Bill Belichick Saw Something We Didn't When He Traded Randy Moss

AP Photo/Winslow Townson

When the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick traded away Randy Moss, many were up in arms.

The best deep threat in the game was gone. Could any young receivers step up? Defenses didn’t have to double Moss anymore. How would the different coverage affect the receivers? Wes Welker? The running game?

The Patriots went out and picked up Deion Branch to add to the wide receiver depth chart. But really, how could the Patriots be a better team without Moss?

The Pats faithful responded differently however. They just said that Bill must have seen something and they were cutting ties before it affected the team.

But what did Belichick see? In a non-scheduled press conference, he told everyone Moss’ contract situation and off-field attitude were not reasons for the move. So what was it, other than getting a third-round pick, which was seen as below value for the future Hall of Fame receiver?

Maybe they just saw a decline in production; in four games Moss had nine catches for 139 yards (no more than 59 yards in one game) and three touchdowns, not to mention not catching a single pass in the Miami game and didn’t play in the second half yet the team winning 41-14 anyway.

So he went to Minnesota. Four more games, 13 more receptions, 174 yards (declining each game), and only two touchdowns later Moss was released.

Meanwhile the Patriots won three games without the enigmatic wide out. They’ve seen Branch and Brandon Tate step up and have big games. They haven’t been the prettiest games offensively, but they’ve gotten the job done and now have the best record in the NFL (6-1).

The Vikings are a bit of a mess right now, and the decision to let Moss go after giving up a third-round draft pick (maybe low for Moss, but still having value) only a month prior speaks volumes of the mismanagement going on.

However, reports have (again) surfaced of Moss’ mouth and attitude off the field being reasons for his dismissal from his team. Head Coach Brad Childress apparently told his team, when referring to Moss’ release, “We want good people who are good football players. This just doesn't fit,” according to Yahoo! Sports.

And once again, Moss had a poor game before his departure, catching only one pass for eight yards.

So is Moss a cantankerous individual unhappy with his stability with teams in the league and a disruptive force in the locker room? Is his production just not good enough?

And if Moss doesn’t get claimed by anyone, he can re-sign with New England for the rest of the season for a fraction of the cost (if money was the issue for the Pats).

Whatever the case with Moss, whatever teams he winds up on and how the Pats play their hand, Bill Belichick looks like an extremely smart man right now.

And those Pats/Belichick faithful look even better.

Patriots Pass Rush Key Against Vikings

AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

In the New England Patriots’ Week 8 showdown against the Minnesota Vikings, all eyes will be on Randy Moss, who makes his return to Gillette Stadium after being traded in Week 5.

Will he want to make his old team regret not giving him a contract extension and trading him? Will he outperform his replacement, Deion Branch? How will the young secondary, which has struggled this season, cover him?

While the Patriots will have to focus on their defense this week, specifically their pass defense, the man they will be most focused on is quarterback Brett Favre.

Yes, Favre has been in a boot all week and everyone has questioned whether he will play. Do you really buy it though? Favre loves the attention, loves having people talking about him and what he’s going to do, so he stirs up the controversy.

Much like his “retirement”, don’t believe Favre won’t be on the field until the whistle has blown and he isn’t in uniform. There is a reason he has a 291 consecutive games played streak (315 including playoffs).

Bill Belichick said the team would plan for Favre playing.

However, while the talk of him playing or not is questionable, what isn’t up for debate is that Favre is severely banged up.

Shoulder, elbow, and ankle injuries have plagued Favre this year. He is also 41-years-old. His body is suffering from the wear-and-tear of the league and he isn’t as mobile as he used to be.

What the Patriots need to do is pour on the pass rush. They need to let him know they will be coming after him, they need to hit him and make him uncomfortable, and they need to force him to throw those awful interceptions that he was called out for by head coach Brad Childress.

The Pats rank 30th in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game, giving up an average of 282 yards. Part of that is because of a young and inexperienced secondary. But part of the blame also goes to the pass rush.

