It's all but official now. What you've been reading on Facebook statuses and Twitter posts seems to be confirmed by several NFL sources this morning. Randy Moss is headed back to his roots. The New England Patriots have reportedly dealt the all-pro wide receiver to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for the Vikes' 3rd round pick in this year's draft. It's a shocker on paper, but the question is -- are the Pats better off?
The fantasy football side of my mind says no. Of course not. You don't lose a touchdown champion like Moss without taking a serious hit to your team. The offense carries this team, and losing Moss might be a serious detriment to that offense. But everything else about me -- my heart and my real-life football mind -- tells me that the Patriots are better off without him.
Let's look at common denominators. How did the Patriots win their Super Bowls? Did we have any stud receivers grubbing post-game press conferences for attention? Did we have anyone breaking the touchdown record in a single season? Was Brady forcing the ball downfield into coverage simply because he had a receiver who might be able to go get it? None of the above, if you were wondering. We relied on defense, special teams, role players, and Tom Brady being a winning quarterback -- not a fantasy superstar. Maybe just a little bit like the type of game we saw on Monday Night. And Moss? Zero catches in that contest.
Look, I'm not trying to say Moss is useless in this offense. I mean, we might even put up less points than before now. But the loss of Moss will force this team to continue doing those things we saw this week. Running the football. Brady spreading the ball around to each and every receiver at his disposal. Field position. Using our tight ends effectively. Strong defense. Special teams. It's all part of the transition back to the "Patriots football" that we grew to know and love. During our glory days, Tom Brady made no-name receivers into big name receivers. Making big-name receivers into appreciated superstars isn't what wins championships. Plain and simple.
Since acquiring Moss in 2007, I truly feel that Brady has been a less efficient quarterback when it comes to the clutch situations. I know it sounds preposterous -- Brady had the single best season in the history of NFL quarterbacks. I understand that. But when it has come down to crunch time, who does he turn to? In the past, it was the David Pattens and the Troy Browns of the world. He could hit Christian Fauria or David Givens. He could hit whoever was open. In my view, Brady has developed a tendency, with Moss at his disposal, to stop looking for the open guy. Just fire it up to Moss. It worked so well in '07, why not keep trying it? It has made him a less efficient quarterback. And let's be honest, folks. When we were putting rings on our fingers, efficiency just may have been the single most important aspect of the quarterback position.
There will be plenty of haters out there, but I've always trusted Bill Belichick. I probably always will. This trade now gives us 8 draft picks in the first 4 rounds of this year's draft. 2 picks in each round. Not only might that be plenty to further solidify this defense, but we just might be able to pick up that franchise running back we've been lacking for so long.
It was fun being the best statistical offense in league history, but I'm through with that. I'm ready to win Super Bowls again.
i think Aaron Hernandez & Brandon Tate will beak out
ReplyDeleteAnyway you look at it.. Brady needs to be efficient regardless of who he throws to. Moss was a factor in every defensive coordinator's eyes...He took some of the pressure off key receivers. This will certainly change the way we (PATS) play the game on offense and we'll be complaining about not having a real "deep threat" in a year from now.
ReplyDeleteYeah I agree with all of that... but I was getting at the point that those things that we're now lacking are things that we showed we didn't need to win Super Bowls. I understand that our defense and running game are less productive than they were in those championship seasons, but I think it's all part of a transition back to the old style of Patriots. We have Oakland's first pick. One would think we might take a stud receiver to replace Moss, right? I highly doubt it. We'll stock up on defense and draft some running backs (unless Green-Ellis actually emerges the way he has been, but that's unlikely). I just think Belichick is looking to start winning the way we used to win instead of being a high-octane offense getting in shootouts and losing any time the opposition slows down our passing attack. You know? Plus, if you look at Moss, he was becoming a distraction (a la Adalius Thomas?). Belichick doesn't put up with distractions. You're gonna talk about your contract after a big win? Well sorry but that contract won't be with us for long.
ReplyDeleteRings on our ringers? I take offense to that.
ReplyDeleteHAHAH nice catch. Fixed that.
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