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ESPN's 30 for 30- Buffalo Bills episode premieres 12/12 (1 Viewer)

I'm looking forward to the part where they talk about what a lazy, me-first player he was.

Oh wait... they won't talk about that at all.

 
I'm sure they'll talk about the piss poor work ethic. Pretty sure they aren't going to frame Randy as a poet and scholar.

There is no denying as a raw talent, he was one of the best ever. When he came to play he was unstoppable and so awesome to watch... Sucks that his record setting season in 2007 they played in a snowy Buffalo week 15 :kicksrock:

 
I wonder if they'll show the play in Oakland where he came to a dead stop on a crossing pattern, resulting in a pick. "Randy don't run on dirt" was the explanation.

In the immortal words of Ricky Watters: "For who? For what?"

Moss symbolizes everything that's wrong with sports. Thank God he'll always have the same amount of Super Bowl rings as me.

 
I say this with all due to respect to the Oakland Raiders, but who in their right ####### mind wants to catch passes from Andrew Walter?

You take a player who was already a headcase and insert him into a :tfp: the end result was going to be fairly obvious.

 
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I'm so excited for this. Randy Moss was always one of my favorite players to watch and probably the most naturally talented player I've ever seen.

 
fantasycurse42 said:
I say this with all due to respect to the Oakland Raiders, but who in their right ####### mind wants to catch passes from Andrew Walter?

You take a player who was already a headcase and insert him into a :tfp: the end result was going to be fairly obvious.
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So you're saying he shouldn't have cashed his paychecks then, right?

 
Raider%20Nation said:
fantasycurse42 said:
I say this with all due to respect to the Oakland Raiders, but who in their right ####### mind wants to catch passes from Andrew Walter?

You take a player who was already a headcase and insert him into a :tfp: the end result was going to be fairly obvious.
Click to expand...
So you're saying he shouldn't have cashed his paychecks then, right?
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It's not his fault that the Raiders thought he could change.
 
Joe Summer said:
Raider%20Nation said:
fantasycurse42 said:
I say this with all due to respect to the Oakland Raiders, but who in their right ####### mind wants to catch passes from Andrew Walter?

You take a player who was already a headcase and insert him into a :tfp: the end result was going to be fairly obvious.
Click to expand...
So you're saying he shouldn't have cashed his paychecks then, right?
Click to expand...
It's not his fault that the Raiders thought he could change.
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Basically this... They knew what they were getting. I'm not defending his actions, but the end result wasn't a surprise.

 
Good, glad we all agree that he was a loafer.

:shrug:

If he had Rice's drive and guts and determination, he would have been the greatest player in the history of the league.

 
Listen, he had massive faults in his game/personality. I get that. But watching him on Sundays was AMAZING, especially early on. I can't compare it, really. Closest I could think in terms of watching raw talent play at such a high level would be the year that Thomas Vanek single-handedly won the national championship for the Gophers (2003). Altogether different but the same feeling that another Holy #### moment was right around the corner. Only a handful of players made me feel like that. Another was Tiger in his prime. There are just those guys that you throw everything else out but his athletic talent and just watch that for its own beauty.

I wasn't happy with his loafing especially when he would freely admit to it. HATED that he called Tinucci's crap food because that place is outstanding.

But I couldn't take my eyes of the TV when the ball snapped and 84 was on the field. There isn't an athlete out there right now that I can say this is true for.

 
TheAristocrat said:
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/there-will-never-be-another-randy-moss/

Rand University airs tonight about Randy Moss. This is a must watch for me but it will be hard to watch the season that I don't speak of anymore (grew up in MN).
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I was living in Minneapolis during Moss's rookie season. My first vivid memory of Moss and the Vikes was Dennis Green being interviewed right after drafting Moss. Denny always looked a bit like a tick about to pop, but he was shaking with excitement - it was the one time I believed a coach on draft day picking in the 20s saying the player they got was #1 on their draft board and can't believe he fell that far.Then there was a conversation with a coworker who was back in the office after taking two days off to go to Mankato to watch training camp. (no shtick. The guy is a superfan.). He couldn't stop taking about how great Moss was, already better than Cris Carter, going to be the best player on the team, drafting him in the third round of the office fantasy football league. Whatever, right? I'd seen the college highlights, but I was skeptical.

Then the Vikings season started. Holy ####.

I know the finish of that season is still tough for lifelong Vikings fans. Heck, an episode of How I Met Your Mother was built around that pain many years later. But that 15-1 Vikings team that just steamrolled through the season was the most fun I've ever had tracking an NFL team.

I'm aware of all the criticisms of Moss the player and the person. I don't contest any of them. There are WRs who had better careers. But I never saw a wideout more talented and more exciting than Randy Moss. He dominated the game from the WR position in a way not even Rice could.

