The Shadow
03-04-2007, 02:27 PM
Ok, forget for a moment the reasons the Pack should NOT acquire Moss -
his troubled past, his immaturity, age, etc.
These are all very valid concerns, and would have to be closely considered and balanced - potential good vs potential bad -before pulling the trade trigger.
Why DOES a trade for him hold such interesting possibilities?
Think like the Packers braintrust for a moment.
Remember what Lovie Smith said when hired by the Bears? He made a very big deal about beating the Packers, who were then the cream of the NFC North, as a top goal.
Thr first goal of any team is to win their own division.
Therefore, Thompson must devise a way to defeat the Bears, now on top in the division.
The Bears strength is their defense. They have believed that their defense -if played correctly - can stymie ANY offense.
The Carolina Panthers & Colts provided evidence to the contrary.
Yet, I think they still believe the notion (and under Smith, they have shown stubborn resistance to change/adjustment; Riviera was fired largely because he was in favor of adjusting the def. philosophy) and Lovie Smith simply is unwilling to admit that his glorious Tampa defense is not infallible.
The addition of Randy Moss to the Packer offense would provide a terrifying wild card to the whole mix for Lovie Smith. Remember what Steve Smith did to the Bears in the playoffs? Also remember that Smith made NO ADJUSTMENTS (pride? arrogance? stupidity?), even when it was painfully obvious that the fielded defensive plan was not working!
Fast forward to the Super Bowl vs the Colts. Manning quickly realized that the Bear safeties were playing WAY off the ball - and the linebackers were also taking deeper drops - and so calmly picked the secondary apart with the short passes and dump-offs.
AGAIN : Lovie Smith did NOT adjust. He doggedly stuck with the same plan and netted the inevitable result. And Riviera, who apparently realized that Emperor Lovie was wearing no clothes, wound up being the fall guy.
This is rather instructive - it would seem the most effective way to win the division while taking down the Bears is to throw an offensive monkey wrench into his perfect little defense.
Randy Moss, love him or hate him, is (if the talent is still there) the ultimate gamechanger.
At best, he is a terrifying weapon everywhere on the field, and a touchdown jackpot.
At the very least, his threat would require the safeties to play back, and take that dreaded extra def. player out of the box.
His presence would have a MAJOR impact on the coming season, and might make his addition extremely worthwhile.
his troubled past, his immaturity, age, etc.
These are all very valid concerns, and would have to be closely considered and balanced - potential good vs potential bad -before pulling the trade trigger.
Why DOES a trade for him hold such interesting possibilities?
Think like the Packers braintrust for a moment.
Remember what Lovie Smith said when hired by the Bears? He made a very big deal about beating the Packers, who were then the cream of the NFC North, as a top goal.
Thr first goal of any team is to win their own division.
Therefore, Thompson must devise a way to defeat the Bears, now on top in the division.
The Bears strength is their defense. They have believed that their defense -if played correctly - can stymie ANY offense.
The Carolina Panthers & Colts provided evidence to the contrary.
Yet, I think they still believe the notion (and under Smith, they have shown stubborn resistance to change/adjustment; Riviera was fired largely because he was in favor of adjusting the def. philosophy) and Lovie Smith simply is unwilling to admit that his glorious Tampa defense is not infallible.
The addition of Randy Moss to the Packer offense would provide a terrifying wild card to the whole mix for Lovie Smith. Remember what Steve Smith did to the Bears in the playoffs? Also remember that Smith made NO ADJUSTMENTS (pride? arrogance? stupidity?), even when it was painfully obvious that the fielded defensive plan was not working!
Fast forward to the Super Bowl vs the Colts. Manning quickly realized that the Bear safeties were playing WAY off the ball - and the linebackers were also taking deeper drops - and so calmly picked the secondary apart with the short passes and dump-offs.
AGAIN : Lovie Smith did NOT adjust. He doggedly stuck with the same plan and netted the inevitable result. And Riviera, who apparently realized that Emperor Lovie was wearing no clothes, wound up being the fall guy.
This is rather instructive - it would seem the most effective way to win the division while taking down the Bears is to throw an offensive monkey wrench into his perfect little defense.
Randy Moss, love him or hate him, is (if the talent is still there) the ultimate gamechanger.
At best, he is a terrifying weapon everywhere on the field, and a touchdown jackpot.
At the very least, his threat would require the safeties to play back, and take that dreaded extra def. player out of the box.
His presence would have a MAJOR impact on the coming season, and might make his addition extremely worthwhile.