The Illusions And The Delusions Of Randy Moss Haters

Great work again Chris. I really like it when you get pissed off at fans of other teams—it inspires you to churn out some of your best work!

’Randy’s Kids’ Is that the name of it??
Randy had been providing seats to the game for ‘needy’ kids while he was here…
and then paid for them out of his pocket while in Oakland and New England.

So… kids got to see Vikings football courtesy of Randy Moss for 5 years.

It’s good to have him back with us. This time for good, I hope.

Great post Chris +84 hell yes they will be scared very scared!!!

Moss is a Viking again? We spent less than a 3rd round pick on him? What? Can’t wait till MNF. What are Moss’ stats in prime time? They’ve gotta be good!

Talk about inspiring me. Great stuff here, and this should lay the hating to rest, if the reader has a clue.

I still think you guys got the better part of the deal, Moss is a nice upgrade. The only thing I said you need to worry about is your O-line and Favre’s play because if they aren’t playing well neither will Moss. That’s just the simple truth.

As for Moss only playing when he wants to… I know his stats, I know his achievements but with so many people criticizing him for a lack of effort I can’t argue with them. I know you guys want to bash Revis and Cromartie since you play them Monday night but they aren’t the first nor will they be the last to say Moss put his foot on the brake. Even Bill Belichick said Moss doesn’t put forth 100% of effort all the time. People who face Moss that actually play against him, his own teammates, his own coach all say the same thing and I won’t argue with them because they are all more familiar with Moss’ effort than we are.

In their Own Words: Randy Moss

2003 – Moss became the first wide receiver in history to average over 100 yards and one touchdown per contest over the course of a season spanning more than 12 games. Moss played in 16 games, setting career highs in receiving yards (1,632) and receptions (111), and matched his rookie mark of 17 TD catches. He also joined Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison, Herman Moore, and Rod Smith as the only receivers to record back-to-back 100-catch seasons.

Hey buddy, he’s two off, and he’ll catch ’em in stripes. >:v

But yeh, I hear you, the whole “bad person” vibes are known commodity. TO and Ocho both earned the reputation as a headcase, but most people who follow Chad know this isn’t the case and while T.O. has a reputation for throwing his QB under the bus, that doesn’t mean he’s out there doing drugs or causing fights. He does good things as well. People just gotta hate.

I learned alot from reading this. I never hated him before, but I love him now. :D

Randy Moss was traded from Minnesota because of his behavioral transgressions.
Not true. Not remotely close to true. Randy Moss was traded from Minnesota because Red McCombs was a bitter, jaded old jackass that wanted to kick the sports fans of Minnesota in the teeth on his way out the door because he didn’t get the sparkling new stadium he wanted. He threatened to move the team and everything else, and the people of Minnesota, and the state’s leadership, couldn’t get together on a stadium deal.

I saw MB suggest the same thing, although not as outright as you are. I remember what happened, real well. I remember Moss’s antics and the hugely bad PR the Vikings were getting because of it. I remember how the fanbase was totally fed up with it, and I don’t remember ANYONE singing the praises of Randy Moss back then. He was the heart of the Viking’s cancer and doing his best to turn the Vikings into the laughing stock of the NFL. And you say that his behavioral issues had nothing to do with the Vikings dumping the finest WR in the NFL off to the worst team in the NFL for a draft pick and a so-so LB named Napoleon? I don’t often disagree with you, Chris, but this time I’m seriously skeptical.

You think that McCombs did it out of spite. That’s a motivational statement, what do you have to back that up? Did he say, “I hate those Purple Bastids and I’m gonna screw ‘em now that I’m leaving!” ? Did he say anything to indicate that was his motivation? Do you have something, some reference to stand on for this?

McCombs is a businessman, and even Randy Moss today readily acknowledges that the NFL is a business, and that it might be better if the fans realized that. I think he’s wrong, because the day the fans realize, gut deep, that the NFL is a business, is the day the NFL dies. Fans don’t jump and scream their passion for a business. They don’t spend mega-bucks they can’t afford on grossly overpriced tickets and jerseys, for a business. Best for the NFL if we fans live in denial of the business side of the game, and focus on the competition.

I don’t know what McComb’s motivation was for dumping Moss, except that maybe he was listening to the Commish, the pundits on ESPN and elsewhere, and the fans, who all wanted something done about the national embarassment that the Minnesota Vikings had become. It’s even possible that he felt it was the best thing for the team, and for Moss. I don’t know what his motivation was, but if you do, show me some substantiation on it. I really want to know the truth about it.

I do know, in hindsight, what was the impact of letting Randy go. I think it was a really good thing. The Vikings started their 12-Step Program to recovery, Randy Moss got a wake-up call that probably saved his career if not his life, the Raiders got some great PR, the Patriots got a shot in the arm for a few years, and the NFL’s image got cleaned up a little.

If you want to get all conspiratorial about it, what if the entire dance was decided on and orchestrated by the NFL owners? Maybe they sat around in a backroom full of smoke and sleazy eye-candy, and decided that Moss was too valuable to the NFL to waste but too damaging to let continue, so they decided to send him to Oakland for rehab, and if he straightened out, a disciplinarian HC like Belichick could have him for a few years to make sure it sticks, but then he goes back to the Minnesota. Maybe his return to Minnesota was decided before he even left.

Of course, I have no substantiation for that… :)

Watch when he scores touchdowns in the dome, he usually finds a kid in a wheelchair to give the ball to. Not sure if he did the same in New England, but I imagine he probably did.

I always got a kick out his “antics” and never saw it as the problem the media did. The only thing that was a bummer was when he walked out on the Washington game. The guy quietly does tons for charity, is a solid business man, and an amazing football player, no matter the jersey on his back. He was never a “serious” troublemaker, in the mold of gangsters with guns.

Marvin Harrison was a quiet, well-liked guy….until he choked the shit out of a ballboy and was linked to murders at his car wash. Moss never had any of that baggage. He smoked a little kush “every blue moon”, sprayed a ref with a little water, and fake-mooned a fanbase that routinely real-moons their team bus.

Randy is friggin’ great.

I think we need to stop being so defensive and obsessive about what other people are saying about this team. If you look at the fornt page of this site right now, that’s what 4 of the 5 articles are about. This is exactly the problem that these kind of issues cause, people lose sight of the football.

I guess its OK if the fans get all wrapped up in this stuff, as long at the players can avoid the distraction, but still … please, let’s cut it short after tomorrows game maybe?

You hit the nail on the head. Haters gotta hate. The only thing you forgot was the myth about him running over a female cop. (which was really a out of uniform/jurisdiction meeter maid was yelling at him &pounding on his car hood for parking in the wrong spot)

I front paged a link to this post on the Pulpit. Nice work.

You get it. Some just plain don’t want to, but they’re sure missing out on something great.