Moss to the Patriots

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

What kind of move is this? The Patriots, whose personnel department is considered one of the best in the league, trades a fourth round pick to Oakland to get Randy Moss. Why would New England want to bring that cancer into the locker room? I've been hearing for months about Moss going to Green Bay, but it never occurred to me that he would go to the Pats. For a team that values team-first players, willingly taking on a me-first guy like Moss is pretty surprising, especially when they've already had a tremendous off-season and are already favorites to win the AFC.

Now, I get the reasoning. A fourth round pick for a man who has the potential to be one of the top receivers in the NFL is a pretty good deal. But you have to also consider his salary, which will make Moss one of the highest paid receivers in the league, and Pioli and company don't usually spend that kind of money for players who haven't really earned it. (If they did, Deion Branch would still be a Patriot and, who knows, they might have that fourth ring.) While Moss was a great receiver a few years ago with the Vikings, he hasn't made much of a splash in Oakland (OK, it's Oakland) and he seems to have given up really even trying.

But the biggest problem is the most obvious. Moss is a walking embarrassment to any team he's on. The Vikings were not exactly overflowing with talent at the WR position, but even they eventually tired of his shenanigans. From pushing police officers with his car to the faux moon of the Lambeau crowd to bragging about taking plays off whenever he felt like it, and on and on. He's a prima donna with tremendous raw talent who let that talent go to his head and made him think he could do whatever he wanted.

With New England, he's for the first time on a team and surrounded by players not likely to be overly awed by his ability, not likely to be over-dependent on his contributions. These guys have won Super Bowls without him. Rather than being the star of the show, he's in the position of learning to say, "Yes sir, Mr. Brady." Maybe that will tame him, in which case trading a fourth round pick really was a steal. Maybe those two seasons in Oakland will have humbled Moss and he will go to the Patriots with a strong desire to re-prove himself, in which case the Patriots made out like bandits. But let's just say we should all be skeptical.

One thing I have to comment on. Jason Cole compares Moss to Corey Dillon when he first came to the Patriots a few years ago. That's really unfair, to Dillon. Certainly, Dillon had a bad reputation coming out of Cincinnati. But what was the cause? He gave 7 strong seasons to a team that was the laughing stock of the league. After those years, he was frustrated and desperately wanted out. Can you blame him? Did he have the image of a guy blowing off the team, taking plays off, walking off the field before a game was over? No. He worked his tail off for the Bengals. He just made it known he didn't want to be there, and one has to be sympathetic. The issues surrounding Corey Dillon were very much exaggerated, much to New England's ultimate benefit. The issues surrounding Moss are very much not exaggerated.