March 04, 2005

What Might Have Been, and Other Vikings Notes

ESPN reported today that Vikings owner Red McCombs came close to firing Mike Tice as coach at mid-season. Because Tice is an idiot? Because he sucks at both in-game coaching and handling the team? Actually none of the above- it was because Red wanted to appease Randy Moss! But instead, McCombs has both traded Moss and sold the team; Tice, unfortunately, remains. McCombs will remain owner until the sale to Reggie Fowler is approved- so way to give his coach such a public vote of confidence.

But that’s nowhere near as strange as this ESPN.com piece by former NFL player Alan Grant, on the racial aspects of the Fowler purchase. Making five different arguments that make sense but don’t really fit with one another, Grant eventually leads into this:

While we're on unspoken rules, Ed Gordon of National Public Radio mentioned one recently that applies to black folks in corporate settings. It goes like this: If there are two black people in conversation, it's a business meeting. But if there are three, then it might be perceived as a plot to overtake the power structure. [Guess that's why the Fugees never reunited].

And this brings us to Randy Moss.

While we're awaiting Fowler's confirmation by his soon-to-be peers, there is much speculation about whether he had any say in the trade of Randy Moss to the Raiders. In the week before the deal went down, Fowler said, "No, there will be no trade of Randy Moss."

I'm sure that sounded good to Moss fans. Nevertheless, Moss, the league's best receiver, is packing his bags and heading to Oaktown.

Now for the past seven years, Moss has been responsible for ... oh, say 3/5 of the Vikings' success. But don't you think the joined forces of Daunte Culpepper (field leader), Moss (unshackled field hand) and Fowler (landowner) would have the power to alter the league's structure drastically? Neither the seller (Red McCombs) nor the buyer (Fowler) amassed his wealth without some common sense, so I'm sure no one had to remind either man of this.

Huh? Is Grant trying to argue that the NFL power structure was afraid of having a black owner and two black superstars on the same team? Well, the league doesn’t choose who buys and sells teams and signs or trades players- the individual owners do, in this case, it’s McCombs.

But if McCombs is so afraid of blacks taking over the Vikings, why did he choose to sell the team to Fowler? Why did he trade Moss when he knew he wasn’t going to be owner for much longer? And isn’t it almost certain that whatever receiver the Vikings draft or sign to replace Moss will be black as well? Never mind that McCombs elected to buy the team back when they had a black coach (Dennis Green), in addition to a black quarterback (Randall Cunningham) and two star black receivers (Moss and Cris Carter).

I don’t deny that racism exists in the NFL, and I’m certainly not one to defend Red McCombs. But Grant seems to be constructing something out of nothing on this one.

Speaking of those potential receivers: the Vikes are rumored to be interested in signing Plaxico Burress, the top free agent receiver, to replace Moss. I approve- he's almost as good as Moss, less of a headcase, will get less money, and they can use the Raiders' first-round pick on either defense or a running back. In fact, bringing in Burress makes so much sense, that I'm sure the Vikings won't do it.

And finally, an agreement was reached yesterday between Gov. Tim Pawlenty and several of the state's Indian tribes in order to share profits on a new metropolitan casino. Previously, all Minnesota casinos have been Native American-owned, and been located on reservations and in other rural areas.

The agreement makes no reference to using such revenues for stadium construction, but such an application remains a possibility, and indeed it has been discussed throughout the last decade of Twins/Vikings stadium agitation. Let's hope if negotiations of the kind are re-opened, Pawlenty doesn't hold them in a room in the governor's mansion adorned with a large painting of a battle in which Indians were massacred, as former Gov. Arne Carlson once did.

Posted by Stephen Silver at March 4, 2005 02:01 AM
Comments

NO NO No NO NO!!!!!

Keep Tice, he is the Packers' best hope for success in the NFC North.

Posted by: John B. at March 4, 2005 12:16 PM
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