The Patriots' draft day mistake

Most NFL fans and the national media should have no trouble predicting the winner of Super Bowl XLII in Arizona, right? The New England Patriots will win because of their free agent acquisitions, the strength of their draft and the crown jewel of the off-season, Randy Moss.

Or so the conventional wisdom has it.

I am not buying this. And it is not because I am a World Champion Indianapolis Colts fan.

I think the Patriots made a huge mistake with Randy Moss because the Patriots have a system, and Randy Moss represents everything their system is not. The Patriots bring in "Patriots guys": guys who are selfless in play, play a specific role on the team and have the skills and abilities that fit their system. They also value character much in the way the Colts value character. In fact, when you compare how the Patriots and Colts select players for their team, it becomes really difficult to separate the two methods. The Colts favor an offensive minded approach while the Patriots favor a defensive minded approach, but the differences end there. Both teams build with the draft, re-sign their own and resist the temptation to participate in the fantasy football action that occurs every March 1st when NFL player contracts expire. It is no coincidence that these two teams have such a fierce rivalry and always find themselves pitted against each other in the playoffs. They utilize a system that works, and they stay true to their system.


Beginning of the end in New England

The Patriots deviated this time. Randy Moss represents all that is wrong with professional athletes: he refuses to hustle on every play and instead choses to hustle when he is the primary option; he lets his teammates down, like when he walked off the field before the end of a game; and he gets into trouble off the field with drugs, law enforcement, etc. In short, he is a clubhouse cancer. And the worst sort of cancer. This is not a Corey Dillon situation who the Patriots signed after becoming disgruntled in Cincinnati. Dillon has no real off-the-field record of misbehavior; his issues stemmed from his perception that the Bengals would never win. That made Corey and easy fix because the promise of winning a Super Bowl was enough to ease his pain.

The promise of a Super Bowl will not solve Randy Moss. Randy has a history of bad behavior, most of which have nothing to do with football, and old habits die hard. Even the promise of a Super Bowl will not be enough to keep him at ease when the going gets tough. And the moment he takes one play off for Belichick, the honeymoon in Foxboro will come to an end and the clubhouse distraction will begin. Randy Moss is not Terrell Owens, but he is close. Randy is someone who a team contending for a Super Bowl should never consider.

The Patriots move reeks of desperation. The Patriots have made several out-of-character moves since Marlin Jackson intercepted that pass in the RCA Dome. Some of them, like signing Adalias Thomas, make a whole lot of sense. Others, like Randy Moss, seem desperate and destructive.

If there is a team that can solve Randy Moss, it is the Patriots. But I am not betting on it. The Patriots won the off-season, but the World Champions, who stayed true to their plan, are still poised to win the war.

Again.