Moss: 'It's really another game'

Randy Moss, the Vikings wide receiver who seldom talks to press, agreed to talk to me Thursday about his feelings on going back to face the Patriots on Sunday.

Yes, it was a brief conversation, but it was to the point, just like Randy.

"No, it's really another game to me, but people are not really looking at it that way because I just left there," Moss said. "You know me. I don't want to go in as an individual because it's a team sport, so hopefully the team is ready to step up to the challenge and hopefully go in there and get a victory."

Moss played three full seasons for New England, going to a Super Bowl, before getting traded back to the Vikings after playing four games for the Patriots this season. His last game against the Patriots was in 2005, when with Oakland he caught five passes for 130 yards and a touchdown in a 30-20 loss to New England.

While there has been a lot of speculation as to why Moss was traded, a lot of people close to the Patriots believe that team owner Robert Kraft didn't want to pay Moss the big bucks when he becomes a free agent after the season. And Kraft might have been convinced the Cowboys or the Vikings would outbid him.

Moss is not the only so-called superstar that the Patriots have traded, and money often has been a big part of those decisions. In September 2009, they sent standout defensive lineman Richard Seymour, who still was in his prime, to the Raiders for a first-round draft pick.

Praises Moss Kraft said that he is excited to see Moss return to Gillette Stadium and had some good words to say about the wide receiver.

"[Moss] created a certain buzz and electricity in our locker room," Kraft told the Boston-area media. "He was special and unique. He made many contributions to the Patriots.

"You think of the '07 season, which was really remarkable. Unfortunately, we didn't win a championship, but we accomplished something very special and he was a big part of that. He and [Tom Brady] broke the record for quarterback-receiver touchdowns, so he's a great player."

Kraft said he expects Moss to have a good game.

"I'm sure he'll be motivated," Kraft said. "We still have affection for him. When he was here, he made certain commitments to me of how he would play and conduct himself, and he did that, so we thank him for what he did for us."

Irish teammates Sunday's game will find Eden Prairie High School product Mark LeVoir on the Patriots roster while his former teammate on the Notre Dame offensive line will be with the Vikings in center John Sullivan.

Sullivan started Sunday's game at Green Bay after missing two games because of a calf injury and is expected to be in the lineup again Sunday. LeVoir, not a starter, has been inactive the past two weeks after playing in all four games for New England before its bye week.

Sullivan and LeVoir were starting teammates from 2003 to '05 and still are good friends, with Sullivan playing in LeVoir's charity golf tournament here last summer.

"He's real big, athletic, and a good player," Sullivan said about LeVoir.

Speaking of their college careers together, Sullivan said: "In 2003 [under coach Tyrone Willingham] I didn't start but Mark was starting at guard, and in 2005 [under Charlie Weis] he was the starting tackle and I the starting center and we went to the BCS."

Sullivan has been injured much of this season but said: "I'm getting better every day. The training staff has done a great job helping me get along and improve each and every day. You know, the key is just to get warmed up. As long as I can get my legs warm, I feel pretty good, but that can take a little time."

Sullivan said the injuries have been very frustrating, but added that the important thing is to just stay positive and put in the work that it takes to get better.

He praised his replacements Ryan Cook and John Cooper, saying: "They both took turns filling in and both did a great job. They played very well."

Brady knows his coach With all the talk in the media about the relationship between Vikings coach Brad Childress and Brett Favre, Brady was asked at his weekly news conference this week about his relationship with Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Specifically, the quarterback was asked if when watching film together, is the coach ranting and raving or is he more matter-of-fact? "A little of both," Brady replied. "He's always pretty tough, so it's nothing that we wouldn't expect from him and nothing that we haven't seen from him in the past. But, if we're not playing at our best, we're going to hear about it."

Speaking then of the Vikings, Brady said: "We've certainly got to play our best this week. This is as good a defense as probably there is with the way they rush the passer, the athleticism they have at linebacker, some real playmakers in the secondary. We've got to execute really well."

Jottings • Twins President Dave St. Peter said the club is talking to the Atlanta Braves about playing two exhibitions in Georgia before heading for the 2011 season opener in Toronto. ... Had the Twins beaten the Yankees and played host to Texas for Games 1, 2, 6 and 7 of the American League Championship Series, St. Peter said they would have had perfect baseball weather at Target Field. And had the Twins advanced to the World Series, the weather forecast for Game 3 on Saturday night is for temperatures in the 50s.

• A headline on the Columbus Dispatch website: "Gophers defense has plenty of holes: Inexperienced unit ranks near bottom nationally." Then the story points out that the Gophers have yielded more yards per play (6.89 yards) than any other Football Bowl Subdivision team; that their yards allowed per carry (5.51) and per pass (8.94) rank third worst in the nation; and that their sack total of three is the nation's worst. They also add that the Gophers rank 100th in scoring defense, yielding an average of 31 points, and that they gave up 41 to South Dakota. This should be good bulletin-board material for the Gophers.

• At Monday's Golden Gopher Fund Annual Banquet for recognizing endowed scholarship student-athletes and donors, Dave and Linda Mona were awarded the 2010 Director's Award, the highest award that the school athletic department gives. Volleyball player Lauren Gibbenmeyer and basketball player Blake Hoffarber were honored with awards for being the top female and male scholars among Gophers athletes.

Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on WCCO AM-830 at 6:40, 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. • shartman@startribune.com