Bring him back

Randy Moss wanted out of New England just one month ago, but after being released by the Minnesota Vikings, the controversial wide receiver should get a look from the Patriots if he clears waivers

Did Randy Moss know this was coming?

Following Sunday's loss to New England at Gillette Stadium, in which Moss only had one reception for eight yards and was only targeted twice, the former Patriots receiver not only lashed out at his own teammates and coaching staff, but he also went out of his way to throw high praise at New England's entire organization.

He called Bill Belichick the "best coach in football history" and proclaimed his love for all of his former Patriots teammates, while donning a Red Sox cap.

Two days later, the Vikings officially put Moss on waivers.

Now, teams have 24 hours to put a claim in on Moss. The team with the worst record that claims him will then acquire Moss and the remaining $3.39 million of his 2010 salary.

But there's a chance that nobody puts in a claim, meaning that Moss would be able to sign with any team he wants. In that instance, Minnesota would still owe Moss his $3.39 million, and the team that signs him would only have to pay $450,000.

If it ever got to that point, where Moss cleared waivers and could sign with the team of his choice for an ever-so-low total of $450, 000, he made it pretty clear after Sunday's game that he wants to come back to New England.

There are some media members and fans that don't want to even give that thought -- Moss returning to New England -- a shot. They already have their opinions on Moss, about how he ruins teams and is nothing but a headache.

To them, Moss being released by the Vikings is just another example of that, and there's nothing else to this story.

It's the bed that Moss made for himself a long time ago during his first stint in Minnesota. It continued in Oakland. And now, some believe his "me-first" vibe took its course with the Patriots and Vikings all in the same season.

But those people don't want to look at the situations at hand. They just want to look at the person. They see Moss, and they see a selfish, destructive character. Again, it's what Moss once was, that leads them to believe this type of selfish, destructive character still exists within.

And maybe it does. Maybe it existed last Friday, when Moss reportedly caused a scene and criticized a post-practice meal at a local Minnesota restaurant. Maybe it existed when he returned to Minnesota, only to learn that his coach and quarterback didn't agree on much at all. Maybe it existed when his teammates and coaches didn't listen to his tips on what the Patriots would do against them on Sunday. Maybe.

But one thing is for sure. It didn't exist after Sunday's game when he praised the Patriots. It didn't exist when he said he had "missed the hell" out of them. It didn't exist when he "saluted" the best coach in "football history."

But again, it's all situational. For three seasons and change, Moss wasn't an issue in New England. Why? Because he was in a good situation.

The Patriots traded him because he asked for it. Moss asked for a trade because the Patriots told him they weren't going to sign him after the season, when he becomes a free agent. The Patriots told him they weren't going to sign him because their offense is evolving and his skills are diminishing.

Moss didn't like his role in that "evolving" offense because it's a contract year, and will probably be the last chance of his career to sign a big deal. And what type of contract would Moss get if he was used as a decoy all season in New England?

So Moss and Belichick got together after the Week 4 Miami game, and they decided it would be best for each party to part ways. The Patriots would get a third-round draft pick, and be able to bring back a guy in Deion Branch who knows the offensive system that the team was trying to get back to. Moss would be able to go put up big numbers in a high-powered Minnesota offense that consisted of quarterback Brett Favre and running back Adrian Peterson, all while being a Super Bowl contender, and raising his price tag for the upcoming offseason.

Everyone wins.

Fast forward to four weeks later, and the only party winning is New England. The Vikings are 2-5. Their coach and quarterback don't see eye-to-eye. And even worse for Moss? They're using him as a decoy. The same way the Patriots began to use him, at times, through the first four weeks of the season.

And just like in New England, that type of double-coverage and help over-the-top that defenses use against Moss had opened up Percy Harvin's game, and as Favre put it after Sunday's loss, had made Harvin a "better player."

"He's gotten a coverage that is going to allow him to win," said Favre. "And we're doing some things from a route standpoint, by Randy's coverage, what he's drawing, it's enabling our other guys to get open. And I think that's one of the things I know that New England had done with him.

"[Moss] isn't going to catch 10-12 passes a game," added Favre. "That's not, I mean, he could, but it's what he does to the underneath coverage. And I think we're doing a pretty decent job of taking advantage of that."

Two days later, Moss is put on waivers. Teams have 24 hours to put in a claim. If everybody passes, Moss can go wherever he wants, as long as that team will accept him for $450,000.

And judging from his postgame comments on Sunday, he wants to return to New England. What you saw in that press conference, was a man who had realized that, at this point in his career, being a decoy maybe isn't such a bad thing after all. Moss sounded like a man of regret. He was a veteran who was willing to accept his role.

But if you're going to swallow your pride and be a decoy, why not do it on a 6-1 team that has a chance of winning a Super Bowl? Why not be a decoy for players that you love and miss the hell out of?

That's what Moss wants. He wants to accept his role. But he also wants to win. And after seeing how Minnesota used him, and after coming to grips with that "decoy" role, it would be in Moss' best interest to take off and run with it.

Because at the end of the day, that's what this is all about. It's about Moss' contract after this season. If it wasn't, Moss would have never been traded from the Patriots. And believe it or not, New England would still be 6-1.

Moss wants a new deal. Accepting his new role gives him the opportunity to go to teams in the offseason and tell them that he's the best decoy in the league, and that nobody in the NFL attracts double coverage and opens up other receivers better than he does.

It's something that Moss now has to do. And believe it or not, he has everything to lose. Because of that, the Patriots should bring him back, if he clears waivers.

Moss already grew up once in New England. It would be in his best interest to do so again.

Danny Picard is on Twitter @DannyPicard