A few games later, though, things are looking a little different.
For one, Moss has become a shell of himself, failing to contribute in any tangible way to the Titans' offense. Part of that has been the revolving door (and unnecessary drama) at the quarterback position, which has resulted in Rusty Smith lining up under center.
Still, with just four catches for 49 yards in three games with Tennessee, Moss looks like he'll be having a much tougher time landing that contract in the offseason than he would have if he just finished his current deal in New England.
While Moss is certainly not better off, it's still fair to wonder if the Patriots' offense is better or worse without No. 81.
Really, it's hard to compare, as in many ways it's apples and oranges. With no real deep threat, the entire offense has changed, in terms of plays called and formations used. The addition of Deion Branch — something that would never have happened if Moss had stayed — throws another curveball into that mix.
Still, the Patriots are 6-1 since Moss left. Brady and Branch just turned back the clock to 2004 on Thanksgiving, with the quarterback finishing the day with a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3. Branch doesn't have Moss' speed, but his elusiveness on the 79-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter got the job done just fine.
Without Moss, the Patriots have scored an average of 29 points per game; with him, they scored 30.75. However, if you take out points scored on defense and special teams, the offense averaged 23.25 points with Moss and 28.14 points without him.
Just as important to many fans who yearned for the days of Antowain Smith and Corey Dillon, there's been a rededication to the running game without Moss, with Danny Woodhead and BenJarvus Green-Ellis serving — to the surprise of many — as capable NFL backs.
The Randy Moss trade caught everyone by surprise, and it resulted in emotions ranging from shocked to relieved to angered. Frankly, a lot of fans will be angered simply by reading this headline, as they no longer want to care or think about a player no longer in the system. Unfortunately for them, though, it's a question that will linger over the team until February.
We'll probably never know for sure if the team was better off with Moss or without him, but at this point, what do you think?
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Is the Patriots' offense better without Randy Moss?survey software