Can't wait to see the old footage of Moss pre-NFL. I'm sure there's a ton of highlights across multiple sports.

 
Michael Vick was that guy for me, especially as a freshman at VT. The way he would take off and gain 30 yards effortlessly, in a blink, was incredible.

 
Bruce Dickinson said:
TheAristocrat said:
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/there-will-never-be-another-randy-moss/

Rand University airs tonight about Randy Moss. This is a must watch for me but it will be hard to watch the season that I don't speak of anymore (grew up in MN).
Click to expand...
I was living in Minneapolis during Moss's rookie season. My first vivid memory of Moss and the Vikes was Dennis Green being interviewed right after drafting Moss. Denny always looked a bit like a tick about to pop, but he was shaking with excitement - it was the one time I believed a coach on draft day picking in the 20s saying the player they got was #1 on their draft board and can't believe he fell that far.Then there was a conversation with a coworker who was back in the office after taking two days off to go to Mankato to watch training camp. (no shtick. The guy is a superfan.). He couldn't stop taking about how great Moss was, already better than Cris Carter, going to be the best player on the team, drafting him in the third round of the office fantasy football league. Whatever, right? I'd seen the college highlights, but I was skeptical.

Then the Vikings season started. Holy ####.

I know the finish of that season is still tough for lifelong Vikings fans. Heck, an episode of How I Met Your Mother was built around that pain many years later. But that 15-1 Vikings team that just steamrolled through the season was the most fun I've ever had tracking an NFL team.
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One of my biggest disappointments as a sports fan was being robbed of an epic Vikings/Broncos SB that year. Everyone knew the Falcons had no shot. Even the Falcons knew the Falcons had no shot. Such a boring game. Can't believe Gary missed that damn kick.

 
I remember the shot of Shanny and the Denver players on the field before the AFCCG. They were GIDDY over Atlanta beating the Vikes. They were already planning the parade.

Probably why they had a terrible 1st half against the Jets that day.

 
Raider Nation said:
I remember the shot of Shanny and the Denver players on the field before the AFCCG. They were GIDDY over Atlanta beating the Vikes. They were already planning the parade.

Probably why they had a terrible 1st half against the Jets that day.
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I was so devastated that day that I remember being in front of the TV for that game and looking at the TV but not watching the play or players or anything. Just eyes unfocused for 3+ hours trying to comprehend what had just happened.

 
TheAristocrat said:
Raider Nation said:
I remember the shot of Shanny and the Denver players on the field before the AFCCG. They were GIDDY over Atlanta beating the Vikes. They were already planning the parade.

Probably why they had a terrible 1st half against the Jets that day.
Click to expand...
I was so devastated that day that I remember being in front of the TV for that game and looking at the TV but not watching the play or players or anything. Just eyes unfocused for 3+ hours trying to comprehend what had just happened.
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Every real fan has a moment like this. As a 49er fan the 2000's were awful and out of nowhere they get to the NFC Championship game in 2012. Hopped a flight, partied like a rockstar for 2 straight days, and then Kyle Williams fumbles twice costing them the game. At the end of a 2 day bender I got interviewed by news walking out of the stadium. I looked like a deranged lunatic. Then had to sit on a red eye that night with 250 Giants fans flying back to NYC.

Prob still not as bad as that loss to Atlanta though, tough break.

 
I can't wait to see this one. I was there in person watching him many times 96-97. I had one interaction with him in person. He was kind of cocky and I know he disliked white people at the time. I'm sure they will get into that in the film...

When he went to the league I started watching the Vikes a lot and they kind of became my 2nd team there for a while. Still remember where I was when the FG was missed.

That was way before I started playing fantasy. I'd have to imagine he was close to #1 adp in 99 after what he did in 98.

If they do this one right it will probably supplant the SMU as my favorite.

 
Raider Nation said:
Michael Vick was that guy for me, especially as a freshman at VT. The way he would take off and gain 30 yards effortlessly, in a blink, was incredible.
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I was almost put the door one Saturday when my roommate said, "Hold on a sec. You have GOT to see this guy playing QB for Virginia Tech." It didn't look real.

If a Vick 30 For 30 isn't already in the works, I'm sure someone is trying to pitch the idea.

 
TheAristocrat said:
Raider Nation said:
I remember the shot of Shanny and the Denver players on the field before the AFCCG. They were GIDDY over Atlanta beating the Vikes. They were already planning the parade.

Probably why they had a terrible 1st half against the Jets that day.
Click to expand...
I was so devastated that day that I remember being in front of the TV for that game and looking at the TV but not watching the play or players or anything. Just eyes unfocused for 3+ hours trying to comprehend what had just happened.
Click to expand...
When the field goal team came out late in the 4th, one of my friends joked about Anderson's perfect streak and how weird it would be if he finally missed one now.

He got a few cans thrown at him after the miss. Most of those cans were empty.

