Moss Waives Goodbye to the Vikings

Randy Moss has been waived by the Vikings only four short weeks after the tumultuous trade from the Patriots. Moss was acquired by the Pats during the off-season in 2007. Even then, the acquisition was sketchy. Allegedly, Moss would only accept a pay cut if he went to the Pats. Obviously, that demand was based on the Pats stacking their lineup during the off-season, leaving them poised to win a Superbowl (which they should have won after winning every preceding game).

The bottom line: Randy Moss has always been "trouble." Much like Sebastian Telfair, Moss regularly found himself getting arrested for being a complete moron. It is no secret that Belichick runs a tight ship in Foxboro which may explain why Moss lasted there so long without incident.

However, this past Sunday, Moss repeated criticized his new coach, while praising Belichick. These are also rumor swirling that Moss disliked the Vikings choice of caterers, prompting some nasty commentary last Friday night.

Regardless, Moss is no longer with the Vikings and their ancient QB, Brett Favre. Although I doubt it, there is some talk that Moss may return to the Pats or, in the alternative, may be headed to Chicago.

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Tardy for the Party

Heidi's #1 crush, Bill Belichick, sent 4 players home from practice yesterday for being late. The team had an 8 a.m. meeting and players who arrived late were asked to leave including Randy Moss, Gary Guyton, Adalius Thomas and Derrick Burgess.

Asked for comment, Thomas seemed quite upset that he was sent home blaming the weather and traffic for his tardiness. While I appreciate the realities of life, I also know that Belichick is a no nonsense kind of coach, as are most in the NFL. On the one hand, Thomas claims he didn't know it was supposed to snow. On the other, I'm sure it's Belichick's position he should have checked the weather the night before. After all, 49 other players and, most likely, the practice squad arrived on time.

What has come of all this is confirmation from Thomas that he is not a Jetson and cannot "run people over." While I'm sure Stallworth might beg to differ about whether he could, I'm sure he would agree Thomas should not do that.

Even I know what Belichick expects and I am not at all surprised by this common reaction of NFL coaches to tardiness.

But, Wait... They're Not in High School Anymore...

If the Patriots and Wolverines are clearly not in high school anymore (although it might be hard to tell from the Michigan football record the past two seasons), then why are they being punished like toddlers? Some of the moves their authorities pulled this week are making me wonder…

After four players rolled into a Wednesday-morning meeting late, Bill Belichick sent them packing. If that unceremonious exit was the equivalent of being sent to the principal’s office for being tardy, can we assume that their lack of attendance at practice later that day meant they also got detention?

Second case in point: the University of Michigan putting bans on rather… errr… “personal” matters in the community showers? Thankfully, this one was just a rumor. After creating a panic among a good portion of the male student body (way to rat yourselves out guys), it came out after several days that the posters were only the work of a few unknown students living in the dorms. Whoever you boys are, my cap is off to you – hilarious.

What now bitches?!

Rex Ryan has no interest in kissing Bill Belichick's rings. Heidi Leitner, however, cannot wait for an opportunity to kiss anything of Belichick's, including his sweaty cut-off sweatshirts. Take that, Rex Ryan!

Response from Rockstar Reilly

Bill loves pot smokers! Randy Moss, what?! I would be hard pressed to believe that a guy sporting a cut-off hoodie all season isn't enjoying some of that himself! Not to mention, you know Tate's happy; he got drafted to a team in a decriminalized state!

Response requested from High Life Leitner..

Leitner, what do you think of Bill drafting Brandon Tate, who not only hurt his knee last year but also tested positive for marijuana use at the NFL Scouting Combine in Febuary, to the Pats. I know your Bill's number one fan, so could you provide me with a hypothetical explaination as to why he would take on an injured, illegal substance user? -Ruby

Putting Rookies in the Place in the NFL; Thoughts on the '09 Draft

The NFL draft is always an exciting time. However, I usually find the excitement in where my favorite players and friends will end up rather than whether a draft pick is likely to legitimately impact a team in the upcoming season. Much like the MLB draft, players drafted into the NFL are unlikely to have an immediately impact on their team. And, frankly, those that do are likely playing on a pretty bad team. For example, if you look at the players who have been honored with the AP offensive and defensive rookie of the year awards for the past 10 years or so you’ll notice that the recipients (and their teams) rarely saw post-season play.

For example, in 2007 the offensive recipient, Adrian Peterson, and the defensive recipient, Patrick Willis, both played for teams that did not compete in the post-season. Again in 2006, the Titans and the Oilers did not participate in the playoffs yet Vince Young and Carnell Williams received the rookie of the year awards.

Even where successful rookies did play on a successful team, those players were more often than not defensive players, rather than offensive players. In 2004 Jonathan Vilma won rookie of the year, as a line backer, and his team the New York Jets lost in overtime in the second round of the AFC playoffs to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers went on to beat Philadelphia in the Superbowl that year 24-21. In 2001 a line backer for the Steelers, Kendrell Bell, won the defensive rookie of the year award and saw his team advance to the third round of the AFC playoffs where his team ultimately fell to the Patriots 24-17. The Pats, coached by Belichick and led by quarterback (and Wolverine) Tom Brady, went on to defeat the Rams 20-17 and win the Superbowl that year.

The point of all this is that I find the NFL draft to be somewhat arbitrary. It is unlikely that a single player drafted this weekend is going to make or break their teams’ performance. And, while there is a decent argument to be made that individual football players are always less significant on the field than say, individual basketball players, it is simply not true that some football players do not develop a presence on the field during their professional careers that can make or break a game or even a season.

For example, Tom Brady’s knee injury last year was detrimental to the Patriot’s season. As analysts were quick to point out, Brady’s absence even made the Patriots relatively weak defense more noticeable. Moreover, Matt Cassell was not mentally prepared to step into the role of starting quarterback, having never played that role in his college or pro career.

In the press conference following Brady’s injury, Cassell basically said he wasn’t going to try and be Tom Brady, he was going to try and be Matt Cassell. While not surprising for a guy that played behind two Heisman winners, Palmer and Leinart, at USC, Cassell appeared to have an inferiority complex which became more pronounced as he took the field in the weeks to come. Ultimately Cassell gained confidence and was able to find himself as a professional quarterback by the time the Patriots season reached a disappointing end.

For Cassell, Brady’s injury proved to be a goldmine. He was able to negotiate a lucrative contract and eventually was traded to the Chiefs where he has a better opportunity to see playing time. Yet many players, like Cassell, will not reach their professional peak until they have been in the league for several years. More importantly, as Cassell’s situation proves, a player’s team placement is key to their ability to showcase their skills in the professional arena and their ability to market themselves to other franchises.

It is no surprise that the most successful rookies often play on the least successful teams. When a team has a weaker line-up, rookies are often given more playing time which allows them to bolster their stats while improving their skills and marketability in the professional market. Obviously, everyone wants to win but as a young player in the draft being selected by a team that needs your talent (and isn’t going to waste it on the bench) can be more valuable in long-run than being selected by a winning team that is just insuring themselves against losing their Tom Brady or that is simply looking for trade leverage.