Did Randy Moss Quit on Sunday?

Whether they’re winning or losing, it seems the New England Patriots can’t stay out of the headlines.

That’s just what happens when you are one of the most storied franchises of the decade.

That’s also what happens when Randy Moss is in the mix.

The Moss Man was called out by Chris Gamble yesterday, and practically every media outlet this morning. Gamble claimed that Moss “shut it down” yesterday against the Carolina Panthers.

The Boston Globe quoted Gamble as saying, "He'd just give up a lot; slow down; he's not going deep; not trying to run a route. You can tell (by) his body language."

Moss had one catch for 16 yards, which he fumbled. He also tallied two drops, and the play that brought Gamble’s statement to the forefront—an interception thrown by Tom Brady where it looked like Moss came out of his route a little bit sluggishly.

Randy Moss has a history for taking play-off. That was a tactic used by Moss in his days in Oakland and Minnesota, when he felt he wasn’t playing for much, wasn’t getting the ball enough, or just wasn’t in the mood.

ESPN replayed the footage of Randy Moss dogging it over and over this morning. Merrill Hodge said that Moss definitely slowed down on the play and had he run the route the way he was supposed to, it wouldn’t have been intercepted.

Bill Belichick defended his star receiver , and was way more verbal with his emotions and thoughts than we usually see from the wily and shrewd head coach.

When asked about Gamble’s words, Belichick responded, “that’s a lot of conversation coming from a team that just lost another game.”

This is the most derogatory statement I’ve ever heard Belichick make about another team.

And he didn’t stop there.

That was just one of three statements in which he mentioned that the Panthers are a losing team that could potentially just be bitter that they lost another game.

And if that wasn’t enough, even Brady joined in on the jabs this morning on WEEI Radio’s Dennis and Callahan Show, saying, “I’ve seen plenty of plays made on Chris Gamble over the course of the season.”

Further defending Moss, Belichick mentioned a key cog in his football philosophy when he said, “stats are for losers. The final score is for winners.” It doesn’t matter to Belichick how they arrive at a win. A win is a win.

Brady echoed the sentiments of his head coach when he said, “We didn’t play our best game on offense, but we won, and that is what’s most important.”

He had defended Moss earlier by saying, “(Moss) was frustrated in himself and the situation, and it’s something you’ve got to fight through. He keeps fighting through it. You have those days where it’s not all great, but you keep lining up and you’ve got to keep fighting.”

This morning, he defended Moss again by adding, “He’s one of the top receivers in the league. He’s up there in yards, catches, and touchdowns. Every game plan the defense comes up with is to try and stop him.”

The thing is, over the past three weeks, defenses have been extremely successful in stopping him. The defensive schemes against Moss and opens up holes in coverage for Welker to make easy grabs underneath and reel off a nice gain.

So what does this all mean for Moss’ future in New England?

My gut feeling is that this won’t mean much down the stretch; unless, of course, the behavior continues.

Moss has one year left on a three-year, $27-million deal he signed back in 2008.

He’s been effective, consistent, and shown his full effort more often than not in his tenure in New England. He’s lived up to what he’s being paid. There should be no question that he’ll stay a Patriot throughout the duration of his contract. New England has no reason to cut him.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter pointed out, though, that going into an uncapped season, they could certainly use the free money.

Everyone brushed Moss’ tardiness to practice aside because he kept his mouth shut and accepted his penalty. He neither apologized nor made excuses for it.

He has been quiet to the media throughout his stay in New England, even in difficult times where he hasn’t gotten the ball as much as he should or could.

Could this have been a silent disapproval? Perhaps a sort of passive aggressive retaliation at the head coach?

Perhaps the defense was lucky to have the opportunity to exploit Moss’ slack-job with an interception.

Brady even took some of the blame for that throw. One of the world’s best teammates who has never thrown his teammates under the bus, Brady said, “I throw it to a place, and Randy went to the place he thought it was going to be. I don’t think you can blame Randy on that one. Ultimately, I’m responsible.”

As long as Brady keeps taking ownership of the mistakes, Moss’ public image should remain spotless.

The question is, will Moss accept accountability for his own mistakes?