Yesterday at the Super Bowl Media Day, Randy Moss, the record breaking receiver for the New England Patriots confirmed that he didn't want to go to Green Bay.
So, yes, Raider Nation, it appears that Randy Moss was able to not only get out of Oakland, BUT, he was able to choose where he went.
I am even happier now that Al Davis had the Raider Image sell his jerseys for $20 after he was traded.
In acquiring Randy Moss the Raiders gave up a promising young linebacker, Napoleon Harris, the 7th overall pick in the 2005 draft and a late round pick.
Al Davis brought Randy Moss over to be the cornerstone of a rebuilding offense.
In Randy's first game as a Raider, oddly against New England he shone like the star the entire Nation thought we traded for.
On the road, in New England, on Opening Night on THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL, Moss hauled in 5 receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown. Even though the Raiders lost, we all believed in Moss.
He followed that performance with another vintage Moss performance against Kansas City.
Against the Chiefs, he caught another 5 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown.
Again the Raiders lost.
The following week the Raiders battled back from an early deficit against the Eagles and lost a heart breaker on a kick by the injured Eagles kicker, David Akers. Moss played hard and ended up with 5 catches...Again...This time for 85 yards and no TDs. But, for the team, there was progress.
In his fourth game the Raiders finally won. He hauled in 4 catches for 123 yards and no touchdowns in a victory over the Cowboys.
His fifth game of the season was, in my opinion, his last as a Raider.
In the fist quarter, strong armed quarterback, Kerry Collins threw up a jump ball that Randy Moss jumped for. The San Diego safeties high lowed him and he left the game with bruised ribs and a strained groin. He gutted it out and even came in as a decoy a couple of times, but, once the Raiders lost and fell to 1-4, Randy Moss never played hard for the Raiders again. Well, unless you consider his last game of the year when he hauled in 2 TDs and broke 100 yards in what looked like an audition for a trade partner.
He wanted out of Minnesota because he didn't think they could win with a rebuilding team and the word was that he wasn't very happy about being traded to a Raider team that had won a total of 9 games in the previous two seasons.
Heck, he even showed up for the first day of camp driving a HUGE Vikings SUV.
He followed up 2005 with an even worse 2006. His attitude and performance drove his stock so far into the ground that the Raiders could only get a fourth round draft choice for his services when they traded him. Has Al Davis not believed that HIS GUYS could win in 2006 he would have dumped Moss. In hindsight, maybe he should have.
In 2007 all of Randy Moss's pouting in Minnesota and Oakland payed off when he was traded to the Wide Receiver starved New England Patriots.
The fact that he pouted and then got what he wanted is a terrible example of how professionals who are payed millions of dollars to play a game.
It would be one thing IF he did his job ON the field and then complained off of it, BUT, he didn't only wine off the field, HE quit ON it.
He let down his team, coaches and all of Raider nation every time he didn't run a route or alligator armed a ball. He even got one coach (Norv Turner) fired!!!
Now, with the Patriots being 18-0 and trying to win a Super Bowl and go 19-0, Randy Moss is wearing his 6 carat earrings and pretending that he is a winner.
For all of us that lived through the two years of Randy Moss, we can attest that Randy is a front running LOSER.
Here is hoping that Randy has a T.O. crying moment on Sunday when he walks out in sunglasses and mutters, "That's not fair man, he's my quarterback".
Hell, Randy makes T.O. look like Mother Theresa.
No matter how much you try and polish Randy Moss, he will always be the man who quit on two teams and tanked in order to be traded to a winner.