The Up Side of Gathering Moss

I've been going over this potential deal for Randy Moss. (And it's still only a potential deal, gang. These things have a habit of blowing up at the last minute. With Viking ownership changing hands and the word of the potential trade out, there's always the possibility of someone slipping the Vikings a better deal, or of the Vikings getting cold feet because the media says Davis is robbing them, or whatever.) I think the tone of my first post on it may have been too negative. Come, contemplate the ifs with me.

One thing this deal does is signal to other free agents around the league that Al Davis is serious about building a winning team in a hurry. The effect of this can be to bring other talents into the team at a lower price than they might otherwise come. After two losing seasons, it could be argued that the Raiders needed to make some noise, and I can't think of another deal out there that would have made as much. (Well, maybe if they traded for Peyton Manning. Mmmm. Peyton Manning.) We should be able to grab LaMont Jordan and some good defensive players for a nice price simply because they'll be excited to play on a team that includes Randy Moss.

Also, lets face it, it makes a great test for Kerry Collins. If Collins can't break the 25 touchdowns barrier with Moss, Porter, and Curry running routes for him, then he can't do it and we know we need to look elsewhere. Terrell Owens improved an already great Donovan McNabb. Moss should do the same for Collins, if Collins has it in him to improve. Moss will force teams to change their coverages to account for him. Underneath routes will open up. Coverages will have to shift, and teams will be less inclined to blitz Collins--a damn good thing because he can't handle blitzes. The offensive line, which is developing quickly into one of the best in the league, should give Collins plenty of time to decide where to put the ball. He'll have the time, and he'll have the targets. If he can't win with that, to hell with him.

If we can get a good trade for Charles Woodson--linebackers, linebackers, linebackers--this might go down better than I initially thought. We still need a running back and defensive talent, but we may have a better chance of getting them, at reasonable prices, because Davis made some headlines.