Scott Cordischi On Sports - Belichick Had His Reasons to Trade Moss
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The bye week is supposed to be a quiet time for NFL teams. Players enjoy a little rest away from the game. Coaches spend extra time self-scouting and scouting the opposition. And fans watch the weekend’s games with more of a casual eye as opposed to when their team is in action.
This was not the case for the New England Patriots this year. After their Monday night win in Miami nine days ago, Bill Belichick and company were busy working the phones sending Randy Moss and a seventh round pick to Minnesota for the Vikings third round pick. The Pats then sent a fourth rounder to Seattle to reacquire old friend Deion Branch.
So in the end, the Pats traded Moss, a 4th and a 7th round pick for Deion Branch and 3rd round pick. On paper, the Pats are clear losers in this deal. But this was not about talent or stats. This was about what Belichick believed was best for his team.
He will never tell us the real reason for trading Moss but we can assume that Moss was quickly becoming a Manny Ramirez-like distraction that Belichick no longer wanted to deal with. Not that Moss ever approached Manny’s childish level, but the concern may have been that he was heading in that direction. We will see how it all works out.
-Because of their defense and ability to run the ball, the Jets are still the team to beat in the AFC East.
-NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made it clear early in his tenure that he would rule with an iron fist which is why he has to punish Favre if the evidence supports the allegations.
-The Yankees 3-game sweep of Minnesota is reminiscent of the Celtics playoff run this past year in that it disputes the myth that a team has to be playing its best heading into the post season.
-Don’t expect the same Deion Branch you saw the first time around in a Patriots uniform when he won Super Bowl MVP honors following the 2004 season.
-And don’t expect to see him in his familiar #83. He’s now wearing the number 84.
-Just because Alabama lost to South Carolina last weekend, that doesn’t mean that Nick Saban’s team can’t win back-to-back National titles. If the Crimson Tide wins the SEC Championship, it may very well find itself in the BCS Championship game come January.
-The NHL’s decision to open the season overseas may have played well in Europe, but it was similar to the sound of one hand clapping here in the U.S.
-You have to love Shaquille O’Neal who said that he wants to spend an hour sitting on a bench in Cambridge posing as a statue so that passers-by can take their picture with him.
-It would be nice if John Henry and Company would spend more time focusing on what needs to be done this offseason to get the Red Sox back to the postseason as opposed to purchasing the Liverpool Football Club.
-College basketball junkies will be happy to know that we are less than a month away from the start of another season.
-The Ravens are the better team but the Patriots are coming off a bye and are hosting a “revenge” game following their embarrassing home playoff loss to Baltimore. For that reason, I’ll take the Pats on Sunday.
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