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From the Star-Tribune:
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Jim Souhan: Vikings won't be green with envy if Moss is a Packer
Randy Moss was great with the Vikings, but he hasn't been great with Oakland and wouldn't be with Green Bay.
By Jim Souhan, Star Tribune
Last update: March 15, 2007 – 11:05 PM
Because of all the scandals, mistakes and general obtuseness brought to us by the Vikings the past few years, it's easy to forget that their anonymous and amorphous front office made one of the most prescient moves in recent NFL history.
We said it then, and we'll say it again: The Vikings traded Randy Moss at the right time, for the right price.
Now the Green Bay Packers -- who watched Moss use one of their Lambeau Field goalposts as Charmin substitute -- are reportedly considering trading for the Former Freak.
Such a deal would create fascinating possibilities, including Brett Favre throwing deep to the most talented receiver he's ever played with, Moss Lambeau leaping when he wants to Lambeau leap, and the Vikings feeling fortunate that the man who transformed their franchise is playing for their biggest rival.
Even though the Vikings have become a beacon of mismanagement and the Packers have done remarkable work building and rapidly rebuilding over the past 15 years, the Vikings got this one right, and the Packers might get this one wrong.
During the 2004 season, Moss sold out his primary sponsor, coach Mike Tice, in a national interview, and walked off the field prematurely against Washington, coming close to inciting a locker room brawl with center Matt Birk.
Moss is hardly the worst human in the NFL -- not in a league that includes the Cincinnati Bengals and Pacman Jones. With the Vikings, though, he became a problem on the field, in the locker room and in the management hierarchy (because Tice had sold his soul to Moss), and was eating up a disproportionate amount of the payroll on a defensively challenged team, so the Vikings acted logically: They traded him to the highest bidder.
That proved to be the Oakland Raiders, who offered the seventh pick in the 2005 draft and underachieving linebacker Napoleon Harris. That package seemed trifling when compared to Moss' production, but, had the Vikings listened to Tice and taken Maryland defensive end Shawne Merriman with the seventh pick, he would have put them into the playoffs in 2005, possibly saving Tice's job.
With Tice and Merriman in place, the Vikings (despite Tice's goofiness and Merriman's four-game suspension) would have been in the playoffs again last year.
Instead, the Vikings chose receiver Troy Williamson in a mistaken attempt to replace Moss' speed.
By the end of the 2005 season, despite the Love Boat and the injuries to Birk and Daunte Culpepper, the Vikings' decision to invest more in their defense was paying off, as they won seven of their last nine games with a backup quarterback.
Since the trade, Moss has cemented his reputation as an overrated, annoying star. He has dropped about as many passes as Williamson and hasn't made many more big plays. While he shouldn't be blamed for the general dysfunction of the Raiders, he has contributed to it with his sulking and ineffective play.
The Raiders might select LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the first pick in the 2007 draft. Russell's best attribute is his ability to throw the deep pass. Don't you think that if Moss were still a worthwhile player the Raiders would keep him and pair him with Russell?
One of the reasons the Vikings traded Moss was their concern over his work habits. He began suffering leg injuries, and the Vikings' brass wasn't convinced he would be diligent in maintaining his body.
By the time Cris Carter hit 30, he was employing nutritionists, chiropractors, personal trainers and masseuses to lengthen and enhance his career. Moss, 30, employed an agent who got busted for possession of crack cocaine.
Carter was the perfect mentor for Moss. In Moss' first three seasons, his teams compiled a regular-season record of 36-12. In '01, as Carter failed to reach 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in nine seasons, the Vikings went 5-11. Since Carter and Moss split, Moss' teams have gone 6-10, 9-7, 8-8, 4-12 and 2-14.
The Vikings realized that Moss was a declining player no longer worth the headaches he caused or the price he demanded. The Raiders quickly came to the same conclusion.
The Packers? Apparently, they're looking for the perfect guy to mentor Koren Robinson.
