Randy Moss Waived: Who Is in More Shambles, Minnesota or Dallas?
Randy Moss was waived by the Minnesota Vikings Monday in what has to be one of the most shocking moves of the 2010 NFL season. The Vikings traded a third-round pick for the former star wideout, but he struggled to find a niche and clashed with Minnesota's coaching staff.
Even so, the move comes as quite a shock and is the latest chapter in what has been a colossally disappointing season in Minneapolis. The Vikings are 2-5 and appear to be dead in the water in the playoff hunt.
But, are they even the most troubled team in their conference? After all, the Dallas Cowboys, widely seen as Super Bowl contenders this season, are 1-6 and just got waxed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Are the Vikings really more dysfunctional than that?
We're playing both sides of the coin here, giving you five reasons why Minnesota's worse off and five reasons why Dallas is. When it's all said and done, we'll break it down and figure out just which team is more in shambles.
Minnesota Reason 5: Brad Childress
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Childress, the Vikings head coach, has successfully managed to dig his own grave in 2010. From a well-documented spat with quarterback Brett Favre to failing to utilize the talent on his own team (you think the Colts or Patriots would be 2-5 with Adrian Peterson?), Childress has shown himself as what we suspected he was all along: a bad coach. It was his call to trade for Moss, and his decision to release him.
Childress's in-game coaching skills have been the subject of debate for some time now, and it was speculated that perhaps he didn't have the moxie to stand up to his star players. Now, we see that he will stand up to them and overreact to their behavior, while still being a subpar in-game coach.
Dallas Reason 5: Wade Phillips
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Ever wonder why Wade Philips is still coaching in Dallas, despite teams who consistently fail to live up to expectations? It's simple, really: Philips is essentially a figurehead, a yes-man, a rubber stamp. The team is actually coached by Jason Garrett, the personnel decisions are all Jerry Jones (and he coaches some, too), while Wade is the King of Norway, a monarch in title only.
Add to his inept coaching of the Cowboys his allowing the locker room to devolve to the point that even we are seeing that Tony Romo is blatantly playing favorites with his passes on a week-to-week basis, rather than doing what a normal quarterback would do and throw to the open man.
Minnesota Reason 4: The Defense
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One of the reasons for the Vikings recent run of success under Childress has been the defense. The high-pressure unit relied on stuffing the run and getting to the quarterback.
But in 2010, the defense has not been getting pressure on the quarterback, which has exposed a secondary that was never really all that good to begin with (really, Madieu Williams, a Bengals castoff, is your starting safety?). They've been vulnerable on the ground (112 yards to BenJarvus Green-Ellis this week) and through the air (teams routinely beat Minnesota's corners on basic pass routes) and have looked awfully out of sorts for most of 2010.
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Dallas Reason 4: The Defense Really Stinks
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If you think Minnesota's defense is bad, you haven't seen anything yet. Dallas's defense has more or less collapsed in recent weeks, giving up monster games on the ground and through the air. The blitz isn't generating pressure, the secondary can't hang with even the most mediocre wide receivers and the run defense looks to be in shambles.
The Cowboys defense is no longer a cohesive unit, something it was exceptional at in 2009. Unless the defense figures itself out, "America's Team" will continue their downward spiral.
Minnesota Reason 3: Wideout Depth
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The Randy Moss debacle aside, one thing we've learned in 2010 is this: Without Sidney Rice, the Vikings wide receiver corps is paper thin. Percy Harvin's migranes mean he could miss any game at any time, with little to no warning, and neither Greg Camarillo or Bernard Berrian are capable of making any impact. Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe is reliable, but Brett Favre doesn't want to throw him the football.
Until the receiving corps can get itself back together and get functioning, the Vikes will continue to fall apart.
Dallas Reason 3: The Running Game
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Coming into the season, Dallas was seen as having three running backs who could potentially put yards in the stat books. Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice were all somewhat highly regarded, and the running game was supposed to break out in 2010.
