THE RATASS GAZETTE

REVISITING MY PREDICTIONS FOR RANDY MOSS IN 2012 - Back in May when Randy Moss signed with the San Francisco 49ers, I boldly predicted that he would put up numbers to this effect: My Randy Moss Projections for 2012... 64 receptions, 960 yards, 12 TD Actual Randy Moss Totals for 2012... 28 receptions, 434 yards, 3 TD ANALYSIS: I was a little off.   Clearly, I was seeing a huge Moss resurgence after he spent a year away from the game, but I'd figure he'd get close to my projections pretty easily... I predicted 4 catches per game for Moss, and he wound up averaging 1.75 catches per game.  I figured he'd average 15 yards per catch, and I was actually right on the money with that one. He averaged 15.5 yards per catch in 2012.  And I definitely thought he'd play a much bigger role in the red zone, but he managed just 3 touchdowns for the season.  So yeah, I missed the mark on that one by a couple of football fields. But let's move on to the real ...

RANDY MOSS SIGNS WITH THE 49ERS - The San Francisco 49ers made a very wise move and signed future Hall Of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss this past week. Anyone that thinks that Moss is washed up or not worth the "risk" is crazy, and here's why... Did the Niners upgrade at the position? Clearly. Randy Moss' worst year is better than Josh Morgan's best year. That's not just big talk, either. Well, actually it is. Morgan's best year is, in fact, better than Moss' worst year, but it's pretty damn close! Moss' "worst" season (in terms of sheer statistics) was 2006, his final year in Oakland. He posted 42 receptions, 553 yards, and 3 TD in 13 games. Josh Morgan's best season was 2010, when he posted 44, 698, and 2. So Morgan's stats are slightly better, but than again, if you extrapolate Moss' 13 games out to a full 16, Moss's numbers are 52, 680, and 4. The bottom line is, even if you get only 75% of the Moss of old, h...

Well, Super Bowl Sunday is finally here , and it seems like everyone is rooting against Tom Brady.  Why? Good question.  Brady seems to be a humble guy who is beloved by his teammates.  But from the people I've talked to, people really seem to dislike the fact that he's good-looking, dates good-looking women, and his team wins every year (even though that also sounds a lot like Joe Montana, and people seem to love him ).  Well, I'm here to defend Tom Brady because I like watching greatness and because I know he'd do the same for me. I mean, really.  Would you rather see Eli Manning and the Giants win?  Seriously?  Well, if you're still not convinced after I threw a "really" and a "seriously" at you, here are some reasons why you should be rooting for Tom Brady to win Super Bowl XLVI... Underdoggedness... Tom Brady was an unheralded 6th-round draft pick in 2000, only got a chance to play because Drew Bledsoe was injured, plays every seas...

We're over 3/4 of the way through the NFL season and the Minnesota Vikings are 2-11, one of the worst teams in the league.  As the resident Vikings fan on the staff here, I feel I need to address their abysmal performance.  I feel there are some important, burning questions that friends of mine are probably afraid to ask me for fear I may either A) lash out in rage, or B) break down into tears at any given moment. If you've seen the Vikings play this year, it's pretty clear why they're so bad.  Their O-Line is terrible, their rookie quarterback stinks, and their defensive secondary is awful.  I'm not wondering how they got to 2-11, it makes complete sense.  So me, personally, I have no questions... but still there are things that people want to know about the Vikings.  You know, big picture questions.  I'll try my best to answer them, and pardon my French. On to the burning questions... The Vikings suck. How do you feel about that?   - I...

PETERSON'S NEW FACE MASK - Has anyone else noticed that Adrian Peterson has a different face mask these days?  Ever since his college days at Oklahoma, Peterson has always worn the style of face mask seen here... He has worn that style his entire 5-year NFL career, including as recently as Week 4 of the 2011 season against the Chiefs... But when the Vikings played the Cardinals in Week 5, All Day was sporting a new look... He's now wearing a mask popular with wide receivers and quarterbacks, positions where most guys prefer maximum vision. On defense and the offensive line, most guys want full cages because more bars in your face mask means more protection.  Most running backs seem to prefer a fuller cage, too, often preferring the very face mask that Peterson is switching away from.  (The "Deion Sanders-style" face mask also seems to be popular among RB's.) So why is he changing?  Face mask changes are pretty rare.  Ben Roethlisberger and P...

Well, we're here.  The Christian Ponder Era begins.  The Minnesota Vikings have started 1-5, and they're going to turn QB duties over to rookie Christian Ponder in Week 7.  That means veteran Donovan McNabb is headed to the bench, and while the move seems reasonable, I don't necessarily agree with the decision. I've been a McNabb apologist this season.  I honestly don't believe it's McNabb's fault they're 1-5 right now.  The offensive line looks terrible, and it appears releasing Bryant McKinnie before the season was a huge mistake.  It's also not McNabb's fault that Bernard Berrian can't get open and that Percy Harvin was put on a low snap count (for some unexplained reason) early in the season.  Those woes can not be blamed on McNabb.  He's just working with what they gave him, which other than Adrian Peterson, is not much. McNabb has not played poorly this year, and he hasn't played great, either.  His numbers (4 TD, 2 INT, 60...

With the Green Bay Packers dominating the NFL lately, starting 5-0 after winning the Super Bowl last season, much attention has been given to quarterback Aaron Rodgers... and not just because of his gaudy stats.  I recently saw a TV ad for insurance featuring Rodgers, where customers mimic his popular touchdown celebration as they get a discounted rate!  It's actually a pretty funny commercial.  Although I'm a Vikings fan, I can't deny Rodgers' supremacy right now. But of course, even Rodgers would tell you that the Belt Move originated in pro wrestling, where guys have been doing it for years (and where they actually win belts!).  That reminded me of a great piece ESPN ran last year focusing on the Rodgers' TD celebration and featuring an assessment by WWE great Triple H.  This is one of the best clips ESPN has ever aired on Sunday NFL Countdown, check it out!

As the resident Vikings fan on the RATASS Staff, I feel I should weigh in with my take on their off-season maneuvers, so here goes... MOUNT MCKINNIE RELEASED -  I was pretty surprised when I heard the Vikings released Bryant McKinnie, and I was also pretty disappointed.  I know he showed up to training camp out of shape, but I was hoping they would give him some time before they let him go.  Big men like McKinnie do not grow on trees, and he will certainly be hard to replace.  New LT Charlie Johnson seems like a nice enough guy, and the fact that people call him Charlie makes me like him even more, but I seriously doubt he's the blocker Mount McKinnie was.  I'll miss the big guy, and I'm still holding out hope they re-sign him in the future.    Here's how the Vikings O-Line looks at the moment ( according to Vikings.com ): LT - Charlie Johnson LG - Steve Hutchinson C - John Sullivan RG - Chris DeGeare RT - Phil Loadholt Outlook:   U...

MCNABB TO THE VIKINGS - As a long-time Vikings fan, I am excited the team traded for Donovan McNabb.  It means my favorite team will actually be watchable this year!  In a division full of quality QB's (Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler, Matt Stafford), I feared a big step backwards, but it looks like they should be playoff-caliber once again.  I'm not going to lie, I was not looking forward to a season with Christian Ponder as the QB. Who really wants to sit through 16 games of rookie mistakes and bumbling offensive football?  McNabb should take command right away, the veterans should be motivated, and the 2011 season, at the very least, has hope.  I am very much looking forward to the Donovan McNabb Era in Minnesota! Just take a look at that photo of McNabb.  Look at that smile!  How can you not want to play for that guy?!  And THAT is the part of the trade that I like the best:  McNabb is a leader and hopefully the O-Line and the rest of ...