The team is off to a 0-3 start. The team’s former pro-bowl quarterback (the worst quarterback to make the pro-bowl since the game’s inception) just threw four interceptions. He forgets that his passes were overthrown and blames the interceptions on his star receiver. To top it off, the team’s star receiver, who might actually be at fault for some of the interceptions, just got himself thrown in the clink for pushing a traffic officer halfway down the block on the hood of his decked-out Lexus. The new coach is up half the night trying to bail out the star receiver. Sounds like a movie script.
Nope, it’s just the Vikings. You have to love this bunch of clowns that pass themselves off as a football organization.
Older-than-the-hills owner, full-time cowboy Red McCombs sent the winningest coach in the history of the franchise packing last winter after the Vikings failed to reach the post-season. Fair or unfair, Denny Green took the fall when his team, one laden with offensive talent, failed to make the postseason. At first glance, it appears that a circus midget should be able to coach this team to the playoffs, but then again, that was a team with Randy Moss, Daunte Culpepper and now-departed Chris Carter. I’m not sure if anyone could have done much better with that group, in that situation last year.
Nevertheless, Green was out because he had a reputation for coddling Moss when fans and others in the organization wanted discipline. Mike Tice was then hired, because he supposedly had the magical solution for handling Moss. That’s not all that Tice was supposed to have.
He brought about the inception of one of my all-time favorite sports terms, “the Randy ratio.” Apparently, if the number is high, then Randy has been involved in a lot of plays, presumably has a lot of catches, and we all know that a high Randy ratio means the team was going to be winning some games.
Of course, you can’t forget to factor in the number of times that Moss goes after the ball with one hand, or doesn’t pursue it at all, resulting in another Culpepper pick. Extra points awarded for any sidelines tantrums that result from said interception. The Randy ratio has not been very high so far this season if the team’s winless record is any indication, but sideline disturbances are picking up quickly.
With all due respect, what was Tice thinking when he decided to re-design a fairly proven offense to better suit one player?
Moss is a guy who takes plays off by his own admission. Is that forgivable? Yes, if you are talented as Moss you can be forgiven for that, but you do not reward a player that doesn’t play hard by telling him he deserves the ball more. What ever happened to rewarding players who work hard and do everything it takes to win games even if that means sometimes they take hits and sometimes they will have to run routes even if the play might result in another receiver catching the ball?
Inventing the Randy Moss offense was doubly stupid, considering the Vikings have pro-bowl caliber players in tight end Byron Chamberlain and fullback Jim Kleinsasser. In a good move, the Vikings managed to sign proven receiver Derrick Alexander from the Chiefs this last season. However, Tice and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan must have missed the memo, because no one has seen much of him in the first three games. Alexander has a paltry five receptions for just 48 yards so far this season.
Moss was released from jail and was reportedly whistling a cheery tune as he exited the Hennepin County Courthouse after a hearing Wednesday. He was charged with careless driving and failure to obey a traffic officer, but no charges related to the marijuana found in his vehicle were filed.
After Moss’ release, the team announced he would start Sunday because he was so thoughtful as to schedule his visit to the slammer around Minnesota’s practice schedule. Give me a break. One coach was fired because he couldn’t handle Randy Moss and the new one isn’t doing any better job. What is Tice’s solution, you ask? It goes like this. . . Randy takes plays off. Throw him the ball more. Randy goes to jail. Throw him the ball more.
Whether you root for the Vikings to win or lose (or whether you simply don’t care), you must admit things have developed into a sad situation for Moss and the Vikings. Randy Moss is quite possibly the most talented wide receiver to play the game. However, Hall of Fame careers are not based on potential; they are based on substance. Moss has had a few good years, but the 25-year-old’s career is in danger of spiraling downward, and at the moment, the Vikings are going with him.
Moss has had a history of problems wherever he has gone, but we all may be watching his last season in Minnesota. A change might be good for him, but it would be great for the franchise. The draft pick that once looked like the smartest pick in some time is now looking more like what so many other general managers feared it could be. Nothing but fool’s gold, or in this case, fool’s purple.
