National Football League

Titans, Moss could be a good fit

Published Nov. 3, 2010 1:00 a.m. ET

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Well, it didn’t take long for Randy Moss to find a new home after officially being waived by the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday. But who saw the Tennessee Titans, the team that passed him up for wide receiver Kevin Dyson in the 1998 draft, being the team that would land him? Certainly not yours truly. But while many didn’t see it coming, there are strong reasons Tennessee was willing to add such a strong personality, and quite a different player, to its mix.

If there’s a coaching staff that can handle Moss, it’s this one. Coach Jeff Fisher and his staff handled cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones and defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth in the past quite well. Fisher did his homework on the mercurial Moss. He’s well aware of the mood swings, the crazy press conferences and all that is Moss.

Fisher, who has never won a Super Bowl, likely sees Moss as one of the final chess pieces in a season in which the path to the final prize is wide open. Never has the NFL had so much parity or competitive balance.

And it’s not just Fisher who wanted Moss; Tennessee players had been lobbying management in the past 24 to 48 hours to bring him in. In fact, Fisher anticipated it happening when the news broke Monday that Minnesota would be waiving Moss.

“I bet every player in the building would come in my back door and say, ‘Go get him, go get him,’” he said.

Fisher was right: It didn’t take long.

Running back Chris Johnson and safety Michael Griffin, two of the most popular players on Tennessee’s roster, were quite vocal they wanted Moss. But the team had other reasons why it wanted him.

With second-year wide receiver Kenny Britt dealing with a hamstring injury that could keep him out for several weeks, Tennessee, like Minnesota, was looking for a deep threat. But had Britt not gotten hurt last week against the San Diego Chargers, would Tennessee even have wanted Moss?

So it appears what didn’t work in Minnesota, and in New England before, might actually work out well for the Titans — and they’re willing to pay around $3.4 million to find out.

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