Randy Moss trade: An ingenius move or a retarded mistake?

The most prevailing question swirling around in Patriot Nation today is quite simple: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PATRIOT'S STANDARDS?!?!?!?!?

With New England's recent acquisition of former Viking and Raider wide receiver Randy Moss, many Patriot fans are concerned that the Pats are turning into the Yankees. The Moss deal in the last in a long line of free agent pick-ups, and many believe that Bill Belichick & co are straying from what won them 3 Super Bowls.

On the contrary, I would like to contend that the 'standards' is NOT what won the Patriots 3 Super Bowls, and that their standards are still being held strong.

There is a major point that I would like to make before I go any further on Moss. That point is that the Patriots' standards were never as high as people think they were.

After the 2002 season, the Pats went out and got Ted Washington and Rodney Harrison to help them win a Super Bowl. These moves proved to be a smashing success, which is probably why people ignore the so-called 'breach of standards' there. In Washington's days with the Bears, he got called on the carpet too many times to count for using vile words where he wasn't supposed to, and many complained that he was nothing but a nuisance in the clubhouse. Washington definitely did not have the cleanest record when the Pats signed him. As for Harrison, he was known to be a Curt Schilling type... saying whatever is on his mind, no matter how pointed, accusatory or abrasive. And besides that, Harrison, only a 9 year vet, was already the most heavily fined player in NFL history for dirty hits and unsportsmanlike conduct. These two acquisitions were clearly worthwhile, yet they did not meet the 'angel' standard that fans fantasized the Patriots to have. Clearly, the Patriots felt that these acquisitions did not breach their standards, and thus, the Patriots' standards were never as high as given credit for.

This hypothesis is further evidenced in 2004, which prompts me to elevate it to a theory. After letting go of Antowain Smith, the Patriots were in need of a runningback. They consequently shipped a second round pick to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for the disgruntled and aging-but-capable runningback Corey Dillon. In his years in Cincy, Dillon was known for being a rude and impatient person who was anything but encouraging. Even in the media, Dillon was always talking about how he was sick of the Bengals and the losing and continually tore his team down. He had also gotten into multiple legal issues. Dillon was a known character issue. Yet, Dillon wanted to win, and was excited about becoming a Patriot, and so the Pats picked him up. We have a similar situation with Moss now.

Moss has always been a wayward and unstable character type, but he truly has a desire to win. He will most definitely straighten out in order to win a Super Bowl. As was evidenced in all 3 cases that I proposed earlier (Washington, Harrison, Dillon), the Patriots have a way of silences motormouths. For one, the peer pressure helps achieve that goal. Secondly, Bill Belichick is a hard-line coach. If you don't follow his rules, he'll boot you without thinking twice, as was evidenced with Deion Branch. Thirdly, if a player really does want to win like Dillon did and Moss does, then they will avoid being a distraction at all costs in order to win the Super Bowl. Moss's desire is definitely genuine, and because of these three reasons, I see no reason to worry about another Moss Mishap. I see reason to be psyched and optimistic about the 2007 Patriot offense. At 6'4 and 210 pounds, Moss will no doubt be the big target that Tom Brady has lacked for his entire career, as well as becoming Brady's first future Hall of Fame receiver. In my eyes, Moss makes the Patriots the shoo-in pick to be the champions of Super Bowl XLII.












Tom Brady+Randy Moss= Super Bowl Championship!

© Touchdown Patriots! 2007