I feel your pain. Like myself, you’re a hardcore fan of one of the 30 NFL teams that isn’t playing this Sunday in Super Bowl XXXIX.
You’re already sickened by the ridiculous hype given to the Eagles and the Patriots and are dreaming of ways that your team can induce this same ridiculous hype next season. It’ll take a ton of work, you think, and the old front office will botch it up somehow.
But what if I told you of a cure all? One player who could change the face of your team and its prospects completely? A player that very well may be available.
He’s not the world’s greatest citizen, or the league’s classiest guy. He is, however, the greatest offensive force in the NFL today. His name is Randy Moss.
Driving home one day, listening to sports talk radio, the big discussion topic of the day was whether or not the New Orleans Saints should go after Randy Moss. The answer most callers gave was a resounding no.
“We don’t need classless players like that guy,” they said. “You can’t trust him. Haslett couldn’t handle his attitude.”
So let me get this straight. Randy Moss, who in my opinion is the second greatest wide receiver to ever play the game, isn’t worth the pursuit of the New Orleans Saints?
Depending on whom you listen to, Minnesota is tired of Moss, or Moss is tired of Minnesota. Maybe they’re tired of each other. The Vikings have underachieved for the past few seasons, but it’s largely because of their lack of defense, not any problems offensively.
No one player in the NFL affects a game quite like Moss does. In 2004, injuries seriously hampered his game. But by next season, he’ll be back to form, flashing his unreal physical gifts. Unless you can find another frighteningly fast 6-foot-4-inch target, with the leaping ability of an NBA player, incomparable body control and talent to change the numbers on the scoreboard from anywhere on the field, Moss is as gifted an athlete that has ever played. Not just in the NFL but in any sport.
If you leave one guy to cover Moss, you’re spotting your opponent six points. He can run past the big, strong guys, and he’ll simply out leap the smaller, quicker guys. No other receiver is as assured a win in a one-on-one matchup down the field.
The quarterback doesn’t even need to make a great throw. Moss can win a jump ball contest against virtually any defensive back. Put the ball in his area, and you come out on top.
Blitzing the Vikings leaves Moss one on one. That’s money in the bank for No. 84.
Bring the safeties up? Not a chance.
He can impact the game more than anyone else without even catching a pass, as just making two and three defenders commit to him lets his team run the ball at will. Other receivers see no more than one man at a time. He makes everyone around him more effective.
The best testimony for Moss, as with everything else, is the results he yields. In his seven years with the Vikings, the offense has rated as a top five unit every year but one. This spans two head coaches (Dennis Green and Mike Tice), a whopping six quarterbacks (Brad Johnson, Randall Cunningham, Jeff George, Todd Bouman, Gus Frerotte and Daunte Culpepper), a revolving door of wide receivers and running backs and multiple offensive coordinators. The only constant factor has been Moss.
George, long considered an NFL washout, looked like a Pro Bowler in that offense. And has anyone seen Frerotte or Bouman play well without Moss?
All of this, and Saints’ fans think this guy is a disgrace? The only disgrace is that fans from a team that has won nothing for almost 40 years are scoffing at adding a Hall of Fame caliber talent.
You’d think after all these years, fans would be on their hands and knees praying that a player like Moss would bless their home team. Many cannot look past Moss’s attitude, which provokes him to do silly, but harmless things.
The NFL team that can lasso Moss may well be playing in Super Bowl XL.
