Randy Moss: Why the New York Jets Must Sign the Free Agent Wide Receiver
It was just seven seasons ago that saw wide receiver Randy Moss atop the NFL as one of the best players, not just at his position, but in the NFL. A deceptively fast and lanky 6'4" Moss is not without his flaws, proving to be more vocal than most professionals in his position. He wore out his welcomes in Minnesota, then Oakland, then New England and disappeared in Tennessee.
However, Moss is still one of the best receivers to ever don an NFL uniform and a team like the New York Jets could benefit from his presence.
The Jets were among the NFL's best teams last season, riding the Super Bowl guarantee of their vocal head coach Rex Ryan to an AFC Championship appearance. With a solid defense, a young quarterback and a strong offensive line, the Jets are legitimately one player away from making it to a Super Bowl.
Here are a few reasons why the Jets must sign Moss for the 2011 season.
10) Help Braylon Edwards Reach Elite Status
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Braylon Edwards is not so different from Moss at this point in his career, save for statistical production. He's a big receiver with big play capability like Moss has been for most of his career. He has the leaping ability and speed to get to balls that most receivers cannot.
Inconsistency and starting his career with the Cleveland Browns have been the biggest issues for Edwards and Moss could be a good influence for him.
Let the absurdity of that comment sink in for a second and see through to the truth of the matter. Edwards is just as outspoken as Moss has been, though his production makes it seem much less warranted. He has one great season, a few good ones and a couple of average ones.
Moss started his career with six 1,000-yard seasons and five double-digit touchdown seasons.
Edwards often relies too heavily on talent and fails to work for receptions, which became a hallmark for Moss in his time with Oakland. He's been noted for having inconsistent hands, which stems from a lack of focus. He has the ability, but needs to bring his mind into the game.
It was just in 2007 that he had his coming out party to the tune of 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns for the then abysmal Browns.
9) Add Playoff Experience
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One thing the Jets suffered from late last season was a lack of experience on the playoff stage. The Pittsburgh Steelers have won the AFC North five times since 2004 and have three Super Bowl appearances with two wins since 2005. The Jets are still a young team with a lot of potential for the future.
Moss would bring veteran experience to a team needing all the experience they can get.
In 12 playoff appearances, Moss has 47 receptions, for 865 yards and 10 touchdowns. Aside from his first few years in Minnesota with Cris Carter, he has been the only receiver with any big-play credibility everywhere he has gone. He had Wes Welker to take pressure off in New England, but his career has been a one-man show for the most part.
The Jets had just eight players on their roster with 10 or more years of experience to offer, and Moss would bring another 13, plus a dozen playoff games.
For a team that is on the cusp of being a potential dynasty, Moss would be an invaluable addition in both experience and ability.
8) Complete the Offensive Threat
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In four of their five losses last season, the Jets were held under 10 points for the game. Their ground attacks is the best in the NFL due in large part to the great offensive line they have assembled. They were fourth in the NFL in total rushing yards, but 22nd in total passing yards.
Moss would open things up and add a new dimension to the otherwise one-dimensional Jets offense.
The Jets have regularly run through and over opponents en route to victory, but when they are stifled on the ground they are often unable to compensate with a credible passing attack. They owe many of their victories to the run game and the defense, but were unable to score big when those means did not produce points.
Against Green Bay, they amassed 360 yards of total offense, but were shut out in a 9-0 loss.
With Moss in the line-up, Sanchez won't have to force passes to Edwards and Holmes, or lean to heavily on Dustin Keller to succeed in the passing game. Moss is another body, an experience veteran, capable of changing a game with one touchdown. Moss is a scoring threat from 50 yards out, and the Jets need that type of consistent playmaking to reach their Super Bowl aspirations.
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7) Rex Ryan Likes Him
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Rex Ryan does not seem like the type of coach to shower genuine praise upon opposing players. He loves every player he has on his roster, but when it comes to others he gives the necessary respect but doesn't gush.
He has not shied away from gushing over Moss as a vertical threat, and a great weapon in the passing game.
In an interview with NBC Sports Ryan stated, "you have to roll coverage. Most teams would have to roll coverage to him. We never did, but we got burned for a touchdown. But he was a weapon. A vertical weapon down the field."
If this comment had been made during the season, it would follow along the lines of necessary praise to an opposing player who had his way with the team. It was a comment made during this offseason that makes it seem that Ryan and the Jets have genuine interest in Moss as a potential addition once free agency starts.
If Ryan can, in fact, get the most out of Moss without creating a nuisance, he would have a tremendous offensive weapon that could make his previous Super Bowl guarantees all the more valid in future seasons.
6) Risk Premium Signing
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Given that Moss is still considered a big name in the NFL, he inevitably comes with an asking price. The Jets are not the type of team to shell out big money for a player they don't think will help them in the long run, and Moss could be either. However, since he was traded and then released by two different teams last season, he may not have the leverage to net one final payday.
The Jets can get while the getting is good and lock Moss up for a few years at a decent price compared to his previous contracts.
Signing Moss comes with inherent risks, but if the contract is incentive-laden he has no other option but to meet certain demands. The Jets have all the power in this situation, since only one of the 31 other teams decided to take a chance on him off of waivers last season. They can put minimum touchdown and start clauses that mean his money is not guaranteed and he won't be able to take plays off if he wants to earn the full potential of his contract.
