Interview: Scribe Culture

His 4.4 40-yard dash speed makes Sinorice Moss one of the fastest players on the New York Giants as well as the National Football League. While his older brother, Santana, is a Pro Bowl wide receiver for the Washington Redskins, Sinorice is still trying to establish himself as the dynamic wideout the G-Men drafted him to be with their second-round draft pick in 2006.

Slowed down by bumps and bruises in his first three years in the league, 2009 may be the year the explosive receiver breaks out with huge numbers. The loses of longtime Giant Armani Toomer and 6’6 playmaker Plaxico Burress have left a big void in the team’s receiving corps which Moss & Co. will attempt to fill as they try to return to the Super Bowl glory of their 2007 season. That said Moss is dedicated to the cause as the New York press reported he was the most impressive receiver at mini camp this June.

Even with all the pressures of being a professional football player in New York, Moss has also managed to create his own independent music label, NomaDic Music. The label’s only artist to date is neo-soul singer Jesse Boykins III. Via the label, they have put out two albums that have been fairly successful. Moss would love to one day garner a major distribution deal for the label, but for now he is focused on his job between the hedges.

The wideout recently took some time out after his training regiment to chat it up with Scribe Culture. Among the topics he discussed were the upcoming 2009 season, NomaDic Music, and racing his sibling – unfortunately not Santana. Check it out and peep game.

SC: You are entering your 4th year in the NFL, and unfortunately, you’ve been slowed by injures during your first three. However, without the wily vet Armani Toomer and playmaker Plaxico Burress this year your role on the team will be magnified. How have you prepared yourself this offseason, as perhaps, opposed to other seasons to meet the challenge and opportunity you face this year?
Sinorice Moss: Well first off let me clear everything up. I got injured my first year, it’s the only time I’ve been injured since I got here. I had nicks and bruises every other year but that didn’t stop me from playing. I was still healthy and I’ve been healthy. I haven’t had an injury plagued season or career in the NFL – everybody has nicks, everybody has bruises. So to get that out the way I want to say that.

Secondly, I’ve been approaching this year like I approach every other year: being positive, working hard, doing what I have to make plays and when given the opportunity go out there and make plays and do what I have to do. Not having Plax here any more, not having Armani here any more it’s going to be different. There are a lot of young guys here. Dominex Hixon and Steve Smith are your new leaders – we drafted two young guys. David Tyree is here, he’s the vet now. There’s a lot of opportunity for us to step up and make some plays, and that’s really what I’m looking forward to man. I’m really looking forward to having the great opportunity to step out here and make some plays, win some football games and doing what I have to do to be successful.

SC: I hear that, sounds good. Do you feel any added pressure to perform up to their level without having the two vets to lean on?
Sinorice Moss: There’s going to be pressure, there is always going to be pressure period playing this game of football. No matter what situation you’re in there is going to be pressure – there’s pressure for you to do well and there’s pressure for you to win games. There’s going to be a lot of pressure on us, extremely a lot of pressure on us being young wide receivers because we don’t have those vets any more – we don’t have Plax, we don’t have Armani so they’re going to look at this team and say it’s going to be up to these guys at the receiver spot to make plays for this team.

It’s not going to be up to the quarterback, it’s not going to be up to the running backs, it’s not going to be up to the defense but it’s going be up to these wide receivers to step up and make plays, so there is going to be pressure on us. I feel like all we have to do is accept that, do what we have to do, work day in and day out, go out there and make football plays and prove people wrong because there are a lot of doubters out there and a lot of naysayers. That’s why we’re professionals, that’s why we practice every week, so with that said we have to take the challenge.

SC: Yeah, there was definitely an onus put on you guys last year after the Plax situation; everybody kind of put that burden on the receiving corps so we’re definitely looking forward to you guys showing-and-proving. In your estimate what do the 2009 New York Giants have to do to return to championship form?
Sinorice Moss: Just stay focus, stay on top of ourselves. We can’t worry about anybody else and what they’re saying and what their predictions are. We just have to focus on ourselves and better ourselves throughout the week and games. Just go out there and win football games – that’s what we have to do.

They don’t have a lot of respect for us as the New York Giants. They didn’t have respect for us when we won the Super Bowl, they didn’t have respect for us last year and I’m sure they’re not going to have respect for us this year. I like it because we can go out and prove everybody wrong. We can go out there and win football games every week so it’s just about us going out there and winning and proving everybody wrong.

