He drops back with Alex Smith…

Presses the B button…

and then IT HAPPENS….

According to PFT,

The Randy Moss Unretirement Tour officially has begun, with the 35-year-old receiver blowing away the Saints.

A league source tells PFT the workout “couldn’t have gone better.” Moss got in and out of his breaks quickly, and he showed great football intelligence.

Remember just a few weeks ago when Randy planned this comeback I wrote:

The three teams Im looking at are New England, New Orleans, and San Diego.

Seems as if things are leaning that way. Now let’s see if the Saints just get Drew Brees a long-term contract.

The man who once said he plays when he wants to play has announced via a Ustream.tv live video that he wants to play.

“I just wanna go to a team and play some football,” Moss said in an appearance commemorating his 35th birthday

(Source: PFT)

I asked on Twitter what are the three most likely responses and here is what my boy Joe said:

JAX, STL, WAS

The three teams Im looking at are New England, New Orleans, and San Diego.

Don’t forget that Randy is 35, almost 4 years younger than Terrell Owens who played very well at the same age.

Joe Segal (Moss’ agent) is denying any contact with the Saints according to Profootball talk.com and Adam Schefter. A local New Orleans source WWLTV reported something a bit different:

Eyewitness Sports’ Juan Kincaid has learned that retired wide receiver Randy Moss was at the team’s Metairie facility Saturday, according to several sources.

I don’t care what anyone says. Randy Moss can help a lot of teams in the NFL. People are saying he lost a step, but they are also forgetting that Rusty Smith was one of the QBs throwing to him last year. I am just saying.

Randy Moss’ story is one that we all know. He was the best WR in the NFL for years, and consistently one of the fastest players at the position for his entire career. Teams that he played on set scoring records. TWICE. NINE YEARS APART.

Im going to say that again so it sets in.

Teams that Randy Moss played on set all-time single scoring records. Twice. Nine years apart.

If that doesn’t tell you who Randy Moss was to this league then I don’t know what to tell you. He was simply the most dangerous receiver to ever play the game. Any play was a potential touchdown with Moss on the field. Teams used to roll BOTH SAFETIES to Moss’ side to give the corner a chance. And many times they still got burnt.

Moss had his rundowns with the law. I won’t lie, the off the field things will always tarnish Moss’ legacy to a degree. Then you had the issue of his waning commitment and motivation to the game. Those two things are what will always keep Jerry Rice’s name above Moss on any list. Even though Rice was considered a pain in the butt privately by many teammates, you never saw any indications of it on the field. Moss was a different story. He did not split locker rooms but he did give pretty much every coach and Quarterback a headache trying to motivate him at some point in time.

No one knew or will ever know what beats the drum that is Randy Moss. His sudden retirement is fitting in a way. Moss was such an enigma and will forever be misunderstood by fans and teammates alike. The only thing we may ever understand about him is that we will never see another one like him.

The Minnesota Vikings, the team that drafted Moss and reacquired him in October, are a team in total disarray.  Brett Favre still has sexual harassment allegations circling him, and now there is questions about his ankle and chin injuries.  Percy Harvin is playing well but just got injured.  And Sidney Rice has yet to play a down in 2010.  The Vikings could not be in worst shape right now unless….

…nah I dare not type it.

Anyways, acquiring “The Boss” Randy Moss for a 3rd rounder was supposed to be a shot of adrenaline for an offense going nowhere fast.  But just a few weeks in Brad Childress has had enough and cut Moss.  Depending on what you believe, either Moss quit on the team or offended the entire locker room over an incident involving a catered team meal.

The problem with cutting Moss so quickly is that the Vikings can ill afford to be throwing away draft picks when they have to replace Brett Favre.  It is no secret that the Vikings don’t have much confidence in the backup Tavaris Jackson and will likely look to add a QB to the roster then trade either Jackson or third stringer Joe Webb.  If the Vikings end up selecting behind other teams that need a passer they may regret not having the third rounder they traded for Moss.  You need firepower to trade up in the draft.

Speaking of firepower, the Patriots own two picks in the first three rounds of the NFL draft.

Salute to you Bill Belichick, and I love you guys.

While they may be happy now, I do not like this trade on first look for the Vikings’ future.  So let’s get right into it. Who won, who lost, and who will win and lose because of this deal?

Why The Patriots Dealt Randy Moss

Simple. The dollar dollar bills, yall. They did not want to give Randy Moss an extension and by the end of the first game of the season (a win by the way) Moss decided that he was better off asking for a trade.

That lead to a ten minute tirade about leaving New England that seemed bizarre at the time, but Randy was 100% correct. Tom Brady got the big money extension, and the cold shoulder was given to Moss.  He knew it was time to move on.

Randy Moss - running away from New England

Future Implications for the Patriots

The Patriots are in an interesting position looking forward.  Moss will net them a third round draft pick which is a high value pick due to the new 3 day structure of the NFL Draft.  A third rounder is essentially another first rounder to teams who draft well thanks to the 24 hour break from the end of the second round.  The Patriots also have the Raiders first round draft pick in the first round.  I expect them to draft Julio Jones out of Alabama who is physically one of the best draft prospects out there.

Until then the Patriots offense just got A LOT worse.  A large portion of what they do relies on Moss’ ability to dictate coverage and free up space for Wes Welker and their young tight ends.  Without Moss, your starter opposite Welker is Brandon Tate.

Well, that was good while it lasted….

Dont be sad Brett, Randy Moss is in town!

Why I Don’t Like This Trade For the Vikings

Brett Favre said it like Michael Jackson, “This is it!”  The Vikings have put it all on the line for this one season.  I never like it when teams do this.

The Vikings have a ton of pressure on them now to not only get to the Superbowl, but win it for Brett Favre.  If that fails, then you still have Randy Moss and Adrian Peterson which isn’t a bad offense at all but who is throwing to them in 2011 and beyond?  Is Tavaris Jackson your man?  Or will they use a draft pick on a mid first round prospect like Florida State’s Christian Ponder? I highly doubt that Moss went to Minnesota to start over in one year. We all saw what happened in Oakland.

For the Vikings to get maximum value out of this trade, it fully depends on Tavaris Jackson being their guy for the next few years.  All the cards are on the table. The Vikings made their move.  They got they’re guy back. But who’s their guy next year? I just hope for their sake it turns out to be Mr. Jackson.