Moss has no regrets for contract remarks
Randy Moss said Tuesday his comments about his contract concerns “came out wrong,” but he doesn’t regret making them and wants to retire with the New England Patriots.
Moss had spoken out after Sunday’s season opener, then went home worrying about how coach Bill Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft would view his remarks.
“I do care what they think and I just didn’t want it to come off in a crazy, crazy manner,” he said in an interview with the Associated Press. “It was just how I felt, man. It’s just something I just needed to get off my chest.”
He learned Belichick’s reaction when they met on Monday. He said the coach was supportive.
“I don’t want to get into detail about what we talked about, but it was just more watching what I say and watching what I do,” Moss said. “I just said, ‘Coach, it’s unlike me,’ and I apologized, in a way, because it’s unlike me, but, hopefully, he sees where I’m coming from.”
He said he has children, a mother, a brother and a sister to support.
“They’re looking to me for financial stability,” Moss said.
He also said Sunday that he didn’t feel appreciated, then added, “I’m not saying that I’m not appreciated here.”
He clarified his remarks on Tuesday.
“I just wanted to know or feel that I’m appreciated. I didn’t really try to do anything crazy or say anything crazy, but it just came out wrong,” Moss said. “I don’t have any regrets for saying that because that’s me, man. I have a family. I’m a man. I’m a businessman.”
Steelers stick with Dixon
Dennis Dixon didn’t throw for a touchdown, stretch the defense with his running or do anything else against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday to suggest he won’t be back on the bench when Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension ends.
What mattered most to Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was that Dixon didn’t lose.
Dixon will be Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback Sunday at Tennessee, even though the injured Byron Leftwich may return to practice as early as today. Dixon completed 18 of 26 passes for 236 yards and an interception in his second NFL start, shaking off a series of underthrown passes early in the game to become more accurate in the second half. Even if, Tomlin said, “I’d like the throws to be more on target.”
Around the league
The Denver Broncos obtained running back Laurence Maroney from the New England Patriots. Each team received an undisclosed 2011 draft pick. The trade is pending a physical examination. … New York Jets’ defensive tackle Kris Jenkins will miss the rest of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his surgically repaired left knee in the team’s opener against Baltimore on Monday night. … Green Bay Packers running back Ryan Grant is out for the season with a right ankle injury, a significant blow to the team after he piled up 1,200 yards in each of the past two seasons. … Chicago linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer will miss the rest of the season after the Bears put him on injured reserve because of a concussion he sustained in the preseason.