School in for Assistant Randy Moss

Fifteen months ago, 49ers advanced receiver Randy Moss formed as a advance abettor football drillmaster at DuPont Middle Academy abreast his hometown of Rand.

It was just a few weeks afore he appear what became a one-season "retirement" from the NFL and Moss was alleviative his three-week, aboriginal summer gig as if it would be his next calling, recalls then-assistant Tommy Canterbury.

Determined to canyon forth his knowledge, Moss had a sixth-grade quarterback acquainted Cover 2 or Cover 3 schemes afore the snap. Similarly, 13-year-old advanced receivers were accomplished to analyze altered defenses and acclimatize their routes accordingly.

Canterbury, an abettor arch at a adjacent top school, marveled at how Moss presented circuitous concepts in an-easy-to-understand way. And he acclaimed Moss' adeptness to acclaim alter kids who weren't absolutely as affianced after awkward them or adopting his voice.

"The way he batten to the kids, that's what afflicted me added than annihilation he's anytime done on a football field, which is all outstanding and amazing," said Canterbury, who grew up in the area. "Randy would accept been as acceptable a abecedary as he is a football player."

Fifteen months later, Moss, 35, is aback in the NFL, assertive to accomplish his official acknowledgment Sunday if the 49ers appointment Green Bay, but abundant of the chat still involves his adeptness to instruct.

This week, Fox television analyst Tim Ryan, discussing Moss' football acumen, termed him a "freakin' professor." NFL Network analyst Joe Theismann afresh alleged him a "coach on the field." His adolescent 49ers advanced receivers accept agilely followed Moss' advance on capacity alignment from football to exercise (rookie A.J. Jenkins has adopted his pond regimen) to aesthetics (Michael Crabtree: "You can apprentice from a guy like that. You don't accept to change for nobody. All you accept to do is go be yourself.").

Summed up cornerback Perrish Cox, "He's a teacher, all around."

Yes, Moss, whose bouts of dejection and balmy action accept apparent locations of his 13-year, Hall of Fame career, has exceeded all off-the-field expectations. Jim Harbaugh initially asked Moss to sit in the foreground row during abhorrent meetings. Moss has taken the next footfall and accepted tutoring.

Skills still there

Entering his aboriginal bold in 20 months, however, a not-so-insignificant catechism lingers. Can Assistant Moss still academy opposing secondaries?

This anniversary abhorrent coordinator Greg Roman and quarterback Alex Smith absolved any doubts - pointing to Moss' absorbing physique of plan during minicamps and training affected if he commonly gave San Francisco's starting cornerbacks fits.

But those endorsements came with qualifiers.

"Nobody's got a clear ball," Roman said. "Who knows what's traveling to happen?"

Smith accustomed the aberration amid convenance or preseason and allusive games, "It's a amount of all of us just demography that to the bold field."

By design, Moss was about airy during the preseason with the 49ers afraid to acknowledge how they plan to apply him. He had three catches for 24 yards and alone what would accept been a accepted 25-yard bolt forth the amusement adjoin the Texans.

But there were signs that Moss, whose 29 touchdowns of at atomic 50 yards are additional in NFL history alone to Jerry Rice's 36, still inspires fear. Houston's cornerbacks gave him adequate cushions, lining up about abreast Amarillo and backpedaling at the snap. At Denver, three defenders amidst Moss if Smith flung a canyon in his administration that fell abridged abysmal downfield.