woodbuck27
04-24-2007, 12:05 PM
http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070422/PKR07/704220726/1959
Posted April 22, 2007
Mike Vandermause column:
Wolf's top miss? Passing on Moss
By Mike Vandermause
Former Packers general manager Ron Wolf doesn't hesitate when asked about his biggest draft-day regret in Green Bay.
"The most obvious is when we passed up Randy Moss," said Wolf in a telephone interview from his Annapolis, Md., home.
The decision came during the first round of the 1998 draft, and it arguably cost the Packers at least one championship, maybe more.
The Packers were coming off back-to-back Super Bowl appearances and had a strong, playoff-contending team.
"If we'd been able to add Moss to that, wow, what a team we would have had," Wolf lamented.
What a team, indeed. Brett Favre and Moss would have lit up the league and formed an unstoppable tandem.
Moss was there for the taking on draft day. Wolf traded a second-round pick to Miami to move up 10 spots in the first round from No. 29 to No. 19, giving the Packers a chance to select a rare difference-maker.
Instead of going with Moss, however, Wolf took defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday. Two spots later, the Minnesota Vikings snagged Moss, who as a rookie produced 17 touchdowns and 1,313 receiving yards in leading his team to a 15-1 regular-season record.
It's conceivable that had they chosen Moss, the Packers, and not the Vikings, would have been 15-1. As it was, the Packers posted a respectable 11-5 record before being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Wolf kicks himself for buying into the character issues that caused him to pass up Moss.
"It turned out, when you got into investigating it after the fact, it wasn't that large of a character issue," Wolf said. "I allowed things to get in my way that I shouldn't have allowed to get in my way. That's the one thing I do regret.
"That was kind of idiotic, now that I think about it."
Wolf believes Moss in his prime was someone capable of elevating a playoff qualifier to a Super Bowl-caliber team.
"Imagine all the touchdowns and aggravation that would have saved the Packers if he was on our team," Wolf said. "The stuff he did for Minnesota."
In two games against the Packers in 1998, Moss had 13 catches for an astounding 343 yards.
According to Wolf, character always was a consideration in the draft room.
"We always took it into effect there in Green Bay," he said, "because let's face it, in Green Bay, your guy runs a traffic light, I mean, that's front page on your paper and it leads off the 6 o'clock news. We had to be very, very careful of the guys we took."
It's easy to play the game of "what if?" in relation to the draft. What's fascinating is how one decision potentially can determine who wins a championship.
In 1996, for example, Wolf was prepared to select linebacker Ray Lewis at No. 27 in the first round.
"And I'll be darned, right in front of us, Baltimore took Ray Lewis," Wolf said. "That rattled plates when that happened."
The Packers settled for tackle John Michels, who lasted just two seasons in the league. Lewis became a two-time NFL defensive player of the year and seven-time Pro Bowler.
With Lewis on the roster, is there any doubt the Packers would have shut down Terrell Davis and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII?
Woulda, coulda, shoulda. It's the beauty, and agony, of hindsight when it comes to the draft.
Mike Vandermause is sports editor of the Press-Gazette.
Fan Comments:
woulda, coulda, shoulda! Tue Apr 24, 2007 11:28 am
I'm more upset that we lost Lewis! As for Moss, we'll never know. Might have been a cancer or might have been a NFL record breaking WR for the Packers. We'll never know and that is fine.
It is my opinion that we are moving in the right direction. The team is getting better (we won more than 4 games last year and should have won more). Now let's get a good WR and a good RB and we'll be on our way forward.
Forget Moss Tue Apr 24, 2007 6:14 am
I am truly surprised Ron Wolf is hitting himself over the head about not selecting Randy Moss. He should be having the opposite reaction and wiping his brow out of relief considering Randy's history. It makes me shake my head to realize at this point in his career his character overshadows his talent. For everyone (including Ron Wolf) to think back to "what could have been" is asinine. But since many viewers believe he and Brett would have "lit up the league", how about this scenario. As Randy ages and his playing ability diminishes his character will once again be center stage. He'll blame everything and everyone else for his inabilities and continue to be a cancer no matter which team choses him. He is his own worst enemy and until he learns this he'll be the enemy to many others.
How? Tue Apr 24, 2007 12:36 am
I read posts where people say how Moss is going to be a cancer, but they dont elaborate on how he will be a cancer. They point out that Moss smokes pot. Well so do Calvin Johnson, Okoye, Gaines Adams and 35% of other players in the NFL. Moss is more mature than when he was in Minnesota. He really respects Favre, and #4 can be to Moss what Cris Carter was before he retired. Being in Oakland for the last 2 years, Moss can now appreciate a well-run franchise such as GB, as he wants to win a superbowl and realizes that he has a limited window to do so. I've read that Moss and Favre have talked this summer, and Brett wants this trade to happen badly. The packers, at the very least, owe it to Brett favre to surround him with the weapons to make one last run.
Let's make the same mistake twice... Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:39 pm
Yeah, let's pass on Moss again. It's only the biggest mistake Ron Wolf says he ever made. And if TT doesn't doesn't make a reasonable attempt to get him, it may be his biggest mistake too. Moss certainly isn't at his prime anymore, but he's still better than anyone the Packers have now...Driver included. Driver has more heart, but Moss has more skill and talent in his little finger if he's motivated. Favre deserves a weapon like Moss. All you Moss haters, quit being selfish. If Favre wants Moss, quit your complaining and let it happen!
