Stop the bleeding

Minnesota receiver Randy Moss is seeking $100 million for his new contract. Suggestion to the Vikings' owner: while you're at it, throw in a defense.

The score of last year's NFC Championship game between the New York Giants and the Vikings was 41-0. The Vikes were sixty minutes from the Super Bowl and ended up with an embarrassing goose egg to show for it.

Check out the reigning world champs of football, the Baltimore Ravens. We all know that defense brought the Vince Lombardi trophy to Baltimore. Yet no player on the Ravens roster is asking or receiving anything near the kind of dollars Moss is asking for. Remember the Star Trek movie where cool, pointy-eared Spock told cheesy but likeable Captain Kirk, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few"? Same thinking applies to team sports, doesn't it? So how can so many dollars be justified toward a single player?

One answer is the market. Randy Moss catches a football for a living. Right now, he's the best at doing that. The best players are paid the best. Randy Moss fills stadium seats. People pay to see him perform. The more who see Moss play, the more he is paid. But in these times of free agency, salary cap issues and galactic stadium costs, owners might want to spread the dough more evenly among defensive and offensive stars.

Bringing us back to the world champion Ravens. Fumble recoveries last year by the Ravens defense, 42. The Ravens' opponents, 26. Bearing in mind that fumble recoveries are potential points on the board. Third down conversions for the Ravens' opponents, 72 for 211 attempted. Compare that to the Vikings' opponents, 92 for 202 attempted. The Ravens logged 23 interceptions last year. The Vikings, 8. Bearing in mind again that interceptions can also be turned into points.

Consider the gap between touchdowns scored by Baltimore vs. their opponents, 32 to 18. Vikings, 47 to their opponents 42. Doesn't take much to figure out that stopping the other guys from scoring greatly increases your chances of winning the game.

We've heard the mantra, "Defense wins championships," but is Minnesota listening? Do they care? With the departure of John Randle, the bleeding wound in the Viking defense just got bigger. Without a defensive investment and overhaul, Randy Moss, no matter what he's paid, is just a band-aid.

So, is Moss worth the $100 million he's asking for? Sure, pay him whatever. Just know that it won't guarantee the Vikings a trip to the next Super Bowl.