Terrapin Tables

I guess it all depends on whether or not you believe Moss cared about the game. I am not saying Moss isn't self-centered, selfish or whatever. Not covering a lot of new ground there. I wonder if his walking off the field is an expression of indifference or disappointment. Either way it is inexcusable behavior. At least I find the impetus for it worthy of consideration. Final day of the season, back to back years, you lose a game with a playoff berth potentially on the line. Jason Whitlock should stop treating everyone like an idiot. Like Moss has the Vikings by the balls, that they can't cut him and all that other rhetoric that doesn't amount to anything more than empty proclamations. I don't believe there is a team in the NFL that wouldn't take Randy Moss under his present contract. Even the Patriots took Dillon. Is Jeff George a model citizen? Whitlock certainly goes to bat for the man who once said that "leadership stuff" was "overrated." And in the column before, TO is "enjoying his individual freedom." The column wasn't that good when you wrote it in September of 2002, about a different indisgression, and its not any better now.

I think it's completely irresponsible journalism to invoke, in the first real paragraph, recent drug scandals to create a mood/perception of Moss that is unfair. I can't recall Mos being involved in any "performance enhancing" drug scandal - weed does not make you a better football player - and while he may have acted selfishly and may not be fulfilling his potential, it's a cheap-shot characterization.

Whitlock claims Moss' problem is he's already "financially secure," so he has no desire to play at 100%. That alone can't be the problem - I'm sure as an amazing athlete he feels he has the leeway to act as he pleases, a problem endemic to seemingly every sport except hockey. That lack of motivation - after all, you play to win the game - is what needs to be addressed rather then using contracts as leverage/extortion. Witness the T'Wolves current situation - as I understand it, they're laying down (I remember hearing Cassel's name in particular, and there were others I forgot) because they're pissed they didn't get contract extensions.

I'm not arguing againt the villification of Moss - what he did and what he does was and is simply inexcusable. It's pro sports: you stay on the goddamn field until the gun, and even if the play is a sweep away from you. you run your as off from the snap to the whistle. But it is unfair to characterize athletes at large by his actions, and I think it's ridiculous to assert that withholding a player's salary is the solution. That's the way you treat children - clean your room, get your allowance. Athletes are adults. They should be treated as such. I disagree, in fact, with a lot of pro sports policies: if a Microsoft exec got a DWI, would they be suspended for a week? If they lost a memo or missed a meeting, cold they be fined almost $100,000? It's stupid.

So, Moss sucks in the head. Too bad he rules in the hands and feet. Remember when Madden '02 would boldly procliam that Moss would break every NFL reciever record? Now, he's just a "go-to guy." If he wants to fuck himself, he can fuck himself. It's his and the Vikings' problems, and lumping that in with the problems of the NFL, Olympics, MLB, etc., is a cheap way to make a sensationalist column.

I just printed out this article to take with me into the bathroom. Then I wiped my ass with it.

You two summed it up pretty well. Moss is a moron and should be slammed for leaving his team - I think we will all agree on that. But the article is just off base. Chris, the term "sensationalist " is about as dead on as it gets. To be fair, 1) I hate Whitlock and 2) this is his job - to write outrageous articles and draw attention to page 2. Fine. But at least write a quality piece. Hell, I thought I'd lost a page halfway through when all of a sudden we were talking about Priest Holmes and Allen Iverson.

I love all of the quotes from Randy Moss...oh wait...there aren't any! There aren't even quotes from former teammates, coaches, friends, former hookers, degenerate gamblers, nothing!! Way to dig into this story deeply enough to make claims like "Randy doesn't love the game." or "He contaminates and undermines everything with which he comes in contact." or "It's impossible to motivate, discipline or control..."

And for the record, 32 out of 32 teams would take Moss any day of the week. Look at the team opposite them on the field last week. Their #1 WR has a whopping 1 TD - ALL YEAR. I think they would find a way to handle it.

I have no idea who Whitlock is - I've been thinking real hard, and I might have seen him on "Outside the Lines" once. Is he a really huge - like 300lb. - black guy in his thirties? Anyway, if there is a pattern to his pieces that is anyhting like this awful article, he'll be writing for the Star Democrat before we know it and guys like David Aldridge can get their jobs back.

You know, come to think of it, this article is tossed-off, inflamatory, and doesn't go as deep into the subject as it should. EXACTLY LIKE MOSS. Nice job Whitlock. Maybe that's why his contact email at the bottom of the page is a godamn AOL address. Moran.

i'll tell ya one team that wouldn't take moss. the ray rhodes coached eagles. when rhodes passed on moss in the draft and was asked about it, he said moss couldn't start for his team, which may have been true, but moss did start for the NFC pro bowl team, so maybe coach rhodes misjudged his talent. and whitlock isn't very good in general.

I have a funny feeling that, right about now, Rhodes would suck it up and take Moss. Call it a hunch.