Trading down

Thanks for killing my buzz, Bill Belichick. I was looking forward to basking in the glow of the Pats big road win for the next two weeks while getting ready for the rematch with the Ravens at Gillette. As I was sitting eating a Five Guys burger (cheese, lettuce, pickles, tomato, ketchup, mayo -- excellent) with two of my daughters, my nephew Steve sent me a short and not-so-sweet text: "Umm, what the ----, we just traded Randy Moss?"

So much for enjoying that burger. And the next two weeks.

MOSS: Still a great catch.

I learned long ago not to get too attached to the players you root for. Two words: Bobby Orr. When you are 14-years-old and the greatest hockey player to ever play the game leaves the Bruins and goes to Chicago, well, let's just say you get an early life lesson in how pro sports work.

Randy Moss is no Bobby Orr. But as I sat watching "The Social Network" at the theater in the shadow of Gillette Stadium, I thought letting Moss go in Week 5 of the season in exchange for a draft pick when you already have a stadium full of picks makes no sense. Your chances of winning just dropped dramatically.

There will certainly be a group of the shrill voices on sports blab radio that will say good riddance. Felger being the leader of that group. Moss will be described as selfish, a distraction, a guy who took plays off, a problem. I guess Felger and the like have access to the Pats locker room and film rooms that the rest of us don't. All I have to go on is what I saw on TV and from section 109. I saw a guy who not only made amazing catches but one who had fun while playing and who had a respect for the game and the team. Is he a bit of a character? Of course. He's a superstar wide receiver. But he's not T.O. or even Ochocinco. Moss always seemed to me a guy who just wanted to play and be recognized for his unworldly talents.

When Moss made his appeal to be signed to a contract extension after the first game this year, every player that was asked said they love having him as a teammate. If they didn't feel that way they would have said nothing. Brady has often said he's the smartest player he's ever played with. And has often said Moss is one of his best friends. A distraction? A problem? I didn't see it from my seat.

Randy Moss wasn't a favorite of mine before he came to the Patriots. In fact, I was not in favor of them trading for him. Shows what I know. He's been a fun guy to root for. Lots of fun. I never imagined I'd own a Moss Patriots T-shirt. I'll be wearing it proudly to Gillette the rest of the year.

If my brother Jim wasn't in Morocco right now adjusting to life in the Peace Corps, he would probably say the same thing he said when we heard the Pats had traded Richard Seymour before last season. "Belichick knows they can't win the Super Bowl so he's giving up on this year to get picks for the future." I didn't agree with him about Seymour because 1) I thought Seymour's best days were behind him and 2) the Pats got what could be a top 10 pick for him. But it's hard not to see this move as hurting your chances to win that fourth Lombardi this year in exchange for hoarding picks for the future.

Brandon Tate (who I just added to my fantasy team, named Moss Racing) is a promising young receiver. But any suggestion that he can fill Moss's gloves is a stretch. There's no way the team can replace him. Yes, they have Welker and the tight ends. But without Moss, they might find it a lot harder to get open. A lot harder. One thing you can see when watching the game from the stands, even on those plays when Moss is not involved, he is involved because half the defense is keeping an eye on him,

Listening to the NFL Network, ESPN, and all the other sports reports this morning I heard this a lot: "This is a good deal for the Patriots' future. They now have six picks in the first three rounds of the draft next year. For the 2012 or 2013 Patriots, this is a great deal."

2012? 2013? I was still enjoying Randy Moss and the 2010 New England Patriots.

I'm going to enjoy them a little less now.