For never was a story more of woe
Than this of Brett and his Randy-O
Ok, so the deal is officially official now. The New England Patriots traded their best receiver, future hall-of-famer, Tom Brady buddy, Randall Gene Moss to the Minnesota Vikings for a 3rd round pick. FoxSports' Jay Glazer broke the story last night (suck it Schefter!!) and we when we first saw it on the ESPN crawl all we could think was "Wow, Oh Wow!!"
Real Football
Now that it's sunk in a little bit, it just seems like a typical Pats move. Belichik's MO is team, team, team and he always seems to cut bait with guys a year before rather than a year early. Still, Moss undoubtedly has something left and his MO is that he plays best when appreciated and motivated. Our feeling is that now that he and Brett are finally (finally!! They're like the Romeo and Juliet of the NFL - it's been reported that Brett was so pissed at the Pack for not getting Moss when he went to the Pats that he basically decided he wanted out, leading to retirement 1 or 17), he'll be excellent for the balance of the season. They almost have to sign him to an extension to get him on-board so it will be interesting to see what happens when he's catching passes from Tavaris Jackson next year instead of Favre. A combo of Moss, Rice (if he's healthy, a big if), Harvin and AP is pretty scary.
From a Pats perspective, it's gotta be a big WTF. They might not have been one of the super bowl favorites but they certainly had a chance. Now, not so much. You have to figure that the move fundamentally changes the Pats offense, Moss was the deep threat and the guy who was always doubled. We'll see how Welker deals with additional attention and if a guy like Brandon Tate is ready to be relied upon. The young TEs (Gronkowski & Hernandez) will certainly become more involved. Big changes afoot in Patsland. Of course, the 3rd round pick is valuable (particularly assuming they weren't going to resign Moss after the season) and now they have something like 147 picks (read: 6) in the first 3 rounds of the 2010 draft but it remains to be seen if they use the picks on potential impact players or just trade back and continue to fill the roster with mediocre filler.
Fantasy Football
From a fantasy perspective, Moss's value probably stays the same - Farve will certainly throw the ball in his direction (even if its forced) and maybe this move wipes some of that "I didn't really even want to come back but they guilted me into it" look off his face. One cool Moss note, since the Vikes just had their bye week, Moss could play 17 games the year. Favre gets a boost and Peterson could see more running room. In fact, despite less touches, this could make everyone more productive in Minny.
Real Football
Now that it's sunk in a little bit, it just seems like a typical Pats move. Belichik's MO is team, team, team and he always seems to cut bait with guys a year before rather than a year early. Still, Moss undoubtedly has something left and his MO is that he plays best when appreciated and motivated. Our feeling is that now that he and Brett are finally (finally!! They're like the Romeo and Juliet of the NFL - it's been reported that Brett was so pissed at the Pack for not getting Moss when he went to the Pats that he basically decided he wanted out, leading to retirement 1 or 17), he'll be excellent for the balance of the season. They almost have to sign him to an extension to get him on-board so it will be interesting to see what happens when he's catching passes from Tavaris Jackson next year instead of Favre. A combo of Moss, Rice (if he's healthy, a big if), Harvin and AP is pretty scary.
From a Pats perspective, it's gotta be a big WTF. They might not have been one of the super bowl favorites but they certainly had a chance. Now, not so much. You have to figure that the move fundamentally changes the Pats offense, Moss was the deep threat and the guy who was always doubled. We'll see how Welker deals with additional attention and if a guy like Brandon Tate is ready to be relied upon. The young TEs (Gronkowski & Hernandez) will certainly become more involved. Big changes afoot in Patsland. Of course, the 3rd round pick is valuable (particularly assuming they weren't going to resign Moss after the season) and now they have something like 147 picks (read: 6) in the first 3 rounds of the 2010 draft but it remains to be seen if they use the picks on potential impact players or just trade back and continue to fill the roster with mediocre filler.
Fantasy Football
From a fantasy perspective, Moss's value probably stays the same - Farve will certainly throw the ball in his direction (even if its forced) and maybe this move wipes some of that "I didn't really even want to come back but they guilted me into it" look off his face. One cool Moss note, since the Vikes just had their bye week, Moss could play 17 games the year. Favre gets a boost and Peterson could see more running room. In fact, despite less touches, this could make everyone more productive in Minny.
For the Pats, Tate is someone to watch. Does he step into the Moss spot and give them 75% of his production? If so, he's a fantasy factor going forward. I'd worry slightly about Welker (more doubles) and Brady (less deep passes). The Pats usually make it work but the offense could resemble the less potent version from the mid-2000's, B.R. (Before Randy). To jog your memory, Brady averaged 25 TDs and 3700 yards in those years. Not quite the
39 and 4500 he averaged in his 2 full years with Moss.
Final Thought
39 and 4500 he averaged in his 2 full years with Moss.
Final Thought
Not even this dude would be crazy
enough to trade his best WR mid-season
Our final thought is who but the Pats would have the audacity to trade their best WR in the middle of the season? Nobody. For that reason alone, the Pats the most fun franchise in the league. Still, since a friend once told us that people like Top 10 lists, so let's come up with a few more:
Top 10 List of Reasons Why the Pats Are Great:
1. They make crazy trades as awkward times that give you something to talk about when football isn't on.
2. Tom Brady's hair.
3. They lost a Super Bowl after going 18-0. What a story!
4. If you're unhappy in your marriage, there's always a chance Belichick will steal your wife.
5. At some point in the next 5 years they will own each and every pick in the NFL draft, shortening the time we have to listen to Chris Berman blusher to 5 minutes.
6. Tom Brady's hair. Seriously, have you seen that shit? It's awful.
7. Bill Belicheck: Fashionista.
8. They give the rest of us somebody to hate together.
9. They consistently corner the market on undersized white guys for announcers to fawn over - Welker, Edelman and now The Hobbit Danny Woodhead (he's so tiny, I'd pick him up and put him in my pocket if he weren't so darn quick). They lead the league in scrappy underdogs!!
10. Tom Brady's hair. I don't care what the Sports Guys says - you can't ignore it Pats fans - Its there, Its hair, Deal with it.
I've been told it's a wig. Don't believe the hype.
ReplyDeleteTypical Pats fan - keep telling yourself that
ReplyDelete