Money Talks and Reality Walks, Except for Leinart

A tale of two sound bites coursing across the TV airwaves Friday:

* Minnesota Viking wide receiver Randy Moss, talking about being fined $10,000 by the NFL for last Sunday’s mock moon at Lambeau Field: “It ain’t nothin’ but 10 grand. What’s 10 grand? To me? [Expletive.] Next time, I might shake my [expletive].”

* USC quarterback Matt Leinart, at a news conference at Heritage Hall: “I think the most important thing I’ve learned about this week is that to do what’s best for myself and my family. To gather information, to take it in, but ultimately do what’s going to make me happy. And furthermore, I’ve announced that I’m going to be coming back for my fifth year.”

Who said money corrupts?

Leinart’s decision to return for his senior season at USC, and the public’s reaction to it, lends insight into our current culture, where an entire new genre of television programming -- they call it reality TV -- has sprung up because of the early 21st-century assumption that Americans fall into one of two groups: those who will debase themselves doing anything for money, and those who enjoy watching people debase themselves doing anything for money.

Half an hour before Leinart’s announcement, ESPNews showed the results of an ESPN.com poll that asked fans to predict Leinart’s decision. Sixty-six percent said they believed Leinart would enter the NFL draft.

Then Mel Kiper Jr. went on camera to reiterate his contention that Leinart would be the top pick in April’s NFL draft, which was one man’s opinion about a draft class lacking a slam-dunk No. 1 prospect, with or without Leinart’s involvement.

Minutes before Leinart’s news conference -- televised live by both ESPNews and Fox Sports Net West -- Kiper was asked to make his projection as to what the USC junior would do.

“What I would do, personally, is come out,” Kiper said. “I would leave USC and come out as the first pick overall, to the San Francisco 49ers, most likely. From a business standpoint, the best decision would be to come out. From a football standpoint, the best decision would be to come out.

“But personally, Matt Leinart has to assess college life [and the chance for] three national championships, another Heisman, maintaining that top pick overall situation if in fact he has a great year next year.”

And after Leinart announced his decision to stay?

Kiper: “Really, I think it was a personal decision. He said it: It was Matt Leinart doing what’s best for Matt Leinart at this stage of his life.... Let’s hope for Matt Leinart that he stays injury-free, does the same next year that he did this year in terms of putting up big numbers and then he’ll be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft. The only concern is injury and the fact that you’re leaving millions of dollars on the table.”

On FSNW, football analyst and USC alum John Jackson said he was “somewhat surprised by the decision Matt made.”

“I thought he would go to the NFL for the reasons of money,” Jackson added. “I thought it would be a financial decision....

“I totally respect his decision because oftentimes we hear about players going too early, getting greedy, wanting to come out and make that money really fast. But how about giving him some credit for staying? He’s one of the few guys that have stayed -- Coach [Pete] Carroll mentioned it, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning also had the chance to come out as juniors. They stayed for their senior year. That paid off, and I think the same thing will hold true for Matt Leinart.”

On ESPN, John Clayton said Leinart’s decision to stay effectively eliminated Carroll from the 49ers’ coaching derby.

“Absolutely,” he said. “He eliminated himself from the very beginning. He wants to stay, just like Matt Leinart did.... At this stage, [the 49ers] will make a decision next week. And it won’t be Pete Carroll.”

Meanwhile, back in Randy Moss’ world, the NFL stages its quarterfinals this weekend:

TODAY

* New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers

(Channel 2, 1:30 p.m.)

The Steelers defeated the Jets last month, 17-6, and CBS’ Phil Simms says that result is not encouraging for the Jets in Round 2. In the first game, Simms said earlier this week, Pittsburgh “was there for the taking.” “Pittsburgh had just been through a tough stretch,” he added. “It was a tired and beat-up football team. The Jets had some chances to get the Steelers on the ropes, and they couldn’t do it.... So don’t be misled by the score of the last Jets-Steelers game. It was a much bigger game for the Jets than it was for the Steelers.”

* St. Louis Rams at Atlanta Falcons

(Channel 11, 5:15 p.m.)

This week’s NFL Playoff Game Most Likely To Go Overtime. Why? Three quick reasons: 1) Atlanta’s Jim Mora Jr. is coaching the first playoff game of his career; 2) Mora’s dad never won an NFL playoff game; 3) the Rams continue to be coached by Mike Martz, in this game also known as The Great Equalizer.

SUNDAY

* Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles (Channel 11, 10 a.m.)

As his team prepared to play its most important game since the 2000 NFC title game, Viking owner Red McCombs lobbied Fox to remove Joe Buck from this assignment, unhappy with Buck’s “that is disgusting” overreaction to Moss’ end-zone celebration at Lambeau. Fox to McCombs: The Buck stays here. Free advice to McCombs: Removing Buck from the equation won’t help the Vikings’ chances against the Eagles. Removing Mike Tice might, but, alas, it’s too late for that.

* Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots (Channel 2, 1:45 p.m.)

Lots of talking heads are talking up the Colts’ chances to win this one, despite that Peyton Manning is 0-6 in Foxboro and the Patriots are defending NFL champions. The last time the national media were so curiously united behind one football team in a big game was Oklahoma over USC in the Orange Bowl. Leinart can tell Manning about what happened in that one.