New England is in the bottom half of the league in sacks, tied for 19th overall with 12. Defensive lineman Mike Wright leads the team with a disappointing three sacks. Thirty-five different players have more sacks than New England’s top guy.

The Vikings are in the middle of the pack in the NFL, allowing 14 sacks. Even worse, however, is that they are tied for fourth in the league with 10 interceptions.

The Patriots really need to have a strong pass rush in this game. Not only would it continue to have a negative effect on Favre’s play, it will also make life easier on the secondary, which will have its hands full with Moss, Percy Harvin, and Visanthe Shiancoe.

If the Pats can beat up Favre and force him into mistakes, it will be a long day for Minnesota.

If not, then Moss may have the field day he’s been hoping for.

The "System" Won't Be Able To Replace Randy Moss

AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

In-season trades involving high-profile players are pretty typical. Contending teams pick up big-time talent from teams with no shot in exchange for draft picks and/or prospects.

Have you ever seen a team tied for first in the division get rid of one of its top players? Only to get a mid-round draft pick in return?

The New England Patriots did just that when they traded star wide receiver Randy Moss to the Minnesota Vikings for a third-round draft pick in 2011.

No, the Patriots aren’t giving up on the season, at least not literally. Instead it is one of the most arrogant moves ever made.

With this move, Bill Belichick is emphasizing his famous philosophy that they can plug anyone into their system and succeed.

Many people may be able to point out examples that they trust in Belichick, but the evidence is strongly misleading.

People will look to the 2008 season when Tom Brady suffered a torn ACL and MCL in the first quarter of the first game, thrusting Matt Cassel into the spotlight.

Cassel lead the team to an 11-5 record, was franchised after the season, traded to the Kansas City Chiefs and signed a six-year deal worth $62.7 million and was not even remotely close to matching his success.

Cassel was a product of the Patriots system, yes. He had a good year. But he did not get the Patriots into the playoffs. This was a team one year removed from an undefeated regular season and Super Bowl loss. The system did not save them then.

Some people have pointed out that when the Patriots dynasty was at its highest peak, they won championships without true No. 1 wide receivers.

While Deion Branch, Troy Brown, and David Patten were not star receivers, they had plenty of experience under their belts, specifically Patten and Brown, and had developed a good working relationship with Tom Brady.

Other than Wes Welker, the guys expected to fill in for Moss are Brandon Tate (six career games 11 career receptions), Julian Edelman (14 games, 41 receptions, and most of his damage came in three big games), rookie Taylor Price (no stats) and rookie tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski.

Moss was Brady’s favorite target. He loved throwing downfield to the tall and speedy receiver, sometimes to a fault. Brady is also without his favorite target out of the backfield, the injured Kevin Faulk, and now has Welker as his only safety blanket, the only guy he really has any working relationship with. Everyone else is unknown to him.

Can Brady work these brand-spanking new guys not only into the system, but into the NFL, fast enough?

Also, those championship teams were dependent on and anchored by strong defenses. The Patriots defense now is also young, inexperienced, poor at rushing the passer and poor in coverage.

Teddy Bruschi, Richard Seymour, Willie McGinest, Lawyer Milloy, Troy Brown and Mike Vrabel aren’t coming through that door anytime soon.

But what about Monday night’s bashing of the Dolphins, when Moss didn’t have a single catch?

The offense played well, but the Patriots had a kickoff returned for a touchdown, a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown and a blocked punt. Chad Henne also threw three interceptions, one of which was a pick-six. Special teams won that game.

It’s no secret what Moss did on the field.

He stretched the field and created space, space for Welker to run his slant routes and, although the Pats didn’t use it too much, space for running lanes. He forced teams to double team him, and even then he would pull off amazing leaping catches and one-handed grabs.

Without him, there is no more double coverage on the field, which means more attention on everyone else. The safety doesn’t have to worry about playing deep, because there is no downfield threat, so he can sit in the box and clog the running lanes, making life difficult for BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead.

