Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all Source: Don Pierson, Chicago TribuneLinkOctober 14, 2005<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>It sure is a good thing the Minnesota Vikings got rid of Randy Moss. He was such a bad apple he apparently still is spoiling his ex-teammates from 2,000 miles away.The Vikings shipped him to the Oakland Raiders, where all NFL outlaws eventually end up. It was supposed to be addition by subtraction, but it appears the Vikings have failed at math.Since Moss left, the Vikings also have failed miserably on and off the field, two places where Moss was known to make occasional news. His absence was supposed to change the attitude and atmosphere if not the very character of the Vikings, a perennially good football team that wanted to be great.It turns out one man?even of Moss's exaggerated reputation?could not be blamed for everything that has befallen the franchise in the seven months he has been gone.Six days after the trade, coach Mike Tice was investigated and later fined for scalping Super Bowl tickets. As the lowest-paid head coach in the league at $1 million, he was only trying to supplement his income.Reggie Fowler tried to become the first African-American NFL owner and buy the Vikings from Red McCombs, except he didn't have the money. So partner Zygi Wilf stepped in and bought the team for $600 million. Last month, Forbes magazine valued the Vikings at $658 million, lowest in the league, which goes to show you get what you pay for.Before training camp, running back Onterrio Smith was arrested at the Minneapolis airport carrying "The Original Whizzinator," a contraption designed to circumvent drug tests. The device included a prosthesis enabling the user to provide a falsified urine sample in full view of the tester. Smith said he was carrying it for a cousin, but the NFL called strike three and suspended him for a year for violating the substance-abuse policy.Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan already had left for a greener wallet in Miami, and the Vikings didn't have much of a coaching assistants' budget, so Tice doubled line coach Steve Loney's duties and figured he and quarterback Daunte Culpepper could make do without the team's best receiver and best runner.Add to that the loss of the best blocker, Pro Bowl center Matt Birk, who wanted next year's contract guaranteed if he would agree to play through abdominal pain this season. No deal, the Vikings said, so Birk had surgery and is out.Nate Burleson was supposed to replace Moss and he has been out for two games and will miss Sunday's visit to Soldier Field. So will cornerback Brian Williams and pass rusher Kenechi Udeze. The two players the Vikings got for Moss?first-round draft choice Troy Williamson and Oakland linebacker Napoleon Harris?have nine catches and nine tackles, respectively.Tice was able to hire two former assistant coaches, Jerry Rhome and Foge Fazio, as consultants last week. Neither can run very fast, but this is a team in need of all kinds of lifeboats. Or maybe not.After the Vikings looked laughably inept in lopsided losses at Cincinnati and Atlanta, several players decided to take a boat cruise and drown their sorrow on Lake Minnetonka last week before their Sunday off. They should have chosen Lake Woebegone.Allegations of lewd sexual behavior on one or both of two boats currently are under investigation as the Vikings prepare to play the Bears."Incidents like this either can blow a team apart or pull a team together, and my job is to pull the team together," said Tice, who by now must think Moss' fake moonshot over Lambeau Field last January is the fondest memory he ever will have of his time in the NFL.Meanwhile, Moss told HBO in August he smokes marijuana "every blue moon," sticking to his moon theme. With a 24.5-yard average on 19 catches for the Raiders, he also has been showing his backside regularly to defenders.The news that he has smoked marijuana "since I've been in the league" raised eyebrows in the league office, but his attorney is arguing his client cannot be disciplined minus physical evidence. If Moss were still in Minnesota, his admission might not even make the cut on the nightly news.Actually, Moss did spend time recently on Lake Minnetonka, hosting a fishing tournament.Furthermore, Californians are discovering a side of Moss he refuses to publicize?a nice side.The Sacramento Bee quoted principal Kevin Welch from Bancroft Elementary School in south Minneapolis as saying Moss volunteered to participate in the school's reading program while with the Vikings. Moss wanted to continue a relationship with Bancroft started by the late Minnesota offensive lineman Korey Stringer, Moss' former teammate. Moss then modeled the reading program after the one he had in elementary school in Rand, W.Va., which meant he delivered pizza to readers for completing books."He came five times, and he hosted three pizza parties," Welch said. "The thing I respect most about it was he insisted there be no press coverage. He wanted it to be a secret, so it would be a surprise for the kids."Welch said Moss didn't even want parents to know of his visits in advance."He gets a lot of bad press. But I really was impressed with what he did for us and that he wanted to keep the focus on the kids," Welch said. "His message was heartfelt."Too bad Moss isn't going to be in Soldier Field Sunday. In his final regular-season game in Washington, he abandoned teammates with two seconds to play, walking off the sideline during a desperation onside kick the Redskins recovered.It was a final straw in his rocky Minnesota relationship, but things have deteriorated so much the Vikings might welcome getting reacquainted with the "devil" they once knew.</div>
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all The main reason for Vikings decline is all their major injuries, including our best lineman, MATT BIRK, Culpepper has been sacked over 15 times in the last 2 weeks.
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all Matt Birk could've played w/ the injury. He choose to go under the knife and miss the season after managment refused to guarentee his contract for next season.
