Moss Fishes for a Smile

We all are familiar with the prima donna WRs of today's game. Sometimes it feels like watching women's gymnastics instead of the NFL when the drama queens get going.

But we know there is a difference between a player manufacturing drama and the mediots just needing a story.


Believe it, the mediots thrive on creating bad vibes around the Raider organization. What better time to create drama than right before the opening Monday Night game?

It's like the gunslinger in the black hat in the old spaghetti westerns. With the Raiders, the mediots have a way to point their finger and say, "Look at the bad guy. Let's get 'em!" And the majority of NFL fans follow like sheep grazing on the green grass.

It is a tired formula whose accuracy played out long ago. But we look at it as motivation. Motivation to show them they are wrong. This is not a bad team. F' Them if they don't understand the Raider way!

As you all know, this site is particularly harsh on Jerry Porter. This is because every Raider Head Coach since Porter has been here put him in the doghouse. This cannot be mere coincidence. Porter is the one constant in the problems.

However, at this time, this site is very much pro-Randy Moss. This site's purpose is to celebrate those who contribute to the greatness of the Raiders. Porter does not. Moss does.

I long for the days when Freddie B. made a tough catch, got hit, got up, lined up, and did it again. Biletnikoff was known for telling Mr. Davis "F U" to his face, but Fred kept it in-house and Davis smiled. Unfortunately, many WRs of today drag their dirty laundry through the street like drag queens in a parade. Verily, the WR queens overestimate their importance to the game.

Coach Art Shell says he relies on Moss as a leader. Here is what Moss said in a recent inteview. Moss rarely talks to the press these days, but apparently the station agreed to advertise some of Moss' business interests.

Here is part of the interview which started the "fishy" pseudo-controversy. Art says the Raider players have always been given freedom of speech. If Shell is not upset about the latest Moss inteview, should we be? Nope.

Like all receivers, Moss is prone to pout a bit when he doesn't get the ball. But there is a difference between being upset when the offense isn't clicking and your team isn't winning... and just wanting to pad your own stats with catches, regardless of the outcome of the game. Moss is the former.

If the Raiders win, Moss will be happy. If they continue to lose, Moss will continue to wonder why he isn't more involved in helping the team win, meaning "give me the ball". The Randy Ratio is really very simple: the number of "W"s is directly proportional to Moss' level of contentment.

Yes, it drives us all crazy to see Moss freelance routes, throwing his hand up in the air as if to say, "Hit me with the ball, Chief! I'm open and I got the moves!" But this is the way Randy plays. He plays like a kid, with joy for the game. And sometimes he acts like a kid too.

From the day he set foot in Oakland, Moss seems to have done the best he can to avoid controversy. He seems to have learned his lesson from his days as a Viking. While T.O. says, "I have changed. I have grown up." and we all see it for what it is - a lie wrapped in a marketing ploy - Moss has learned something in his time as an NFL player.

He has learned that the mediots will distort whatever you say to create controversy. In contrast, T.O., the quintessential "ME FIRST" player thrives on the controversy. Moss seems to shy away from it when he can.

Yes, there was the Bryant Bumble interview where Moss let us know he "smokes weed once in a blue moon."

But in my opinion, that's just Randy being Randy. He simply does not know how to be politically correct or sanitize his comments for the media. He tries to bite his tongue about his differences with coaches or players. He tries to keep it in-house, just as Coach Shell does. Yet seemingly every time Randy is interviewed, the words come out wrong - similar to Lester Hayes' stutter, but different.

He is what he is.

And what he is is a HOF-caliber WR. We all remember the days Moss wore braces on his teeth. Growing up in West Virgina, Moss didn't have access to the best dental care. So he did something about it.


He set up the Randy Moss Invitational Celebrity Charity Fishing Tournament for the Smile Network, which helps children afford surgery for craniofacial disorders, such as cleft lip and palate.

Moss is a fishin' fool. Yes, he said something is "fishy" about the Raider organization... perhaps he is just fishin' for a smile with some of his comments?

We remember Moss’ statements the day he became a Raider; they can be found here in their entirety :

"I loved (the limo ride, the police escort, the gifts from the Raider organization). It's what a class organization does. I have four children. All got a care package from the Raiders. Never happened before. Gifts, hats, t-shirts, etc. They may not seem like much but it's important. It got me worked up inside."

"Look, I'm a country boy from the back woods. I was not exposed to a lot of things (when I came into the league). Now, I know what to expect from a playoff win or a loss. I love to get it done. Let's get it done."

Time to get it done... and the drama will die away, like "Joey" Porter rotting on the bench.

Always smiling.