Randy Moss' Craziest Press Conference Takes You Into Patriots-Vikings Weekend
Yesterday I sort of looked ahead to the Patriots-Vikings game Sunday by looking back at the historic meeting between the two back in 1994, such a game changer in terms of the records that were set and how it changed the Patriots forever that it could be a 30 for 30.
But I’m not about to let this weekend arrive without looking back at yet another historic moment between the two, from more recent vintage. When the best player to ever play for both franchises went completely off the rails back on Halloween, 2010. In a career filled with moments of unforgettable craziness, this was the great Randy Moss’ masterpiece. His magnum opus.
Just to set the stage a little in case you don’t remember, a few weeks earlier the Patriots were 3-1 going into their bye week, which just so happened to coincide with the trading deadline. They were coming off a blowout win over Miami, 41-14. A game in which Moss didn’t get any touches.
In fairness to the Patriots, nobody really got any touches. Tom Brady only threw for 153 yards, they ran the ball 32 times and were outgained 400-265. But the Dolphins had turned the ball over four times and the Pats had two special teams touchdowns. In unfairness to the Patriots, Moss was pissed off after the game. He was in a contract year and had an ego like any future Hall of Fame wideout and wanted to put up numbers.
But the Bill Belichick has zero tolerance for guys bitching about their stats, especially after a game in which his team put up 35 points in the 2nd half alone, so he traded Moss. To Minnesota. For a 3rd round draft pick. On the Belichick Shocking Personnel Moves Scale, this one registered at about 9.5 Milloys.
Soon thereafter, the Pats brought Deion Branch back. And started incorporating their two young tight ends, Rob Gronkowski and that other guy. The one out of Florida. Anyway, by the time October 31st rolled around and Moss was coming to town with the Vikings, their offense was being to pick it up and they were 5-1.
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The game was memorable for four things. A 28-18 win for the Patriots. Brett Favre getting his chin split open by Myron Pryor and leaving a game with an injury for the first time since the Stone Age. His backup Tavaris Jackson throwing a touchdown pass on his very first play off the bench. And Randy Moss being virtually invisible, with two targets, one catch and eight yards.
What was much more memorable was Moss’ reaction. The Citizen Kane of postgame press conferences:
Just a tour de force. Angrily declaring he’s done answering questions for the season. Then declaring he will ask his own questions and then answer them. Then proceeding to do precisely that, going almost full Smeagol-Gollum in front of the cameras.
But mostly, extraordinarily, bearing his soul to the world about how much he loves every guy in that locker room and appreciating how much they’ve done for him and how much he loves them. Meaning, the Patriots locker room. It was surreal. He called out all the captains by name. Especially “Tommy Boy.” Called Belichick the greatest coach who ever lived. While the team that had given up a draft pick to get him and was paying his salary had the same reaction:
Within hours, the Vikings waived Moss. He ended up in Tennessee where he barely played and was eventually was phased out of their offense altogether. It was effectively the end of his career. He didn’t play in 2011, finished up with San Fran for an unproductive 2012, but for all intents and purposes that magnificent performance in the presser at Gillette was the last truly great moment of one of the great careers of all time.
As good a game as I’m expecting this one will be, we’ll all be missing the fact that there’ll be no Randy Moss there upping the craziness. Straight cash, homie. Always.