Uno Mas, Moss

I have to admit that it still hasn’t sunk in yet. Randy Moss is once again a member of the Minnesota Vikings. The main reason that it hasn’t resonated with me is it all happened so quickly. I watched Moss get shutout on Monday Night Football as his New England Patriots thumped the Miami Dolphins. Approximately 36 hours later, Moss is a member of the franchise with whom he spent the first seven seasons of his 12-year career.

When Moss was traded by the Vikings to the Oakland Raiders in early 2005, I endorsed the move. But it wasn’t because I felt Moss’s skills had diminished. No, it was quite apparent that Moss had become a huge distraction by continually undermining his head coach and Pro Bowl quarterback. It also didn’t hurt that then owner Red McCombs was looking to sell the team, so jettisoning the highly paid Moss increased the bottom line for the short-term future.

Another back story is this trade finally pairs Moss with quarterback Brett Favre, who coveted the highly talented wide receiver prior to the 2007 season when Favre was with Green Bay. In fact, many have surmised that’s when the relationship between Favre and Packers General Manager Ted Thompson was irretrievably broken when Green Bay failed to pull the trigger on a trade. Moss ended up in New England that season when the Raiders gave him up for only a fourth round draft pick.

So does this make the Vikings an instant Super Bowl contender? The jury is still out on that. However, the Vegas oddsmakers see it a little differently. Last week, the Vikings were listed as 25-1 odds to win in it all. Today they’re at 16-1.

But I believe one thing is certain: This levels the playing field in the NFC North.

-------------------------------------------