Fast forward to midseason, and none of those three players have broken the 300 yard rushing mark in 2010, a plateau Houston Texans running back Arian Foster reached after Week 2. Choice isn't getting much work, Barber's struggling to get past the line of scrimmage and Jones seems to have developed Steve Slaton Syndrome, a condition in which the bulking up of muscle on a slender back causes him to lose his explosiveness.
Much of the blame lies with the offensive line, and some of it lies with offensive coordinator (and secret head coach) Jason Garrett, who stubbornly refuses to give Jones more than 15 carries in a game. But, it doesn't change the fact that none of the runners in Dallas have produced in 2010.
Minnesota Reason 2: An Injured Diva
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Brett Favre is 41 years old. His hair is more grey than anything else at this point, as is his signature facial scruff.
Favre is also one of the NFL's most battered and bruised quarterbacks. He's suffering from tendonitis in his throwing elbow and has two separate ankle fractures in his left leg. Favre claims he's doing the team a favor by toughing it out and playing through injuries that would sideline even the toughest NFL player for a week or two.
But, there are a growing number of people who see Favre's continued on-field presence as an effort to keep his consecutive starts streak intact. They see Favre as a diva, who rarely—if ever—does what's in the best interest of his team.
He throws foolish interceptions because he's trying to be a hero, plays through injuries that take the zip off his screaming throws because he's trying to be a tough guy and argues with the coach because, clearly, he knows what's right.
If you want a cause of Minnesota's struggles in 2010, look no further than the grey-haired man who's trying desperately to hang on.
Dallas Reason 2: An Injured Star
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I am not a Tony Romo fan. I never have been, never will be. But, his injury is one of the biggest blows to the Cowboys hopes of salvaging this season of them all.
For all of his faults (holding onto the ball too long, making poor decisions, choking at the end of games, playing favorites with his receivers), the Cowboys depended on Tony Romo to make plays. The quarterback was sometimes up to the task, and sometimes he wasn't. But, he was always a leader on the field.
Without Romo, Dallas lacks an offensive leader. They lack a player who can make plays under pressure, who can rally his team to a comeback victory.
You want proof the Cowboys are in shambles? Look no further than their broken quarterback.
Minnesota Reason 1: Randy Moss
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Moss pretty much defines Minnesota's season in a microcosm. They knew the risks involved with bringing him back, knew his antics and demeanor could be toxic if he wasn't happy, but they signed him anyway. We all assumed they knew what they were doing.
We were wrong. Moss clashed with coaches almost from the moment he set foot in Minneapolis. He struggled to develop a connection with Favre and seemed put out that the team refused to listen to his suggestions regarding the team he had come from three weeks earlier.
In the end, Moss left the team in shambles. The Vikings were disgraced by the blunder, one which could cost them the rest of the season, and came off looking not just foolish, but stubborn as well.
It's standard operating procedure in 31 out of 32 NFL locker rooms for coaches to pick new players' brains about the team they're coming from, especially if the two play one another. That Minnesota failed to do so with Moss shows hubris and foolishness from the Vikings coaching staff and immediately made the wide receiver feel like less than a member of the team.
When that happens with Randy Moss, the game is over. He's quit on you, and you won't win with him.
Dallas Reason 1: The Offensive Line
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The Cowboys offensive line might be one of the NFL's worst. They're heavily penalized, easily beaten, can't block for the run or the pass and are just generally a waste of space.
While poor blocking isn't a condemning offense, poor blocking coupled with penalties is unacceptable. The line can't block even a standard four-man rush and leaves quarterback Tony Romo to scramble for his life. The biggest reason the Cowboys are worse off than the Vikings is because of their terrible offensive line.
Conclusion: Who's The Worst?
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After much pondering and deliberation, the Dallas Cowboys are football's most in-shambles team. From early season Super Bowl hopes to being virtually eliminated from contention at the halfway mark is quite an impressive collapse, one that even the dysfunctional Vikings can't hope to match.
From coaching ineptitude, to a broken quarterback, to an offensive line that can barely do its job when it's cheating, the Cowboys are, without a doubt, the more troubled franchise right now.
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