Toss Up Question: Should the Bucs Look at Randy Moss?
By Patrik Nohe
Hey guys, trying something a little different today. I want to toss a question back to the readers. Earlier today the Minnesota Vikings and their brilliant GM Rick Spielman decided to waive Randy Moss. This comes just weeks after the Vikes sent a third round pick to New England in exchange for the future Hall-of-Famer.
Today he finds himself out of work and the Vikings look like a bunch of colossal morons for wasting a third rounder on a player that played less than a quarter of a season for them. Seriously, if the Bucs had pulled this move, wasting a third rounder on a player they would cut weeks later, I’d already have the “fire-the-GM” post up.
Update: This all tentative at this point as Chris Mortensen and ESPN, as well as Jay Glazer and Fox are reporting that despite the fact Brad Childress told his team Moss is gone, he is yet to appear on the waiver wire and the soonest he will be released is tomorrow. Still, unless the Vikings want to risk a massive mid-season schism between front office and coaching staff, chances are Moss is done in Minnesota.
The reasons behind the termination were not clear. Moss did give an incredibly unorthodox post-game press conference after losing to the Patriots yesterday. In the presser he lamented leaving New England, saying:
"“Man I miss them guys, man. I miss the team. It was hard for me to come here and play. It’s been an up-and-down roller coaster, emotionally, all week. And then to be able to come in here and see those guys, you know running plays, I mean that I know, what they’re doing. The sense they had on the field, the running game, so I kind of know what feeling they have in their locker-room, man. And I just wanna be able to tell the guys I miss the hell out of them…”"
That’s not exactly the type of reaction to a tough loss that I’m sure the Vikings wanted, but still, cutting him seemed a bit ridiculous. A lot of people think Randy Moss is done, his physical talents are depleted and his baggage far outweighs what he brings to the table. I disagree, I think Randy Moss thrives when people doubt him and I think he’s about to be in another position to prove his critics wrong.
In Minnesota, at the beginning of his career, he had a chip on his shoulder because his draft stock plummeted. He used that as motivation to become one of the league’s elite receivers and embarrassed the coaches and teams that passed him up. In New England he wanted to prove to people that his time in Oakland was a fluke. All he did was break Jerry Rice‘s single season touchdown mark and help the Patriots go undefeated in the regular season (though 18-1 counts for absolutely nothing).
I think Randy Moss could have something to prove again. Could he be poised to prove his detractors wrong? I’m wondering if maybe the Bucs shouldn’t take a look at Randy Moss?
Pros: Randy Moss would instantly come into the Bucs offense and provide a future Hall-of-Fame deep threat to take the lid off of defenses. Instantly Kellen Winslow and the rest of the Bucs receivers would draw single coverage as Moss forces the defense to look his direction. Josh Freeman already throws a great deep-ball (hell, he’s been compared to a Daunte Culpepper with a higher ceiling) so this could be a match that works out well. Not to mention all that Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn could learn from a receiving legend.
Cons: Moss is a head-case who has not traditionally liked to mentor young players. As much as I like Mike Williams I’m not sure he would do well with Moss’ influence unless Randy was really motivated to guide Williams in the right direction. From there, Moss can destroy an entire locker-room, much less a huddle. He would be a huge risk to what has proved to be a strong Bucs team chemistry.
So should Tampa go after Randy Moss? Leave your answers in the comments!