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Harlan says fans don't want Moss
By Dylan B. Tomlinson
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers
During Bob Harlan’s 36 years with the Green Bay Packers, he’s never stopped talking to the fans.
Harlan, the Packers’ chairman and chief executive officer, answers his own work phone, so fans can call him to talk about just about any topic.
At Packers Fan Fest on Friday, Harlan admitted there’s been one topic the fans feel extremely strongly about: Randy Moss.
Throughout the offseason, the Packers have been rumored to be interested in trading for Moss, who has played the last two seasons with the Oakland Raiders.
Packers fans are most familiar with Moss from his years with the Minnesota Vikings, and Harlan said a lot of fans feel strongly that they don’t want to see Moss in a Packers uniform next season.
“The thing that I’ve heard a lot of is that they’re not in favor of Randy Moss. I’ve had a lot of anonymous calls about that,†Harlan said. “I don’t want to say it’s been overwhelming, but the thing that they say to me is, ‘You guys have so much class, don’t lose that class.’â€
While Moss had his share of problems with the Raiders and Vikings, he also is almost certainly better than any of the receivers on the free-agent market. Moss is a six-time Pro Bowler and has 10,700 yards and 101 touchdowns during his nine seasons in the NFL.
Even though Moss struggled last season in Oakland, he would give Brett Favre an additional deep threat and would take pressure off receiver Donald Driver, who faced double teams at times last season.
While Packers fans may not be thrilled about the prospect of adding Moss, those feelings could be changed if Favre embraced the move. ESPN last month reported Favre would be in favor of the Packers pursuing a trade for Moss.
While Harlan was more than happy to talk about the possibility of adding Moss, Packers General Manager Ted Thompson was more tight-lipped.
“You don’t say anything,†Thompson said. “That’s the best way to do it.â€
While Thompson hasn’t indicated the Packers are pursuing Moss, he said at last month’s NFL scouting combine that the Packers would be interested in adding a veteran receiver. Thompson has never said the Packers aren’t interested in Moss.
The New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars all have been rumored to be interested in Moss, but it seems doubtful a trade would be coming anytime soon. The Raiders likely want to make sure they’re getting maximum value for Moss, so if a trade happens, it would seem likely to occur just before next month’s NFL draft.
Between now and then, the Packers will be focused on free agency. Even though the Packers have been quiet on that front, Harlan said he’s confident Thompson will make the right moves.
Harlan admitted some fans are getting a little antsy about the Packers not signing any new players yet.
“Some of the fans I’ve talked to are concerned that we haven’t spent some money,†he said. “But I try to point out that this was how Ted attacked free agency last year. We waited and picked up Ryan Pickett and Charles Woodson and it worked out very well. He’s going to do the same thing this year.â€
Dylan B. Tomlinson writes for The Post-Crescent of Appleton. E-mail him at dtomlins@postcrescent.com
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