Posts tagged: randy moss

Question Of The Week: Former Vikings In The Super Bowl

January 29, 2013, by 18 comments

Here is an interesting topic for us during this Super Bowl Week that doesn’t involve Ray Lewis, murder, deer antler spray, brother-on-brother action, Joe Flacco’s political incorrectness, or a diva tight end’s complaints about how he is being used.

Instead, I want to know who you are cheering for in the upcoming contest and which former Vikings you would most like to see get a Super Bowl ring.

Randy Moss hasn’t exactly been a juggernaut reminiscent on the 1998 version of himself, but if you are like the then you still have a soft spot in your heart for the seldom used 49er receiver that once made Minnesota the most exciting football team to watch.

Playing for the Ravens, though, are two guys that were once considered to be mainstays along the offensive line in Minnesota.  Matt Birk and Bryant McKinnie are both playing for Baltimore on Sunday.  They left two very different legacies behind in Minnesota, and McKinnie may actually be cheered against by some Vikings fans, but it is hard to imagine a more deserving-of-a-ring player than Matt Birk.

So, what do you have to say?

At The Last Minute, Receiver Market Gets Slimmer

March 13, 2012, by 13 comments

News is flying around at the moment, but little is out there directly relating to the Vikings.

Former Vikings such as Randy Moss, Steve Hutchinson, and Ben Leber are all active as free agency nears.  Moss signed a deal that has made him a San Francisco 49er, Hutchinson is visiting the Titans with Peyton Manning, and Leber is possibly going to be an Eagle.

Even though  Moss was never on the Vikings radar, the wide receiver market took a hit on Tuesday and is looking suddenly thin.  Marques Colston reportedly re-signed with the Saints getting him $40 million over five years, with just under $20 million guaranteed.

Rick Spielman appeared on the radio at 1500 ESPN this morning and reiterated that the goal is to get younger.

Sharper’s Denial Is [S]moot

March 6, 2012, by 5 comments

NFL players continue to come to the aid of former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams in light of the recent bounty scandal. One of them, Darren Sharper (ex-Packer, Vikings and Saints safety), apparently hasn’t gotten the memo that Williams has already confessed and apologized for providing incentives for players to play with the intent of injuring their competition. Last Friday, Darren Sharper told reporters that there were only incentives for making big plays (such as interceptions, fumbles, etc…), not for injuring the opponent. Sharper was back at it today when he did an interview for a Philadelphia radio station.

“Saying that we were trying to maim guys or try to cart a guy off is just totally ridiculous… I don’t think Coach Peyton had anything or didn’t know anything about that. Coach Peyton didn’t have any idea what we were doing… Was it overseen and controlled by the coaching staff? Yes it was.”

I mean, seriously? Doesn’t Sharper have someone that can keep him informed and up-to-date on this stuff? It would really serve Sharper well to just shut up – something he’s never been capable of.

Fred Smoot is another one of the mindless fools that has come to the aid of Gregg Williams. Smoot played under Williams for two years with the Redskins. It has been reported, since the news broke about the bounty system in place in New Orleans, that Williams had implemented similar incentive programs during previous employment with the Redskins and the Bills. Smoot smooted,

“We started a pot as a defensive backfield of who could get the most forced fumbles, who could get the most interceptions… It was never a bounty… Gregg never put in a dime. Gregg never came in and said do this, or do that. We did that ourselves as a way to kind of pump each other up to go make more plays… He never coached dirty football… I never saw anyone paid for knocking someone out of the game. Did we, as players, put in pots to make plays, what we called ‘big splash plays?’ We did that. Players.”

Smoot’s defense of his former defensive coordinator directly contradicts the detailed account of former safety Matt Bowen who was also with the Redskins under Williams.What’s funny is that even if there was no bounties placed on injuries and it was just for interceptions, sacks, etc… it still violates the NFL cap rules.