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (His Greatness @ Oct 15 2005, 01:32 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'>The main reason for Vikings decline is all their major injuries, including our best lineman, MATT BIRK, Culpepper has been sacked over 15 times in the last 2 weeks.</div>yeah man, thats trueas for the Moss dealy, you gotta realize that article is based on the authors opinion, it may not be true at all, you donno what would of happened if Moss stayed w/ the Vikes, and neither does he
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all <span style="colorurple">Yeah, he could have played, but why? It's not like a hangnail. Look at the pain McNabb is in with the same injury and people telling him he needs to have surgery. They shoot him up with so much pain killers before the game....Birk did the right thing, and quite frankly, so did the Vikings. </span>
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all I don't know, but Randy Moss is my favorite player and the Vikings are my favorite team. I was pissed when the Vikings traded him. Just being on the field, even as a decoy, changed everything. Teams would never bring 8 men up to the LOS w/ him, b/c of Moss. Even when he wasn't playing his best, just his presence opened up running lanes. The way they are performing right now is a kick in the face to management for trading him away.
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all <span style="colorurple">If Randy Moss is your favorite player and you want to have a quote of his in your sig, at least get the damn thing right.He never said "I take plays off when i want to." He said "I play when I wanna play." There is a difference, especially when your trying to quote the most taken out of context quote in recent sports history.</span>
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all I think he said something like "I take plays off when I feel like it" in an interview with someone.But I have a complaint about ur sig, TAKE SOME OF THOSE FLAGS OUT
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JHair @ Oct 16 2005, 04:04 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'>I think he said something like "I take plays off when I feel like it" in an interview with someone.But I have a complaint about ur sig, TAKE SOME OF THOSE FLAGS OUT</div> I remember watching NFL on FOX and they were talking about Randy Moss and his remark about this and I recall they said Moss had said "I take plays off when I feel like it." Google the two qoutes and see what comes up.
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all <span style="colorurple">I don't need to Google anything. At a press conference with the Tennessee media before the Vikings played the Titans (their last game in Memphis) he was asked about Cris Carter getting in his face before games and if that gets him pumped up to play.Randy said he doesn't need somebody to get him ready to play, and that he plays when he wants to play.The last part of the quote was used, and taken out of the context of the question being asked.</span>
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all I googled the qoutes and both came up, so I think he said both.
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all It's Gruvwhats-whats-his-name HighHeat from BC Birk is the number 1 reason we arn't sucsesfull this year. We would do better of our o-line didn't allow 10 sacks a game and Birk could stop at least a few of those.
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all I donno, I dont think a CENTER is gonna save a few out of 10 sacks, the whole line has to be tough, not just one player.
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (GreasedLightning @ Oct 22 2005, 08:12 AM)</div><div class='quotemain'>It's Gruvwhats-whats-his-name HighHeat from BC Birk is the number 1 reason we arn't sucsesfull this year. We would do better of our o-line didn't allow 10 sacks a game and Birk could stop at least a few of those.</div> Yes it's me. Matt Birk could've played w/ the injury, but opted for surgery after the Vikings refused to gaurentee his 2006 contract. The Front office said screw you to him, and he said screw you to them.
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all The whole Vikings team is a disaster. Troy Williamson better get out of there fast if he wants a shot at a career.
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all Just because you googled it doesn't make it right retard, that just means it's going to give you results that have anything to do with the topic or within the area of your search. So what if I put "I did not have sexual relations with that fat whale" and Bill Clinton comes up, it doesn't mean he fucking said it.God some people are dumb.Go look up that word on google.DUMB.
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SickVick7 @ Oct 22 2005, 10:01 AM)</div><div class='quotemain'>The whole Vikings team is a disaster. Troy Williamson better get out of there fast if he wants a shot at a career.</div><span style="colorurple">Do you ever think about what you say before you say it, or just spew nonsensicle bullshit the moment it comes to you?</span>
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (sUpEr21cHaRgEd @ Oct 22 2005, 11:23 AM)</div><div class='quotemain'>Just because you googled it doesn't make it right retard, that just means it's going to give you results that have anything to do with the topic or within the area of your search. So what if I put "I did not have sexual relations with that fat whale" and Bill Clinton comes up, it doesn't mean he fucking said it.God some people are dumb.Go look up that word on google.DUMB.</div> <span style="colorurple">Absolutely owned. Classic.</span>
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (sUpEr21cHaRgEd @ Oct 22 2005, 11:23 AM)</div><div class='quotemain'>Just because you googled it doesn't make it right retard, that just means it's going to give you results that have anything to do with the topic or within the area of your search. So what if I put "I did not have sexual relations with that fat whale" and Bill Clinton comes up, it doesn't mean he fucking said it.God some people are dumb.Go look up that word on google.DUMB.</div> The following is EXCATLY what I put into google:?I play when I wanna play? Randy Moss?I take plays off when I feel like it? Randy MossGeez, some people are stupid. Here's a word to google:BRIAN
Re: Vikes' troubles not Moss' fault after all <span style="colorurple">Why would he want to Google the name BRIAN? You're a genius. The reason you found the other quote is because in the last 5 years, the media has made the mis-quote, the ACTUAL quote. </span>
