Randy Moss Back With Patriots For 3 years, $27 Million, with $12 Million Signing Bonus

From "Sox And Dawgs" - New England Patriots free agent wide receiver Randy Moss has agreed to terms to return to the Patriots. The contract is 3 years for $27 million, with a $12 million signing bonus. It is not known at this time how much guaranteed money was added in the value of the contract.

Moss came to New England in 2007 on a draft day trade with Oakland for a fourth round draft pick. He played for $3 million plus incentives under a restructured contract in which saw him catch almost 100 balls and set a NFL record with 23 TD catches.

In addition to two seasons in Oakland the five-time Pro-Bowler was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings out of Marshall University in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft.

Randy Moss in College; 90-Yard Screen Pass To TD Video

For those who wondered what talent Randy Moss showed at Marshall that caused him to go in the first round of the NFL Draft, here's a good look. This video should be the measure of all wide receivers coming out of college to the NFL. If you can find a senior receiver who made a play like this, put him or her on your list. Check this out!

Patriots Go 16 and 0, With Anger | On Winning Ugly

I'll write more about this soon, but as you know, the New England Patriots went 16 and 0. but they did it in such a fashion that no one seems realy happy about it. I'm happy for Randy Moss, but even he could not enjoy that record and his own touchdown catch record (23 for this year beats Jerry Rice) without taking a vicious shot at the media. Moss stated that he was happy not about breaking the record, but about "shutting up you guys", talking about the media.

It seems that America's waiting with chained emotions for the Pats to be knocked out of the playoffs.

Mike Silver, Dodo Bird - Mike Silver Admits Error Regarding Randy Moss

Hey, I like Mike Silver's work more than most for personal reasons, plus he's good. But Sil really messed up on Randy Moss. I told him before the start of the year Moss would do well in New England, but Silver remained stuboorn.

Well, Silver's finally coming around. He even admitted he was being a Dodo bird about the whole thing!

Not that I think the Patriots will win against the Colts. I don't thnk so.

Randy Moss "Smartest Receiver I've Ever Coached" - Bill Belichick

When people would talk about Randy Moss in negative terms, I replied on more than one occasion, that he was smart and offensive coordinators would be intelligent to talk with him.

Of course, many were not.

Enter New England Patriots' Coach Bill Belichick.

Coach Belichick -- I believed -- would allow Randy Moss to be, well, Randy Moss. The Oakland Raiders did not understand how to get the best out of him and seemed to be all too concerned about controlling him and not giving him the best environment he needed to play in. There are some people who can't get passed skin color and see a person's talent. They let stereotypes block their thinking -- not Bill Belichick.

He called Randy Moss the "Smartest Receiver I've Ever Coached."

Hat's off to him.

Randy Moss - Too Much Made Of His Minicamp No Show

The Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald reports that Randy Moss did not arrive for the team's minicamp, to which I say "so what?"
It doesn't mean he's being traded, as much as some in the media may want that to happen.

Oakland Raiders Head Coach Lane Kiffin Gives New Life To WR Jerry Porter and WR Randy Moss

Contrary to reports, Oakland Raiders new Head Coach Lane Kiffin does not have a bad relationship with WR Randy Moss and has given WR Jerry Porter a new lease on his playing life, causing Porter to say he's excited. This is good news for the Raiders and is hopefully a sign of things to come.

A new day for Porter, Raiders
Outcast receiver excited to be playing under new coach Kiffin
By Bill SolidaySTAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE
Article Last Updated: 02/22/2007 09:21:01 AM PST