We still bring it up around him during football season. Our goal is to make him go to his grave thinking he's responsible for the Vikes missing the Super Bowl that year.

 
I echo everything said about Moss and his talent. I recall 98 is when I started getting into FF heavier with online leagues and I looked like a genius that year picking up Moss/FTaylor and Cunningham.

 
Looks like this program won't even touch on his NFL career. We're halfway done, and he's not even at Marshall yet. No idea why they didn't carve out two hours for this one.

 
LAUNCH said:
Who in this thing isn't making an excuse for him? Is that the eight man march?
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Yeah, this is bizarre. If the intent here was to make us empathize with him, it's having the complete opposite effect. I dislike him even more than I already did.

 
The general thought is that Randy didn't want to go to WVU because he wanted to get out of the state. Like about 90% of the young people in that state. It wasn't like he wanted to go to Marshall either. The hatred for the state came from his thought that one of the reasons for the charges against him was that he didn't want to play for WVU and go to Notre Dame/Florida/Florida State. While I can see that argument in the northern part of the state definitely, the southern part of WV was strong Marshall

 
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It was okay. Felt it could've been way better. Also don't understand why they're making a 2nd one for the U. 1st was great and set the standard for this series, but I don't see how there's much story left to tell.

 
While well made and interesting, Rand University falls into a bucket of maybe a dozen or so 30 for 30s that are technically sound and thoughtful in its storytelling, but ultimately fall short of being a classic installment due to the scope of the documentary itself.With this group of films, there isn’t anything to dislike about how it’s made, nor can you say that its focus is not interesting, it’s just that the top half of 30 for 30s typically have stories that drill down deeper and have a more lasting impression than Rand University.

The term “Rand University” is a facetious and enduring name for the local hangout in the poor unincorporated small town of Rand, where Randy Moss grew up. Rand doesn’t have their own high school and the town of under 2000 has the barest of Wikipedia pages, but it does have the infamous 7-11 station where locals will go and drink in the parking lot by the dumpsters.

Many local athletes before Moss had stood out at nearby DuPont high school, but for whatever reason found themselves stuck in neutral drinking at “Rand University” rather than going on to an academic institution that didn’t consist of a parking lot, dumpsters, and gas pumps.

If you’re looking for the up and downs of Moss’s NFL career, you’ll be disappointed as half the film focuses on his formative high school years while nearly the rest of the film focuses on his turbulent collegiate career and path to the draft. A string of bad decisions, wrong places at the wrong times, and an unforgiving judicial system threaten to derail the obvious greatness Moss possessed.

The film goes to lengths to show Moss as a product of his upbringing. Not a saint by any means, but often misinterpreted as a troublemaker partially due some of the racial tension in West Virginia. I’m always curious to hear and learn more of the many many unique places within this country that I’ll likely never go, and I did find the look at Moss’ odyssey and the story of Rand itself insightful and interesting.

That said, no deeper narrative really comes to light in the film. Moss had bumps in the road, Moss overcame poverty, and with his playing career and legal situation on thin ice, was able to shelve his rebelliousness and thrive on the football field.

This particular 30 for 30 felt more like a really good E:60 segment as Rand University (perhaps handcuffed by its 1 hour run time) never really spends more than a few minutes on a single incident or topic. Everything is touched upon spanning poverty, race, education, maturity, drugs, growing up in a single parent home, and becoming a father at a young age. However, none of these possible narratives really gets put under a microscope. I don’t know if any of these topics that played a role in Moss’ upbringing warranted a deeper dive, but when compared to the top half of 30 for 30s, those films mostly had more substantive and/or historical looks at those themes.

Moss’ story is interesting and his success only makes his origins that more relevant. Sadly though, large swaths of our favorite athletes have endured similar upbringings and dicey circumstances. With a glut of more condensed storytelling platforms like E:60, Real Sports, 60 Minutes Sports, SC Featured, NFL Films Presents, and A Football Life, the 30 for 30 series has a very high bar to live up to in consistently rising above the pack.

When the smoke clears from Rand University, many will enjoy the film but ultimately find it lacking the emotional or historical potency that the series has for the most part achieved (particularly this season).

From a filmmaking perspective, this documentary is very well done. Being somewhat of a stickler for details, there was little to complain about aside from the ridiculously bulky and oversized shoulder-pads Moss wore in high school (I hope this drives someone else crazy as it looked like he had a set of encyclopedia’s on top of each shoulder). In the end, it’s an enjoyable shorter installment in the 30 for 30 series and one that will bring Moss’ story, struggles, and journey from Rand, West Virginia to a nationwide audience. One worth checking out, but one that might not produce as much water-cooler conversations as previous installments this season.
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http://awfulannouncing.com/2014/30-30-review-rand-university.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=30-30-review-rand-university

 
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