Tonight on a brisk October evening Randy Moss will step onto the field at the New Meadowlands in the Minnesota purple and gold for the first time in 5 years. It's quite the homecoming for the star wide receiver especially if you look where he's been over the last five seasons. Moss has had his low moments. Being a part of the Oakland Raiders run by the corpse-formally-known-as-Al Davis, was a humbling experience.
However, sometimes you have to go through the crucible to come out as tempered steel. Over the last four years Randy Moss has flourished in New England. Check out the stat line: 50 tds, 3,904 yards receiving, 259 catches, and a trip to the Superbowl. You'd think that at age 33, with these kind of numbers, and still in possession of great hands, speed, and leaping ability the Patriots would be willing to cough up some cash for the Moss Man.
You'd be wrong.
Once again the New England Patriots, Bill Bellicheck, and Bob Kraft have proven why their arrogance knows no bounds. They still seem to live in this delusional fantasy world where people will come to New England or re-sign with New England and take less money to win a championship. Well guess what numb nuts? You haven't won a Superbowl since 2004. The arguement doesn't carry weight anymore.
Say it with me people: THE PATRIOTS DYNASTY IS OVER.
Apparently Bill and Bob still haven't gotten the memo however. Bellicheck has publicly stated that the Patriots have fine young wide receivers and has implied that the Patriots will be just fine without #81. From Billicheck's remarks I can only conclude that the Kool-Aid man has taken up permanent residence in his home and that he's mainlining PurpleSaurus Rex. Seriously Bill? How about you actually name some of these young talented wide receivers? And while you're at it why don't you explain to the New England fans and Tom Brady why you traded away your only legitimate deep threat. Or explain to Wes Welker why he's going to be double-teamed for the rest of the year. You may even want to tell the offense how they are supposed to score 30+ a game every game because guess what, that defense couldn't force Charlie Weiss out of line at a Krispy Kreme let alone stop an offense like the Colts.
But as they say one man's trash is another man's treasure. And boy oh boy do the Vikings need this pot of gold. With injuries at the wide receiver spots, no legitimate deep threat, and nagging injuries, it's no wonder that Brett Favre has 6 picks against 2 td passes and a pathetic QB rating of 60.4. Having Moss in the lineup is going to be like a fresh set of Wranglers for the 41 year old grandfather. In fact with Moss out there, Adrian Peterson in the backfield, and the NFL being as Jekyll and Hyde as it has been this year (with the exception of the Bills who are more like Karloff's Mummy, i.e. dead and buried) anything is possible. A win against the Jets tonight would be huge.
And now Moss is back with the team he scored 90td, caught 574 balls, and accumlated 9,143 receiving yards for. I've always respected Moss's game. His speed, athletic ability, feet, quickness, hands, and size make him a freak of nature at the wide receiver spot. Yet I have no vested interest in either Moss or the Vikings. I'm just fascinated to see how this all plays out.
It must be hard to be so wrong about this. Moss is a 32 year old WR with declining skills and a terrible attitude. The Pats were going to lose him in the offseason for absolutely nothing, so trading him seems on the surface to be the right move. When you look below the surface, it becomes even more obvious. They traded a fourth round draft pick to the Raiders prior to 2007 for a WR that seemed incapable of taking advantage of his immense skills. After three productive seasons, they've benefitted from Moss's abilities, and traded him for a third round pick. As Branch Rickey once said, it's better to get rid of a player a year too early, than a year too late.
ReplyDeleteThe Pats are clearly in a rebuilding mode. They've been stockpiling draft picks over the last three drafts (2009, 2010, and 2011). I don't think trading Moss is proof of Belicheck's arrogance. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I think it shows that he's living in the here and now. He realizes the dynasty is long over, and he needs to rebuild with younger players, as opposed to overpriced veterans. Dan Snyder would be wise to learn from the Pats model. The Pats continue to put together 10-win teams, while the Skins go above .500 once every three years. I'm not even going to talk about the Bills...
He's 33 actually and to paraphrase a comment a reporter once made about Terry Bradshaw, "Dan Snyder couldn't spell CAT if you spotted him the C and the A" i.e. he knows nothing about football and never will. He's only knowledgeable about two things: cable shows dealing with the lives or little people and the complete cultural history of hobbits. I think Moss's gripes were legitimate and I honestly think he's got at least three years of high productivity left in him. Draft picks are nice but will Tom Brady still be around to reap the benefits? We'll see. And I stand by my statement about the Hoodie. He's an asshat.
ReplyDeleteIt is a risk. While draft picks are far from a sure thing, it's the easiest and cheapest way to rebuild with young talent. Contrary to popular belief, football is a young man's game, not a veteran's game--unless you're a QB, PK, or punter. As presently constructed, the Patriots could not win the Super Bowl. Trading Moss away now at least allows the Patriots to receive some sort of compensation for his services rather than lose him for nothing. The uncertain future of the NFL and it's salary cap only intensifies that need.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Hoodie being an asshat, I'll take him being an asshat anyday. Especially considering the veritable pu pu platter that has coached for the Bills post-Marv Levy. Let me remind you...Wade Phillips, Greg Williams, Mike Mullarky, Dick Jauron, Perry Fewell, and Chan Gailey. You know, I'll take asshat over complete incompetence any day...
No question the Hoodie is a great coach. But let me say that at least Wade Phillips got us to the playoffs twice and I actually think that if Perry Fewell had been given a chance he might have done something with this team. He had them playing tough last year and I really believe Fewell will get a head coaching job someday. As for the rest of the Bills coaches they are awful. And the majority of the Bills problems over the last decade you can attribue mostly to Ralph Wilson and his front office.
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