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Dangerous deal Moss pact could hinder or help Vikes for many years
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- A few minutes after the Vikings announced their blockbuster new contract with the most dangerous player in football, wideout Randy Moss, the reverberations hit their archrivals, walking off the practice field after a rookies-and-selected-veterans practice in training camp. "Well," said Green Bay head coach Mike Sherman, 20 minutes after the Vikings' announcement, "looks like we'll be looking for corners every year now." "Good thing we signed [safety] Darren Sharper," defensive coordinator Ed Donatell said. "Moss is a guy who makes you prepare harder every week and makes you understand how important every snap of the games."
Moss has had some huge games against the Packers in his first three years in the league, and he loves the Packers-Vikings rivalry. The Packers have strengthened their secondary in the past couple of drafts, and their first-round pick this year -- defensive end Jamal Reynolds of Florida State -- was chosen to increase a weak point of their defensive game, the pass rush. As Sherman noted when he introduced Reynolds to the Green Bay press corps late this afternoon: "Randy Moss is one reason why this gentleman is here right now." In Minnesota, Moss said he's glad to have the negotiations behind him, and now he can concentrate on the sport he loves, playing for the team he loves. But Moss has had a checkered past with the Vikings. Last year, TV analyst Merril Hoge analyzed tape of Vikings games and found that Moss dogged it on more than a few plays a game -- an assertion no prominent Vikings official denied. His effort in the 41-0 NFC Championship Game loss to the Giants last January was checkered, to say the least, with only two catches. The Vikings have a great player under contract for the rest of what should be a great career. But there's no telling which Moss will show up every week, which makes this a dangerous deal for the Vikings -- particularly because the reported $18-million signing bonus will be an anchor to their salary cap if the club decides to terminate the contract for any reason in the first four or five years. Often in his first three NFL years, Moss has looked liked a player who doesn't love the game. If he doesn't, the Vikings have just made a big mistake. Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King covers the NFL and appears regularly on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN's "NFL Preview."
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