Top 5 things you didn't know about Randy Moss

[MichaelL]

Hey all,

I'm a mostly a Vikings fan(for over 20 years) and also a huge fan of Randy Moss and I thought I'd come over here and post a few things that you may or may not have known about Randy Moss.


5) In 2003, Moss became the first and only receiver in NFL history to average over 100 yds and 1 TD over an entire season. He had over 1600 yds and 17 TDs.

4) Randy Moss holds the rookie record for receiving TDs at 17 TDs. This is relevant to #2 below.

3) Randy Moss has always been involved with children's charities. That TD ball he gave to that kid 2 weeks ago, I've seen him do that plenty of times in Minnesota. He used to sponsor a child who had survived cancer and his family to Vikings training camp every year. Every year he also takes a busload of about 40 underprivileged kids to an amusement park. He doesn't like his charitable work to be published but it's out there on google if you search.


2) I see alot of concern on this board about Moss' money/contract situation. Honestly I don't know what Moss is going to do after this season but what I can share is his history. When he was drafted at #22 in 1998, he signed a typical rookie contract for his slot, ie around 4 years ~2.5 million. I'm not sure of the exact numbers but around there. After a record-setting rookie season like he had, I think many would feel that maybe he was entitled to a renegotiation of his contract. In fact I think we can name players who might have held out the next year for more money. Moss never did that. In fact he played for THREE years on that rookie contract and in 2000 signed his famous 8-year $75 million contract that he voided the last 2 years of to play for the Patriots. Like I said I really don't know what he'll do after this season, but history shows that he has never been one to chase that last dime. Hopefully he can work something out with the Patriots...I'd like to see him win some championships on his way to the Hall of Fame.

1) Yeah I think I saved the best for last...that famous quote of his "I play when I wanna play". That's probably one of the most out of context quotes in the history of sports. Sid Hartman a sports columnist for the Minneapolis Star & Tribune once asked Moss: "Does Cris Carter get you pumped up to play games?"

To which Moss answered: "No, I play when I wanna play...nobody gets Randy Moss pumped up but Randy Moss". The rest as they say is history.

I'm not here trying to say that Moss is a saint, but I really don't think he deserves all the bad press that he's gotten over the years. I think there are plenty of worse guys than him playing in this league, along with true criminals. Call Moss the media's anti-Favre.

Thanks for reading and I hope this was informative.

MichaelL

 

[jman924]

Hey all,

I'm a mostly a Vikings fan(for over 20 years) and also a huge fan of Randy Moss and I thought I'd come over here and post a few things that you may or may not have known about Randy Moss.


5) In 2003, Moss became the first and only receiver in NFL history to average over 100 yds and 1 TD over an entire season. He had over 1600 yds and 17 TDs.

4) Randy Moss holds the rookie record for receiving TDs at 17 TDs. This is relevant to #2 below.

3) Randy Moss has always been involved with children's charities. That TD ball he gave to that kid 2 weeks ago, I've seen him do that plenty of times in Minnesota. He used to sponsor a child who had survived cancer and his family to Vikings training camp every year. Every year he also takes a busload of about 40 underprivileged kids to an amusement park. He doesn't like his charitable work to be published but it's out there on google if you search.


2) I see alot of concern on this board about Moss' money/contract situation. Honestly I don't know what Moss is going to do after this season but what I can share is his history. When he was drafted at #22 in 1998, he signed a typical rookie contract for his slot, ie around 4 years ~2.5 million. I'm not sure of the exact numbers but around there. After a record-setting rookie season like he had, I think many would feel that maybe he was entitled to a renegotiation of his contract. In fact I think we can name players who might have held out the next year for more money. Moss never did that. In fact he played for THREE years on that rookie contract and in 2000 signed his famous 8-year $75 million contract that he voided the last 2 years of to play for the Patriots. Like I said I really don't know what he'll do after this season, but history shows that he has never been one to chase that last dime. Hopefully he can work something out with the Patriots...I'd like to see him win some championships on his way to the Hall of Fame.

1) Yeah I think I saved the best for last...that famous quote of his "I play when I wanna play". That's probably one of the most out of context quotes in the history of sports. Sid Hartman a sports columnist for the Minneapolis Star & Tribune once asked Moss: "Does Cris Carter get you pumped up to play games?"

To which Moss answered: "No, I play when I wanna play...nobody gets Randy Moss pumped up but Randy Moss". The rest as they say is history.

I'm not here trying to say that Moss is a saint, but I really don't think he deserves all the bad press that he's gotten over the years. I think there are plenty of worse guys than him playing in this league, along with true criminals. Call Moss the media's anti-Favre.

Thanks for reading and I hope this was informative.

