EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- The Vikings were driving, the clock was ticking and Randy Moss was talking.

In the huddle, that is. The Vikings had spent the day battling the Dolphins' defense and were clinging to a 6-0 lead. They were 15 yards from the end zone with two minutes left on the clock, and every sane individual in the Metrodome assumed it was time to run the ball and the clock.

	Randy Moss has 12 receptions for 196 yards so far in 2000.

But Moss was talking, lobbying. He'd spent the day getting banged and grabbed by the secondary, playing a cornerback magnet while Cris Carter racked up a career-high 168 receiving yards. Enough already.

We give you two versions of Moss' persuasion:

"I said I wanted the ball," Moss recalled. "I had a tough day, and I wanted to put the dagger in them."

Said Carter: "In the huddle, we were going back and forth. If they blitz, what were we going to do? Because we knew they were going to blitz. Randy was telling (Daunte Culpepper), 'Throw it to me, throw it to me, and I'll end this game.' "

Of course, Daunte did. He went to the line, saw a zillion men in the box, audibled to a pass and watched as Moss wrested the ball away from Sam Madison in the endzone.

Dagger in, game over.

The point is this: You can stop arguably the best offensive player on the planet some of the time. But not all the time. And not when it matters.

That is one of many things that haven't changed for Moss, who has now caught 29 TD passes in 35 professional games.

Here's another. He still plays the game with a cocky attitude that opponents can find, well ... let's just say irritating. Listen to what Dolphins linebacker Robert Jones said after the Week 2 game:

"He had a couple of plays, and that's all people are gonna look at, not that (the Miami defense) shut him down. ... I think he's overrated and not that good. I've been playing for a while and never seen someone so cocky. I have no respect for him as a player or a person."

It says here Jones may have missed the mark. On the field, despite massive amounts of double coverage, Moss still has 12 catches for 196 yards and a touchdown through Week 3. He's on pace for more than 1,000 yards, and he hasn't really exploded yet.

Moss has made enormous strides off the field, too. The man who admitted last year that he sometimes got bored on the field when the ball wasn't coming his way is now becoming a team player, willing to do what it takes for the team to win.

This from a man who is spending his time getting double-teamed.

"It's a little frustrating," Moss said. "But at the same time, you can feel relieved. If I'm not making the play, I'm relieved that somebody else is. I'm not really too much bothered with that, like most people think that I would or should be."

Well, why wouldn't we? Moss spent last year questioning then-offensive coordinator Ray Sherman; Moss, Sherman and Carter were often seen on the sidelines airing their disagreements. And there were more than a few times last year when Moss, knowing he was not going to get the ball, either ran lazy patterns or no patterns at all.

But that has changed. Really.

In Week 1, when the Bears played two-deep coverage on Moss and Carter all game, Moss played his role, clearing out the middle and allowing Culpepper to have a big running day. In Week 2, again double-covered, Moss ran decoy routes, helping Carter, often lined up in the slot, get open en route to a career day.

But in each game, Moss made the most of the opportunity that was there.

Against the Bears, when the safeties finally came up to stop the run, Moss' 66-yard reception set up the go-ahead touchdown. Against the Dolphins, he ended the game with a 15-yard dagger.

There are other signs of maturity. Moss has willingly run more slants and curls over the middle -- subjecting himself to more punishment -- to give Culpepper higher-percentage passes to make.

And after expressing at least some doubt publicly when the decision was made to go with Culpepper, Moss is now walking the team line. "Everything is what I expected (with Culpepper)," Moss said. "I think I'm probably the only one that can really say that on this team. I've expected everything that's come out of this whole deal of him being a starter and having big shoes to fill. I've had a faith in Daunte since day one.

"I think his poise is very good. With Jeff (George) and Randall (Cunningham) being here my first two years, along with Brad (Johnson), they didn't run a lot when given the opportunity. That's Daunte's strength. If he doesn't see anything or if we're covered up, I think that's one of his strengths. And hopefully that will help us in the long run during the course of the season."

Can this be true?

Believe it. In his third year, Moss is growing up. During training camp, he expressed his loyalty to head coach Dennis Green, saying he might not want to re-up with the Vikings after his contract expires if Green is not the coach.

So far this season, Moss has played his role, patiently using up two or three DBs and allowing others to catch balls.

"Maybe five or 10 percent of the time I'm double-teamed, I feel I could really get open (anyway)," he said. "But any other time, if I'm taking two guys with me, that means somebody's open or Daunte's open (to run). That's the thing we're going to have to strengthen up on, that when I'm double- or triple-covered, somebody will have to step up and make a play. But we're doing things well as far as how they cover me and how they cover Cris. We're making the plays."

Material from Pro Football Weekly.
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