Getting the most out of Moss means he gets his money and the Jets are better because of the work he does in order to achieve his full contract sum.
5) He's a Hall of Fame Receiver
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It is a rarity to find a sure-fire Hall of Fame player just sitting in free agency, regardless of the circumstances surrounding their arrival there. The CBA is getting in the way of free agency, but Moss is easily one of the more intriguing free agents on the market. He has had a great career and is nowhere near as done as some people may like to say he is.
Moss is only 34 years old and has enough left in his body to make a final run at a Super Bowl ring.
Last season was an aberration for Moss in terms of production. He wasn't particularly productive with any of the three teams he spent time with, which is as much the team's fault as it was his own. He didn't have a ton of catches in four games with New England, but did have three touchdowns to his credit.
With Minnesota, he found himself in the middle of a dysfunctional Vikings offense that could not thrive with or without the ineffective Brett Favre under center.
His time with Tennessee was forgettable and sad all at once. A player the caliber of Moss should not have to wonder where he'll find work next, but he also shouldn't be so quick to wear on the nerves of teammates, coaches and fans.
The Jets are a team that is growing and is early in it's journey toward one, if not many, Super Bowl appearances.
The Titans are a mess of a franchise, and the Vikings are going to have to deal with life after Favre's tale of two seasons. The Jets are as close to a complete franchise as there is in the NFL, and Moss could be another piece of the puzzle instead of a square peg in a round hole.
4) Spark Development of Patrick Turner
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You can't teach height, but height is something that Patrick Turner needs to harness to be the type of player he was at USC. He caught 49 passes for 752 yards and 10 touchdowns in his senior season playing with Mark Sanchez in 2008. He's currently buried on the depth chart behind Edwards, Holmes, Brad Smith and Jericho Cotchery.
Assuming he is brought back for the 2011 season, Turner could prove to be a great asset if developed properly.
Moss's style of play is less physical than it is mental. He jockeys for position just as much as the next receiver, but it is the subtleties of his game that make him a great receiver. His tape shows that he waits until the absolute last second to get whatever push-off he needs to have the best chance at a jump ball, and he regularly deceives defenders with changes in speed and direction.
Turner is a bigger receiver with a lack of understanding of the very subtleties that have made Moss one of the best in the NFL.
Moss may get lazy from time to time, but when he is on his game there is no one better. He runs great routes and has the length to outreach most defenders in the NFL. Turner has that type of length but needs a veteran like Moss to educate him on the finer points of his game. He doesn't have the 4.24 speed Moss recorded upon entering the NFL, but plays much quicker than his 2008 combine 40 time of 4.54.
Turner had some great success with Sanchez at USC, and could use that familiarity as a starting point for his development with someone like Moss to help him along.
3) Make Mark Sanchez More Comfortable
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While he is hardly the greatest influence in the locker room or on the field, Moss's presence on the field is impossible to ignore. Mark Sanchez is a budding star with the ability to make both big plays and bonehead plays. Last season, the running back by committee approach on offense didn't pan out late in the season, especially against the Steelers in the AFC championship game.
Moss would be a fifth option for Sanchez and one capable of putting both Sanchez and the Jets over the top.
Last season, Sanchez was able to succeed with Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, Dustin Keller and LaDainian Tomlinson as his main receiving options. Adding Moss to that group would give Sanchez more options and make every decision he makes that much easier given each player's respective ability to do damage after the catch.
Redzone efficiency should skyrocket with the 6'3" Edwards, 6'2" Keller and 6'4" Moss roaming the endzone.
2) Take the Pressure off of Holmes and Edwards
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Last season, Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes accounted for 1,600 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Jets. While the Jets have a strong enough defense to consistently keep them in games, neither Holmes nor Edwards were able to provide the consistent play to take the pressure off of the defense.
Moss's presence would draw the attention of opposing defenses, leaving one or more options open for Mark Sanchez.
There was a time when Moss was known for producing single seasons with numbers comparable to the 2010 season turned in by Edwards and Holmes combined. In 2003, Moss caught 111 passes for 1,637 yards and 17 touchdowns. He has reached 1,000 yards in all but three of his NFL seasons.
Edwards would drop fewer passes with less pressure, and Holmes could slip into a slot receiver role and thrive in the intermediate are of the field, a la Wes Welker. Most teams can account for two quality receivers, but Moss would make three big-play threats for the Jets offense.
1) Stick It to the New England Patriots
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Rex Ryan has made it a point to be as outspoken as a head coach can possibly, bordering on obnoxious to those who don't see the brilliance of his mind games. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has the honor of facing Ryan's Jets twice a year, and has to endure Ryan's tirades before, after and leading up to each match-up.
What better way to show Belichick up than sign his once-prized receiver and than beat him in both meetings?
Moss spent three full seasons with the Patriots, and four games last season, before being traded to Minnesota after his first catch-less game with the team. Before the 2010 season opener, he was quoted as saying he "did not feel wanted" in New England after failing to receive a contract extension offer.
He was unsuccessful in his return to Minnesota and subsequent time with Tennessee, managing just 19 receptions, 154 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games between the two teams.
At 34 years of age, Moss is far from done as a player in the NFL. He merely needs the proper incentive to play at the highest level, and that incentive could be beating his former team and playing for a bona fide Super Bowl contender.
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