Mike Florio on D&C: Pats ‘want to continue this phony Randy Moss love-fest’

Mike Florio

Mike Florio of profootballtalk.com joined the Dennis & Callahan show Wednesday morning to offer his insight on the latest NFL news, mainly the Randy Moss waiver situation. To hear the interview, go to the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page.

Said Florio: “My first thought when this all went down Monday is that New York had better get ready for Randy Moss, because he fits the profile. … Rex Ryan presses the right buttons and gets maximum performance out of these guys. But the Jets are down near the bottom of the list when it comes down to the waiver priority.”

Florio is convinced the Patriots have no interest in bringing back Moss but might put in a claim anyhow. “I think he’s going to get claimed,” Florio said. “The question is who is he going to get claimed by. I talked to a GM yesterday who said he believes a boatload of teams are going to claim him. The person I spoke to yesterday thinks the Patriots are going to claim him, not because they want him, but because they want to continue this phony Randy Moss love-fest, because it seemed to take a little steam out of him when he played the Patriots on Sunday.”

Added Florio: “The Patriots could do it as a ceremonial gesture. And anybody who gets it realizes the Patriots have no desire to get him. But as long as it makes Randy Moss think he’s love by the Patriots, then that advances whatever this weird agenda is to have man-hugs with Randy Moss after you play him, which is better than seeing Randy Moss celebrate touchdowns when you play him.”

Florio said the Patriots are playing it smart, and Sunday’s game is Exhibition A. “The point isn’t to get Randy Moss,” he said. “The point is to get Randy Moss continuing to believe that everybody in New England loves him. Which, it worked. He was not nearly as motivated and driven and passionate on Sunday as we’ve seen him in past instances. And I don’t know whether it’s because he was fed up with the Vikings or he was longing for the Patriots. But we saw what he said after the game, and all the bouquets to the Patriots players and coach Bill Belichick. Something caused the guy not to reach out and catch the ball that was falling down.”

Added Florio: “I think the Patriots have been very careful in their separation from Randy Moss not to say or do anything that would give him extra external motivation when he would face the Patriots again. And I think they’ve taken it to another level with the love-fest. Why not continue to perpetrate that? You don’t know where you’re going to meet this guy. He could be on your regular-season schedule, he could be on your postseason schedule, you could see him in the Super Bowl. And that’s why Bill Belichick, as Randy Moss says, is the greatest coach of all-time.”

Another controversial player, Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman, also was placed on waivers Monday. “I think that you’re going to see somebody make a claim on Shawne Merriman,” Florio said. “There’s enough desperate teams out there that think if he comes in healthy, he can help a bad team get better.”