Randy Moss' Return and Santonio Holmes' Debut Caps Off an MNF Extravaganza

It has become the most eye-opening headline in the 2010 NFL season yet: Randy Moss Returns To Minnesota.

But what could wind up being even more interesting is the rematch between Moss and Darrell “The Shadow” Revis, on MNF.

Well that was fast, huh?

The Vikings are obviously in need of a major change at wide receiver; a change that can breathe life into a listless offense, a change that can put Minnesota back on the map as a postseason contending team.

Moss could be that change.

But what about this Monday night?

Is it just another broadcast inundated with the confusing “breakdowns” of Ron Jaworski, or another two hour affair where we get to hear all about “Chuckey’s” time as a head coach, only to be interlaced with more local car commercials than any one person can stand?

Perhaps.

But thankfully, this game should be enough to erase the insipid broadcast stylings of the MNF crew, and over abundance of commercials.

And it starts with the Randy Moss/Darrell Revis Saga.

Moss has always had trouble with Revis, but in the same vein, he (Moss) hasn’t had the type of weapons around him that Minnesota affords, nor in so many numbers.

With fellow teammates Visanthe Shiancoe, Percy Harvin, Adrian Peterson—and I don’t have to mention who’s throwing the ball—the Jets could have their hands full already, which could change how Revis is played by defensive coordinator Mike Pettine.

But wait a minute, isn’t there another wide receiver making his return on Monday Night Football?  One who could also cause his own set of problems?

How about Santonio Holmes?

Yup, the ex-Steeler makes his regular season debut as a Jet on the biggest NFL media stage this Monday, giving the Jets another high powered weapon of their own.

As of now, the Jets have basically been scraping by with Braylon Edwards and Jericho Cotchery, with Dustin Keller being the primary target in the passing game—they even have their own high-powered running back.

His name is LaDainian Tomlinson.

Not enough drama? Well, let’s just pull off the kids gloves.

1. Darrell Revis has already come out and said that Moss “put on the brakes” in the second half of their matchup earlier this year.
2. Moss knows that Brett Favre will be relentless in challenging Revis all night long, because Favre doesn’t care how good you are at covering; he knows he's better at passing.
3. Adrian Peterson has a golden opportunity to show up the “old man" across the hashes as the new kid on the block.
4. L.T. has the chance to show the kid a thing or two.
5. Favre has the chance to really stick it to another of his old teams.
6. The Vikings fourth-ranked defense will have a lot to prove against Mark Sanchez, L.T., Dustin Keller, Braylon Edwards, and their newest toy, Holmes.
7. The Jets 13th-ranked defense will have even more to prove against Favre,  Shiancoe, Peterson, Harvin, and Moss.
8. The Vikings are playing to keep pace in a very competitive NFC North.
9. The Jets are playing to keep first place in the AFC East.

And this is just the current storyline surrounding these two receivers for this week; we haven’t even mentioned the not too distant future.

For Holmes, he’ll have a showdown with his former team—the Pittsburgh Steelers—on Dec. 19 in Pittsburgh, no less.

But for Moss, it gets even better.

The nightmare that Moss cast over the city of Green Bay for six years (as a Viking) not only returns a week before Halloween, but fittingly enough, it returns with Brett Favre now being a Viking.

I mean really, you couldn’t write a better script.

For Minnesota, however, the time is now. Everything else that was mentioned is really just par-for-the-course in football. What’s really important is taking advantage of a really good situation in re-acquiring a bona-certified downfield threat; something the Vikings haven’t truly enjoyed this season with the absence of Sidney Rice.

Now, there will be no excuses if the Vikings fail to put up points. They simply need to win now or kiss their pitch for another postseason berth goodbye, before the season even ends.

With the Cowboys, Packers, Patriots (another ironic twist in this ongoing saga it seems), Arizona, and Chicago on tap leading up to the halfway point, the Vikings need to win as many—if not all—of these matchups just to stay competitive.

But with Moss’ return, things just swayed a bit more in Minnesota’s favor, affording the team what may just be the final missing puzzle piece.

Wanna know how this all plays out in Fantasy? Come check out my WK 5 WR Start Sit column.