Jim Souhan can be heard Sundays from 10 a.m.-noon on AM-1500 KSTP
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Jim Souhan: Vikings won't be green with envy if Moss is a Packer
Randy Moss was great with the Vikings, but he hasn't been great with Oakland and wouldn't be with Green Bay.
By Jim Souhan, Star Tribune
Last update: March 15, 2007 – 11:05 PM
Because of all the scandals, mistakes and general obtuseness brought to us by the Vikings the past few years, it's easy to forget that their anonymous and amorphous front office made one of the most prescient moves in recent NFL history.
We said it then, and we'll say it again: The Vikings traded Randy Moss at the right time, for the right price.
Now the Green Bay Packers -- who watched Moss use one of their Lambeau Field goalposts as Charmin substitute -- are reportedly considering trading for the Former Freak.
Such a deal would create fascinating possibilities, including Brett Favre throwing deep to the most talented receiver he's ever played with, Moss Lambeau leaping when he wants to Lambeau leap, and the Vikings feeling fortunate that the man who transformed their franchise is playing for their biggest rival.
Even though the Vikings have become a beacon of mismanagement and the Packers have done remarkable work building and rapidly rebuilding over the past 15 years, the Vikings got this one right, and the Packers might get this one wrong.
During the 2004 season, Moss sold out his primary sponsor, coach Mike Tice, in a national interview, and walked off the field prematurely against Washington, coming close to inciting a locker room brawl with center Matt Birk.
Moss is hardly the worst human in the NFL -- not in a league that includes the Cincinnati Bengals and Pacman Jones. With the Vikings, though, he became a problem on the field, in the locker room and in the management hierarchy (because Tice had sold his soul to Moss), and was eating up a disproportionate amount of the payroll on a defensively challenged team, so the Vikings acted logically: They traded him to the highest bidder.
That proved to be the Oakland Raiders, who offered the seventh pick in the 2005 draft and underachieving linebacker Napoleon Harris. That package seemed trifling when compared to Moss' production, but, had the Vikings listened to Tice and taken Maryland defensive end Shawne Merriman with the seventh pick, he would have put them into the playoffs in 2005, possibly saving Tice's job.
With Tice and Merriman in place, the Vikings (despite Tice's goofiness and Merriman's four-game suspension) would have been in the playoffs again last year.
Instead, the Vikings chose receiver Troy Williamson in a mistaken attempt to replace Moss' speed.
By the end of the 2005 season, despite the Love Boat and the injuries to Birk and Daunte Culpepper, the Vikings' decision to invest more in their defense was paying off, as they won seven of their last nine games with a backup quarterback.
Since the trade, Moss has cemented his reputation as an overrated, annoying star. He has dropped about as many passes as Williamson and hasn't made many more big plays. While he shouldn't be blamed for the general dysfunction of the Raiders, he has contributed to it with his sulking and ineffective play.
The Raiders might select LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the first pick in the 2007 draft. Russell's best attribute is his ability to throw the deep pass. Don't you think that if Moss were still a worthwhile player the Raiders would keep him and pair him with Russell?
One of the reasons the Vikings traded Moss was their concern over his work habits. He began suffering leg injuries, and the Vikings' brass wasn't convinced he would be diligent in maintaining his body.
By the time Cris Carter hit 30, he was employing nutritionists, chiropractors, personal trainers and masseuses to lengthen and enhance his career. Moss, 30, employed an agent who got busted for possession of crack cocaine.
Carter was the perfect mentor for Moss. In Moss' first three seasons, his teams compiled a regular-season record of 36-12. In '01, as Carter failed to reach 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in nine seasons, the Vikings went 5-11. Since Carter and Moss split, Moss' teams have gone 6-10, 9-7, 8-8, 4-12 and 2-14.
The Vikings realized that Moss was a declining player no longer worth the headaches he caused or the price he demanded. The Raiders quickly came to the same conclusion.
The Packers? Apparently, they're looking for the perfect guy to mentor Koren Robinson.
Jim Souhan can be heard Sundays from 10 a.m.-noon on AM-1500 KSTP