JonCJG
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POSTED 11:11 a.m. EDT, July 9, 2006
RANDY, RAIDERS DESTINED FOR DIVORCE
As various media reports highlight recent radio remarks from Raiders receiver Randy Moss regarding his desire in early 2005 to be traded to the Falcons or the Ravens, the obvious connotation (which heretofore has been overlooked) is that Oakland wasn't his first choice.
"I want to tell every Atlanta Falcon and football fan that's listening to this what happened. When I was getting traded from Minnesota I wanted to come and play for either the Atlanta Falcons or the Baltimore Ravens," Moss told 790 The Zone in Atlanta.
"I wanted to play with Atlanta just for the fact of Michael Vick's elusiveness, and I wanted to play with a guy such as Ray Lewis because he's on defense and I'm on offense. So I did have dreams and high hopes of being traded to the Atlanta Falcons but the president and owner of the Atlanta Falcons [Arthur Blank] told me specifically that he does not want me in Atlanta, there's nothing that I can do to Atlanta and he wished me the best of luck. He did not think that Randy Moss would be a good fit in Atlanta."
And we believe that Randy's decision to speak publicly about his private desires from more than 16 months ago is part of a broader plan to get out of Oakland, as soon as possible.
Moss is signed through 2008, with salaries of $8.25 million, $9.75 million, and $11.25 million over the next three years. He took much of his 2005 salary in the form of a signing bonus in order to reduce his cap number, but those deferred payments will only push his cap charge higher over the next three seasons.
In an era when players have learned that they can force their way out of situations they don't like merely by complaining long and loud enough, we think Moss is subtly (and perhaps subconsciously) laying the foundation for an effort to get out of Oakland after the 2006 season, if the team duplicates its horrific performance from a year ago.
Under new cap rules, Moss could be traded to another team after June 1, 2007, with the bonus acceleration due to his departure being spread equally over 2007 and 2008.
And our guess is that the Raiders will decide based on the 2006 season whether they want Moss around over the long haul. If so, they'll likely want to extend his contract in order to reduce his cap number for the last two seasons of the deal he negotiated in 2001.
But if Moss really is in the process of orchestrating a path out of the Bay Area, he needs to be careful. Oakland owner Al Davis won't put up with that kind of stuff, and if Randy pushes too hard Davis gladly will carry an eight-figure cap number for the right to force Randy to watch the games from the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Blank's refusal to embrace Moss or Terrell Owens likely will be interpreted as an intolerance for turdish wideouts. We're more inclined to consider the Falcons' stance from the perspective of their overrated quarterback, whose flaws as a passer would be drawn into sharp focus if receivers of the caliber of Moss or Owens were running the routes -- and watching the balls skip to them or sail over their heads.
So what will become of all of this? We used to think Moss was destined to return to Minnesota. We now think he'll eventually land in Miami, with former teammate Daunte Culpepper and fellow West Virginian Nick Saban.
But the one thing of which we're sure is that Moss won't be retiring as a Raider.
RANDY, RAIDERS DESTINED FOR DIVORCE
As various media reports highlight recent radio remarks from Raiders receiver Randy Moss regarding his desire in early 2005 to be traded to the Falcons or the Ravens, the obvious connotation (which heretofore has been overlooked) is that Oakland wasn't his first choice.
"I want to tell every Atlanta Falcon and football fan that's listening to this what happened. When I was getting traded from Minnesota I wanted to come and play for either the Atlanta Falcons or the Baltimore Ravens," Moss told 790 The Zone in Atlanta.
"I wanted to play with Atlanta just for the fact of Michael Vick's elusiveness, and I wanted to play with a guy such as Ray Lewis because he's on defense and I'm on offense. So I did have dreams and high hopes of being traded to the Atlanta Falcons but the president and owner of the Atlanta Falcons [Arthur Blank] told me specifically that he does not want me in Atlanta, there's nothing that I can do to Atlanta and he wished me the best of luck. He did not think that Randy Moss would be a good fit in Atlanta."
And we believe that Randy's decision to speak publicly about his private desires from more than 16 months ago is part of a broader plan to get out of Oakland, as soon as possible.
Moss is signed through 2008, with salaries of $8.25 million, $9.75 million, and $11.25 million over the next three years. He took much of his 2005 salary in the form of a signing bonus in order to reduce his cap number, but those deferred payments will only push his cap charge higher over the next three seasons.
In an era when players have learned that they can force their way out of situations they don't like merely by complaining long and loud enough, we think Moss is subtly (and perhaps subconsciously) laying the foundation for an effort to get out of Oakland after the 2006 season, if the team duplicates its horrific performance from a year ago.
Under new cap rules, Moss could be traded to another team after June 1, 2007, with the bonus acceleration due to his departure being spread equally over 2007 and 2008.
And our guess is that the Raiders will decide based on the 2006 season whether they want Moss around over the long haul. If so, they'll likely want to extend his contract in order to reduce his cap number for the last two seasons of the deal he negotiated in 2001.
But if Moss really is in the process of orchestrating a path out of the Bay Area, he needs to be careful. Oakland owner Al Davis won't put up with that kind of stuff, and if Randy pushes too hard Davis gladly will carry an eight-figure cap number for the right to force Randy to watch the games from the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Blank's refusal to embrace Moss or Terrell Owens likely will be interpreted as an intolerance for turdish wideouts. We're more inclined to consider the Falcons' stance from the perspective of their overrated quarterback, whose flaws as a passer would be drawn into sharp focus if receivers of the caliber of Moss or Owens were running the routes -- and watching the balls skip to them or sail over their heads.
So what will become of all of this? We used to think Moss was destined to return to Minnesota. We now think he'll eventually land in Miami, with former teammate Daunte Culpepper and fellow West Virginian Nick Saban.
But the one thing of which we're sure is that Moss won't be retiring as a Raider.
