Randy Moss ready for fresh start with Raiders

By Hugo Guzman  |   Thursday, March 03, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

Oakland Raiders
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ALAMEDA, California - The day after news broke that Randy Moss would join the Oakland Raiders, Norv Turner encountered a crazy fan on the freeway. Initially, the coach thought it was a bad case of road rage on his way to work, figuring maybe he'd accidentally cut the guy off. There was honking and hand signals, then pounding on Turner's window.

Turner rolled down his window.

"What's going on?" he asked, startled. "Randy! Randy!" the fan yelled in delight.

The Raiders' trade with Minnesota to acquire Moss finally became official Wednesday, and Moss seemed as happy as that fan to be the newest member of the Raider Nation. "I'm ready to scream, that's how excited I am," said Moss, beaming in his new black No. 18 jersey, his hair in cornrows.

The Raiders pulled out all the stops to make Moss' first day a memorable one. The star receiver arrived at team headquarters in a stretch limousine escorted by seven police officers on motorcycles, all but the lieutenant from the Alameda Police Department's fleet. He'd have been there, but had a prior meeting.

Moss was greeted by fans and the franchise's three Super Bowl trophies. His four kids all received care packages from the team: Raiders T-shirts, hats and jackets. The only thing missing was owner Al Davis himself. "Since Day 1, the only thing that Mr. Al Davis and his organization have shown is straight Class A hospitality, and I can really appreciate that," Moss said. "I'm overwhelmed by it, I really am."

The Raiders were working to restructure his base salary of more than $7 million for next season into a more cap-friendly signing bonus to be prorated over future years.

The Vikings received linebacker Napoleon Harris, the No. 7 pick in April's NFL draft and a late-round pick in the swap, which was done a week ago, but couldn't be made official until Wednesday. "I've still got love in Minnesota," Moss said, "but with the Oakland Raiders, I get a new start and a chance to go to the Super Bowl."

As part of that new start, Moss is changing his jersey number from 84 back to 18, the number he wore in training camp when he came into the league in 1998. The Vikings, meanwhile, were preparing to move on without their franchise man. "Randy is a phenomenal player and meant a lot to the community and the Vikings organization," said Vikings owner Red McCombs, who called a news conference for Thursday to discuss the deal. "But, we have decided to go in a different direction at this point. We wish Randy the best in the future."

Moss said he was nervous when introduced, but was already comfortable with Davis' longtime catch phrases. "Who wouldn't want to be in the Silver and Black?'' Moss asked. ``I'm committed to excellence and I just want to win, baby."

Moss, 28, will provide a huge upgrade to an offense determined to return to the high-powered vertical passing game of years past. It was the Raiders' proficient passing attack that led them to the 2003 Super Bowl, won 48-21 by Tampa Bay. "I don't see this team slipping with the addition of me. I just see them adding more firepower," Moss said.

Quarterback Kerry Collins couldn't be happier with the acquisition. "If he's not the best, he's certainly one of the best," Collins said. "You can make a strong argument. Everybody has their own opinions. But ask any quarterback around the league which receiver they'd want, and I think most would say Randy Moss."

Moss spent much of last season limited by a hamstring injury and didn't reach 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in his seven-year career. He finished with 49 catches for 767 yards and 13 touchdowns. "The coaches at Chicago, Green Bay and Detroit are so happy this trade was made and they won't see him two times a year,'' Turner said. ``We're so happy to have him and we'll know how to use him."

Moss joins Jerry Porter in a talented young receiving corps. Porter led the Raiders with 64 catches for 998 yards and nine touchdowns, falling just short of his first 1,000-yard season. His receptions were a career high, and he scored three touchdowns in a game twice. "We've got to check our egos, and the ball has to be distributed in a way to make everybody happy," said Porter, who re-signed for five years and close to $20 million last week.

Several of Moss' new teammates have said they aren't worried about his sometimes controversial antics. "Hopefully, the people love me and will accept me, and I'm just here to make the best of another opportunity," Moss said. "If there's anything I could say, it's just my passion and desire to win, week in and week out. I mean, I love to win. I love to compete. And when I win, I like to talk trash. And when I lose, I don't like trash to be talked to me. That's the competitor in me."
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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