The Yin and Yang of Hall of Famer Randy Moss
Joe Oberle
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Randy Moss goes into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, Aug. 4, and that is great news for Moss, the Vikings and all the team’s fans—even myself, who thoroughly enjoyed watching him play football for the Purple. His greatness at the wide receiver position was unsurpassed in the league history (not necessarily in all the stat departments, Jerry Rice) but in how incredibly “freakish” was his skill level.
But like for many things in the Vikings history, Moss brought along some pain with the pleasure he provided so many of the Purple faithful. There are plenty of stories depicting his on-field prowess and even more YouTube videos filled with highlight packages to delight those lucky enough to witness his greatness live. But there are also more than enough stories on Moss’s off-field problems, which followed him from a youth in Rand, West Virginia, to nearly the end of his career.
We all remember the glorious Monday Night Packers game in Lambeau where Moss torched them Green and Gold for 190 yards and two touchdowns (and a third called back) and signaled a change in the power balance in the NFC North. But then we also recall his infamous fake mooning of the Packer fans from the back of endzone in the same stadium (about which I agree with Randy, they had it coming). It got more attention than the first Packer game.
Everyone knows of the three-reception, three-touchdown thrashing of the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day in which Moss received a leg of John Madden’s turkey and some payback on Dallas for not drafting him. Of course, we also regrettably must bring to mind the other problems such as knocking over a traffic cop with his car in downtown Minneapolis and berating some corporate sponsors on a team bus. It was always the good and the bad with Randy, particularly for those of us watching with more mature eyes than the legions of young fans who were turned on to Vikings football with the play of this gifted athlete.
Such a dichotomy gave way to weekly arguments between old school Vikings fans and new converts that I can only compare to what’s going on in some households today when the topic of Washington politics comes up. Every weekend, Moss delighted fans with his once-in-a-generation game-altering talent, and then old schoolers, such as myself, held our collective breath all week in hopes that no news would surface from Winter Park regarding another Moss “peccadillo,” (such as spraying a ref with a water bottle from the sidelines). But, just like the tweeter in chief, very often something new and disconcerting hit the headlines.
We would spend all week arguing at work about his greatness and then slinking to our cubes knowing full well how much it stunk to have every touchdown tainted with the problems. Even when he left Minnesota (thanks to the short-sighted and miserly owner Red McCombs) and ended up in New England, and we had healed the wounds of seeing him in another team’s uniform (and actually started hoping he would get a Super Bowl ring), he then returned to Minnesota and instead of talking about the joy of being back there, held a press conference decrying being traded by the Patriots and professing his love for them.
He came back to Winter Park and insulted the caterer who donated the Friday post-practice meal to players in the locker room. We had to grin and bear his short-lived return, which was long enough for him to corral Brett Favre’s 500th touchdown pass—a surreal moment, if there ever was one, for this long-suffering fan base that has experienced plenty of them.
Now to be sure, take away the traffic incident, which ended up being relatively benign but could have been much worse, Moss’s acts were not criminal and mostly borderline hi-jinks—I enjoyed the mooning, and the “Straight cash, homey, is as good as it gets. Like Bob Dylan once said of Lenny Bruce, “he never cut off any babies’ heads.” Moss, however, could have grown up a little bit earlier for some of us old schoolers and allowed us to enjoy him unconditionally.
Ultimately, many of those off-field issues have faded away (until witnesses such as myself bring them up). The play on the field is what matters and it was glorious. I could not get enough of watching Moss play football. Every time the Vikings had the ball with Moss on the field, there was a chance for him to score—and not just score, but to do it an incredible, over-the-top manner. He was must see football—and still is. I can’t enough of watching his highlights.
I am stoked that Moss is going into the Hall of Fame, and it being on the first ballot was a no-brainer. Last February when it was announced, Moss said that he is the best wide receiver in history, and I am here to say that I agree with him. Unfortunately, when Moss stepped off the field during his playing career, he wasn’t always the best he could be. That is simply the truth and today’s more mature Moss agrees with that. You get the yin and yang with Randy Moss, and the whole package goes to Canton—where it should be. Congratulations, Randy!