WILL HE OR WON’T HE?

Moss’ Status among Keys to Minnesota Game INDIANAPOLIS — Dwight Freeney measured his words carefully. On the one hand, there was professional pride. On the other, practicality. Because on one hand, when the Colts’ Pro Bowl defensive end was asked Thursday if he wanted Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss to play this week, there was part of him that wanted to beat the Vikings straight up, no excuses. And then there was the other side of the dilemma. “I kind of say I want their best shot,” Freeney said, smiling, as the Colts (4-3) prepared to play the NFC North-leading Vikings (5-2) Monday at 9 p.m. at the RCA Dome. “But at the same time, Randy Moss is pretty dangerous.” Moss, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, is more than just pretty dangerous. He is a key to the Vikings’ offense, the player around whom much of their game plan is geared. He also is one of the NFL’s most durable superstars, and in seven NFL seasons, he never has missed a game, and never has missed a start. This week, that could change. Moss, who leads the Vikings with eight touchdown receptions and also has 394 yards on 26 receptions, sustained a hamstring injury against the New Orleans Saints on October 17. He has played nine snaps in two games since, and has not caught a pass during that span. Moss is listed as questionable on the injury report, and Vikings Head Coach Mike Tice this week wasn’t specific on Moss’ status for Monday. “He’s progressing every day,” Tice said. “He’s obviously not the factor we want him to be right now. We have to be so intelligent about the injury.” Tice said Moss played the first week after the injury to maintain his streak of never having missed a game, and that he played against the New York Giants this past week with the idea that he would be used extensively when the Vikings got near the goal line. The Vikings struggled offensively in the first half of a 34-13 loss to the Giants, and Minnesota never got near the end zone in the first half. By the second half, Tice said Moss’ hamstring had tightened and he finished having played just seven plays. “He really wasn’t a factor,” Tice said. “It’s an injury we’re going to have to monitor. I don’t expect the league will see the real Randy Moss for a few more weeks.” Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy, who joked early this week that although he liked watching Moss play he wouldn’t mind if he didn’t get to see him this week, said he expected Moss will play Monday night. “Superstars have a way of making miraculous recoveries,” Dungy said. Said Colts safety Bob Sanders, “Randy Moss is a great receiver. The coaches will have a good game plan for us, either way. If he plays. he’s going to make his share of plays, but we’ve got to make sure we don’t give him the big play. “We’ve got to run to the ball, make sure tackles and play hard.” Dungy said whether Moss plays injured, whether he is healthy or whether he doesn’t play at all, the Colts’ game plan doesn’t change much. If Moss is healthy, Dungy said the Vikings’ offense is among the more dangerous in the NFL because his ability to catch a variety of passes usually forces defenses to defend him with at least two defensive backs. “He’s like (Colts wide receiver) Marvin (Harrison) in that he impacts the game every play,” Dungy said. “You have to design your coverages knowing, ‘Hey, if I put a guy in single coverage, I’m taking a big risk.’ Even games where he doesn’t catch but two or three balls, he really impacts the game. He’s one of the reasons they’re one of the best running teams in football, because of the coverages you have to play to keep him contained. “He’s a talented guy. I don’t know if the league has seen a big man with the kind of skills he has.” But Dungy said even if Moss is injured, teams have defended him with multiple defenders. “I guess you can watch a guy in warm-ups and say, ‘Is he eighty percent, ninety percent — whatever,’’’ Dungy said. “Against Tennessee (a 20-3 Vikings victory two weeks ago), they (the Titans) rolled a lot to him. They double-covered him. They got some good plays off before he came out of the game. “The threat of the atomic bomb is still real.” If Moss doesn’t play, Colts players said this week said the Vikings’ offense — ranked first in total yardage this season — is still dangerous. Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper, the NFC’s starting quarterback in last year’s Pro Bowl, has thrown for two touchdowns with two interceptions in two games since Moss’ injury, but in seven games this season, he leads the NFC with a 114.2 passer rating. For the season, Culpepper has completed 183 of 258 passes for 2,180 yards and 20 touchdowns with five interceptions, and Vikings wide receivers Nate Burleson and Marcus Robinson have combined for 792 yards and eight touchdowns. “Moss is very capable, but they have other receivers who can go down the field as well,” Colts linebacker David Thornton said. “Daunte likes to throw the ball deep down the middle and down the sideline. We know they’re going to do that. They’re not going to stray from their game plan. “We have to prepare for their game plan whoever dresses out. Moss or no Moss.” Vikings running back Mewelde Moore, a rookie from Tulane, has started the last four games in place of suspended starter Onterrio Smith, who will return from the suspension Monday. Moore has rushed for 376 yards on 64 carries, a 5.9-yards-per-carry average, and Smith rushed for 198 yards on 42 carries — a 4.7-yard average before the suspension. “It’s a huge challenge this week,” Thornton said. “Daunte can run and pass, so he has two weapons going into it. The front four definitely has to put some pressure on them this week. It’s a big challenge for everyone and we’re exited about it.” “They have tons of weapons. They have a great running back. Their receivers are one of the best groups in the league. It’s a tough challenge. “We’re up for it. We just have to be prepared to go do it.” Said Colts defensive tackle Montae Reagor, “Minnesota’s very good in all phases — very explosive quarterback, running back, receivers. It’s another week of being very fundamentally sound. You’ve got to be on top of the details just as much.” Reagor, like Freeney and Dungy, was asked if he preferred to play the Vikings with Moss. After a pause, he said, “No.” “If he plays, ‘Oh, well,’’’ Reagor said, then added with a smile, “But I’d rather see him on the sideline.”