Randy Moss Waived: Is the Wideout Crazy or Misunderstood?
Randy Moss has been waived by the Minnesota Vikings, ending his second stint with the team after less than a month.
The circus in Minnesota apparently doesn't know how to stop, but at least they timed this move well. Moss is coming off a game in which he had just one catch for eight yards against his former team and then made some pretty weird comments after the game.
In any case, the Moss transaction definitely got us to thinking about the star receiver.
Is Randy Moss crazy or just plain misunderstood?
Crazy Reason No. 5: Moss Is Truly That Selfish
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There's no doubt that this most recent chapter in the Moss saga just serves to further validate something many of us have suspected for a while now: Moss' selfishness is simply intolerable.
Among wide receivers, this is a phenomenon that is hardly limited to Moss. Take a look at the egos on people like Keyshawn Johnson, Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens. Receivers these days just seem to have it in mind that the ball should find its way into their hands on every single play.
But, it's hard for any coach to promise a wide receiver that much action. If Moss were a running back, maybe so. Come to think of it, maybe that's why you never hear running backs bitch about not getting the ball often enough.
Well, Randy, maybe you should have been a running back. But you're not, so shut up.
5. Misunderstood: Moss's Words Don't Affect The Vikings
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You naturally have to wonder how much Moss's postgame antics after yesterday's loss to the Patriots factored into Minnesota's decision to let him go.
To paraphrase, Moss swore to answer no more questions from the press for the rest of the season, sent out all sorts of love for the Patriots organization and then offered up a rather silly salute to Bill Belichick.
If Moss's remarks did have something to do with his release, then the Vikings may have made a terrible mistake. Moss is still a star receiver who can change the outcome of a game on any given play. Who cares what he says off the field? The dude can play!
4. Crazy: Moss Doesn't Care If He Shows Up His Team
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Indeed, while you could definitely make the case that Moss's actions off the field should not play into whether or not the Vikings choose to keep putting him on the field, it's also pretty easy to see that he threw the team under the bus last night.
While Moss is definitely selfish, he could have been so without indirectly criticizing his coach, his teammates and the entire Vikings organization.
In saying that Bill Belichick is the "best coach in football history," insisting that it was "hard for [him] to come here [to New England] and play," and by also maintaining that the Vikings coaching staff didn't listen to his advice about defending New England's offense, Moss essentially gave the Vikings a double middle finger salute.
If you want your employers to keep you, don't do that.
4. Misunderstood: Moss Is Right
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It was definitely unfair of Moss to throw his team under the bus after yesterday's game. Nevertheless, a lot of his comments about the quality of Bill Belichick and the Patriots, as well as his feelings about the general incompetence of his own coaches, are actually quite valid.
Bill Belichick may not be the "best coach in football history," but he's certainly one of the best. And even if he did run himself out of town in New England, why wouldn't he want to be back there given all the strife in and around the Vikings?
Moss may have spoken like a true jackass, but he also could have been speaking earnestly.
3. Crazy: Moss's Mood Affects His Play
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Any fan of Moss's three teams will definitely vouch for the notion that Moss doesn't always give 110 percent.
In fact, he often times gives far less. And it's pretty easy to predict when he's going to do so.
This was most apparent during Moss's time in Oakland, when he pretty obviously did not want to be there. He compiled just 102 catches and 11 touchdowns in two years in Oakland.
In his first year with New England, paired with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, Moss caught 98 passes and a league-record 23 touchdowns on the way to a 16-0 season.
A couple years later, he starts talking about a lack of respect from the Patriots brass and totals just nine catches in his first four games of the season, including zero in his final appearance with the team.
He did okay with Minnesota in his first three appearances, but yesterday's one-catch performance was a pretty clear indication that Moss was not giving his all.
3. Misunderstood: Moss Is Often Too Good For His Situation
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Ever since Cris Carter left the Vikings after the end of the 2001 season, Moss has usually been the best offensive weapon on every single team he's played for.
Because of that, maybe he actually deserves the respect that he so vehemently demands.
