Jets coach Ryan not happy to be facing Moss again
The Jets' Darrelle Revis covers New England's Randy Moss. Later in the game, on a touchdown pass caught by Moss, Revis aggravated a hamstring injury and left the game. (Sept. 19, 2010) Credit: Getty Images
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Rex Ryan wasn't exactly thrilled by the timing of the Patriots' trade of Randy Moss to the Vikings. It means the Jets coach will have to prepare for the dangerous wide receiver for the second time in a month.
Moss' first game in his second stint with the Vikings will be Monday night against the Jets at New Meadowlands Stadium.
"There goes sleeping well this week," Ryan joked Wednesday. "I was hoping they would have waited a week. That would have been much nicer."
Asked if there was any gamesmanship in the timing of yesterday's trade by division rival New England, Ryan said, "It would be real gamesmanship if they trade him back."
The Jets held Moss to two catches in a 28-14 win in Week 2, although one was a 34-yard touchdown over Darrelle Revis. The All-Pro cornerback injured a hamstring on the play and has been sidelined since. He hopes to return Monday.
If he does play, Revis expects to shadow Moss. He'll undoubtedly face a motivated receiver, not only because of the trade, but also because Revis questioned whether Moss was playing hard against the Jets.
"In the second half, you could tell he was putting his foot on the brakes," said Revis, who missed the entire second half. "Everyone knows that's Randy. Sometimes, he comes out and plays 100 percent, and sometimes he doesn't."
When asked how he could tell Moss was not playing as hard as he could, Revis said, "You guys can tell. You can see the effort. Playing football, you can see the body language and effort of people when they're out there playing. If a guy's going hard, or if a guy is hesitating, that's just the way football is. The truth comes out."
Revis expressed surprise the Patriots would trade their top deep receiving threat.
"I was surprised New England would do something like that because he was a big part of their offense. I don't think they're going to have a vertical game now. They're probably going to be short to intermediate."
Other Jets didn't seem too worried about facing Moss presence in the lineup Monday.
"The hardest thing is not having any film of him in that offense," safety Jim Leonhard said. "You don't know how they'll use him. But we know his skill set. We know what type of receiver he is. We feel like we've got two corners who are more than capable of taking care of business."
Said linebacker Bart Scott: "I felt like we matched up with a Randy Moss New England team, just like I think we'll match up with a Randy Moss Minnesota team. We just line up and play."
