The Patriots got off to a great start on Sunday, with a 38-24 win over the Bengals. But after a game in which receiver Randy Moss caught five passes for 59 yards, Moss mooned the franchise by ranting — again — about his status in New England.”Everybody wants to be appreciated, to be told you’re
doing a good job. I just don’t think
I’m appreciated here,” Moss said in a post-game press conference, per NECN.com.
Moss has previously campaigned for a new contract. He’s in the final season of a three-year deal signed in 2008, after he set the single-season touchdown reception record.
“I’m not here to
start any trouble,” Moss said, despite obviously starting trouble. “I’m going to play my year out and play some damn
good football . . . “I want to be here, I
love being here, but I think this will be my last year with the New
England Patriots. I’m not retiring. I will be playing somewhere next
year . . .
“I’m not disrespecting the organization . . . I’m
definitely not being disruptive or disrespectable. I’m not trying to
take away from the victory we had today . . . I just wanted to get it
off my chest, my first time talking . . . .
“If the opportunity
arises to [stay with the Patriots]. I’ll accept that. If not, I’ll move
on.”
So what is Moss up to? When he made similar remarks to CBSSports.com on Monday, we thought that perhaps he was hoping to ensure that, if the Patriots won’t be paying him, they’ll at least be dialing him up often in the passing game, so that he can hit the market on the heels of a huge year. But now we’re starting to think he’s trying to be disruptive in the hopes of being traded now to a team that will give him a huge contract.
Regardless of the motivation, this is precisely the kind of behavior the Patriots hoped to avoid when trading for Moss three-plus years ago. Not that they’re experiencing it, the question becomes what they’ll do about it.
