Randy Moss Released: Will He Be Picked Up By The New England Patriots?

Randy Moss has been finding his press conferences therapeutic of late. It's been a good spot for him to let it all out and express his deepest feelings and thoughts.

He misses the New England Patriots. That much is obvious after his 10-minute diatribe at the post-game press conference on Sunday.

But do the Patriots miss Randy Moss? Enough to bring him back, after the Minnesota Vikings released him on Monday as reported by Michael Lombardi of NFL.com?

Moss' impact on the offense can't be denied. Think it can? Ask Wes Welker, who has just 14 receptions for 102 yards and no touchdowns in three games since Moss' departure after tallying 24 receptions for 217 yards and three touchdowns in the first four games.

The theory that Moss was a problem child in New England as he was in Minnesota (Act I) and in Oakland was debunked just days after the trade, when Bill Belichick said, "There was never any incident or discipline problem with Randy. There never has been one with me in four years."

The hugs and chats Moss shared with Belichick, Robert Kraft and Tom Brady before and after the game also helped chase away the ghosts of the trade, if the final score (28-18, Patriots) and Moss' final stat line didn't (1 REC, 8 YDS).

Brady's production has gone way down since losing his star receiver. He has thrown for 691 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in those three games, after racking up 911 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions in the first four games.

While Randy's presence accounted for three of those nine touchdowns in his first four games, it (arguably) was also the reason for one of those interceptions, when Brady threw to Moss, who was blanketed in coverage by Antonio Cromartie vs. the Jets.

In four games with Moss, the Patriots put up 38 points against the Bengals, 14 against the Jets, 38 against the Bills and 41 against the Dolphins (though the final point total was in a game where Moss was targeted once and was held without a reception).

Since then, it's been good-not-great point totals, with 24 against the Ravens, 23 against the Chargers and 28 against the Vikings.

The most intriguing statistic of all may be that all other Patriots wide receivers have a total of five receiving touchdowns in 2010: three for Wes Welker, and one apiece for Deion Branch and Brandon Tate.

Randy Moss has five all on his lonesome.

It looks like he wants back. The Patriots look like they could use him back.

So fundamentally speaking, the path seems clear for him to return, right?

Wrong.

Tom Brady and the Patriots have ceded the point that their offense isn't the same without Moss, but one thing has remained constant with the Patriots, and it happens to be the most important thing: winning.

The stand-by reason for Bill Belichick in nearly every decision he makes is that it's in the best interest of the football team. And what did Belichick say just 24 hours after shipping Moss to Minnesota on that fateful day?

Yup. "It was done in the best interests of the football team...In the end, that was the decision, and I have confidence in our players."

If trading him was in the best interest of the football team a month ago, why would three games change that?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm not sure a player has ever been traded to a team mid-season and then re-signed by the team that traded him in the first place. It just seems so counter-intuitive.

Unless, of course, the Patriots shipped Moss off so that he could know what he's missing. Doubt it.

The ships have sailed, and Moss was cast off the Vikings voyage after being bartered off of the Boston tea party.

Besides, the Patriots offense has evolved and taken on a small-ball style, controlling the clock with long drives that allow their young defense to rest up.

The Patriots controlled the ball for just 10 minutes of the first half, but were able to match the Vikings in time of possession, and pulled off the win.

In Week Seven against the Chargers, when the Patriots were dominating early on, they were dominating the time of possession. Once San Diego started putting up long drives, the Patriots began to lose control of the game.

Their ability to control the ball has been what's won them games. With Moss, they weren't controlling the ball because they were too busy scoring (or trying to score).

There are 31 other teams with a chance to bring back Randy Moss.

No one may ever again enjoy a highlight reel type season the way Moss did in '07, and he will certainly hold a special place in Patriots fans hearts, including this writer. But the writing's on the wall. Moss' rants may not have written his ticket out of New England, but they can't write one back in, either.