Randy Moss returned to the place where he built his legend Sunday, but the wide receiver appeared to be little more than a nostalgia act.
Moss started against the Minnesota Vikings and was targeted six times, more passes than he'd seen in the San Francisco 49ers' first two games combined. But he found himself on the bench in the fourth quarter, his playing time still lagging behind Mario Manningham and Michael Crabtree.
"Next question," Moss said, via The Sacramento Bee.
Big things were predicted for Moss this season, but we haven't seen the same player who torched defenses in his younger days. He appeared to short-arm a high pass over the middle in the first half, much to the glee of the soldout Metrodome crowd. Later, Moss got open in the end zone, but Alex Smith sailed a pass over his head for an incompletion.
"We left too much out there -- those two plays early to Randy," Smith said. "He and I have to connect. I have to (throw) better balls there on both those occasions, because those were both key plays."
According to Tom Pelissero of ESPN Twin Cities, Moss was seen sitting on the bench away from his teammates after being pulled in the fourth quarter. If this all seems familiar to you, it should.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.
