Randy Moss: Report Card on Moss' Debut for the Tennessee Titans

Expectations for the Randy Moss era were high going into the Titans' game in Miami on Sunday.

Moss was, like he has been for most of this season, largely ineffective.

Just like Saints fans will tell you with Reggie Bush, there is something to be said for having a decoy on your offense, and that has become Moss's calling card this season. Moss's production has not been there this year, and he has caused more headaches than wins.

Moss has just 23 catches for 339 yards in nine games this season. Those aren't the kind of numbers you expect from a player the caliber of the Titans' newest receiver. At some point the talk of Moss as a decoy becomes overvalued and the production becomes what really matters.

Everyone would love to have Roddy White on their team, but that's not going to happen. I'm not asking Moss to lead the league in catches or yards, but he is tied for 109th in receptions this season, and there are 13 running backs in the league with more catches than he has this year.

I don't believe Moss' value as a decoy is enough to offset his lack of production and the problems in the media he can cause. It's too soon to say if Moss can turn it around this season and help the Titans get into the playoffs, but let's examine his play against the Dolphins on Sunday.

Moss was targeted four times in the game, catching just one pass for 26 yards, which was an improvement over his no-catch performance against the Dolphins in week 4, but still nowhere near the production Titans fans are hoping for.

Moss also drew a pass interference penalty against Dolphins corner Vontae Davis that netted the Titans 33 yards on the play. The drive resulted in a 17-yard touchdown run by Chris Johnson that was opened up because Dolphins free safety Chris Clemons was playing deep to take away the potential threat of Moss.

Johnson took the hand-off and scampered into the end zone for a relatively easy touchdown run. The value of Moss was realized on that play, but that was basically the end of the wide receiver's production on the day.

The Titans passing game struggled mightily throughout the game, and starting quarterback Kerry Collins left the game halfway through because of an injured calf. Collins was ineffective and Vince Young fared no better, as the two combined to go 18-for-38 for just 124 yards and one touchdown.

The Dolphins have one of the better pass defenses in the league, ranking sixth against the pass this season, but Moss' impact was minimal yesterday regardless of the defense he was facing.

Moss is supposed to be a game changer, and for someone who has played on three different teams this season, with a record of 4-5 in those games, Moss has been anything but.

The Titans had a terrible start to last season with Collins at quarterback, going 0-6, but they were able to turn it around when they switched to a run-oriented offense in the second half of the season to finish 8-8.

The 38 pass attempts against the Dolphins were a recipe for disaster, and the Titans were unable to win as Johnson carried the ball just 17 times. Tennessee is 1-4 in games this season where Johnson has gotten less than 20 carries—and that win came against Dallas—while they are 4-0 in games where Johnson gets more than 20 carries.

Tennessee needs to run the football as much as possible if they are going to stay in the playoff hunt this season. Even if Moss does step up his production, it may come at the expense of Johnson and the Titans running game, something that would be detrimental to the team.

Either way, it doesn't appear to be an ideal situation for the Titans or their fans, and if Sunday was any indication of things to come, Tennessee and Moss could be in trouble.

Moss' Grade vs Dolphins: D+