Reasons Why Fans Shouldn't Buy into the Randy Moss Hype Too Soon

We've gotten our first glimpses of wide receiver Randy Moss in a San Francisco 49ers uniform.

While it's only been a few practices at organized team activities, at least one 49ers player liked what he saw enough to proclaim that Moss "looked like the old Randy Moss that I used to watch."

With that said, it's a tad premature to be calling Randy Moss "back" just yet, and here are a fistful of reasons why both San Francisco and their fans may want to temper their enthusiasm with some skepticism before hopping on the Randy Moss bandwagon.

It's Too Late for Vernon Davis

It looks like it's too late for 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, who has apparently grabbed a big ol' glass of the Randy Moss Kool-Aid.

Pro Football Talk reports that the seventh-year pro raved to ESPN's Trey Wingo about Moss' performances in recent practices.

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“Randy caught a pass the other day, I mean — man, come on,” Davis said. “He caught a pass, there were three guys on him in practice, and he went up with two hands, and he looked like the old Randy Moss that I used to watch when I was in high school and college.”

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However, Davis' glowing assessment aside, there are a number of reasons why he might want to slow his roll. I like a tall, cold glass of Kool-Aid on a hot summer's day as much as the next guy, but the cart's not much good to you if it's in front of the horse.

Randy Moss Is a Rusty 35-Year-Old Wide Receiver

Granted, Randy Moss was once one of the most unstoppable wideouts in the National Football League. However, that was some time ago, and just in case you hadn't noticed, at 35 years old Moss is a lot closer to the end of the line than the beginning.

In fact, not only is Moss 35, but he didn't play at all in 2011 and played very sparingly the year before that.

Moss hasn't topped 1,000 receiving yards since 2009 and hasn't had a 100-yard game since November of that year, so there's quite the layer of rust tarnishing the 49ers' shiny "new" (to them anyway) toy.

It's Only Practice

The words "wisdom" and "Allen Iverson" aren't generally used in the same sentence, but the former Philadelphia 76ers guard may have been on to something when he went on his now infamous rant about practice in 2002.

Sure Moss may have looked like gangbusters on the practice field, but there's a world of difference between doing that and making an impact on game day, a feat Randy Moss hasn't pulled off in years.

Randy's a Moody One

Randy Moss may have once been a dominant player, but he's also been a handful for coaches throughout his career, as evidenced by his messy departures from Oakland, Minnesota (the second time) and New England.

If Moss doesn't get "his" way, he's not above pouting, grousing or worse yet, quitting on a team altogether, an issue that former teammate Cris Carter addressed in an ESPN Radio interview in February according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert.

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"The one thing you have to address with Randy Moss is not a conditioning thing," Carter said. "It's not an age thing. It needs to be addressed. I believe it's the elephant in the room. It's that thing called quit.

"And Randy, not like any other superstar I've met, he has more quit in him than any of those other players. So I need to address that. That's what [New England Patriots coach Bill] Belichick did when he brought him over from Oakland. He told him he wasn't going to have it.

"But Randy, when things don't go well, like no other player I've ever been around or associated with, he has a quit mechanism in him that's huge. That needs to be addressed before he signs with any team."

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Alex Smith

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith finally showed some signs of life in 2011, leading a conservative 49ers offense to within one game of an appearance in Super Bowl XLVI.

However, even in the best season of his seven-year career, Smith didn't exactly light up the stat sheet, throwing for 3.144 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Even should the 49ers open things up a bit offensively, between Smith's physical limitations and the offensive philosophy of head coach Jim Harbaugh, the team isn't going to suddenly morph into the 2007 New England Patriots.

That makes it far more likely that Randy Moss will be a part-time deep ball and red-zone threat than a consistent contributor on offense that sees a ton of targets.

How that will sit with Randy is anyone's guess.