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A longwinded rant from a hardcore football fan.

I’m not one of those old school NFL fans who frown upon the new-school athletes and their “questionable” antics. Up until last season I was a big fan of Randy Moss. I thought his “straight cash homey” declaration was genius, I didn’t think it was a big deal when he ‘pretended’ to moon the crowd in Green Bay. When he walked off the field 5 seconds before his team lost, and the media blew their collective tops, I honestly didn’t think the big commotion was warranted.

Reporters: Randy were you upset about the fine?
Randy: Naw, because it was only ten grand. Ten grand ain’t sh-t, next time I might shake my d-ck”

HILARIOUS.

So if his egocentric anti-conformist attitude didn’t turn me off, what did?

ACT I – Chaos On The Raiders Pirate Ship
His last season with the Oakland Raiders proved to be the nail in the coffin. Don’t quote me on this, but I’m fairly sure the Raiders made Randy the highest paid receiver in the NFL for 2006 at around $7 million dollars for that season alone. Randy was also voted as team captain for the troubled squad. It’s no secret that the Raiders were a downright embarrassment to everything holy, posting a dismal 2-12 record. They performed like a high school team on the field, and reports indicated that things were not much better in the locker room. Jerry Porter had some kind of feud with Art Shell, the offensive line was comical, and Andrew Walter threw the ball to the opposing team more than he did his own receivers.

ACT II – Randy Is The First To Jump Overboard
What sticks out most in my mind about the Raiders in 2006 is Randy Moss mentally and physically throwing in the towel. The images of him lazily jogging his routes while on the field, and slouched on the bench with his legs sprawled out while on the sidelines will never be forgotten. If his nonchalant attitude didn’t tell you how he felt during press conferences, surely his piss poor “efforts” on the field filled you in. This was pretty much the first time I had ever seen a professional athlete not trying on the field. I’m sure this has happened before, but I had never seen it with my own eyes until then. Keep in mind Randy Moss was the team captain.

ACT III – Comparing Warren And Randy
I’m sure there are some people who would sympathize with Moss being on such a crappy team, but when I look at Warren Sapp it puts everything in perspective. Warren Sapp was also a former pro bowl player, and Warren also had a super bowl ring (something that Randy doesn’t have) and Warren’s actions were the exact opposite. No matter HOW bad the Raiders sucked, no matter HOW many games they lost, Warren busted his ass on the field. You could routinely see Warren trying to fire up his team mates on the sideline, you could sense the passion he gave when the ball was snapped. While everything around him was falling apart, Warren acted as a professional and earned the money that was paid to him at the very least. After the season was done, Warren Sapp responded by losing over FORTY pounds, re-dedicating himself to football and reporting to camp in the best shape he’s been in. Randy responded by asking to be traded.

ACT IV – A Content Randy Suckles Brady’s Teat
It was hard to respect Randy when comparing his reaction to adversity with Warren’s. You find out who a man really is when he’s faced with adversity, and Randy didn’t prove to be a soldier. All I can do is smirk now that Moss is quietly nestled under Tom Brady’s teat catching passes all over the place. He’s in a PERFECT situation, nothing will ever go wrong, and he can flourish in football utopia. I’d hate to see what would happen if the Patriots somehow tanked (extremely doubtful).

So What Does Terrell Owens Have To Do With This?
When having the “unruly selfish receivers” conversation, you can’t mention Randy without mentioning Owens. For every off the field incident Randy has had, Owens can match him with one of his own. When times got rough in San Francisco, Terrell fell out of favor with the coaching staff. The footage of Owens screaming at offensive coordinator Greg Knapp on the sidelines were played constantly. Things weren’t much better in Philly, Terrell’s harsh words about Donovan Mcnabb choking in the super bowl were the talk of the town.

The difference between Owen’s screwups and Randy’s screwups is the fact that Owens leaves it all on the field every game can’t be debated. His former coaches Steve Mariucci and Bill Parcells were first to admit that Owens practice and played hard day in and day out. Terrell may throw his quarterback under the bus AFTER the game, but during the game he could be counted on to give his all. I’ve never seen Terrell Owens on the sideline apathetically filing his nails waiting for the clock to run out.