That third-rounder New England got won’t help them this year. It may not even help them next year.

Randy Moss would’ve helped them this year, regardless of whether the team was going to bring him back next season. He would’ve helped a lot.

This is not a case of addition by subtraction.

The Patriots, as currently constructed—not past versions of the team, not thinking ahead of any moves to be made—are worse off without Randy Moss.

The system will not be able to replace the thing Moss did on the field and the wins he helped provide.

Randy Moss Not a Part of the "Patriot Way"

Two high-profile New England Patriots players are pining for contract extensions. One is going about it the Patriot way, the other, not so much.

Franchise quarterback Tom Brady and prolific wide receiver Randy Moss are both in the last years of their deals. Both have performed extremely well for the Patriots, deserving of new deals. But they are going about it in two completely opposite ways.

Head coach Bill Belichick is infamous for not giving away too much information to the media. He likes to keep all issues in the locker room and keep everyone outside guessing.

Brady, drafted by Belichick, is his top disciple. The quarterback doesn’t give up too much information and is all about the team.

When he was asked about his ongoing contract-extension negotiations Brady responded, “I don't want to get into it. For me, it's the same as it's been. I'm trying to find a way to score some touchdowns against the Bengals. I didn't spend five minutes yesterday thinking about my contract or future.”

He continued to say that even talking about it made him “pretty uncomfortable” because of how Belichick and owner Robert Kraft feel about handling such situations.

Since the turn of the new millennium Brady has been the face of the Patriots franchise, the main part to the Patriot dynasty. He deserves a new contract. However, if he in the slightest way felt disrespected you would never know.

Submit Vote vote to see results The situation won’t distract him. He wouldn’t allow it to affect his play. He certainly won’t tell the media he’s upset.

It’s all business for Brady, and his business is beating the Bengals on the road to attempting to win another Super Bowl.

This is not to say Randy Moss doesn’t want to win the Super Bowl, but he’s also not afraid to voice his opinion.

Moss whined that no new contract proposal made him feel “unwanted”, that the Patriots organization did not respect the hard work Moss has put in and the exceptional numbers he’s put up.

He says he understands the nature of the business, but that comment seems contrary to everything else he has said. If he truly understood how the business worked then he would understand that he has a contract he needs to play out. He would understand that the Patriots had to pay Vince Wilfork over the offseason and also have to pay Tom Brady and Logan Mankins as well.

If he understands it’s business then he wouldn’t feel unwanted; he’d feel like he needed to have another good year to earn a new contract. That’s all.

The pressing nature for a new contract is obvious, as the league’s CBA is set to expire and a labor stoppage is a popular point of discussion. Moss wants to be financially secure and wants a favorable contract before a new CBA changes the values players can reach.



Submit Vote vote to see results The worry becomes what kind of attitude Moss will have heading into the season. While Brady says the right things and the public knows his contract situation won’t get to him, it isn’t so clear for Moss.

NFL fans have seen a moody Moss and it isn’t a pretty picture. He mopes on the sidelines and essentially refuses to play. The more disenfranchised he gets the bigger a distraction he becomes.

To Moss’ credit he has not been a problem at all for the team. It seems as if Belichick and Brady have turned him into a model citizen and they won’t allow him to revert back to the Moss of old. They’ve both praised Moss since his outburst to the media, saying how valuable he is, how important he is, and how they do want him on board.

With the latest news that Brady and the team have agreed to a contract extension, it may also be closer to Moss’ turn. If the team wishes not to actually negotiate during the season they can at least focus on Moss and communicate with him, let him know that he is next in line.

Still, the differences between how Brady handled himself and how Moss handled himself reflect most on their status as a Patriot. Like the topic of how, unlike New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez wasn’t a “true Yankee”, it comes down to winning; Tom Brady has lead the Patriots to three Super Bowl victories. Randy Moss has not won anything.

Therefore, rewarding Tom Brady for his victories is top priority. Ensuring one of his favorite and most dangerous passing targets is around is secondary business.

Business. Nothing personal.