DAVIE, Fla. -- Vontae Davis can savor his shutout of Randy Moss for a while.
The prospect of a rematch between the young cornerback and the Pro Bowl wide receiver later this season was dashed Wednesday when the New England Patriots traded Moss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Moss went without a catch for the first time since 2006 when he played Monday night against Davis and the Miami Dolphins. The Vikings already have played the Dolphins this season, so Davis won't face Moss again anytime soon.
"I'm going to miss it, but it's a problem off my hands," Davis said. "That's a person I don't have to worry about in the division."
Moss had touchdown catches of 71 and 58 yards against the Dolphins last season. He worked against second-year pro Davis for nearly the entire game Monday, and only one pass was thrown Moss' way.
"After the first quarter, he said, 'You've got three more quarters.' Then he said, 'We've got two more quarters, baby,'" Davis recalled with a laugh. "I said, 'He's right about that.'
"He has done a lot of damage in this league. I know what he can do. You fall asleep on him, he can pull that one-hand catch on you."
Not that Davis refrained from a little trash-talking of his own.
"I just told him: 'What a difference a year makes, Randy,'" Davis said.
The Patriots had the last word, winning 41-14.
The only time they threw to Moss, he stretched for the pass in the end zone, but it deflected off his hands.
"He said if that ball wasn't wobbling, he would have caught it," Davis said. "He's funny. He's a good dude. He'll talk to you if he respects you."
Davis predicted Moss will do well returning to Minnesota. The receiver played for the Vikings from 1998 to 2004.
"He did a lot of damage over there," Davis said. "Good place for him to retire."
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
