POSTED 9:50 a.m. EST; UPDATED 10:04 a.m. EST, December 27, 2006
http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm
MOSS BACK TO MINNY?
A December 24 item in the St. Paul Pioneer Press suggests that the Raiders would be willing to trade receiver Randy Moss back to the Vikings for as little as a third-round pick.
Though we've had a gut feeling ever since his departure in March 2005 that Moss is destined to return to Minnesota, we can't envision coach Brad Childress, who got all he could handle in Philly from a turdish receiver named Terrell Owens, wanting Moss on the roster. Given the manner in which receiver Marcus Robinson was unceremoniously ushered out the door this week, it's clear to us that Childress isn't inclined to put up with problem children at the one position that seems to breed them.
Indeed, when there was talk of a Moss trade before the October 17 deadline for doing deals, we looked into whether the Vikings might be interested. And we learned unequivocally that the Vikings had no desire to bring him back.
Still, the one thing that could make it happen is concern by ownership that ticket sales for 2007 could dry up, since after a decade of explosive offense was replaced in 2006 by a horizontal passing attack that conjured memories of the 1970s. But back in the days of Tarkenton and Foreman and Gilliam, the rest of the league was strapped with rules that made it harder to stretch the field. Today, the yardage-challenged Vikings are the exception, not the rule.
A return of Randy Moss would energize the fans and, in turn, the offense. Sure, he'd have to learn the West Coast offense. And, yeah, he might have lost a step. But if the goal is to keep the locals interested in the on-field product at a time when the franchise is trying to get a new stadium built, bringing back Moss could be a wise move.
Even if the coaching staff doesn't want him.
