Spotlight

Randy Moss

Wide receiver

There is no overstating his importance to this offense and to this team as a whole. Speed and downfield ability aside, he's been a difference maker in the meeting rooms and in the impromptu two- and three-player huddles that take place on the field, imparting the wisdom gleaned from 13 years in the league.

"I call him Old Man," Smith says playfully of the 35-year-old standout. "He's got a ton of knowledge, not just for the receivers but for me. He sees a lot—coverages, leverage, technique. And he does a great job communicating what he's looking at and asking what I'm seeing. That's how you build a rapport. It allows you to start anticipating things." One man can't do it all, but other receivers are catching on too. "Guys are talking more," says Smith.

As impressed as the 49ers have been, Moss must still prove himself in games. He seemed uninterested while playing for three teams in 2010, with just 28 catches for 393 yards and five scores. But his new teammates have not seen that guy. Says Gore, "A Randy Moss who wants to play football—that's hard to stop. And he's showing us that he wants to play football."