First Pick Blog

Career Highlights of Randy Moss, youtubeOn August 1^st, 2011, the National Football League said goodbye to one of the most controversial players to ever play professional American sports. In an unusually short message to the NFL and the NFL Players Association, Joel Segal, the agent of the provocative yet, accomplished wide receiver Randy Moss, announced that his client no longer desired to play football after virtually no franchises offered him a contract.

Not only was Moss bidding farewell to his profession, he was prematurely ending his run as arguably one the greatest athletes of our generation.

Despite the negative connotations one can make about Moss’s career on and off the field, the man set NCAA and NFL records in receiving and when motivated to his full potential can outrun anyone with the exception of Usain Bolt even now at the tender age of 35. His height and speed put him in consideration for the greatest receiver of all-time alongside Jerry Rice.

He has given defensive backs and coordinators fits since his high school days in Belle, West Virginia where he won back-to-back state championships as a wide-out, safety, returner, and kicker. Not to mention he was basketball player of the year in West Virginia twice, broke records in track and field in his one season with the team, and played centerfield for the baseball team. It was obvious that he was gifted and it was not long before every Division 1-A school in the country wanted him to commit to their program.

Unfortunately in 1995, after being charged with misdemeanor battery and serving time in jail for a fight at his high school, Moss was declined the opportunity to play football at his dream school in Notre Dame. Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden, known for his aptitude in dealing with players with troubled pasts, gave Moss a chance and offered him a scholarship at the university.

Probation and a disciplined coach would set him straight right?

Moss then tested positive for smoking pot while on probation and he was sentenced to 60 days in jail in addition to getting dismissed from the football team. After time behind bars, he transferred to Marshall which was closer to home and allowed him to play immediately because of their Division 1-AA status.

Obviously playing against inferior competition Moss broke several 1-AA touchdown records as a freshman at Marshall and in his sophomore season, the Thundering Herd joined Division 1-A where he set the NCAA record for touchdowns in a season. He finished his sophomore season 4^th in the Heisman voting and was awarded the Biletnikoff trophy presented to the nations top receiver.

Moss would have gone higher in the draft but, many NFL scouts were worried about his maturity and the distractions that came along with his talents. He slipped to 21^st overall in 1998 NFL draft and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings, a team in desperate need of a deep threat to stretch their passing game.

And it turned out that this immature convict was just what the doctor ordered. Moss helped the Vikings achieve a 15-1 record touting the number one offense in the league while Moss himself set a rookie touchdown record with 17 scores easily earning the Offensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl starting honors.

The Vikes then drafted quarterback Daunte Culpepper out of Central Florida who sported a superhuman arm and uncanny scrambling ability which complimented Moss’s game better than ever before. The two would make one the most memorable tandems to ever play the game despite never making it past the NFC Championship Game.

In 2001, Moss became the highest paid receiver in NFL history, a record which stands to this day. Moss was signed to an 8 year, $75 million contract with a $10 million signing bonus, including $8 million in guarantees. All the money most likely got to his head as he only caught 10 touchdown passes and the Vikings missed the playoffs with a 6-10 record.

Moss made the Pro Bowl 5 out of his 7 season with the Vikings but, was traded to the Oakland Raiders at the end of the 2005 season after several leg injuries decreased his production and after his continued negligence for authority. In 2002, he allegedly bumped into a traffic officer with his car before making an illegal turn and spent the night in jail after a joint was found in his vehicle. In a 2004 game against the Washington Redskins, Moss walked off the field with 2 seconds remaining on the clock and was criticized for quitting on his team. He also tested positive for marijuana several times under the NFL’s substance abuse program and frequently advocated the drug’s usage.

The Vikings received a 1^st round draft pick and linebacker Napoleon Harris in return for a player that many teams still saw as useful. He did virtually nothing for the Raiders, due to his continued injuries and speculative disinterest. Rumors circulated that Moss wasn’t performing simply because his heart wasn’t in the franchise he had been traded to. There were many players who called Moss a coward and believed that he was no longer motivated to add more tools to his game.

