Randy Moss spoke for about 15 minutes. He stressed several times how happy he was to be in Minnesota, and his eyes lit up when asked about his anticipation for Monday night’s game.
He also did not say anything negative about the Patriots, and when asked if he wanted to be traded from New England, he said, “I don’t know.”
He did speak glowingly of Bill Belichick, saying that the coach gave him an opportunity that not many were willing to give him. With Belichick speaking highly of Moss earlier in the day, the idea that the two had such a bad fight that a trade was forced seems a bit far-fetched.
As far as the next time we all get to hear from Moss? It might be a while.
4 p.m.: And with that, the news conference is over.
Favre was asked about the photos he allegedly sent to Jenn Sterger with the Jets, but he predictably didn’t have much to say.
3:55 p.m.: Favre, who tried to get Moss to Green Bay in 2007, said it’s somewhat surreal to finally be teammates with him.
“I feel a lot of pressure. More than I thought I was going to feel,” Favre said.
3:54 p.m.: Favre, wearing an ice pack on his throwing arm, said it’s not a big concern. What a gunslinger. This guy’s boring. Can Randy come back?
3:51 p.m.: Favre was asked if Moss was the answer to the Vikings’ offensive woes?
He was hesitant to really throw this year’s offense under the bus, though.
3:47 p.m.: “How could you not want to play with a guy like that?” Favre says of Moss.
3:46 p.m.: “We’re happy to have him,” Favre says.
3:45 p.m.: Moss is all done, with Moss making a joke about the Vikings’ scandal on a boat a few years back.
Moss refused to say anything negative about the Patriots, and he didn’t show any displeasure toward Bill Belichick. Interesting.
Brett Favre is up next.
3:42 p.m.: “I had a few mix-ups but who didn’t? What if I had been on that boat? Then there really would have been some problems.”
Wow. That is how you end a news conference.
3:40 p.m.: “I was very depressed,” Moss said of his departure from Minnesota. “Me going to Oakland and not winning games put me in a deeper depression.”
3:38 p.m.: What me and Coach Belichick talked about, I don’t really want to make public. The respect I have for him as a man speaks high volumes because Bill is the one who brought me to New England.
“Me being in New England — that was something special. … Not that I’m gone, I’m not going to say anything negative, I’m not going to bash the organization, because they gave me an opportunity.”
“He said he wishes me the best but not in the [Oct. 31 game in New England].”
3:37 p.m.: Moss looked like a little kid talking about how excited he’ll be on Monday night.
3:37 p.m.: “This running game can go when it wants to go.”
Take that, BenJarvus Green-Ellis!
3:36 p.m.: Moss says he “might have lost a step” but he’s still faster than most players in the NFL.
3:35 p.m.: When asked about his controversial past in Minnesota, Moss demonstrably said, “Next question! Next question!”
3:35 p.m.: Moss is talking about his charitable efforts right now. You don’t see that too often. He does plenty of it, he just doesn’t publicize it much.
3:33 p.m.: “I’m not coming here to try to be vocal. I’m just coming here to play.”
3:32 p.m.: Moss said he was “excited” to be catching passes from Brett Favre, adding that he’s been blessed to go from a Brady/Belichick combo in New England to Favre in Minnesota.
3:32 p.m.: “The people that I meet on the regular outside the state of Minnesota is me being in the purple 84.”
And don’t worry — Moss still owns his “purple truck with the 84 inside.”
3:31 p.m.: “I don’t really want to get into contracts. Some things in New England didn’t go according to plan, and you see I’m here now. … I think everything will work itself out.”
3:31 p.m.: “Did I wanna get traded from New England? I don’t really know what the answer is.”
3:30 p.m.: Did it hurt to be traded?
“No, I’ve been traded before. It hurt more when I was traded [from the Vikings].”
3:30 p.m.: Moss says he “guesses” his trade was part of God’s plan.
He then said he “didn’t want to get into” the reasons behind the trade.
3:28 p.m.: Moss says he never stopped paying close attention to the Vikings over the years. He also urged the fans to pull out their No. 84 jerseys on Monday night.
3:26 p.m.: “Come on, we waitin on ya!” Moss begins.
“I’m very fortunate to be back home where it all started,” he said.
3:24 p.m.: Childress is all done, and he didn’t say anything all that interesting. Well, maybe he did, I’m not sure. I fell asleep.
3:23 p.m.: Two questions left for Mr. Childress. Then it’s time for Randy.
3:21 p.m.: Childress doesn’t seem to have an exact plan ready for his offense. Stunning development.
3:18 p.m.: “He looked good. He looked right at home,” Childress said.
3:16 p.m.: I’ve literally never been happier to see Brad Childress. The conference is under way. He’s babbling about how good the Jets are. Let’s get to the point here, Chilly.
3:13 p.m.: Is Moss sending a message here? He might be saying, “I’m here on my own time.”
He’s been bottled up in Foxboro for a few years, so it might make sense.
3:04 p.m.: Word out of the New England locker room is that Moss was the one who forced his way out. Nobody officially said it, but that was the general mood, according to reports.
3:02 p.m.: Randy Moss is keeping the world waiting. Such is life.
2:50 p.m.: I’m looking forward to some gems from Moss this afternoon, but at the same time I’m worried that he won’t say much.
Everyone in New England is anxious to see if he’ll shed some light on the reasons behind his trade.
Bill Belichick said he would do just that earlier when he took the podium in Foxboro, but he basically said:
1. The trade wasn’t due to some confrontation that took place over the past week.
2. Tom Brady had nothing to do with the trade.
3. The Patriots simply did what was “best for the football team.”
Thanks, Bill.
2:35 p.m.: The Vikings know a thing or two about suspense — the conference has been pushed back to 3 p.m.
It’s like the Brett Favre retirement saga all over again.
2:34 p.m.: We’re still waiting for the man of the hour, but we’ve got a Vikings staff member holding up a small card to let everyone white balance their cameras! Exciting.
2:11 p.m.: Well, this conference has been pushd back to 2:30 p.m. Until then we wait. Here are 20 thoughts on the Moss trade to bide your time.
1:39 p.m.: It should be noted that the exact time of this meeting is not scheduled, as it depends on the length of the Vikings’ practice.
So if you’re not seeing updates right at 2 p.m., that would be why.
12:50 p.m.: When Randy Moss speaks, it’s usually worth listening. When he’s traded in one of the bigger trades in recent NFL history, that’s definitely the case.
The Vikings’ newest wide receiver — and Brett Favre’s newest favorite weapon — will speak to the media in Minnesota at 2 p.m. We’ll have updates throughout the entire meeting, which is supposed to include Favre and head coach Brad Childress.
Because of the tenor of Moss’ recent relations with the media (tilted San Francisco Giants hats, checkered shirts and random rants after a win), and because of the mystery with which Moss was traded to Minnesota, this one should be interesting.
Check back around 2 p.m. EST for live updates of Moss’ news conference.
