Pats show interest in dealing for Moss
Monday, March 5, 2007
On the surface, Randy Moss doesn’t seem like a Patriots [team stats] kind of player. He often plays at half-speed and has quit on more than one team.
But Moss is supremely talented, and he’s got something else working in his favor - Bill Belichick apparently loves him.
League sources last night indicated the Patriots coach has long been enamored with the Raiders wide receiver and would welcome the opportunity to bring him to Foxboro for the right price.
Moss is on the block after two disappointing seasons in Oakland. The Raiders have worked on a deal that would send the mercurial wide receiver to Green Bay, with the Packers offering quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Raiders holding out for a first-round pick, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The Packers don’t seem in much of a rush to pull the trigger, however, which has left an opening for the Pats. A source said Belichick believes he could motivate Moss to play and that he’d have the locker room support system to back him up, thanks to high-character veterans like Tom Brady [stats], Richard Seymour [stats] and Rodney Harrison [stats], among others.
For proof, look no further than Corey Dillon [stats], who arrived in New England with a rap sheet far longer and more serious than Moss’ and yet proved to be a good soldier for virtually his entire tenure with the team.
Moss has traditionally responded better and played harder when surrounded by players he respects, like Cris Carter and Daunte Culpepper in Minnesota.
Word out of Oakland is the 30-year-old wants to play on a contender before his career ends. The Raiders are intent on moving him following a miserable 2006 that saw him post career-worst numbers in receptions (42), yards (553), and touchdowns (three).
“Moss quit on us last year,” a Raiders employee told the Journal Sentinel. “My feeling is he wants to go someplace where they can win. He knows he only has X number of years left and he’s never, ever won at any level.”
Moss clearly represents a gamble. He loafed through much of his tenure in Oakland and experienced his share of disciplinary issues, from possession of marijuana to pretending to moon the crowd at Lambeau Field. His most serious scrape came in 2002 when he tried to make an illegal turn and grazed a traffic cop with his car. He spent a night in jail and was ultimately charged with careless driving.
As twisted as this sounds, those transgressions are relatively minor in an NFL that includes Titans troublemaker Pacman Jones and the majority of the Cincinnati Bengals roster. The Patriots believe they can keep Moss in line, if given the chance.
One issue would be convincing Moss to restructure a contract that calls for $9.75 million in 2007 and $11.25 million in 2008. The Pats also need to strike a deal with what is considered a rudderless ship in Oakland, thanks to owner Al Davis and a depleted front office.
That’s a lot to overcome, but at the very least, color the Patriots intrigued.
http://patriots.bostonherald.com/patriots/view.bg?articleid=186637
