Archive for August 2nd, 2011

WATERCOOLER CHAT: MOSS TO RETIRE, PLAXICO TO JETS, QB BATTLE IN DENVER

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, it’s the end of an era.  After 13 unforgettable seasons in the NFL, Randy Moss has decided to retire.  Moss was one of the most explosive players in NFL history.  As soon as he burst into the league, he was a force of nature for the Minnesota Vikings.  He had the speed and supreme height to outmatch defenders and haul in touchdown after touchdown — 158 to be exact.  Moss is only 34, and some could argue that he could go a few more, but he didn’t have any suitors in the free agent market and he just thought it was time.  Moss didn’t do much in Oakland, but when he went to New England, he rejuvenated his career, even leading the Patriots to a memorable undefeated season (which was nearly perfect if not for a loss to the Giants in the Super Bowl).  Just an amazing career for Moss.

Elsewhere in the NFL, another tall, athletic receiver was looking for a job:  Plaxico Burress.  Burress was a key component to the New York Giants offense before he was sent to prison for accidentally firing a handgun in a night club.  Many thought that was the end of his career.  But as soon as Burress was released from prison, he was ready to play.  Many thought he would naturally return to the Giants, and many reports indicated that this situation was probable.  But Monday, Burress pulled a fast one and went to the OTHER New York team:  The Jets.  This is a shocker to Giants fans, and will now ignite the rivalry even further.  As for the Jets, this enhances their receiving game in a major way.  They just re-signed Santonio Holmes and they’re very strong at the tight end position.  With the Burress signing, most feel that Braylon Edwards is headed out of town, but free agency still isn’t over, and they may bring in even more offensive options.  The Jets should be very good this season.

Finally, in Denver, there is a very interesting QB battle brewing.  When they traded Jay Cutler to Chicago, the Broncos landed quarterback Kyle Orton in what most believed was a throw away player.  Orton proved in Denver that he could play, even throwing for 41 touchdowns.  It would be easy to dub him the starting quarterback IF… the Broncos didn’t have golden-boy, media-darling, favorite-man-in-America Tim Tebow waiting on the sidelines.  Many experts feel that Orton won’t be a Bronco come opening day because a hapless Broncos franchise is ready for the Tim Tebow era to begin.  Tebow hasn’t proven that he can be successful at the NFL level, but having him as the starter surely means more TV coverage and thus… more money. It may not be the best ‘football’ decision, but potentially a very good business move.

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