And awaaaaaaaaaaaaay we go:
"When the clock struck midnight this morning, Randy Moss technically became a free man. But he’d have been crazy to go anywhere....
Unless money is all that matters to Moss - and his actions last April suggest it’s not - then returning to the Patriots is pretty much his only real option."
Yep, Randy Moss would be an insane fool to see what he could fetch in a watered-down free agent market that has Bernard (Bleepin') Berrian looking for $18M in guaranteed money. What a maroon Moss would be to do something like that.
And Tomase has spent too much time in this business to know that Moss is a very shrewd businessman. Taking a pay cut last April wasn't a demonstration of what's really important to Moss, it was a calculated business move.
Moss knew that by taking less money in the short-term to get out of Oakland and play one season in Green Bay or New England, with a future Hall of Fame quarterback, he could set himself up for a big payday in free agency in 2008.
"The hot rumor at the scouting combine last week was that a team like the Titans, desperate for an impact receiver, could throw a huge deal at Moss to open free agency. But Moss would have to ask himself if he really wants to spend the final years of his career catching passes from a quarterback in Vince Young who’s more runner than thrower. Does Moss want to deal with that frustration?"
Young completed over 60% of his passes a year ago and has 563 more passing attempts than rushing attempts in the first two years of his NFL career.
Young is a 24-year old quarterback who thus far has lacked the weapons on offense to show off his arm and has used his talents as a runner to help the Titans go 17-11 in his first 28 starts, as well as make the playoffs in the NFL's toughest division, the AFC South.
Adding Moss would probably help the development of Young, as well as change the perception that he is "more of a runner than thrower".
"The smart money says no, particularly when Moss knows that as long as Tom Brady is zinging the ball his way, he’s always going to be involved and always going to put up numbers."
Except, you know, in the post-season.
"The last time Moss was saddled with an inferior quarterback, he ended up begging the Raiders to set him free. There’s no reason to put himself through that again."
For my money, Brady is the best quarterback in the NFL. So technically, every other QB is inferior to him.
Doesn't necessarily mean that Moss can't be productive with another QB, though. In fact, Moss put up pretty good numbers when Randall Cunningham and Daunte Culpepper were throwing the ball to him. Wait a minute, those guys were thought to be more runners than throwers...
"Then there’s the issue of legacy. Moss’ was mixed entering last season - supremely talented, but not always reliable. Winning Super Bowl XLII would have gone a long way toward changing the perceptions of him as a winner, but the fact is he still has two or three years left in him to win it all.
If he finishes his career with three team-first seasons in New England and wins a Super Bowl, he has a chance to rewrite the way he’ll be remembered, which is pretty remarkable considering the weight given to comments like, “I play when I want to play,” or some of the other issues that dogged him prior to coming here."
Moss' legacy? Voters have short memories, so despite his "I play when I want to play" statement several years ago, Randy Moss will go into that weird-looking building in Canton, Ohio the first year he appears on the ballot.
Don't agree with me? A year after quitting on the Oakland Raiders, Moss got 20% of the votes for the AP's Comeback Player of the Year award in 2007. Think about that: He got 20% of the votes for Comeback Player of the Year, because he wasn't bored anymore.
One could make the case that taking a huge paycut and posting one of the greatest receiving seasons in NFL history was enough to change how people perceived Moss, and that winning a Super Bowl ring would've been the icing on the cake.
"Like Rodney Harrison before him, Moss bought into what it means to be a Patriot. Even when controversy struck at the end of the season in the form of a dubious restraining order, Moss didn’t wail or indulge his persecution complex.
He instead answered virtually every question, accepted responsibility for his actions, and defused what could have been a major distraction.
It was just further proof that Moss fits in here and belongs here. It seems hard to believe he’d mess that up."
Moss' production before the restraining order controversy: 16 games played, 98 receptions, 1,493 yards and 23 touchdowns.Moss' production after the restraining order controversy: 3 games played, 7 receptions, 94 yards and 1 touchdown.
In the end, I do think Moss will re-sign with the Patriots. I just don't like it when beat-writers openly carry the water for the teams they cover.
