The Mossapalooza Tour

In some ways, it really isn't all that surprising. The whispers had been getting louder and louder over the course of the off-season. Randy Moss felt "unhappy" and "unwanted" in New England. He was making it very clear that he wasn't happy with his contract expiring at the end of the season, to the point that it was becoming somewhat of a distraction in Foxboro. A distraction? In Foxboro, home of Bill Belichick? Those simply don't happen in these parts, not under the reign the Hoodie.

Moss pissed and moaned and did everything short of holding out (which, ironically, probably looks like it would have served him better now), and was traded back to the Minnesota Vikings, a team with which he became an national icon--for better and for worse--from 1998-2004.

It seemed like the cards were starting to fall in Moss's favor. Minnesota's offense was in dire straits at the time of the trade, averaging just under 10 points a game while sputtering to a 1-2 start. That wasn't how it was supposed to go down in 'Sota this year, not with Brett Favre returning for one last run and with virtually the same team returning in tact from their NFC Championship Game run of a year ago. Moss would be labeled as the savior, establishing a long-desired connection with Brett Favre, that would pave his way to monstrous numbers, but more importantly, a monstrous contract extension.

Moss Part II in Minnesota is exactly like Caddyshack II: Let's just pretend it never happened and not tarnish the original.

Don't sell yourself short Randy, you're a tremendous slouch. When you want to be.

Just four weeks after Moss's return to the land of 10,000 Lakes, he's on the road again. The Vikings went just 1-3 with Moss back in his familiar no. 84, while the Patriots have prospered, going 3-0 without Rand University's most famous alum, including a win over those very Vikings this past Halloween.

Which brings us to why exactly it's gotten to this point. If you haven't seen Moss's post-game news conference yet, you need to do so. It's perplexing, hilarious, damaging, and ridiculous, all wrapped into one. This could go right up there with Allen Iverson's "practice", Dennis Green's "they are who we thought they were", or Jim Mora's "playoffs". To summarize, Moss spends virtually no time talking about the game, instead praising the Patriots, in particular coach Belichick. Moss refers to BB as "the best coach in football history" towards the end, and spends the rest of the rant talking about how much he misses New England.

The expression goes, you don't realize how much you love something until it's gone, something like that anyways. Only now does Moss realize that his best chance to put up those gaudy numbers was here with the Patriots.  To a degree, I think Moss certainly does miss being a Patriot. But reading between the lines, you have to wonder how much he really misses being here versus how much he's going to miss the opportunity for a big new contract at the end of the year.

Randy Moss is now bound for Tennessee, which will become his third team of the season. It's rare enough for players to change teams mid-season anyways, especially star players. To change teams THREE times? That just doesn't happen. I don't have the exact numbers, but I'd be willing to bet that never before in the NFL has a player the caliber of Randy Moss suited up for three different teams in one season while still in their prime.

Will it work for Moss as a Titan? He instantly upgrades the receiving corps there, which has been a rather underwhelming crew for the past several years. He gives Vince Young an established target, the likes of which he hasn't yet had in the NFL. Teams will start to focus a bit more on the Titans passing game, opening up more lanes for superstar running back Chris Johnson in the middle of the field. So for Tennessee, this move was a no-brainer. Jeff Fisher is definitely one of the few coaches out there who should be able to make the most of Moss's abilities, all while keeping him under control. Then again, so was Bill Belichick. And make no mistake, "accuracy" certainly isn't a word that comes to mind when describing Vince Young, which is definitely something to consider.

With the Titans entering a Bye this week, Moss will have some time to get acclimated into his new surroundings. For his sake, he'd better hope the extra week to prepare serves him well, as he begins the stretch run for what is likely to be his final big pay day in the NFL. Because if this final chance doesn't, it's not even the paycheck he'll have to worry about; it could be whether there will even be a paycheck to worry about.