ASHBURN, Va. — No
matter the playbook, no matter his role, no matter
his stats, Santana Moss sees himself as a
playmaker and a game-changer.
It's why the wide receiver wants the Washington
Redskins to throw the football to him as much as
possible this season. "Early and often," is how Moss
put it.
It's why he wants to go back to occasionally returning
punts, something he didn't do once in 2006 or 2007. "I
haven't forgotten how," Moss noted.
It's why he is sure he can thrive in new Redskins coach
Jim Zorn's West Coast system.
"To be honest with you, I never look at anything and
say, 'It's not going to be a good fit,"' Moss said.
"Looking at this offense, I've got high expectations."
So do his teammates and Washington's fans, who were
hootin' and hollerin' when Moss touched the ball at
training camp Friday.
As for Zorn? Well, it's hard to imagine the former NFL
quarterback coming up with a higher compliment than a
comparison to his own favorite target, Steve Largent.
Asked about Moss, Zorn immediately raised the name of
the Hall of Fame receiver who was his teammate with the
Seattle Seahawks.
"Steve Largent didn't have (Moss') acceleration or
speed, but (Moss has) a very low center of gravity, and
Steve did as well, so he's able to make very high-speed
breaks," Zorn said, "and it's very difficult for him to
be covered."
That was certainly the case in 2005, Moss' first year
with the Redskins: He broke the franchise record with
1,483 yards receiving on a career-best 84 catches and
went to the Pro Bowl.
One might think that was a season to remember, to look
back upon with pride. Not quite so. Actually, Moss gets
tired of hearing about it.
As in: Why haven't you matched that production? Why did
your yardage slip to 790 in 2006, then 808 in 2007? Why
haven't you gone to the Pro Bowl again?
"That's the only thing that ticks me off at times -
when people say, 'Well, why didn't he do the 1,400
yards again?' Well, go back and watch the offense. Was
I doing the same things the offense allowed me to do
the first time?" he asked, then provided the answer:
"No."
"But," Moss continued, "I understand that all I can be
is what my team allows me to be."
This is no ball hog, mind you.
More like someone who wants to help and knows he can.
"I don't go into this thing saying, 'I'm the No. 1
man.' I feel like that's given to you by your coaching
staff and by your team," Moss said. "I'm out here to do
my job, and whatever they call me - No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 -
it don't make me less than the other guys. ... If you
go out there and work as a core, we all can be No. 1."
Keep in mind that Moss led Washington's receivers in
catches, touchdown catches and yards every season he's
been in town.
Teammates back up Moss' contention that his numbers
were suppressed by a stop-and-start-and-stop offense
the past two seasons.
The team ranked 15th of 32 NFL teams in net yards in
2007, 13th in 2006.
"We never got going in either of those seasons like we
really wanted to," receiver Antwaan Randle El said.
"When you have an offense like that, you can't expect
those big numbers."
Randle El figures the changes under Zorn can only be an
improvement - and he figures his running mate should
thrive.
"You could put 'Tana' in any system, because of his
breakdown ability. He can run routes, run them with
speed and change direction at the same speed," Randle
El said. "You really put him anywhere, stick him in any
spot, and watch him work."
It's a combination of moves, pure sprint speed -
"Fastest guy on the team, no doubt," according to
cornerback Fred Smoot - and a knack for making a tough
catch.
All are skills running back Clinton Portis grew
accustomed to admiring when he and Moss were at the
University of Miami.
"Think of Santana Moss being in the slot, moving
around," Portis said, "and I put my money on him."
Moss told special teams coordinator Danny Smith he'd
like to return to dabbling in returning punts by
spelling Randle El, who voiced his support. When Moss
is fresh and healthy - which was hardly the case at
times last season - he feels he can make an opponent
miss in the open field.
"I know that my job is easier than his," Moss said.
"He's got to wonder where I'm going. I just have to go
out there and run."
Moss is a sensible guy, though. There are limits to his
desire to be involved all the time.
At his Florida high school, for example, he insisted on
lining up wide, even though a two-catch game was a big
deal in the team's Wing-T formation that emphasized the
run.
"They always wanted me in the backfield," Moss
recalled. "But I was, 'Uh-uh.' Those guys weren't
blocking too well for me to be back there. I didn't
want none of that."
(usatoday.com)