Raider Pride
Cheesehead
From Pro Football Talk dot Com.
FAVRE'S PAST WORDS PUT MOSS RUMORS INTO CONTEXT
When we addressed last Sunday the rumors linking Raiders receiver Randy Moss to the Packers, we mentioned that we recalled a negative reaction for Packers quarterback Brett Favre to Randy's "I play when I wanna play" comments from November 2001.
Thanks to one of our friends in the "real" media, we've obtained the text of the article. (We also tried to purchase the article on the New York Times web site. We paid our $4.95, but after completing the transaction we still couldn't get beyond the one-line abstract. We wonder how many others have had this problem -- and how many thereafter have taken the time to track down the $4.95 they handed over to the Times.)
The article was published on December 16, 2001, and it was written by Mike Freeman, a friend of PFT who has advertised two of his books -- Bloody Sundays and Jim Brown: The Fierce Life of an American Hero -- in this space.
Here's what Favre told Freeman in response to the the Moss admission of lollygagging.
"I was sitting there getting taped, and he popped into my thoughts and I don't know why," Favre said. "I guess because we don't have anyone on our team like that in terms of what seems to be a poor attitude and work ethic. And don't get me wrong. There is no one in this league who puts fear in people more than Randy Moss. I think what players around the league like me who read some of his comments get upset about is that he can dominate any one game but I don't know if he has what it takes mentally to dominate all the time.
"If I was Randy I would feel bad about what I said," Favre added, "because he was given a lot of money to be a professional and his comments are not something a true professional would ever say. . . . I'm sure I'm speaking for a lot of players when I say this, that what he said doesn't just make him look bad, it makes players in general look bad. Some fans may think other players feel the same way he does, and that couldn't be further from the truth.
"I don't know Randy, but at some point in the future he'll regret what he said. If he doesn't, he's not a smart guy."
Favre also explained what would have happened if Moss had made such comments as a member of the Packers: "Our veterans would step up and take care of the problem. It wouldn't happen on this team. On this team there are no individuals, no selfish players, and if they become that way, they're gone. Every team in this league has a superstar. Some have five and some have 10. But the great franchises that have been successful, including this one, they pull for each other.
"He's a great player, but the only way to be great, play after play and game after game, and be a great team player, is to constantly work hard. That's the key."
Five years later, Moss is far worse than he was in 2001 when it comes to selfishness and pouting and not playing hard all the time, if ever. It could be a product of his unhappiness with the fact that his current team isn't winning games and he isn't making highlight-reel touchdown catches.
But there's no guarantee that he would regain in Green Bay the form that made him one of the best receivers in the league for the first seven years of his career. And if he doesn't, he could quickly revert to his turdish ways.
Sure, he might be all smiles and good attitude when coming through the door -- just like he was in Oakland two years ago. Before long, however, Moss could be showing his *** to the same fans that he pretended to moon during a playoff game after the 2004 season, if he isn't the focal point of Favre's fastballs.
Bottom line -- he's not worth the risk, especially since it appears that he has lost a lot of the magic that he used to be able to display.
When he wanted to.
FAVRE'S PAST WORDS PUT MOSS RUMORS INTO CONTEXT
When we addressed last Sunday the rumors linking Raiders receiver Randy Moss to the Packers, we mentioned that we recalled a negative reaction for Packers quarterback Brett Favre to Randy's "I play when I wanna play" comments from November 2001.
Thanks to one of our friends in the "real" media, we've obtained the text of the article. (We also tried to purchase the article on the New York Times web site. We paid our $4.95, but after completing the transaction we still couldn't get beyond the one-line abstract. We wonder how many others have had this problem -- and how many thereafter have taken the time to track down the $4.95 they handed over to the Times.)
The article was published on December 16, 2001, and it was written by Mike Freeman, a friend of PFT who has advertised two of his books -- Bloody Sundays and Jim Brown: The Fierce Life of an American Hero -- in this space.
Here's what Favre told Freeman in response to the the Moss admission of lollygagging.
"I was sitting there getting taped, and he popped into my thoughts and I don't know why," Favre said. "I guess because we don't have anyone on our team like that in terms of what seems to be a poor attitude and work ethic. And don't get me wrong. There is no one in this league who puts fear in people more than Randy Moss. I think what players around the league like me who read some of his comments get upset about is that he can dominate any one game but I don't know if he has what it takes mentally to dominate all the time.
"If I was Randy I would feel bad about what I said," Favre added, "because he was given a lot of money to be a professional and his comments are not something a true professional would ever say. . . . I'm sure I'm speaking for a lot of players when I say this, that what he said doesn't just make him look bad, it makes players in general look bad. Some fans may think other players feel the same way he does, and that couldn't be further from the truth.
"I don't know Randy, but at some point in the future he'll regret what he said. If he doesn't, he's not a smart guy."
Favre also explained what would have happened if Moss had made such comments as a member of the Packers: "Our veterans would step up and take care of the problem. It wouldn't happen on this team. On this team there are no individuals, no selfish players, and if they become that way, they're gone. Every team in this league has a superstar. Some have five and some have 10. But the great franchises that have been successful, including this one, they pull for each other.
"He's a great player, but the only way to be great, play after play and game after game, and be a great team player, is to constantly work hard. That's the key."
Five years later, Moss is far worse than he was in 2001 when it comes to selfishness and pouting and not playing hard all the time, if ever. It could be a product of his unhappiness with the fact that his current team isn't winning games and he isn't making highlight-reel touchdown catches.
But there's no guarantee that he would regain in Green Bay the form that made him one of the best receivers in the league for the first seven years of his career. And if he doesn't, he could quickly revert to his turdish ways.
Sure, he might be all smiles and good attitude when coming through the door -- just like he was in Oakland two years ago. Before long, however, Moss could be showing his *** to the same fans that he pretended to moon during a playoff game after the 2004 season, if he isn't the focal point of Favre's fastballs.
Bottom line -- he's not worth the risk, especially since it appears that he has lost a lot of the magic that he used to be able to display.
When he wanted to.
