Moss Back?!

It looks like Randy Moss isn't quite ready to say goodbye to football just yet. He's always walked to a different beat but I always expected a return. When he passed on filing retirement papers it seemed that something was in the wind. His 2010 season was no way to end a fabulous career.

That 2010 season was a disaster much like his time with the Oakland Raiders. Sputtering effort on the field mixed with unpredictable behavior off of it. More than most, Randy Moss just wants to be loved. If he feels it, you'll see an incredible football player. If he doesn't feel it, you'll see a pain-in-the-ass. The not so funny result of Moss' 2010 season was the end of Brad Childress' Minnesota Vikings coaching career. The Moss mess in Minnesota played a crucial role in the firing. Moss' handful of games with the Tennessee Titans were the last games coached by Jeff Fisher. That was likely more coincidence than anything else. Moss' one-handed touchdown grab against Darrelle Revis was about the only pretty thing to come out of that disaster season.

I find it hilarious that Randy Moss' interest in returning to football sparks so much excitement among many Vikings fans hoping for a third visit. They can't get enough of him. They can't let him go. Moss brings back memories of the dynamite receiver that took apart the league in 1998. Few players have ever had such an impact on a team and on the league. Lawrence Taylor is the only football player that immediately comes to mind that left opponents with a similar lack of answers. No receiver has ever been as physically gifted as Randy Moss. Height, speed, leaping ability, body control, hands, football smarts. Moss had absolutely everything except for maybe the head to handle it all. When the team was winning, when he was happy he could handle it. When the slightest perceived slight was felt it could become a nightmare.

I'd love to see Randy Moss return. I'd love to see a fantastic receiver end his career on a higher note. He can with the right team. Cris Carter says that Moss can still run a 4.3. He's never had a significant injury. He could play at a high level for another year or two or three. I think that a New England return is the right place. The Patriots are a strong, always contending team. I think that there is still a mutual respect between Moss and Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft despite the manner in which things ended two years ago. Minnesota is not the right place. The Vikings are trying to regain their footing. A young quarterback like Christian Ponder doesn't need any potential issues from a sometimes unpredictable receiver.

I'd love to see Randy Moss play some football again, not in Minnesota, but somewhere in the NFL.