In case you've been caught up in election fever (which is a perfectly reasonable excuse), you may not have heard that the Minnesota Vikings dumped Randy Moss. After playing with his former team for just four games, Brad Childress decided to waive the six-time Pro Bowler, as first reported by the NFL Network on Monday.
Childress said that "this decision was made based on what we thought was in the best interests of the Minnesota Vikings." He also wished Moss the best going forward. Translation: you don't have to go home, but you (absolutely) can't stay here.
Now that one of the NFL's most talented wide receivers is set to go on the waiver wire and, if no one claims him, become a free agent, naturally, NFL beat writers and bloggers can turn to writing stories with the following headlines:
"Could Randy Moss be the next (insert NFL team here)?"
That's fine and all, seeing as it is their job to keep the masses entertained and, sometimes, make a story out of nothing. There's just one problem. Moss essentially stated following Sunday's 28-18 loss against the Patriots at Gillette Stadium that he still pines for New England.
"I'm definitely down that we lost this game. I didn't expect we'd lose this game," Moss said. "I don't know how many more times I'll be in New England again. But I leave coach Belichick and those guys with a salute: 'I love you guys. I miss you. I'm out.' "
Naturally, you can't help but wonder if Moss is privately pleading with Patriots coach Bill Belichick for his job back behind the scenes. After all, Childress said that Moss was in New England "visiting family." And on that note, you can only wonder if Belichick will actually listen to him. We certainly won't hear it from Belichick in a press conference until something actually happens.
Yet there are good reasons that should entice the Patriots to bring Randy back. Here are five of them:
1. LIKE HIM OR NOT, RANDY MOSS IS TALENTED
You may not like him, but you can't deny his talent. Randy Moss is one of the most gifted receivers that has ever played in the National Football League. Plain and simple. Adding him to this improved offense, and of course Tom Brady, can only make the Patriots better from a talent perspective. After all, it worked out pretty well the first time. Now that they Patriots are serious contenders again, it's definitely worth a shot.
2. RANDY'S (PROBABLY) LEARNED HIS LESSON
You never know with superstar athletes, but it appears as if Randy Moss has learned his lesson after being traded away for next to nothing. As Mike Felger put it on his radio show 'Felger and Massarotti' on 98.5 The Sports Hub, Moss saw the way of life outside the Patriot way and didn't like it one bit. Moss may have finally realized that, if he just conforms to the Patriot way for one more season, he will have an increased value come next offseason. He will be more marketable to teams because of his ability to conform, in addition to his insane talent. Like I said, you just never know with these guys, but after what Moss said, it looks like he's learned his lesson. Now the question is whether or not Belichick can forgive him and welcome him back. Belichick and Brady both gave Moss a warm embrace on Sunday. Maybe one of them said 'we want you back' in the process.
3. NEW ENGLAND GETS SOMETHING FOR NOTHING (VALUE, VALUE, VALUE)
If the Patriots brought Moss back, it will go down as one of the most bizarre transactions in the history of the NFL, and certainly the most bizarre to occur midseason. In essence, Moss' return to New England would mean that the Minnesota Vikings gave away a 2011 third-round draft pick for absolutely nothing. Could this have been a brilliant Belichick scheme all along? He knew that Randy can be a pain and figured that any other franchise that's not using the Patriot's philosophy couldn't handle him. So why not trade him away for a draft pick, wait until said team had enough, and just pick him up again? It's possible, but not all too probable. Still, it would be a win-win situation for New England.
4. BRADY LOVES HIM ... BOB KRAFT TOO
In case you hadn't noticed, Tom Brady has a thing for Randy Moss. What quarterback wouldn't? A super talented receiver who can pick the ball out of mid-air no matter where you put it. When he's not catching passes, he's stretching the defense and opening up other star receivers. He's a quarterback's best friend. Brady and Moss jived well when he was here, and I have no doubt that they would once more. Also, Patriots owner Bob Kraft grew fond of him as well. We saw that on Sunday, when he visited with Moss on the field prior to Sundays Patriots-Vikings game. It looked as if Kraft wasn't going to let go of Moss' hand. Another thing to keep in mind: when an owner wants something, he gets it.
5. IT WOULD DRIVE MIKE FELGER ABSOLUTELY NUTS
Come on, you're telling me that this wouldn't make for great sports talk radio? 98.5 The Sports Hub burst onto the scene last year and has proven its worth in the Boston market, highlighted by one of the best afternoon shows in Boston, "Felger and Mazz." In case you don't know, co-host Mike Felger is a proponent of a Moss-free Patriots roster. He thinks they're going to do 100 times better without him in the long run than they would with him. If Belichick brought Moss back, Felger may actually explode. I for one would be very interested to hear his take on that.