Randy Moss: I'll Stand By Tom Brady No Matter What

BOSTON (CBS) -- When you catch 23 touchdowns from someone in a single season, making NFL history in the process, it's hard not to have a special bond with said quarterback.

That's true for Randy Moss and Tom Brady, who accomplished that feat back in 2007. Granted, that season didn't end the way either player wanted, and Moss' departure from the team a few seasons later was anything but a happy breakup.

But that hasn't hurt Moss and Brady's relationship. The two talk every month according to Moss, who was a spectator at Thursday's joint practice between the Patriots and Saints in his home state of West Virginia.

Moss, who hasn't played since 2012, would have loved to have gotten out on the field to catch some passes from his good friend. In full Patriots gear, he caught a few on the sidelines before drills started, but then had to sit back and watch as Brady went to work.

The former receiver is still in awe at what the quarterback can do on the field, even at the age of 38.

"It looked like the game has slowed down for him. Anytime the game slows down for you, that's dangerous," Moss told reporters following the practice. "That means he can think a little bit slower to be able to make decisions for the offense. It just looked good to me. He was making his throws, reading the defense, changing  his calls. I told him if the game has slowed down this much for him, only great things can happen."

All of this comes as Brady juggles a legal battle with the NFL over his four-game suspension for the whole DeflateGate mess. Brady was in court Tuesday to try to iron out a settlement, but talks went nowhere. It's a cloud that has followed him for seven months now, but none of the allegations matter to Moss.

When it comes to Tom Brady, Randy Moss will always have his back.

"One thing that you all have to realize is Tom is human. I'm not going to say it doesn't affect him, and not only him but everybody in his circle. That's just something as a professional you just have to live with it and move on from it," he said. "We talk every month, but that's something we don't talk about. I told him, first and foremost, I'm going to stand by him regardless of what happens.

"Friends are supposed to stay positive and move you in the right direction, and that's what I'm there for."

Getting to see his friends on the field wasn't the only special part of Thursday for Moss. Not only did he get a first-hand look at his former team, he got to meet his childhood hero and fellow West Virginia native, Jerry West.

"Bill [Belichick] is a legend, Tom is a legend, but my legend growing up was Jerry West," he explained. "I was honored looking up at the NBA logo. I never called him Jerry West, I always called him the NBA logo. He represents the same state I represent, and him being the NBA logo and right across the river from me, I looked up to him growing up. I finally got to meet my childhood hero."

Watching Brady go to work on Thursday certainly got Moss thinking about football again. Given that he's never officially retired from the game, he was asked if there was any chance he comes back, adding to a 14-year career that will someday land him in Canton.

"I would say never, but I…. Let's leave it at that," he replied.

In:
• NFL
• Tom Brady
• New England Patriots
• Randy Moss