Posted April 22, 2007
Mike Vandermause column:
Wolf's top miss? Passing on Moss
By Mike Vandermause
Former Packers general manager Ron Wolf doesn't hesitate when asked about his biggest draft-day regret in Green Bay.
"The most obvious is when we passed up Randy Moss," said Wolf in a telephone interview from his Annapolis, Md., home.
The decision came during the first round of the 1998 draft, and it arguably cost the Packers at least one championship, maybe more.
The Packers were coming off back-to-back Super Bowl appearances and had a strong, playoff-contending team.
"If we'd been able to add Moss to that, wow, what a team we would have had," Wolf lamented.
What a team, indeed. Brett Favre and Moss would have lit up the league and formed an unstoppable tandem.
Moss was there for the taking on draft day. Wolf traded a second-round pick to Miami to move up 10 spots in the first round from No. 29 to No. 19, giving the Packers a chance to select a rare difference-maker.
Instead of going with Moss, however, Wolf took defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday. Two spots later, the Minnesota Vikings snagged Moss, who as a rookie produced 17 touchdowns and 1,313 receiving yards in leading his team to a 15-1 regular-season record.
It's conceivable that had they chosen Moss, the Packers, and not the Vikings, would have been 15-1. As it was, the Packers posted a respectable 11-5 record before being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Wolf kicks himself for buying into the character issues that caused him to pass up Moss.
"It turned out, when you got into investigating it after the fact, it wasn't that large of a character issue," Wolf said. "I allowed things to get in my way that I shouldn't have allowed to get in my way. That's the one thing I do regret.
"That was kind of idiotic, now that I think about it."
Wolf believes Moss in his prime was someone capable of elevating a playoff qualifier to a Super Bowl-caliber team.
"Imagine all the touchdowns and aggravation that would have saved the Packers if he was on our team," Wolf said. "The stuff he did for Minnesota."
In two games against the Packers in 1998, Moss had 13 catches for an astounding 343 yards.
According to Wolf, character always was a consideration in the draft room.
"We always took it into effect there in Green Bay," he said, "because let's face it, in Green Bay, your guy runs a traffic light, I mean, that's front page on your paper and it leads off the 6 o'clock news. We had to be very, very careful of the guys we took."
It's easy to play the game of "what if?" in relation to the draft. What's fascinating is how one decision potentially can determine who wins a championship.
In 1996, for example, Wolf was prepared to select linebacker Ray Lewis at No. 27 in the first round.
"And I'll be darned, right in front of us, Baltimore took Ray Lewis," Wolf said. "That rattled plates when that happened."
The Packers settled for tackle John Michels, who lasted just two seasons in the league. Lewis became a two-time NFL defensive player of the year and seven-time Pro Bowler.
With Lewis on the roster, is there any doubt the Packers would have shut down Terrell Davis and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII?
Woulda, coulda, shoulda. It's the beauty, and agony, of hindsight when it comes to the draft.
Mike Vandermause is sports editor of the Press-Gazette.
Fan Comments:
woulda, coulda, shoulda! Tue Apr 24, 2007 11:28 am
I'm more upset that we lost Lewis! As for Moss, we'll never know. Might have been a cancer or might have been a NFL record breaking WR for the Packers. We'll never know and that is fine.
It is my opinion that we are moving in the right direction. The team is getting better (we won more than 4 games last year and should have won more). Now let's get a good WR and a good RB and we'll be on our way forward.
Forget Moss Tue Apr 24, 2007 6:14 am
I am truly surprised Ron Wolf is hitting himself over the head about not selecting Randy Moss. He should be having the opposite reaction and wiping his brow out of relief considering Randy's history. It makes me shake my head to realize at this point in his career his character overshadows his talent. For everyone (including Ron Wolf) to think back to "what could have been" is asinine. But since many viewers believe he and Brett would have "lit up the league", how about this scenario. As Randy ages and his playing ability diminishes his character will once again be center stage. He'll blame everything and everyone else for his inabilities and continue to be a cancer no matter which team choses him. He is his own worst enemy and until he learns this he'll be the enemy to many others.
How? Tue Apr 24, 2007 12:36 am
I read posts where people say how Moss is going to be a cancer, but they dont elaborate on how he will be a cancer. They point out that Moss smokes pot. Well so do Calvin Johnson, Okoye, Gaines Adams and 35% of other players in the NFL. Moss is more mature than when he was in Minnesota. He really respects Favre, and #4 can be to Moss what Cris Carter was before he retired. Being in Oakland for the last 2 years, Moss can now appreciate a well-run franchise such as GB, as he wants to win a superbowl and realizes that he has a limited window to do so. I've read that Moss and Favre have talked this summer, and Brett wants this trade to happen badly. The packers, at the very least, owe it to Brett favre to surround him with the weapons to make one last run.
Let's make the same mistake twice... Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:39 pm
Yeah, let's pass on Moss again. It's only the biggest mistake Ron Wolf says he ever made. And if TT doesn't doesn't make a reasonable attempt to get him, it may be his biggest mistake too. Moss certainly isn't at his prime anymore, but he's still better than anyone the Packers have now...Driver included. Driver has more heart, but Moss has more skill and talent in his little finger if he's motivated. Favre deserves a weapon like Moss. All you Moss haters, quit being selfish. If Favre wants Moss, quit your complaining and let it happen!