MOSS ON THE BUBBLE? There's talk among some league insiders that the New England Patriots are considering whether to release receiver Randy Moss. Seriously. We scoffed when we heard it, but then a source explained that the question the Pats are believed to be pondering is whether Moss will become a problem if he is not a focal point of the offense -- or if he isn't in the opening-day starting lineup. And we agree that this sounds crazy. Exactly as crazy as, say, any rumors that would have been making the rounds on Friday morning that the Jaguars were planning to part ways with Byron Leftwich. Moss currently is listed as one of the starters at receiver, along with Donte' Stallworth. But Moss suffered a pulled hamstring several weeks ago and has seen only limited duty since then, opening the door for other wideouts to show what they can do. If this rumor is true, the only logical explanation is that the Pats are wrestling with whether Moss is a luxury that they don't need in order to be successful -- and whether his presence could actually keep them from their goals if he is unhappy with his role. As we see it, however, it would be easy enough to dump him if he turns out to be a problem. The only financial risk would be his $2.5 million base salary, which becomes guaranteed if he's on the roster when the regular season begins (if he is released and chooses to take the rest of the money as his one-time termination pay). Then again, maybe coach Bill Belichick doesn't want to divert his attention from getting the team ready to play by monitoring whether a grown man is behaving like one. The situation bears watching as Saturday unfolds. Even if Moss stays, there's sure to be plenty of upheaval at the receiver position as final cuts are made, given that ten receivers are still on the roster, including Moss, Stallworth, Wes Welker, Reche Caldwell, Jabar Gaffney, Kelley Washington, Bam Childress, Kelvin Kight, Chris Dunlap, and C.J. Jones. *story from profootballtalk.com*
interesting... a few years back id have scooped him up, but with our WR depth he isnt even a luxury, id bet he wouldnt even see the field...
Moss is just a rumor I doubt that the Patriots would release a WR of his potential. Yeah he has some mental issues and chareter issues but think of his upside. Teams will automatically double team him to keep him from going to the house... That would free up Stalleorth or whoever plays along side of him.... Harrison is just a story of another player looking for a competitive edge. He got caught hes done for 4 he'll be back and he'll make a difference.
Even without Moss their receivers are a lot better than last season. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they cut him, they made this deal low risk so they could do just that if need be. I wouldn't mind seeing a disgruntled Moss stop in for an "interview" with Mangini after getting cut though.
I completely agree. Especially with the emergence of a qb with an arm (Kellen Clemens) it might be worth a look.
I'm not suggesting that I would like to see him signed, though I wouldn't complain if that happened. I just would like to have Moss give up the goods on the Pats offensive schemes, which I assume he would love to do if he were cut.
I wouldn't put it past Pioli and Belichick to float these rumors out there and then have Moss put up big numbers in the starting role on the 9th.
Moss may not be cut, but the fact that this is even being brought up as a possibility has to be a little concerning to Pats fans.
I am willing to say that this is one of Belichik's dirty little plot to get some upper hand on the season opener (not that he needs one - but then better than nothing.)
September 1st, 2007 Rumors, rumors, rumors Posted by John Tomase at 7:01 pm It’s 7 p.m. and the Patriots still haven’t released their list of cuts. However, a rumor gaining momentum over the last three days is that they’re planning to drop Randy Moss, which would be a shocker to end all shockers. However, we must stress that in conversations with other league executives we’ve been unable to confirm this as anything more than hearsay. A league source with knowledge of the Patriots’ moves said there’s a surprise on the cut list, but declined to elaborate. That could mean Moss. It could mean Reche Caldwell. Right now no one knows. The Moss stuff began percolating on Thursday and really gained steam when Pro Football Talk included it in its rumor mill this morning. The theory seems to be the that the Pats aren’t sure he’ll embrace a role as a decoy. Reached today by colleague Karen Guregian, Moss’s agent, Tim DiPiero, said he hadn’t heard anything and that he was planning to be in the Meadowlands for Sunday’s opener, presumably to watch his client. Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe Moss will be in uniform a week from tomorrow. We’ll keep you posted.
