10 Truths: Loss of Moss would sink Patriots
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| What happens to Tom Brady's productivity and attitude if the Patriots don't keep Randy Moss? (Joe McIssac / Getty Images) |
10. Even though the Patriots won three Super Bowls without him and built their reputation on their ability to depart with too-expensive veterans, Randy Moss' potential defection could devastate the New England dynasty.
I'm calling it now: If Moss walks for more money, the Pats go 10-6 next season and get eliminated from the playoffs in the first round. Let me take it a step further: If Moss leaves, the Brady-Belichick combination never reaches another Super Bowl.
New England's run has to end at some point. Now is as good a time as any.
Bad luck — a dropped interception and The Circus Reception — separated the Pats from a fourth Super Bowl championship. Fate is beginning to speak on the New England dynasty.
Washington politicians want it to end. They're pushing Spygate II in an attempt to destroy Bill Belichick. Asante Samuel, New England's best defensive athlete, is scheduled to depart via free agency.
There are too many negative forces working against New England right now. Moss' departure would infuriate quarterback Tom Brady and disturb the delicate chemistry that has helped the Pats do more with less.
Brady has never demanded the kind of contract his production and star power warrant. He's bought into the Pats' management philosophy and the belief that his financial sacrifice makes it easier for New England to put together a stronger overall team.
By letting Moss bounce after a record-setting, 23-TD season, the Pats would look cheap rather than savvy.
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| Donovan McNabb has 171 career TDs (vs. 79 interceptions), mostly without the benefit of top-shelf receiving talent. (Greg Fiume / Getty Images) |
9. If Moss hits the open market and the Cowboys sign him, Philadelphia Eagles fans have my permission to burn down Lincoln Financial Field.
No team on the planet needs Randy Moss more than Andy Reid's Eagles. We've seen what Donovan McNabb and the Eagles can accomplish when they have a legit No. 1 receiver.
The rumors about Jerry Jones wanting to team Moss with Terrell Owens should steam all Philly football fans. The Cowboys already have a strong receiving corps. The Eagles desperately need an upgrade. McNabb deserves the support and would have every right to sue for neglect if the Eagles don't make a strong play for Moss.
8. Why is Matt Walsh, ESPN's Spygate II star, starting to smell like Kevin Hart, the kid who faked a California-Oregon football recruiting war?
Now that Senator Arlen Specter is involved and ESPN.com has wasted lots of cyberspace and credibility on what Walsh may or may not be able to prove about Belichick's spying tactics, I doubt Walsh will cop to a hoax anytime soon.
But it's hard for me to believe a Hawaiian golf pro with a spotty resume is going to bring down Belichick. Walsh sounds like a chump who ran his mouth trying to impress friends and unwittingly captured the attention of the media. He's fallen in love with his relative importance and doesn't have an exit strategy.
Off-season Roundup
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News
Free-Agent Analysis
- Czar: Alexander doesn't fit in Seattle
- Marvez: Free agency in rewind
- Kriegel: Moss made the easy decision
- Marvez: Steelers must protect Big Ben
Player Movement
NFL Draft
- Schrager: Who will be the No. 1 pick?
- Marvez: Dorsey on the defensive
- Scout.com: First-round mock draft
- Player diary: Quarterback Matt Ryan
- Scout.com: Sizing up Cal WR Jackson
- Scout Combine Blog: Day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
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I could be wrong. But I doubt it. Walsh is closer to Kevin Hart than Brian McNamee.
7. As much as good character counts in NFL draft evaluations, you just know Darren McFadden's 4.33 40-yard dash speed matters far more than the speed in which he fathered illegitimate children.
Run DMC allegedly has two baby mamas in-waiting and another two waiting on DNA results. Yes, it's a sign that McFadden is incredibly irresponsible, but it does not mean he has trouble exploiting holes in a defense.
6. All first-year NFL players should be limited to two-year contracts and an earning ceiling of $10 million.
That's my solution to the insanity of giving unproven, top-five draft picks contracts with guaranteed bonuses and salaries totaling as much as $30 million. Getting a top-five pick is a detriment to your team and your team's salary cap. Teams are forced to give guys who have contributed nothing to the league more money than most of their proven veterans. It's not fair or healthy for the game.
The NBA and major-league baseball don't reward their unproven players foolishly. They let the shoe companies (in the case of the NBA) take care of that.
Make Reggie Bush earn his money rather than get it based on his accomplishments at USC.
5. I was a big fan of Cincinnati defensive end Justin Smith when he came out of Missouri. But any team that pays Smith huge money in free agency is stupid. Smith is not an elite pass rusher or run stopper.
Smith may look like a guy who can do the things that Jared Allen and Patrick Kearney do, but he's never delivered on his immense talent. He's too undisciplined on the field and has failed to develop a full package of pass-rush moves. I don't understand how a sixth-year NFL player with two 2007 sacks can be seen as a free-agent solution.
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| Michael Strahan might be angling to skip all or most of training camp, but expect him back on the field in September. (Chris McGrath / Getty Images) |
4. The Michael Strahan retirement talk is silly. He's playing next year.
Veteran players seem to take great enjoyment in having their futures discussed during the offseason (see: Favre, Brett). Strahan locked up a first-ballot Hall of Fame bid by adding a Super Bowl ring. Now he can take a much-deserved victory lap around the league and recoup some of the money his ex-wife scored in divorce proceedings.
3. Other than his needlessly combative and uncomfortable segments with John Clayton, I enjoyed Sean Salisbury on ESPN. I'm sorry to see him depart.
He said he left because the network didn't properly value his contribution because he was just a mediocre player during his playing days. There may be some truth in that. But Salisbury never tailored his persona to make clear that he represented the perspective of the rank-and-file professional athlete.
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Most professional athletes are not big stars. Salisbury could've carved out a niche. Instead he blustered on air like he had Deion Sanders' resume. It didn't bother me, but it prevented Salisbury from carving out a brand with significant value.
2. I appreciated all the e-mails from "Wire" fans debating the shows top-10 scenes. The show is a little more than a week away from the series finale. After careful consideration, there were three or four omitted scenes that deserved a spot (or strong consideration) in my top 10:
(1.) Bunny Colvin's speech about a brown paper bag for drugs before he created Hamsterdam; (2.) Stringer and Avon wrestling after Stringer revealed that he had D'Angelo killed; (3.) Ziggy breaking down in his car after he killed the Russians at the appliance store; (4.) Bodie and Jimmy McNulty talking in the park about the game being rigged.
Oh, Michael and Dukie's scene at the end of episode 9 this season made me cry like a baby. I can't decide if it was more heart-wrenching than Randy crying out to Sgt. Carver the night Randy's foster mother was burned in her apartment.
*1. Ty Law, released by the Chiefs, says he wants to continue his playing career. It's a mistake and he'll hurt his Hall of Fame candidacy if he continues to refuse to tackle. Law tried to play this season as Deion Sanders with 4.7 speed. Not a good look.
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