MichaelL

HA!
We did know this already.
Always good to hear it from others though, thanks!
The "Moss is a cancer retread" was getting old, but we've heard less and less of it since week 1.

 

[LoganMankinsPancakeBlocks]

Thanks for the post. I especially appreciated the insight on the "I play when I wanna play" quote that was taken out of context. I had never heard how it was brought up until now.

 

[Wildo7]

I've always felt this way about Moss. After one press conference BB was asked if Moss could play for the PATs and he said "sure, why not? he's a great player" or something to that effect. The media is relentless. If you don't play their game, they will assassinate you. Moss is not a malicious person. He has gotten frustrated in the past with losing and perhaps reacted immaturely, but there's not any smoking gun incident that says "I'm a clubhouse cancer." Even the guys in Oakland say he's a good guy for the most part. Joe Buck is a self-righteous jerk (typical of Fox employees) and everyone else seems to enjoy lumping the tall, black WR into the same category because it's easier to label dismiss people than actually look at who they are. He's not T.O. Hell, T.O. isn't even the T.O. that the media has created (not to say he's a stand up guy) but it really angers me when people just swallow the image the media paints of people 9be it Barry Bonds, Bill Bellichick, Randy Moss, T.O., Manny Ramirez etc.) Nobody ever seems to realize that we hear almost exclusively a sensationalized media's perspective on a "character" they have manufactured rather than the actual person. Thanks for reminding me how much I like Minnesota sports fans; some of the most thoughtful in America.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?d...l=2&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

 

[Fencer]

Thanks for the detailed insight!

The rookie contract point was one that hasn't been discussed much around here (in the context of Moss), notwithstanding that we've gone through two holdouts in recent years from guys who wanted their rookie deals redone.

And while we knew the quote was out of context, we didn't know just how far out of context it was.

 

[DarrylS]

Glad to see you put the Quote about playing when I want to play in the proper context... shh!! don't tell the newspaper detractors this is actually what he said..

 

[mcsully]

Great post bro.. A lot of that stuff I was not aware of..

 

[zoostation]

Thanks for the post. I especially appreciated the insight on the "I play when I wanna play" quote that was taken out of context. I had never heard how it was brought up until now.

Nor did I....Thanks

 

[Mike the Brit]

Randy Moss Story

Michael, here's another story about Randy Moss that I was told.

According to my friend, Moss figured out that he could use the stadium Jumbotron to see the release of the ball from the quarterback, so that he wouldn't have to turn his head and alert the defensive back that the ball was in the air. Once he let on what he was doing, the league banned live transmissions on the Jumbotron during plays.

It's a great story (did all the New York papers demand that the Vikings forfeit games? ) but is it true?

 

[xmarkd400x]

Thanks for the post. I especially appreciated the insight on the "I play when I wanna play" quote that was taken out of context. I had never heard how it was brought up until now.

I feel the same way. ("Ditto." was too short of a post)

 

[BrianPat]

Thanks for the post. I especially appreciated the insight on the "I play when I wanna play" quote that was taken out of context. I had never heard how it was brought up until now.

yes, I also didn't know the history behind that statement. It seems so trivial now !!

 

[PatsFanSince74]

thanks for the post and welcome to the board. i wasn't aware of a lot of the stuff you put up, esp the part about the play when i wanna quote. thanks again.

Hope you're season picks up, but you've got a tough next five games against the bears, cowboys, eagles, chargers and pack.

 

[PatsRI]

from the projo today:
http://www.projo.com/patriots/content/sp_fbn_patsside03_10-03-07_SS7BPKJ.2d46136.html

"And if that isn’t enough, Moss, who played on a team-high (for skill positions) 55 snaps for the second week in a row, is changing his off-the-field image, as well.
On Monday, American Youth Football, the nation’s largest football organization for kids, announced that Moss will be its new national spokesman and advocate.
The Randy Moss Clothing Co. will also become the organization’s “official team uniform supplier,” through his firm’s “Grabman” apparel brand.
In addition, Moss is establishing a nonprofit charity to help needy youth-football programs buy new uniforms and equipment for youngsters.
Joe Galat, former coach of the New York Giants and Houston Oilers and AYF founder and president, said in a press release: “Randy is a true champion of our cause and has taken the mission of giving back into his own hands; he has stepped up as a leader; his work is going to help a lot of kids.”

 

[Seacoast Fan]

Great post, thanks, I didn't know alot of it, esp. the part about the quote.

 

[Jacky Roberts]

The Patriots are the best thing to ever happen to Randy Moss. He has the rare opportunity to make amends for the last few years and show the world that he's the best receiver and football and one of the best all-time. Can you imagine the stats he would have had if he played this way since Day 1?

