In the words of the immortal Eric B. & Rakim, 'it's been a long time'…if you are one of the subscribers to this blog on Facebook, thank you very much for taking time out read about my take on NFL wide-receiver Randy Moss' trade from the New England Patriots to the Minnesota Vikings, which has apparently become a hot button topic over the past few hours not only in the New England area, but pretty much across the country. BTW, very quickly, I want to give a quick shout and congrats to 'Big Daddy' Craig Forde on the birth of his son, Kyle Jameson Forde today. Now, on to pressing matters for discussion…I have been away from writing about sports for a while now because I have grown discontented with the manner the subject is presented to the public. I decided to fall back and re-evaluate how to approach the subject and today, with the emotional responses I've read from the fans and numerous media outlets about the Moss trade, biased or unbiased it just hit me…that's just how it goes sometimes.
One thing that I learned over my past two years is to appreciate value…as a law student or any student or broke individual we learn how to cut corners and save a few bucks in order to move on to the next day. The questions range from Rib-Eye or cube steak? Cheetos or Jax? Value Brand clothing starch or Niagara?, 60 watts or 35 watts?...yes it all ranges and we all look to save a few bucks to even wash laundry (in the sink or go to the Laundromat? However, contrary to public belief, this Randy Moss trade today wasn't about those swashbuckling Patriots who are always looking to save a penny like Phillip does at EVERY WAKING HOUR, but more about the growth of the organization's overall on-field product. To me, the trade stems from fact that the Patriots are growing in another direction in terms of offensive football. They are evolving. The skills that Moss brought to the team had begun to hinder the growth that the organization wished to have on that side of the football. For those who don't watch entire Patriots' games, and haven't seen them over the past two seasons, you pretty much are only privy to the highlights shown post-game and they generally will show all these breathtaking catches No. 81 makes…one handed, over the defender, running after the catch, splitting double teams and corner of the end zone grabs while keeping both feet in. It looks all sweet and dandy from a distance, but when you watch the games, I mean really watch the games, you will see an offense attempting to force-feed Moss the ball in order to placate him and get him going in the offensive game plan. It was very frustrating to see the QB throwing deep to Moss so many times during a game knowing that any competent defensive coordinator has already game-planned that particular stratagem. This is the very reason why the Patriots have had so many difficulties with good defensive teams; they became very predictable on offense and Moss was used as a convenient excuse as to why we all knew what the Patriots were going to do and what would happen with Moss if he did not see the ball early…he would check out. Watching the Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins on Monday night, a game in which Moss had no receptions, his first catch-less game since 2006 when he was with the Oakland Raiders, he did not look as jovial as the rest of his teammates as they 'Beamerballed' their way to a resounding 41-14 victory. I had made up my mind on that night that Randy Moss…yes, that Randy Moss was a contributing factor in holding back the development of the team on offense.
Think of it this way… and bear with me…you have an employee; let's call them star employee. They are one of the best workers in your office. They dress well, are clearly talented and in many cases are heads and shoulders above the crowd of others who occupy their field. You paid them relatively well too; they came to you after some minor dust ups at their prior position in another company and you were able to get them at a significant discount…kind of a probation period. When you hired them, your sales and revenue went through the roof… because their masterful technique in what they did was well tested and successful throughout their career. They began to develop a mystique about them; everything they touched turned to gold and they could do no wrong. Heck, your company is now at the top of its industry!! You decided to keep them on and gave them an insane salary…at the same time you began to hire new employees to work alongside your star employee. They were just out of college, but they were talented. The next fiscal year, your sales and revenue dipped, but your star employee kept exceeding expectations. However, you did notice that the star has begun to rely strictly on their older methods which still worked, but you began to see that there was a plateau effect…it brought in money, but are you still at the top of the industry overall? You also have seen that your star employee is no longer that humble individual that came to your company a few years back. They carry a sense of entitlement and although they want to stay in the company and is a leader among their peers, resumes are found in the printer and they are complaining to you about how much they do and why have you not given a commitment redo their employment agreement.
