Randy Moss would like to make a return to the NFL in 2012 and a reunion in Chicago with his former head coach Mike Tice makes all the sense in the world. Before you click away from this post, hear me out. It’s not as crazy as it seems.
NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert alludes to some reasons that Moss to the Bears makes sense and he’s right.
Moss requires structure and a strong locker room to keep him in check. With Lovie Smith in charge and veterans like Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Julius Peppers and Roberto Garza, they’ll keep him in line.
Jay Cutler has the arm to keep feeding the hungry wide receiver with enough bombs to keep him satisfied. He’s the “go up and get it guy” that Cutler has dreamed about since he left the Rocky Mountains in his rear view mirror.
When you consider motivation, the 35 year old Moss, who was out of football for the 2011 season, should be plenty motivated to prove to the league that he’s still got “it.” He’s thrived with Tice early in his career, combining for 217 catches and 24 touchdowns while playing for Tice in Minnesota. Tice, now the Bears’ offensive coordinator, knows how to manage Moss and put him in a position to succeed.
Naysayers will point to his lack of productivity in his checkered final season in 2010, where he split time between the Patriots, Vikings and Titans. In those 16 games he had 28 catches for nearly 400 yards and 5 touchdowns. That would immediately make him the second most productive wide receiver set to be on the Bears 2012 roster, behind injured Johnny Knox for catches and yardage and the same number of touchdowns as tight end Kellen Davis.
The Bears need to explore all options when it comes to fortifying their wide receiver corp. Even if they get Moss, they need to go draft a receiver and explore the free agent market for serviceable options. In my world, you have Earl Bennett locked into a spot in the wide receiver group. Hester should focus on returns and provide a change of pace as a gadget player who comes in for 4 and 5 wide sets. You can’t count on Knox being ready to go in 2012 while he’s recovering from a devastating back injury. Sam Hurd will be behind bars and Roy Williams will be asking “would you like fries with that” the next time the Bears take meaningful snaps. If it’s a matter of Moss competing with Dane Sanzenbacher for the last wide receiver spot, I’ll take Moss.
While Seifert thinks this move makes sense, he also doesn’t think the Bears will be willing to pull the trigger.
"In short, the Bears are in a good position to understand what Moss is –and what he probably isn’t. For lack of a better term, Moss has been a pathological contrarian for his entire NFL career. He has undermined every coach he’s played for, and to think otherwise now would be to suggest he has made a 180-degree personality change."
What do you think? Is it worth the risk for the Bears to take a flier on Moss? Can he provide Cutler with that big target that he needs? Does he have anything left in the tank?