Moss optimistic he'll play

Receiver Santana Moss was the life of the locker room after Saturday's practice. That's a good sign for the Washington Redskins heading into Monday night's game against Pittsburgh.

After running on the side during Saturday's session, Moss sounded optimistic about his chances of playing against the Steelers despite an ailing hamstring, which he injured after scoring both of Washington's touchdowns in last week's 25-17 victory at Detroit.

"I feel better because I ran [Saturday]," said Moss, who battled hamstring pulls for most of 2007. "I felt pretty good. I ... gained a lot of confidence [in my hamstring] because I didn't know where it was at. The next step is [running some] routes [Sunday]."

Coach Jim Zorn said, despite his progress, Moss' availability against the Steelers will be a game-time decision. Zorn said the only other player whose status is in doubt is Chris Samuels, but the Pro Bowl left tackle, whose absence against the Lions was his first in nearly five years, said he's going to play despite his hurting right knee.

(washingtontimes.com)