As the younger employees begin to make significant contributions, and the contract that your star works under begins to become more and more of an issue, you have to start evaluating whether they are the best fit for you now. You've begun to do what all successful organizations do…you begin to change your philosophy by taking a fresh approach to your business. You begin to lean on the newer and younger employees who have the ability to bring something new to the table. You've reorganized areas of the company and handed responsibilities to people who may not have the pedigree, but have the desire and skills to get the job done. You understand that you may take losses here and there, but you KNOW you have a talented group. Meanwhile, the star employee is still relying on the older methods they have used…they have not changed. The managers defer to the star's whims because they've bought into the star's mystique: 'They did bring in record revenues…'in the past. The newer employees are now being featured on the bigger accounts and it was expected that your star employee would be able to mesh into the plan and mentor the younger, new employees with his experience so as to minimize mistakes and mitigate losses. However, the star has increasingly have become discontent and a distraction to what you are doing by airing their grievances with the company publicly. What do you do in this case? You know that the star is going to bring in money. They do things many people in their position throughout the industry cannot do, but they are becoming stale both professionally and personally. Their mystique is what makes them attractive in the industry; they have done (key word)…done excellent things, but their brand of excellence can be holding back a new development plan that could benefit everyone on the whole. Do you keep them on for short term success? Or do you make the decision to jettison them in order to take a risk on long term gains?
My analogy may be flawed in some areas, but hey…gimme a break; I'm trying to prove a point. The Patriots are committed to evolving their offense and featuring pass catching tight ends, speedy, smaller receivers and versatile running backs. With Moss in the offense, yes, he demands a double team, BUT the offense becomes limited when teams game plan around that double team commitment. The name of the game is to exploit matchups all over the field; in essence, flooding the zones with pass catchers within an offense run by a trigger-man QB that can get the ball to them in the right space, at the right time, so the receiver can make plays after the catch. With Moss, it was the same thing, pretty much every play…just like when I was a young wolf playing WR in football as a kid…GO DEEP. In essence, Moss has been relegated to a decoy for defenses so the offense can open up and put the ball into playmakers hands within the flow of the offense. Sometimes when I watched the Pats, I saw two offenses operating at once; you had the Randy Moss go deep plays and the rest of the guys playing within the flow of the offense. Moss is too talented to be a decoy, point blank. It would be unfair to ask him to do this over the course of the season. But it is a detriment to all of the other guys on the team if he must still be the focal point at the expense of the development of a new offensive stratagem and players who can make a difference. Thus, the best way to resolve the matter is to make a trade. Now, a case can be made that the Patriots brain trust could have colluded in order to make sure Moss did not see the ball and try to get some insight as to how things would work without him on the field. It was reported that the trade talks with the Vikings were a week deep by Tuesday evening. Therefore, I can see the Patriots keeping the ball away from him either to see how things would run without him or to prevent him from incurring an injury while playing. I am no Patriots-flavored Kool Aid drinker; it is not beyond this organization to make a business decision like that. This is an organization that traded a cornerstone player in Richard Seymour right after training camp broke in 2009; they took the pre-season time to see if he was physically sound and I guarantee that the trade was set up at least a month before it went down. We all saw what happened with Lawyer Milloy in 2003 and acrimonious ending of Asante Samuel's career in New England in 2006.
It is a little weird to see Moss get traded, but I never really bought into the mystique that he carried; this is mainly because a record setting receiver is only as good as the QB that throws the ball. The QB is only as good as the offensive line that protects him. Football is not a game for individuals. Any success is based upon a number of individuals who do their respective jobs and execute what has been taught. One breakdown causes that TD to Moss to become a strip sack, an interception or results in injury. Moss now is united with another guy who lives on the laurels of his past accomplishments in Brett Favre; they both will attempt to use their older techniques of winning games in order to get the Vikings to the Super Bowl, but Moss is entering a similar environment that he just left…there is an aging star employee on board that is playing to the detriment of younger players who we will never really know if they had what it took to lead the team. Why you ask? The coach is on the hot seat. That is the biggest difference between the two organizations. Bill Belichick is going nowhere folks. He in effect, IS the Patriot brand whereas Brad Childress is just a coach…get results or hit the bricks. And we all know what happens when people are insecure…they make rash decisions based on the short term outlook.
Lastly, the Patriots got value for the trade of Moss. In 2007 they traded a 4th round pick to the Raiders for him. In 2010, they were able to get a 3rd rounder for him. So basically, they got a player who was considered done by some prognosticators and were able to build his value back up for a small profit. Don't some of you wish you could get someone out of your life AND gain from it? In actuality we all do in one way or another, but that is a topic meant for Joyce Brothers or Dr. Phil…or maybe even Kat Stacks in some circles. That's all for now…thanks for reading.
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