Sinorice Moss gathers momentum in Giants' wide receiver race

The huge hole left in the Giants' offense when Plaxico Burress was cut has been filled this spring by the littlest guy on the field.

It may not be that way in September, of course, but Sinorice Moss, the Giants' forgotten, 5-foot-8, 185-pound receiver, has clearly been the breakout star of May and June. The former second-round pick (2006) has dazzled everyone the last few weeks with his blazing speed and spectacular catches.

It's what Moss knew he was capable of doing all along.

"I feel like I can do so many things with the ball in my hands," Moss said after the first practice of the Giants' mandatory, three-day minicamp. "It's just about me getting the opportunity to show that."

That opportunity didn't come often during Moss' first three seasons in the NFL. Injuries ruined his rookie year, and then inconsistency in practice kept him buried on the depth chart. He was so far down that offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride thought last year was Moss' best, by far. Yet he caught only 12 passes for 153 yards and was inactive for six games.

While many wrote Moss off, his coaches didn't. They loved his attitude, his passion and the fact that despite a tough situation he kept working and never complained.

"It was never for me to come in and pout, complain, argue, or be mad at my coaches," said Moss, who strained a hamstring late in yesterday's second practice, but seemed fine as he walked off the field. "Things happen for a reason. That's how I look at it. But I continued each and every day to go out there and perform, and I showed these coaches why they drafted me, why they had me on the field, and why I'm here."

The reason Moss is here is his speed, which he flashed twice yesterday, burning cornerbacks downfield to make spectacular, over-the-shoulder catches. "He's gotten behind the secondary a few times this spring," said Tom Coughlin. "And he has obviously created some excitement on our part in watching him do that."

If Moss can continue to do that all summer long, there's a huge opportunity waiting for him in September. Burress and Amani Toomer are gone, and the race for the starting receiver jobs is wide open. Moss, 25, has already been anointed the No. 3 receiver by Gilbride. But he's been performing like a No. 1, which will come as a huge surprise to a lot of his doubters.

"I have a lot of naysayers," Moss said. "People say I can't do this, I can't do that. I've been hearing that all my life. It does bother you when people tell me what I can't do. That's why when I step out on the field every day I have that attitude of just making plays so my coaches can know 'Hey, when it's time to play in the game, give this guy the ball.'"



(nydailynews.com)