Randy Moss is making me look really smart. I mean, he is making me look REALLY smart. Maybe I should change my alias to “The Gridiron Genius”. Or maybe “Football’s Freud”. “NFL’s Nostradamus”?
Less than a week after I write an article about how huge egos are attracted to successful franchises, Mr. Moss pulls one of the most narcissistic media stunts I can remember watching. After leading the team cheer in the locker room following a dominant 38-24 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals (it was not as close as the score suggests), Moss whined and complained about not having a new contract. Rather than the focus being on a Patriots win, the return of a healthy Wes Welker, or the absolute smothering of the Bengal’s highly touted receivers, the focus was on Moss and his rant.
Has he not learned anything about the Patriots? It’s a team that puts it’s All-Pro quarterback on the injury report for a hang nail week in and week out. It’s a team that cut former Pro Bowl linebacker Adalius Thomas after he missed a team meeting during a snow storm. They are a team that let All-Pro guard Logan Mankins walk out on a contract because he refused to issue a public apology for slandering Patriots owner, Bob Kraft. They are a team that doesn’t care who you are (unless you’re Tom Brady) and they’ll let you walk if you don’t buy into their philosophy.
The Patriots do not negotiate with terrorists.
No, I’m not calling Randy Moss or any of the other aforementioned guys terrorists, but you get the analogy.
That being said, Randy Moss will get his contract. The NFL’s Nostradamus guarantee’s it. Here’s why:
Note: I didn’t even get into the complications caused by the expiration of the CBA. I’m still optimistic it will resolve itself, but if their is a strike next season, my entire stance on this issue changes.
Firstly, the Patriots were not going to negotiate a huge, long-range deal with anyone before Tom Brady signed his extension. Brady is the man in New England– he is priority numero uno. Bob Kraft and the Patriots brass were not going to sign Moss and Mankins to huge lucrative deals without locking up Brady. They had the intention of making Brady one of the highest paid players in NFL history and they were going to make sure they could budget his contract before they budget anyone else’s.
Now this actually works to the favor of Moss and Mankins.
The Patriots are going to want to protect the investment in Brady and Logan Mankins is one of the absolute best at doing this in the league. Although the offensive line looked stellar against Cincinnati in week one (although that could be due to lack of pass rush), Mankins has made a living being one of the best at keeping his quarterback upright, and in putting all this money into Brady, the Patriots are going to want to do just that.
Believe it or not, Tom Brady actually likes Randy Moss. I can not count the number of times the camera flashed to the two of them over on the sidelines either talking strategy, or having a loss. Their names are forever tied together like Montana and Rice. They simultaneously broke the records for passing touchdowns and receiving touchdowns in a single season. They have a chemistry– they work together. Brady to Moss has a certain ring about it.
Successful receivers and quarterbacks are inevitably linked together. Do you think Moss wants to be linked with Dante Culpepper? Or Jeff Garcia? Or anyone else for that matter? Absolutely not. He wanted to be linked with Tom Brady and his 3 Super Bowl rings, even if Moss never gets one. Randy Moss does not want to play with another quarterback for two reasons. First, it alters his legacy. He holds a legitimate record and a legitimate report with Brady– he wants it to be Brady and Moss (or more likely Moss and Brady). Secondly, Randy Moss is not getting any younger. It does not make sense for him to go elsewhere and start building another relationship with another quarterback. He wants to win now, and who has the best track record as a winning quarterback?
Tom Brady.
When it’s all said and I think Randy Moss and Logan Mankins will receive new contracts by season’s end. To me, it just makes sense because it makes the investment in Brady more valuable because both players make Brady a better quarterback.
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JimmyD is TSBN's official blogger of the New England Patriots! A life long resident of Patriots' Nations, he has stuck with the team through thick and thin. In typical Boston-fashion, he's not afraid to say exactly what's on his mind and lay it all on the line.
A recent college graduate, JimmyD is looking to break into the publishing world. 
If you haven’t yet, check out the cover to the newest issue of Sports Illustrated. I haven’t read the article yet, but the image hits my point on the head.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/11449/index.htm
Just wanted to give kudos on picking this up. Seems the Pat are having a heck of a time with contracts as of late. Wonder what the deal is.
The deal is they wanted to sign Brady before they signed anyone else. It’s all about prioritizing. And I’m sure the CBA doesn’t make things easier either. It also goes back to my post about egos– when you sign guys who think they’re sure fire hall of famers, and the second coming, you’re going have guys who think they’re more important than the whole team.
And I should probably state this: I am the BIGGEST Randy Moss fan in New England. Absolutely love the guy. He’s just a PR nightmare right now.