In other news, amidst all of the turmoil taking place in New Orleans (whether it be due to the bounty news or franchising Drew Brees), the Saints have also found time to bring in Randy Moss for workouts. Rumor is the Saints want to bring in the veteran wide receiver to help clean up the locker room culture and encourage players to play for the love of the game instead of monetary incentives. (I kid…) But seriously, the Saints are one of the few teams planned to be bringing in #84 for workouts.

Randy, No Randy

February 18, 2012, by 1 comment

I thought this went without saying, but since we dedicated multiple posts to the topic and other outlets made headlines out of it, I figured it was at least worth mentioning that the Vikings do not plan to bring back Randy Moss for yet another go of it in Minnesota.

Rick Spielman’s press conference at the end of this week was non-committal when it came to just about every subject the media pressed him on.  That was not the case when asked about Moss, however.

“We’ll be moving on,” Spielman said.  “Randy was a great player. But, again, our focus is more on trying to get a young team.”

The fact that Spielman uses the word “was” instead of “is” shows that Spielman thinks Moss is done being a premier threat in the NFL.

Even if Moss proves doubters wrong and becomes 2012’s Comeback Player of the Year, there is little arguing that the 35 year old wide out doesn’t mesh with Spielman’s stated goal of assembling a younger and more talented roster.

The Vikings are expected to target free agents coming off their rookie contract and largely build through the talented group of Draft prospects this offseason.

This is likely the last we will hear about this topic for a while.  However, if Moss is available for an extended period of time, if Percy Harvin makes public his desire to once again play with Moss, and if Moss’ price tag drops significantly, we may again have to evaluate the situation.

Poll Of The Week: Should The Vikings Go After Moss?

February 14, 2012, by 10 comments

Yesterday, news broke that the freak wants to play, and it’s likely he will end up playing somewhere in 2012. The question we pose to you all this week, though, is whether or not that somewhere should be Minnesota? One of the Vikings biggest positions of need this offseason is wide receiver and it’s very likely the team will pursue one in either free agency or the draft. Should the Vikings go after Moss? It would be the third time Moss plays for the Vikings (after a historic first attempt and a largely unsuccessful second attempt).

Participate in the poll below and then, if you’d like, expand on your reasoning in the comments.

The Freak Wants To Play

February 13, 2012, by 5 comments

He’ll play when he wants to play, and apparently he again wants to play.

Randy Moss took advantage of a slow news week, and the name power he still possesses with NFL fans, to make a splash and announce his desire to unretire from football and make a return to the NFL.

“I just wanna go to a team and play some football,” Moss announced in a Monday webcast that marked his 35th birthday.  “Faith, family, and football, that’s my M.O., bro.  Your boy be back for the upcoming season.”

“I’m coming to tear somebody’s heads off, man,” Moss said via another webcast in the evening.  “I got something on my shoulder and it’s a chip that I need to get it off.”

A Randy Moss with a chip on the shoulder has proven to be the best kind of Randy Moss over the years, but he has a personality that seems to always be forgetting the lessons he had to learn along the way.  Specifically, Moss sounded as if he genuinely would have liked things to end differently when he got his second chance in Minnesota.

“I got regrets of how I left New England, I got regrets of how I left Minnesota, and I got regrets of how I retired,” Moss said.

I’ll admit that I have a soft spot for Randy Moss, as he will always be one of the top receivers to ever play for the Vikings, but if I am willing to put aside sentiment and hope for E.J. Henderson to be replaced then I am certainly able to ignore my desire to see #84 suit up once again in purple.  This team needs to get younger talent on both sides of the ball, and Moss doesn’t fit that description.

The good news for the Vikings is that the already deep free agent class at wide receiver just gained one more name.  Of course, this comes on the heels of a report that the Eagles will franchise DeSean Jackson, so the free agent pickings will continue to get slimmer between now and March.

Still, I will enjoy seeing Moss play again if a team is willing to give him yet another chance… as long as that team isn’t the Chicago Bears.