Perhaps he had gotten too cocky. Maybe his hubris prevented him from taking the field and giving a 100 percent effort. Maybe he smoked a ton of weed from time to time. Maybe he quit on his teammates and only cared about himself.

But, when the New England Patriots traded for him in the early morning before the 2007 NFL draft, Moss was motivated. Motivated more than he had ever been motivated in his entire life. Bill Belicheck has a way with his players and something he said to Moss when he was traded from Oakland inspired him. Although he missed all of the preseason with another hamstring injury, he broke out in his first game of the season catching 9 receptions for 151 yard and a touchdown and didn’t stop from there. Him and Tom Brady made history that season not only with their 16-0 record but, they set the single season records for touchdowns at their respective positions. I’m sure we all know how the rest of that season turned out (Cough, Cough Eli). Moss was irrelevant in the playoffs as teams doubled and even tripled teamed in zone coverages.

Every single one of Moss’s cUatches were highlight reel worthy as he embarrassed the NFL’s best secondarys with his explosiveness and deer-like agility. Many of these receptions, with the help of NFL films, will go down alongside the likes of Lynn Swann, Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison, and other NFL greats in the Pantheon of football.

Brady suffered a torn ACL the following year, but this did not stop Moss’s renaissance. He still managed to clip 11 scores for 1,008 yards and in the next year scored 13 times for 1,264 yards. However 2010 proved to be disastrous yet again for him. After he did not receive a contract extension going the season, he told reporters that he felt “unwanted” and after his 1st game he claimed he would be leaving the Patriots after the season. A few weeks later, New England traded him back to his “beloved” Minnesota where he stayed for four weeks before getting into a dispute with then coach Brad Childress over his coaching style and handling of players. Moss was waived without prior warning and was claimed by the Tennesse Titans where he had career lows in receptions and yards. The Titans decided not to retain Moss’s contract for the 2011 campaign.

It’s amazing how some players can simply turn their skill sets on and off like a light switch. Really plays off the whole you can do anything if you put your mind to it concept doesn’t it? For instance, in Minnesota, Moss was motivated by all the teams who were worried about the issues he’d bring to their franchise and passed on him simply to avoid wasting money in a player that they believed would be out of the league in a few years for some stupid crime he committed. He was portrayed as a delinquent and that image drove him to prove the doubters wrong. Moss went on a rampage and when everyone realized that they should have drafted him and realized his greatness, he resulted back to his old habits: selfishness, rebelliousness, and overall stupidity. Then when the Vikings got tired of dealing with his shit they shipped him off to Oakland where he did not want to play AT ALL and continued down the road of mediocrity that characterizes the most depressing of people. And when all seemed lost for this man, one of the greatest coaches of all-time decided, “I can fix him. I know how to get his motor running. Brady needs a big play guy like this,” and trades for him. Moss obviously liked the prospect of being on the best team of the decade with one of the best quarterbacks in the game with one of the greatest coaches ever so he was motivated yet again to exemplify his talents. Only to have this amazing present that was given ripped out of his hands because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. His act got old and he found himself out of work this past season in what is becoming the golden age for NFL quarterbacks.

What NFL fan doesn’t want to see Randy Moss outrunning defenders for long touchdowns on Sundays?

A few days ago, on his 35^th birthday, Moss announced to the world that he would like to return to football and would pursue an NFL contract with his agent. If this man has any wits whatsoever he will keep his mouth shut from here on out and thank whatever general manager that gives him a tryout on his hands and knees. He did say that he had some things to reflect on and that he missed the game too much which is good but, only time can tell if he really meant that statement and if he has actually changed for the better. Maybe he’ll show up and blow away defenses like he did only a few years ago when he was motivated to be all he could be. Or maybe he’ll sign with Browns or the Jaguars or (please god, no) the Redskins and provide the same cancerous effect he has the past few times around.

What happens with Moss will happen, but one thing is for sure. If he plans on being relevant he is going to have to change his schema more than he ever has in his entire life if he plans on making in this world. And for the sake of football lets hope he does.

By Matt Fehr