Outrage in the Raider Nation: Randy Moss Traded, Warren Sapp Released
Oakland, CA (Pre-Free Agency, 2006) – The news came out from the Oakland Raiders’ office and, to quote the comic book guy from the Simpsons, Raider fans were “on the Internet within minutes, registering their disgust throughout the world.” The news was unexpected and shocking: Randy Moss was traded away to the Houston Texans.
Raiders GM Barrett Blade sent Moss, along with their fourth round pick this year and their fifth round pick in 2007 for Houston’s third round pick this year, their first round pick in 2007, and their second round pick in 2008. The move is clearly seen as a cost cutting move, as the Raiders were only approximately $5 million under the salary cap, and the trade freed up $8 million.
The trade is shocking due to the ‘resurgence’ the team experienced last season, reaching the playoffs and winning their first round game. Moss played a large roll in that resurgence as he collected 1528 yards and 12 touchdowns on 85 receptions in 14 games. He was named to the 2005 All-Pro first team, as well as collecting Player of the Game three times. It was his first as a Raider.
Moss was obviously upset at being moved. “They made a mistake. A huge mistake. It is no secret that I am the main reason for our success last year. My numbers speak for themselves. It was the offence that carried the team, and it was my play that carried the offence. Oakland made a big mistake, and it will hurt them. Let’s see them win a championship, or even have a winning season, in the next few years without me. I am going to love it when I get back there to play them. They are going to regret moving me.”
In another somewhat surprising move, GM Blade also released former star DT Warren Sapp. The move allowed the Raiders to free up $4.5 million on the cap, though they will have to pay a $4 million penalty in 2007. In 16 games last season, Sapp collected nineteen tackles, fourteen assists, two sacks, three blocks, and seven hurries. Though his play has fallen off as late, Sapp was seen as a vocal leader in the dressing room, and had his fair share of fans.
When questioned about the moves, Blade was candid. “They are what they are. When we came in and took over the team, John Mackey and I were forced to deal with the moves and mistakes made by the previous ownership. We have found ourselves in a difficult cap situation, and we needed to make some room. It was tough to trade away Randy, who is arguably the best receiver in the game today, but we saw no other choice. He commanded a huge salary, and had some overhead that we were not wanting to deal with. As for Warren, well, that was a move we had to make. His salary was incredible, and he is simply not a starter on this team. He has had a great career, but it is on the downswing and his stats have shown that.”
Blade was asked to clarify what ‘overhead’ meant when talking about Moss. “It is pretty obvious. Randy is a ‘me-first’ type of person. He showed that in Minnesota when he left the one game early while they were losing. He has a history of being a selfish player, and that is not what we want here. He may be one of the best players in the league, but you do not need stars at every position to win a Super Bowl. This is a team game, and by having a team who is in it together, you can overcome a lot. We have seen that time and time again in the NFL. That is the beauty of this game. And we were really hurt as a team when Randy’s performance fell off at the end of the year. That is when we need all of our players contributing. We wish Randy and Warren well, but we need to move on.”
The trade has instantly given the Houston Texans the top two receivers in the league, as Moss finished second in receiving yards last season to Andre Johnson. Oakland, meanwhile, is left with receiver Jerry Porter to try and fill the void the trade has left. And so, Raiders’ fans continue to voice their objections to the move, and hope that the impending free agency period will do more to make the Raiders a team better able to bring home a Super Bowl championship.