“2 Minute Warning”
Topic: Live and Let Die….Randy Moss #81
“Brady to Moss, touchdown New England!” Lest we forget that statement, because it probably won’t happen again. Now that Moss overstayed his welcome in New England, the Patriots are in limbo and the Vikings are making a last stand with their swords and shields ready for battle. It’s unfair to categorize Randy Moss as a troublemaker because he clearly took the Patriots to new heights, but this is the same Randy Moss who went to the public to demand money from the Patriots right after the first game of the season, this is the same Randy Moss who “stopped trying” and had only 34.8 yards/game in 2010, albeit it’s still a young season. Arguably, his efforts vanished and his game declined due to an apparent lack of interest. Although money is a factor for his poor performance, I believe this all has to do with his fundamental attraction to self-implosion. “The man from Rand,” WV started his career as Viking. He had a mind blowing rookie year: 17 touchdowns with 1313 yards receiving. Say what you want, but Jerry Rice couldn’t even match that in his first year. However if you look closely at Moss’ stats, you would see that every 3-4 years, there is a dramatic dip in his performance. This was true in Minnesota, Oakland and, most recently, New England. Now the question is: why is this so? The answer is simple: Randy Moss is a sore loser. Whenever winning is a challenge, instead of rising up and leading his team to victories, Moss simply softens up and quits trying. This was especially true in Oakland, where he only had 11 of his 151 career touchdowns in 2 seasons; in other words, the Raiders suck. He also gave up when Minnesota started to decline, and this “tanking-because-I’m-a-sore-loser” behaviour was evident in his final games as a Patriot. Belichick realized this and prevented Moss from spreading this “disease” to the locker room; he knew that keeping Moss would end up costing the Patriots both mentally and statistically, therefore the coach’s leadership instincts took over and eliminated the weed from the grass. Will this pay off in the short run? A probable yes. In the long run? A definite yes.
As a final tribute to the New England Patriots version of Randy Moss, here’s a parody of Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die”.
“When you were in ’08 and your season was off the hook,
You always took stride and catch balls on the fly
(you know you did, you know you did you know you did)
But in this ever changing league in which you play in
Makes you give in and stop tryin’
Say live and let die
Live and let die
Live and let die
Live and let die”
Game Winning Field Goal:
(Since The Iron Warrior is a bi-weekly print, tips will be provided for the upcoming week only.)
Top 3 Additions:
1) Felix Jones (RB, Dallas) 65% owned in Yahoo Fantasy: Dallas stated they were going to give more carries to Felix Jones before the game against Tennesee, and he ended up running for 109 yards averaging 7.3 yards per carry. Get him while he still lasts!
2) Kevin Kolb (QB, Philadelphia) 46% owned in Yahoo Fantasy: 21 for 31 pass completions, 253 yards and a TD for a QB rating of 103.3, it’s safe to say that he’s filling in nicely for Vick. With Vick still nursing a bad rib injury, Kolb is a nice pickup for bye week QBs.
3) Steve Johnson (WR, Buffalo Bills) 13% owned in Yahoo Fantasy: Caught 2 TD passes from Fitzpatrick against the Jags and he has scored in the last 3 consecutive weeks. He’s clearly on good terms with the Bills’ QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Top 3 Starts:
1) Washington QB Donovan McNabb against the Colts’ 29th ranked pass defense.
2) San Francisco RB Frank Gore against the Oakland Raiders’ 31st ranked run defense.
3) Baltimore RB Ray Rice against the 20th ranked run defense: New England Patriots.
Top 3 players to bench:
1) Cleveland RB Peyton Hillis: He won’t be in fantasy land against the Steeler’s defense.
2) Detroit QB Shaun Hill: With WR Calvin Johnson nursing a shoulder injury, backup QB Shaun Hill will not continue his monstrous 2010 backup QB campaign in Detroit, especially not against the Baltimore Ravens.
3) St. Louis QB Sam Bradford: With WR Mark Clayton out for the season, Bradford’s going to struggle mightily against San Diego’s #3 ranked pass defense.
Post Game Press Conference:
(My current record: 3-0)
The 3 Lockdown Picks:
Kansas City Chiefs over Houston Texans: Romeo Crennel’s defense is searching for his Juliette, and they’re relentless!
NY Giants over Detroit Lions: The Lions’ starting QB Matthew Stafford and their best receiver Calvin Johnson are both nursing shoulder injuries. Add in the Giants’ recently revamped defense, New York is cashing in.
Miami Dolphins over Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers had a concussion at the end of the last game and with the Dolphins coming out of a Bye week and still angry about that loss against the Patriots in Week 4, Miami is surely going to win this one; they simply can’t let Miami’s other famous trio (Lebron, Wade, Bosh) take the spotlight all the time.
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