Moss - not worth the trouble
Michigan
Posts: 4,942 ✭
in Sports Talk
There was only one word that crept into my mind upon hearing that the Patriots reportedly were interested in trading for Raiders wide receiver Randy Moss: Madness. I realize that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady misses his former favorite targets, Deion Branch and David Givens. I also understand that New England head coach Bill Belichick helped transform running back Corey Dillon from a troubled bad boy in Cincinnati to a valuable contributor on the Patriots 2005 Super Bowl championship team. But Moss redeeming himself in New England? I just don't see it happening.
What the Patriots must grasp -- as well as the Packers and Buccaneers, who also were rumored to be pondering a deal with Oakland -- is that Moss will never change his ways. This isn't a matter of him playing in a lousy organization, although that certainly doesn't help. It's an issue of how he approaches the game, or more specifically, it's the simple fact that he seems less interested in playing at a high level than ever before. It's that type of attitude that led the Vikings to ship him off to Oakland in the first place and now it's made the Raiders think that it might be best to cut ties with Moss as well.
And please don't blame this all on the Raiders' abysmal offense. This was a problem long before former offensive coordinator Tom Walsh installed his prehistoric system in Oakland last offseason and helped Moss produce a career-low 42 receptions. Even when former head coach Norv Turner was running his offense, Moss didn't have the same impact that he'd had earlier in his career. One AFC West scout went so far as to call him the most overrated player in that division, while citing that Moss rarely went after balls with the same veracity. In fact, Moss constantly loafed on plays where he wasn't the primary receiver.
Those aren't the kinds of issues that vanish with a change of scenery or an opportunity to join a championship-caliber organization. They are part of who Moss is and, if anything, his presence would only poison a team like New England. Say what you will about Dillon, but his turnaround with the Patriots had a lot to do with his desire to play for a winner. He was frustrated with all the losing in Cincinnati and most of his problems, while he didn't handle them well, stemmed from that. Moss, on the other hand, has been a pain in the butt whether his teams have been winning or losing.
In fact, the worst thing any team could do is treat Moss like he's special. First, former Vikings head coach Dennis Green coddled him at the start of his career. Then Green's successor, Mike Tice, did the same thing while boasting that he could get the best out of Moss. The Raiders obviously didn't learn anything from those mistakes because when Moss arrived in Oakland for his first press conference following that deal, team officials squired him from the airport to the facility in a stretch limousine accompanied by a police escort. There are people in that organization right now who swear that's when all their trouble with Moss began.
Now I certainly don't think the Patriots would treat Moss so lavishly if they actually made this deal happen. I do, however, believe that their "team-over-the-individual" philosophy would take a serious hit. They'd also fall into that same trap that snared the Raiders and, to a certain extent, the Vikings. Both teams thought that Moss was worth all the potential trouble and both had to learn a difficult lesson. And if that's not enough to sway the Patriots, this simple fact should: If Raiders owner Al Davis is willing to give up on Moss, then that's probably a pretty good indication that Moss's best days are long behind him.
What the Patriots must grasp -- as well as the Packers and Buccaneers, who also were rumored to be pondering a deal with Oakland -- is that Moss will never change his ways. This isn't a matter of him playing in a lousy organization, although that certainly doesn't help. It's an issue of how he approaches the game, or more specifically, it's the simple fact that he seems less interested in playing at a high level than ever before. It's that type of attitude that led the Vikings to ship him off to Oakland in the first place and now it's made the Raiders think that it might be best to cut ties with Moss as well.
And please don't blame this all on the Raiders' abysmal offense. This was a problem long before former offensive coordinator Tom Walsh installed his prehistoric system in Oakland last offseason and helped Moss produce a career-low 42 receptions. Even when former head coach Norv Turner was running his offense, Moss didn't have the same impact that he'd had earlier in his career. One AFC West scout went so far as to call him the most overrated player in that division, while citing that Moss rarely went after balls with the same veracity. In fact, Moss constantly loafed on plays where he wasn't the primary receiver.
Those aren't the kinds of issues that vanish with a change of scenery or an opportunity to join a championship-caliber organization. They are part of who Moss is and, if anything, his presence would only poison a team like New England. Say what you will about Dillon, but his turnaround with the Patriots had a lot to do with his desire to play for a winner. He was frustrated with all the losing in Cincinnati and most of his problems, while he didn't handle them well, stemmed from that. Moss, on the other hand, has been a pain in the butt whether his teams have been winning or losing.
In fact, the worst thing any team could do is treat Moss like he's special. First, former Vikings head coach Dennis Green coddled him at the start of his career. Then Green's successor, Mike Tice, did the same thing while boasting that he could get the best out of Moss. The Raiders obviously didn't learn anything from those mistakes because when Moss arrived in Oakland for his first press conference following that deal, team officials squired him from the airport to the facility in a stretch limousine accompanied by a police escort. There are people in that organization right now who swear that's when all their trouble with Moss began.
Now I certainly don't think the Patriots would treat Moss so lavishly if they actually made this deal happen. I do, however, believe that their "team-over-the-individual" philosophy would take a serious hit. They'd also fall into that same trap that snared the Raiders and, to a certain extent, the Vikings. Both teams thought that Moss was worth all the potential trouble and both had to learn a difficult lesson. And if that's not enough to sway the Patriots, this simple fact should: If Raiders owner Al Davis is willing to give up on Moss, then that's probably a pretty good indication that Moss's best days are long behind him.
0
Comments