Now, that's a wake-up call.

One that made me want to go back to bed and pull the covers over my head.

Randy Moss is on his way to Minnesota?

Well then, say goodbye to those already, pretty-much-pie-in-the-sky, Super Bowl hopes -- defense wins championships, remember, and the Patriots don't have one; at least not one of Super Bowl-caliber.

And say goodbye, perhaps, to the playoffs, too.

That was my first thought when, having caught up on my sleep after a couple of short nights while in Miami, I wandered into my kitchen and was told I'd "missed the big news."

"What big news?" I mumbled.

"Randy Moss has been traded to Minnesota."

"Yeah, right."

"No, really."

It's a really, really, bad thing for the Pats that Moss is headed to the Vikes.

Randy is the man who opened things up for everyone else in the New England offense.

He is the Patriots' only genuine deep threat, a guy who takes two defenders with him every time he runs toward the end zone.

He makes plays that no one else on the team -- heck, no one else in the NFL -- can make.

Such as that one-handed, touchdown catch behind Darrelle Revis against the Jets at the Meadowlands in Week Two.

In my 35 years of covering the NFL, Jerry Rice is the best wide receiver I've ever seen.

But, in his three-plus seasons in New England, I've seen Moss make plays I don't think Rice could have made.

By sending him off to Minnesota, it's as if the Patriots are writing off their playoff chances.

Without the threat of Moss going deep, the Pats are not a threat to go deep into the playoffs.

Gone is the euphoria following Monday night's marvelous game in Miami.

Randy Moss is gone, taking the Pats' playoff hopes with him.