If this is true, then any game plan that uses him as a decoy rather than a weapon is absolutely absurd. And both the Patriots and Vikings are guilty of doing that this season. And this was perhaps never more true than in Moss's most recent game, in which Moss had only three passes thrown his way.
When you have a guy like Moss, you need to find a way to get him the ball. If not, don't be surprised if he realizes he doesn't have much incentive to play.
2. Crazy: Moss Couldn't Contemplate That The Vikings Were Not His Team
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Brett Favre, Brad Childress, Randy Moss. Repeat those three names over and over and you get a pretty good sense of how the Minnesota Vikings were being portrayed this year.
But when you have a guy like Adrian Peterson in the huddle, everybody on offense needs to shut up and do their part to ensure his success above their own.
Indeed, for all the talk about whether or not Favre and Childress were unfairly incorporating Moss into the offense, the fact of the matter is that Minnesota's offense revolves around Peterson. He's gotten at least 23 carries in five of Minnesota's seven games, and he leads the league in rushing. The other ten guys on offense are mere toys compared to him.
Moss should have realized that, shut the hell up and studied his blocking assignments.
2. Misunderstood: Maybe The Vikings Should Have Been Moss's Team
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Why would the Vikings have gone out and taken Moss off the Patriots' hands if they weren't going to use him?
Moss was supposed to come in and rescue a hopelessly inept passing attack. He was supposed to help Brett Favre overcome his early season struggles, which were dire.
And of course, he was supposed to help the Vikings turn their season around.
He ended up doing none of these things. But, is it really that easy to blame him?
To steal a line from Bull Durham, Favre couldn't hit water if he fell out of a (bleeping) boat. A 59.7 completion percentage puts Favre on the same level as the great Ryan Fitzpatrick and is a far cry from last season's 68.4.
So, how much of a boost could Moss possibly have been? Was Favre supposed to save the Vikings season by merely throwing it out there for No. 84 to go fetch? None of the receivers they already had could have done that?
Please. The Vikings passing attack was a joke, and will continue to be a joke.
1. Crazy: Moss Doesn't Care About Consequences
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It's one thing to be selfish. It's another thing to call out your coaches. But, it's another thing entirely to think that there won't be any consequences for doing so.
To be sure, Moss should have realized that it was definitely possible that he would receive more than a fine for his antics. As it turned out, he got a pink slip as well.
Does he regret it? That's debatable, and only he knows for sure. But if he really is this crazy, then the only emotion Moss is probably feeling at the moment is embarrassment.
But if you think he's going to sincerely admit he's made mistakes, don't count on it. Even if he does, it will probably be from a prepared statement by somebody on his payroll.
1. Misunderstood: Moss Was The Least Of Minnesota's Problems
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With all the drama surrounding Favre's bad play, Favre's crotch, Favre's relationship with Brad Childress, Childress' offensive numbskullery and every other crap storm that has surrounded the Vikings this season, Moss's release raises one question above all.
Is the team really that better off without him?
Indeed, whether or not he deserves it, Moss has clearly been victimized by a witch hunt. And while the Vikings locker room is probably a little better off without him, you have to wonder whether or not the Vikings are going to be any less of a train wreck without him than they were with him.
Conclusion
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We often talk about athletes who are "love him or hate him" players, the undeniably talented ones whose image varies greatly depending on which side of the fence you find yourself on.
At this point in Moss's career, we really need to take a step back and consider just how dense the population is on the side of the fence that has a positive view of Moss. Compared with the people who think he's a worthless scumbag who got what was coming to him, it just seems very unlikely that there is a large contingency of people out there who view Moss as a warmhearted individual who got unfairly screwed by an institution that's rotten to its core.
At the end of it all, we should take these most recent bad vibes in Moss's career as a reminder that it's very hard for professional athletes to stay in everybody's good graces for very long. For another example, take a look at his ex-teammate, Brett Favre.
But on balance, Moss has nobody to blame but himself for his current predicament. He might be misunderstood, but he's done very little to convince us that he is.
So, is he crazy? Yes. In fact, he's certifiable.
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