Moss looking for a trade
Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 12:01 am
He tells Fox radio that "moving somewhere else next year" might be best
By Steve Corkran
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
By Steve Corkran
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Raiders wide receiver Randy Moss is "tired" of the frustration he feels playing for a team that has won only six of 25 games since he joined the team before last season and is interested in being traded, he said on his weekly radio spot Friday.
Moss is in his second season with the Raiders and hasn't managed to recapture the magic he showed for most of his seven seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
"It's done sort of set in, man, and I'm tired of it," Moss said on Fox Sports radio. "I might want to look forward to moving somewhere else next year to have another start and really feel good about going out here and playing football."
Moss dropped this latest bombshell three hours or so before the Raiders boarded a plane for Kansas City in anticipation of their game against the Chiefs on Sunday, and four days after he attributed his dropping so many passes this season to his being unhappy.
Raiders coach Art Shell spoke with the media less than an hour before Moss' latest outburst. He was asked if he had spoken with Moss about the comments Moss made Monday afternoon.
"I said what I had to say in the paper," Shell said. "I'm sure he reads the paper. I don't have to say things. Again, guys make statements. I'm not sure they realize what they're saying at the time, or how it looks. I think by the end of the day, they're a little remorseful about it."
Moss, 29, leads the Raiders in receptions, receiving yardage and touchdowns. However, he is on pace for fewer than 1,000 yards -- in a season in which he plays all 16 games -- for the first time in his nine-year career.
Moss said Monday that "I might not be able to do the things I used to do back in the day." That doesn't mean he doesn't care. He said he cares "110 percent."
"I would invite somebody to come in and put the 18 jersey on, see what we go through on a weekly basis and then expect to go out there and perform at our highest level," Moss said Friday. "I guess that's what people see on game day, but they don't see what's behind closed doors through the week."
His drop in production can be traced to groin, rib and back injuries he sustained against the San Diego Chargers in the Raiders' fifth game last season.
He had 19 receptions for 466 yards and two touchdowns in Oakland's first four games last season. He finished with 60 catches for 1,005 yards and eight touchdowns in 16 games. His average yardage dropped from 24.5 per catch to 13.1 after his injury. He is at 13.8 on his 33 receptions this season.
Moss put part of the blame on quarterbacks Aaron Brooks and Andrew Walter, saying they aren't always in sync in terms of things such as timing and where he wants the ball delivered.
"A lot of it has to do with ... the timing of me and the quarterback," Moss said.
The rest, he said, stems from an offensive philosophy by coordinator Tom Walsh that lacks an effective rushing attack and the kind of short passes that make it possible for Moss and other receivers to be effective on intermediate and deep passing routes.
Moss still has two years left on his contract. He joined the Raiders in a trade that cost the Raiders the rights to the No. 7 pick and a seventh-round selection in the 2005 NFL draft, as well as middle linebacker Napoleon Harris.
The Raiders would have to trade Moss after the season or release him at any time for him to play elsewhere. Releasing Moss wouldn't require a significant salary-cap hit.
Shell and Raiders players could not be reached for comment because they were en route to Kansas City. Shell said Friday morning that he doesn't have a problem with his players speaking out, as long as they don't cross the line.
"You go too far, and I have to respond," Shell said.
Notes: Starting left offensive tackle Robert Gallery (groin) and starting center Jake Grove (elbow) "looked good" Friday, Shell said, and are expected to play Sunday. ... Shell said he still hasn't decided whether to start Brooks or Walter on Sunday. He said he wants to view more videotape before making his decision. Brooks and Walter split time with the first-team offense in practice this week. Brooks started Oakland's first two games. Walter started the past seven, while Brooks recovered from a pectoral strain he sustained Sept. 17. ... Chiefs coach Herman Edwards is impressed with the play of Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp. "Their defense is really playing well, especially old 99," Edwards said in a conference call with Bay Area media Wednesday. "(Sapp's) a guy I am very familiar with. He was down in Tampa with us. It is good to see him playing good. He looks like he is having fun again and he is playing well." Edwards coached the defensive backs for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996-2000, when Sapp was carving out a name for himself as one of the game's premier defensive players.
i thought Santana was seeking a trade and i was like "noooooo" 
