Pelissero: Shocking or not, Moss' release corrected the real mistake

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Randy Moss' release sent shock waves through personnel departments around the NFL.

Not because people didn't see how it could happen. Everyone knows Moss, his eccentricities and his habit of wearing out his welcome.

Because trades such as the one the Minnesota Vikings made for Moss on Oct. 6 -- only 27 days before they waived the seven-time Pro Bowl receiver -- rarely are executed impetuously in a league where every decision can have long-term ramifications.

"How do you tell your owner," an executive in personnel for an AFC team said, "we researched, we felt comfortable with this -- dealing a third-round pick for this player in the last year of his deal, so you're only going to get him for (13) games if you don't make the playoffs -- and now we're cutting him? You basically eliminated a draft selection, where you would take a player and presumably get four years of service, and now, you've got nothing."

In Vikings coach Brad Childress' case, the solution was not telling owner Zygi Wilf at all -- at least until Childress made up his mind to jettison Moss and all of his baggage.

Cutting Moss wasn't the Vikings mistake, though. The mistake was deluding themselves into believing Moss would be so determined to get one last big contract that he'd shut his mouth, cede to the existing locker-room leadership and summon whatever was left of the ability that made him a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Instead, Moss walked in, redropped his proverbial pants and assumed the Dominant Male persona that got him booted from the same locker room 5½ years ago -- only without the same skill-set that rendered his behavior tolerable the first time around.

"You're talking about a prime pick that ends up just going out of the door with what amounts to an experiment," another high-ranking scout said. "As a personnel guy, it does blow your mind."

Childress has caught hell for the decision and (rightly) his refusal to publicly explain it with anything resembling a cogent thought. Rather than bending the narrative in his favor -- that the Vikings want 53 team players committed to reversing this disappointing season's downward arc -- Childress appears shortsighted and spiteful.

The reality is he acknowledged how shortsighted the trade was by making the more difficult decision, even though exercising that power might cost Childress his job if the season doesn't turn around.

The vibe changed the moment Moss entered the locker room. He was the loudest voice in the room and the crassest. He was the aging fraternity brother who tells an unfunny joke and everyone laughs anyway.

The well-publicized incident with a caterer last week received no attention from the reporters who witnessed it because it wasn't out of the ordinary. Randy Moss Being A Jerk is a big file, and the Vikings knew that coming in.

Where this became a problem wasn't at the lunch table but on the field. For all the knowledge teammates say Moss imparted in practice, his wavering effort on game day -- from the final pass he didn't try to catch on Oct. 24 at Green Bay to the missed blocks, short-arm at the goal line and refusal to dive for a long ball after he'd drawn interference on Sunday at New England -- was the opposite message that needed to be sent to a team in crisis.

"With Randy, you pretty much know that, if the play's not designed to him, you may not get a whole lot out of him -- there are times where he will literally just stand on the line of scrimmage," the scout said. "Guys get excited -- they know what he can and has done -- and also, guys tend to follow established players. If (the player) they follow is not what you hope to see from your program, it can be a bit of a distraction for your young players."

Toss in Moss' superiority complex, waning production and propensity for going public with his frustrations, and it should be little wonder the Tennessee Titans were the only team to place a waiver claim on the 33-year-old receiver -- despite a widespread perception many teams in the second half of the priority list would bite.

After all, Moss may be a one-trick pony who's lost a step, but he still can take the top off a defense with the best of them. His numbers (13 catches for 174 yards, two touchdowns) in four games with the Vikings don't reflect the respect defenses continue to afford him by declaring double-teams in his direction.

Several NFL sources said Moss' strange postgame statement at New England -- where he declared he was finished answering questions from the media, criticized Vikings coaches and all but begged the Patriots to take him back -- was a damaging blow to the value of a player who'd pulled almost the same stunt on his way out of New England the previous month.

"I'm sure a lot of teams sat there and stared at the waiver wire and did their due diligence and researched it, and I would venture that many teams considered it," the executive said.

"But when push came to shove ... when you see things like that, you worry about those types of things and those types of situations and leadership roles. You worry about your young and impressionable players, too. Will it be a good influence on your young players? Those are questions you have to ask."

Did the Vikings ask those questions before trading for Moss? Probably.

Did they listen to the answers? Not hard enough, apparently, to avoid a mistake that eventually could contribute to the demise of the man who corrected it.

Tom Pelissero is Senior Editor and columnist for 1500ESPN.com. He hosts from 6 to 8 p.m. weeknights and co-hosts from 10 a.m. to noon Sundays on 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
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