Football is a game of winners and losers…unless you tie. But never mind that, stick with my premise here. With the trade of Randy Moss to the Vikings, there were a slew of winners and losers. Some are obvious, some not so much. Let’s break down who came out ahead and who got their head kicked in. After the jump.
Oh, and welcome home Randy! Again!!
Winners:
Vikes fans that didn’t want Moss traded—Well, Moss is home, and you should be overjoyed. I am. I missed the big play ability and the on the field thrills he gave us for seven years, culminated by the Bitch Slap at Lambeau in 2004. Every time a Vikings QB dropped back to pass and threw to Moss, there was an anticipation that he could take a 6 yard out 80 yards for a score. I didn’t think that about another Vikings receiver until Percy Harvin joined the team last year, and the Vikings have struggled to replace Moss’ big play ability since he left. Now, Moss and Harvin are on the same team…with Sidney Rice when he returns. Oh. My. God.
All other Vikes fans—There was a vocal contingent of Viking fans that wanted Moss gone, and I get that. He spent a night (or two) in jail, played when he wanted to play, liked him some whacky weed (allegedly) and was generally a moody pain in the ass. But those of you that were happy to see Moss go should be happy to see him return, because he creates the type of press and buzz that keeps the Vikings moving forward towards a new stadium and remaining in Minnesota. I find it somewhat ironic that the two biggest villains in the minds of many Viking fans will be the primary catalyst towards the Vikes getting a new stadium and staying in Minnesota.
Wilf—Zygi Wilf will do anything to put a winner on the field and secure funding for a new stadium, and I love him for it. No, really, as in I’d have his children kind of love. It’s cool having football’s version of George Steinbrenner running the Vikings and sparing no expense in trying to secure a Super Bowl win. This was a great trade to realize both visions, and is the latest in a long line of fantastic front office moves since Zygi WIlf became owner.
Favre—Brett Favre was so pissed off that Green Bay didn’t trade for Moss in 2007 that he took Ted Thompson off of his Christmas Card list and quit sending him Wrangler jeans. Then he retired. Then he got traded. Why? Because Favre understands that if you could match up arguably the best quarterback and best wide receiver in the league on one team, you go a long way towards winning a Super Bowl. Oh, you need a great defense, and a running game that can pound an opponent into dust, too. What? The Vikings have that? Yeah, yeah they do, and Favre now has the best receiver in the game to throw to, which just made his job a lot easier.
Moss—Most fans will let bygones be bygones, and remember the good times. Moss will be loved here like he wouldn’t be loved anywhere else, will be re-energized and motivated to play for Favre and his first pro hometown, and will probably get the contract extension that New England wouldn’t give him. He returns to a Minnesota team that is just as talented as the team he left, so he is still in the Super Bowl hunt, and he now gets to play with a guy he has admired for a long time in Brett Favre. He also gets to play New England in a few weeks, and I for one can’t wait.
Patriots—The good Randy is the most fearsome receiver in the NFL. The bad Randy is a pissed off malcontent that can really drag a team down. It didn’t seem like he was at that point with the Patriots, but could I have seen it happening? In a word, yes. If the Pats weren’t going to give him an extension, it made sense to move him now and get a third round pick (they gave up a 4 for him when they got him from the Raiders, so win there) and get rid of him before he became a distraction. The Patriots now have two picks each in the first, second, and third rounds of next year’s draft. Damn…just damn.
Adrian Peterson—Whoever thinks that Chris Johnson will still put up better numbers than Adrian Peterson, please go check yourself into rehab. The Vikings offense now has mismatches on mismatches, and there is no way to defend them all at once. You can’t bring 8 in the box on a regular basis anymore, not if you want to have a job as a defensive coordinator, and that benefits AP. Oh, and you can’t drop back into a deep zone and double Moss and Harvin anymore either. Well, you can, but that’s stupid, too. Moss opens up the running game like Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin, as good as they are, do not. Peterson is going to run wild, and when defenses start to focus on him, Favre to Moss over the top. Dear, Sweet, Jesus, I can hardly wait.
Darrell Bevell—Okay, at this point I think I could run this offense. I mean dear God, you have an offensive line that’s back to being pretty good. You have an All-Pro caliber player at TE, WR, WR, WR again (when he comes back from injury), RB, and QB. Seriously, I would just walk into the meeting room and laugh, every day, knowing that I was going to kick the hell out of every defense I was going up against. Then I would go masturbate at the thought of the offensive weapons at my disposal. If this offense can’t score at will, then Darrell Bevell needs to be demoted to high school JV special teams coach. Are these unrealistic expectations? Of course they are. I don’t care.
Favre's Ankle--Just spitballing here, but I bet it doesn't hurt nearly as much as it did this time yesterday. Just sayin'...
Losers:
AJ Smith, Chargers GM—You are a dumbass. The Vikes had a contract in place with Jackson, but you held out for more compensation and the Vikings wisely passed. Now, you have no draft picks, a receiver that’s suspended for another two games AND who is still pissed off and just waiting to be a locker room cancer, but you showed him, didn’t you?
Vincent Jackson—You’re a dumbass, too. You decided to be a diva and sit out, thinking the Chargers would trade you, even though you were suspended for 6 games. When the Vikings came calling, you were going to get paid, but you didn’t factor in what a penis AJ Smith could be. Oops.
Tom Brady—This is minimal, at best. He still goes home at night and bangs one of the five hottest women in the world, is still one of the best QB’s to ever play, will still have a great season, and still plays on a great team that’s on the Super Bowl short list. But losing one of the best WR’s to throw to on a weekly basis can’t be considered a win, unless you get another one to replace him, which he didn’t. Oh, and get a haircut Tom. I mean seriously?
The Rest of the NFC North—Dear Green Bay, Chicago, and Detroit: Suck. Our. Purple. Balls. Talk yourself into thinking this isn’t a seismic power shift, that Moss will be a whiny bitch, and how in the long run this doesn’t help the Vikings. Ease yourself into thinking that this is a $100 million trainwreck waiting to happen. Deep down, you’re terrified of what just went down, because you know that your early season confidence that the Vikes were done has just been flushed down the toilet. You know it. We know it. And you know that we know it.
Bernard Berrian and Greg Camarillo—You know, I haven’t been as hard on Berrian as most fans have. I like the guy, and I think he’s been a good player for the Vikes. For whatever reason, he’s struggled mightily this year, and when Sidney Rice comes back, I see his playing time severely limited, maybe even to the point of being deactivated a few times. At best, he’ll be a slot guy and number four on the depth chart. He’s an outside speed guy who no longer has a role. As for Camarillo, I thought it was just a matter of time before he really started contributing as a wide receiver, but now Harvin will be the primary slot guy, and Camarillo will only be on the field during 4 wide sets. At least I would think so. But hey, at least he’s developed as a good punt returner.
Sidney Rice’s wallet, maybe—If Moss gets a contract extension, what does the financial future for Rice hold? Will the Vikings be able to afford both? If they do, will Rice get as much money as he would have if Moss wasn’t on the Vikings? Rice will surely flourish on the field, because it’s just nuts thinking about Moss, Rice, Harvin, AP, and Shiancoe on the same team. It’s just mind boggling, but it might have hurt Rice’s pocketbook in the long run.
Feel free to add any winners and losers as you see fit, because I’m sure I’m missing something.
Except Randy Moss, who’s a Viking again!