more from Pruett and more on Moss.