Peace with Jerry Porter certainly wasn't about to happen in Art Shell's time, but it already appears to have been achieved under new Raiders coach Lane Kiffin.
The two parties appear to have kissed and made up.
Porter, banished to the status of a fifth wheel for nearly all the 2006 season by Shell, is by all appearances, back in the good graces of the organization and vice versa.
That became apparent in a brief and unusual press release from the club Wednesday in which Porter was quoted as saying he has changed his number — and apparently his tune — and is once again "excited" to be a Raider.
He will now wear Tim Brown's old number (81) instead of his old one (84).
"I am truly honored and excited about changing my number to 81," Porter was quoted as saying. "For me, the new number represents a new start, a new beginning and new attitude."
Since being drafted by the Raiders in the second round of the 2000 draft, Porter has worn No. 84. The honor Porter to which refers is the retired club receiving leader and Porter confidante.
After a much-publicized falling out with Shell over his offseason workout agenda in the first meeting of the two a year ago, Porter, 28,from Sports 1
became the team's invisible man.
He caught only one pass for 19 yards and did not start a single game after starting 31 of 32 games the previous two seasons. He was the team's receiving leader both of those years, hauling in 64 and 76 passes for
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998 and 942 yards and scoring 14 touchdowns.
But after the argument with Shell, with his being thrown out of the coach's office and subsequently either benched, suspended or inactive for all but four games, there was no denying the team missed him.
Replacement Alvis Whitted had only 27 catches for 299 yards and no touchdowns as the Raiders finished last in the league in offense and next-to-last in passing.
In 2006, Porter was inactive for nine games, suspended for two, on injured reserve for one and appeared in four games with no starts.
His lone catch came against Pittsburgh, the week after spending two weeks on the suspended list. The club had originally suspended him for four weeks for conduct deemed detrimental to the team, but it was cut in half on an appeal.
From the time of the blowup with Shell, Porter made his desire to be traded quite clear. With the advent of Shell's dismissal and the hiring of Kiffin, that no longer appears to be the case.
"I've had multiple meetings with coach Kiffin, and I am very excited about the direction of our team and especially our offense," Porter said. "I can't wait to get started."
The apparent resolution of Porter's desire to be traded now poses the question of what happens with the other Raiders starting receiver — Randy Moss.
Like Porter, Moss was critical of Shell's offense and hinted he, too, would have no objections to leaving Oakland. Moss had the least productive season of his career with 42 catches for 553 yards and three touchdowns while missing three games.
Kiffin, in an interview with ESPN radio Wednesday, hinted that the Moss situation also appeared headed in a positive direction.
"We had a great conversation," Kiffin told ESPN. "I am excited about Randy. Randy said he was excited about being here. We are looking forward to working together."
When Moss left Minnesota to join the Raiders as a free agent in 2005, he gave up his usual No. 84 in deference to Porter, switching to No. 18. He now has an opportunity to reclaim his old number.
The significance of Porter taking Brown's old number was not lost on Brown.
"He wanted to do it the year I left (2003), but it was too soon," Brown said. "I talked to him yesterday, and he feels some people might trip, but it's been four years since I had that jersey on.
"Obviously this is a sign of respect for him to want to change ... so I look for him to do a lot of things different than he's done in the past."
Brown also said he made one thing clear, telling Porter, "I can't stop you from doing it, but you have to understand, if you put that jersey on, people are going to expect certain things."
But the retired Raiders great added: "I think this will be a good change for him. Hopefully, when he thinks about acting like a nut, he'll remember the number, and maybe that will be enough to keep him in line. I don't foresee that happening, though. I think the problem was Art, and now that situation is not there. It's a new beginning for him."
Staff writer Jerry McDonald contributed to this
report.
What's your take on where No. 81 Jerry Porter and the Raiders now stand? And where do you think this leaves Randy Moss? Include your first/last name and your city, and send comments (50-100 words) to Turn2@angnewspapers.com.

Rumor: Randy Moss Told-Off Coach Lane Kiffin - Oakland Tribune

The Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald's scored one, it seems. The ink isn't even dry on new head coach Lane Kiffin't contract, and already, rumors circulate that star Wide Receiver Randy Moss will not talk -- respectfully -- with Lane Kiffin.


The story making the rounds at the Senior Bowl is that Lane Kiffin's first attempt at establishing a rapport with Randy Moss didn't go too well.

Think Shell vs. Porter.

That confrontation, in the office of the head coach some 10 or 11 months ago, was the first crack in the foundation of the Shell regime.

Kiffin, by contrast, supposedly had trouble reaching Moss by phone. When he finally did, as the story goes, Moss told him in a pointed, profane terms he wasn't interested in talking.

It's been reported on a pair of ESPN radio interviews, and a source at the Senior Bowl confirms Kiffin vs. Moss was indeed a topic of discussion among coaches, scouts and personnel men in Mobile, Ala.

It's worth noting that no one has gone on the record with this story as of yet. Like the party game in which a story is whispered in the ear of one and passed down the line until it ends up being something completely different or exaggerated, maybe it's not as serious as it sounds.

But considering the way Moss acted last season, it certainly sounds possible.

The history of the Raiders new coach is that he addresses situations decisively, choosing a course of action then moving ahead, confident in his convictions. That he can sell an idea and is confident enough (some call it arrogant) to make it work.

I've spent the last few days researching and writing a profile on Kiffin, attempting to chart his path from a football savvy youth to, well, an NFL coaching youth. It will run in Monday's ANG Newspapers.

(That's at least part of my excuse for not filing blogs the past few days _ although it should be noted that with Kiffin hired, I won't be filing every day in this forum. Your own thoughts, however, are always welcome).

Family members, as well as friends and colleagues, have the utmost confidence Kiffin is up to handling even the most difficult veteran players.

David Watson, a USC assistant coach who went to high school with Kiffin, said his friend has dealt with all manner of personalities with the Trojans.

John Reaves, a former Florida quarterback who played nine years in the NFL and happens to be Kiffin's father-in-law, said Kiffin will have no problem taking a problem player "to the woodshed.''

Kiffin has two choices with Moss. He can either keep working to make nice, or tell Al Davis that the highest-salaried player on the team threatens to undermine his program before it starts.

If Moss indeed cursed Kiffin right off the bat, he may be doing the Raiders a favor. It's better for Moss to create an impossible situation and attempt to force at trade early than for him to show up, pretend to care, then turn off the spigot at his leisure.

It's possible that to have Moss insubordinate and uncooperative from Day 1 could be the first big break of the Kiffin regime becuase it could spur Davis to get rid of him.

The problem is Davis wants top dollar for top talent, and Moss has been so indifferent his value is at an all-time low.

If Kiffin didn't yet understand what it meant to be head coach of the Raiders at his press conference, he surely does now.