Six Points: Gathering Moss
Yahoo! Sports' Cris Carter puts six points on the board on the big Randy Moss trade, which reportedly will send the controversial wide receiver to Oakland for linebacker Napoleon Harris and the seventh overall pick and a seventh-round selection in this April's draft.
1. Why trade Randy?
The Minnesota Vikings felt they were in a situation where Randy Moss wasn't going to grow as a player anymore. So it was in their best interests as a team to trade him now before he became a detriment to what they are trying to do there.
This move, however, doesn't affect Red McCombs' sale to Reggie Fowler, who still will inherit a good team. From a community relations standpoint, it'll be easier to convince the fans who might've grown tired of Moss' antics to get a stadium deal done.
2. Moss' thoughts
At the end of the season, he and his agent, Dante DiTrapano, weren't happy being in Minnesota. I haven't talked to Randy, but I imagine he is very, very happy.
Randy realizes that his best asset is being a deep threat. He felt the Vikings didn't throw the ball deep enough, which I believe is untrue – they got him the ball down the field ample times. But with the Oakland Raiders and Norv Turner, it's a perfect situation for Randy.
3. What the Raiders get
The trade – along with the contract extension for Jerry Porter – gives the Raiders the ability to do some exceptional things on offense. Turner is one of the best play-callers in the business and now he has a full arsenal of weapons to show off those play-calling skills. I only see big things from him and that offense.
The rest of Oakland's receivers are inexperienced. Imagine what a healthy Porter and Moss can do for young guys like Doug Gabriel and Ronald Curry. Having that caliber of a receiving corps will open holes for the running game, and we know Turner loves to run the football.
The Raiders are a lot better today. They're a lot better with Randy Moss than they would be with that seventh overall pick.
4. Randy's reservations
I think Moss will have full confidence in Turner's ability as a play-caller. He knows how to adjust to new schemes. Moss has had Sherman Lewis, Brian Billick and Scott Linehan calling plays for him in Minnesota.
Moss knows what these people in Oakland are thinking. He'll be comfortable in Oakland knowing that they'll try to get him the ball and try to get it to him downfield, which is where he likes it. He's going to be excited about the opportunity.
5. What the Vikings get
The Vikings are really weak in their defensive secondary and linebacking corps. The addition of Harris gives E.J. Henderson another year to grow. If Henderson doesn't reach his potential, the Vikings now have someone they can rely on. They would love to have Henderson and Harris – two young but very fast linebackers – playing side by side.
With the seventh pick, I think the Vikings could draft another linebacker – Derrick Johnson from Texas – or get one of the running backs from Auburn – Ronnie Brown or Carnell Williams. Or they could use it to get another wide receiver, someone like Mike Williams of USC. Who knows? There are all kinds of things they can do with that pick. But I think they'll go for defense. Maybe they'll take Johnson with the seventh pick and use their own first-round pick (18th overall) to select Miami cornerback Antrel Rolle.
6. Win-win situation
I think both teams will benefit from this trade. The Raiders won't care about the things Moss sometimes does on the football field because he'll continue to put up Hall of Fame numbers. The Vikings' defense finally will get better after seven or eight years of being at the bottom of the league.
