from http://trainathought.insidefootball.com/2009/06/humbled-moss.html

5th June 2009

Humbled Moss' Inspiration

“Good morning Twitter Universe! Make it a positive and productive day!”

So say the daily “tweets” from Giants wide receiver Sinorice Moss, also known as Humble83 on the popular social networking system, Twitter. Moss has taken to the social network to share snippets of his enthusiasm and appreciation for life and to remind himself about the rewards that come if one keeps a positive attitude, even if life throws you a few unexpected curve balls.

Moss has a very good reason to remain positive. Reaching into his locker, he pulled out a 5x7-color photo of a small boy.

“See this?” he asked. “He is my motivation.”

‘He’ is Moss’ two-year old son, Sinorice, Jr. Born just a few days before his father’s birthday, the little boy is a cherubic looking child with a head full of bushy hair, expressive brown eyes, and chubby cheeks that are gently dimpled which give him an overall radiance that comes with a baby's innocence.

The child currently lives with his mother in Miami, and Moss visits every chance he gets. However, don't go looking for Moss to use his circumstances as an excuse to skip out on the spring workouts because he ultimately wants his young son to be proud of him.

“I have the privilege to play football and be a part of this team,” Moss said, admitting that it was hard to be apart from his son. “Whenever my name is called and they want me to do something, it’s my intention to go out there and do my best, no matter what it is because that’s what I’d want my son to do if he was in my position.”

Moss said he realized from the get-go that nothing in life is handed to a person, and that if you want to be the best, you have to put your time in and take advantage of your opportunities. That’s what the former second round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft is committed to doing.

“It’s very important,” he said when asked if the importance of the workouts were blown out of proportion. “People might see it as, ‘Oh, it’s not really football.’ It is football and it’s critical for myself and the rest of our receivers to get our timing down with our quarterbacks. They need to get a feel for us coming out of our break, and accelerating on deep passes so that when the season does start, they have the confidence in their receivers to know where they’re supposed to be and to get them the ball.”

If Giants fans doubt whether Moss is truly serious about making it in this league or is simply saying the right things, look no further than the relationship he has with his son.

“He is my inspiration, my little boy,” he said as his eyes caressed the picture with the pride and joy one would expect from a father. “Everything I do is because of him. I miss him terribly, but I’m here for a reason and I want to set a good example for him.”

That approach has helped the 5-8, 185-lb. Moss through some rough patches in his pro career. In his rookie season, a nagging quad injury knocked him out of training camp, which set him back behind the rest of his teammates. When he finally was healthy enough to contribute, he ended up participating in just six games as the injury returned.

In 2007, he played in 13 games with two starts, but was inactive for two games and not used in two additional games for which he dressed. However Moss found a silver lining in that he learned a lot about himself in terms of realizing just how valuable he was to the team, even if he wasn’t lighting up the scoreboard.

No, his contributions came behind the scenes, where as a member of the scout teams, he put on what some teammates described at the time as “Oscar worthy performances” of some of their opponents key receivers.

His most noteworthy performance? Playing the role of New England wide out Wes Welker in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, a role which Moss played so well that many of his defensive teammates gave him kudos for helping them in their preparation for the Patriots in what was perhaps one of the most stunning upsets in super Bowl history.

Poised to break out on 2008, Moss continued to be something of an enigma to the coaches, who after attempting to win the punt returner job in the summer, faded into oblivion and saw his number rarely called during the regular season. He was active for ten games, starting none. He was inactive for four games and saw two games go by in which he never got on the field, despite being dressed.

Even when opportunities arose – such as the team’s problems with since departed receiver Plaxico Burress, Moss patiently waited for his chance, only to be passed over for Domenik Hixon, Steve Smith and Mario Manningham.

Throughout the off-season and especially following the Giants’ 2009 draft in which they took a pair of rookie receivers in Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden, Moss continues to hear the critics who are counting him out.

“I am blown away by some of the stuff that I read and hear about me,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Wow, they really feel that way about me?’”

However, that negativity drives him to work even harder. “It’s cool,” he said when asked if the critics bother him if just a little. “I’m a very humble person and all I want to do is help the team and work hard.

So far he’s succeeded. In the June 5 OTA that was open to the media, Moss had a productive outing, catching most of the passes thrown his way and demonstrating a new-found level of confidence that might not have always been there in the past.

He’s also showing an ability to separate from defenders, something that wasn’t always a given in the past. “It’s definitely something I’ve been working on,” he said about separating from defenders. “I need to be aware of my placement on the field and where I’m going . The DBs don’t know where I’m going so I have to use that to my advantage by using my speed and the techniques I’ve learned from my coaches to get out there and get free for some big plays.”

“He seems to be a more comfortable, confident guy right now,” noted head coach Tom Coughlin. “He seems to know what he has to do, what is expected of him. And he seems to be a guy that is looking forward to that opportunity.”

“We had a few misfires,” Moss admitted when asked for his assessment of his progress thus far. “But we’re definitely connecting on a lot more plays, and that’s what matters.”

Moss’ older brother Santana, a receiver with Washington, was recently rewarded with a contract extension. (“Woooo! My boy deserves it!” Moss said when the topic was raised.)

However, little brother, who is entering the final year of his contract with the Giants, hasn’t been as fortunate as far as knowing that he’ll have that security for a few more years.

Although Moss would technically not be an unrestricted free agent after this contact expires – this due to the current state of the Collective Bargaining Agreement which barring a new agreement before the start of the 2010 league year will see the NFL have an uncapped year and also see the requirements for unrestricted free agency shoot up to six years of accrued service.

Despite this change, Moss tries to block out of his mind the fact that he’s indeed in his “lame duck” year and that unless he really has a breakout performance, chances are the Giants might not opt to tender him a new deal that in essence would make him an unrestricted free agent after this year.

“I know a lot of people are starting to bring it up, but my main focus is to come out here and perform and help this team,” he said. “ After the season, I can worry about that, but right now I’m focusing on bettering myself , working on my technique and speed so that when we get in the game, Eli can have confidence in me in throwing the ball.”

He realized though that with the Giants’ decision to draft not one, but two receivers high in this year’s draft, there is a chance he might not be around to catch any regular season passes from Manning.

Rather than pout or worry about himself, Moss, ever the true team player, has been one of the most active mentors to youngsters like Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden because, as he pointed out, they’re teammates and not enemies.

“I always want to help,” he said, noting that as of right now, no one has been guaranteed a roster spot.” I got help when I got here, so would I not want to help these guys?

“I told Hakeem and Ramses that if they need anything, ask. I remember running out there not knowing all the plays or where to line up. It’s very important that they know these things when they go out there.”

Even if it means the end of his time with the Giants?

Moss just smiled, and after a few minutes, he pulled out his cell phone from the same compartment where he keeps the picture of his son. “I got a voice mail from him this morning,” he said, before proceeding to share the message.

Over the speakerphone, a little boy, in somewhat garbled English, said,” “I love you daddy. I miss you.”

Moss clicks off the voice mail, sighs and then smiles. He then put the photo and his cell phone back into his locker with all his other private possession.

“No matter what people say about me, I work really, really hard, and I’m going to continue to work hard no matter what ,” he said softly.

He paused, and then looking back at the compartment where he placed the picture of his son, he added, “For him.”