I think you'll see the Patriots pay him a pretty penny over the next few years and hope a guy like Chad Jackson can replace Stallworth.

 

[Patriot_in_NY]

I {heart} Randy Moss

 

[MichaelL]

Re: Randy Moss Story

Michael, here's another story about Randy Moss that I was told.

According to my friend, Moss figured out that he could use the stadium Jumbotron to see the release of the ball from the quarterback, so that he wouldn't have to turn his head and alert the defensive back that the ball was in the air. Once he let on what he was doing, the league banned live transmissions on the Jumbotron during plays.

It's a great story (did all the New York papers demand that the Vikings forfeit games? ) but is it true?

I remember reading about that in the Star & Tribune. Thanks for the positive comments, I get the same feeling watching these Patriots as I did when I watched the '98 Vikings. The same feeling of invincibility. Of course my poor Vikings didn't even make the big game after having one of the greatest regular seasons ever. You guys have a much better coach who knows how to win, so that shouldn't happen. I don't think our fans have ever really recovered from that year or the 41-0 pasting in 2000. 2000 was pretty much the beginning of the end for the former owner Red McCombs, it was the also the beginning of the end for Denny Green as the coach. Heck, I'm not sure Moss ever recovered from those seasons either!

 

[PatsFan00042]

I saw an entire one hour special on Randy Moss when he first went to Oakland. I can't remember if it was on ESPN or the NFL network, but it completely changed my impression of him. There is one particular girl in Minnesota that is or was sick with cancer. Moss was doing his charity thing (which virtually no one knew about) and he sort of took her under his wing. He ended up flying her out to Oakland to see a game, she had his phone number and could pretty much call him or email him whenever she wanted. They asked her what she thought about the negative things said about RM and she completely blew them out of the water...If he's such a jerk why do I have his phone number? I'm not anyone special...somthing along those lines anyway...

The other thing that was great, and I don't know who remembers this; When RM was fined $10K for "mooning" in the end zone, and a reporter was busting his balls while he was trying to get to his car after a practice and RM said "$10K is no big deal to me..." The media made a huge deal about it, it was pretty big news at the time.

Well during this show, he was asked about it, and I couldn't help but like his answer. He said "I make millions of dollars, $10K isn't much too me." The interviewer said, "But to a lot of people $10K is a lot of money." To which RM reponded, "I never said it wasn't a lot of money, I said it wasn't a lot of money to me." I thought it was perfect, especially when you put it into context. So many people were offended by the sound bite. I think his exact words that threw everyone into a tailspin were like "$10k ain't nothing to me." And truth be told, it ain't nothing to him...so what was the big deal. I just hate how the media takes a sound bite and blows it completely out of context, and RM answered the questions honestly and believably. I've liked him ever since I saw that show. Anyone that is in a position such as his, and dedicates so much time to sick children and children's charities is okay in my book.

When the trade first came to light and everyone was asking how I felt about it..."I love it" is what I would say. Best thing the Pats have done since starting Brady over Bledsoe. Glad he proved me right.

Hey, that's a pretty long first post, I hope there aren't too many spelling errors.

 

[Patriot_in_NY]

The other thing that was great, and I don't know who remembers this; When RM was fined $10K for "mooning" in the end zone, and a reporter was busting his balls while he was trying to get to his car after a practice and RM said "$10K is no big deal to me..." The media made a huge deal about it, it was pretty big news at the time.

Well during this show, he was asked about it, and I couldn't help but like his answer. He said "I make millions of dollars, $10K isn't much too me." The interviewer said, "But to a lot of people $10K is a lot of money." To which RM reponded, "I never said it wasn't a lot of money, I said it wasn't a lot of money to me." I thought it was perfect, especially when you put it into context. So many people were offended by the sound bite. I think his exact words that threw everyone into a tailspin were like "$10k ain't nothing to me." And truth be told, it ain't nothing to him...so what was the big deal. I just hate how the media takes a sound bite and blows it completely out of context, and RM answered the questions honestly and believably. I've liked him ever since I saw that show. Anyone that is in a position such as his, and dedicates so much time to sick children and children's charities is okay in my book.

That's the STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY sound bite (a classic)

Here's the transcript:

Reporter: “Write the check yet, Randy?”

Moss: “When you’re rich you don’t write checks.”

Reporter: “If you don’t write checks, how do you pay these guys?”

Moss: “Straight cash, homey.”

Reporter: “Randy, are you upset about the fine?”

Moss: “No, cause it ain’t [expletive]. Ain’t nothing but 10 grand. What’s 10 grand to me? Ain’t [expletive] … Next time I might shake my [expletive].”