SC: Before I change the page and talk about your music I have a question. Obviously you must dislike the Cowboys, Eagles, and Redskins immensely considering they are the Giants’ biggest rivals. Which team do you hate the most and why?
Sinorice Moss: Hate the most, I wouldn’t say that I hate a team – I just don’t think it’s that serious to hate a team. I mean a team that I really dislike and really want to defeat them because I know they really come with it and bring that challenge – our division as a whole is a very very tough division, we have the Cowboys, we have the Eagles, we have the Redskins – and I feel like the Eagles are a really good, established team that is going to come out each week and really put up some numbers and make it difficult, not only for ourselves, but for other teams to come out and flat out beat these guys. So I don’t hate the Eagles organization, I think it’s a great organization and team but that’s the team I dislike playing against and we have to play them twice. Seeing them once they pick up on things so playing them again that second time there are a lot of things they can key on and there are a lot of things we can key on about them but that’s the only team I feel like is a challenge for us.

SC: Alright, I know you have a strong passion for music, and you even sing a bit. Is it something you plan on doing professionally any time soon or in the future?
Sinorice Moss: Actually there are a lot of things that I’m doing outside of football and music is definitely a strong point. I grew up singing all day, all night and my best friend is an artist. We came together a couple years ago and started our own independent music label. We have two albums out right now that are on iTunes. His name is Jesse Boykins III, and I am executive producer of the albums. Right now we’re trying to get him out there and push him – he’s out there a lot traveling and performing with a lot of different people, really doing his thing.

SC: Your label is called NomaDic MuSic, correct? What other artists do you have on the label?
Sinorice Moss: We don’t have any other artists on the label right now. We’re an independent label so we’re starting off slow and learning as we go. We’re really trying to get [Jesse] out there first, and then maybe in the near future we can really start looking for other artists.

Right now we are focused on Jesse. He has two albums out right now; he has videos that are on BET J. A lot of people love his music, he has a nice neo-soul tone, and he’s out there doing a lot of great things.

SC: With that being said would you like to partner up with a major music label at any point and have larger distribution?
Sinorice Moss: I would love to. That would be something that I would love to do; collaborate with a major label and maybe do other things. I like to be more in the background working on producing – I mean I can hold a note but I don’t think it’s something I would truly want to do professionally. My passion is with football and that’s what I really want to do but football is going to open up a lot of doors for other things so if the opportunity is there then, hey I’m there to take it.

SC: So if you could produce a track for two artists whose music you enjoy who would they be?
Sinorice Moss: Well I’m more of an R&B guys, I’m not really big on rap but I do listen to it. But I would say John Legend and Brian McKnight. Those are two artists I listen to a lot, especially Brian McKnight – I’ve listened to him all my life. I’d say those two guys.

SC: Before I let you go, you’re pretty fast and I’ve seen your brother Santana toast the Giants before so I want to know who is faster you or Santana?
Sinorice Moss: That’s a question we’ve been asked all our lives and we’ve never raced. We probably will never race – it’s just something we don’t do.

Santana was a lot older than us. I remember when we were younger we used to run outside so we could line up yards and yards back and have me and my little brother be like that rabbit in the chase but we never lined up and raced each other. There really isn’t a point, he’s fast, I’m fast – there really isn’t a point for us to race against each other.

SC: Well I’m faster than my brothers. I don’t have your speed but I’m a little shifty for a fat guy. Last question, will the New York Giants hold up the Vince Lombardi Trophy at year’s end?
Sinorice Moss: That’s definitely the goal for us as an organization, as a team to have the opportunity to hold that trophy at the end of the year. It’s the definite goal for everybody. Right now that’s what we are working towards. That’s why we have off-season training, OTAs, all those different things during mini camp and training camp to work towards that goal. To progress and to do the things that we have to do to set us up to win another championship so that’s definitely the goal. It was a dream come true when we were in the Super Bowl. I would love to do it a second time.

SC: So no guarantees huh?
Sinorice Moss: There are definitely no guarantees in the game of football. It’s a week in and week out situation, you have to go out there and you have to fight. You never know, the best team doesn’t always come out on top. I know it’s a hard working game and the guys are working hard and teams are working hard to win that ultimate prize and that’s the Super Bowl, and that’s what we are working towards.

Interview courtesy of Scribe Culture

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