Who needs to man up this week? Randy Moss.
Moss, a seven-time pro-bowler, is on the verge of being moved to his third NFL team this season. Moss started the 2010 season as a member of the New England Patriots and was traded to the Minnesota Vikings four weeks into the season. The Patriots were inclined to trade him after he made negative comments towards the coaching staff. Earlier this week, he was released from the Minnesota Vikings. Again, his departure came after getting into an argument.
This isn’t the first time we have seen something like this happen. When Moss ran himself out of Minnesota the first time because of his own poor play, he complained about the coaches and gave up on numerous plays. Revisit his exit from the Oakland Raiders: after just three seasons of poor play, Moss complained about the coaches and was traded away.
His fate is still up in the air, but I’m sure he’s wishing he is back in Foxborough playing for the league best 6-1 Patriots. Now after numerous debacles, he could end up anywhere from the Buffalo Bills to the St. Louis Rams, two of the worst teams in the league this season. If he doesn’t get his act together soon, he could be forced into early retirement by a lack of job offers. It’s hard to imagine that a player of his caliber can be forced out of a job, but it’s becoming more and more likely of a reality.
The worst part for Moss is that his on-field performance has been lacking this season. In his three seasons with the Patriots, Moss averaged 1,255 yards, 83 receptions and 15 touchdowns per season. This year in the first half of the season, Moss has a mere 313 yards, 22 receptions and five touchdowns.
My message to Moss is to man up. If you don’t change your attitude quickly, you will either be riding the bench or out of a job completely. Sure, you have amazing talent. But coaches today are becoming less and less tolerant of disgruntled players and your job options will be very limited. You could end up being on a team like the Buffalo Bills: very small market, coldest place on earth and the worst team in the NFL. So man up, don’t chase away your fans and your last shot to win a championship.
Judge Howell is a sophomore broadcast journalism major from Plano.
