Santana Moss thinks Bucs sabotaged Redskins' headset on final drive

Veteran wide receiver Santana Moss served as the conspiracy theorist in the Washington Redskins’ locker room Monday, one day after rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III orchestrated a game-winning drive in Tampa without a working radio receiver in his helmet.

“The only thing that might be surprising to you all is that he’s young and it happened to him,” Moss said. “I mean, I’ve been in plenty of games that when we’re away, we can’t hear the call, especially on the last part of the game. So I’m almost thinking that that’s something that they do in stadiums to say, ‘Hey, you know, let’s make it little harder for them.’ ”

Griffin led the Redskins down the field Sunday at Raymond James Stadium on a drive in the final two minutes that culminated with a 41-yard field goal by place kicker Billy Cundiff with three seconds left that beat the Buccaneers, 24-22.

Griffin said after the game that he’d been forced to call some of the plays on the drive because the electronic device in his helmet that connects him to Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan wasn’t functioning.

“The funny thing was that the headset did go out on that drive and that’s why I was having to run back and forth to the sideline,” Griffin said Sunday evening. “I had to call a couple of my own plays…. You don’t want that to happen. But I was pleased.”

NFL folklore is filled with stories of home teams allegedly using improper tactics to jam the signals of visiting clubs’ electronic communications devices. Such tales haven’t been substantiated and seem to have a certain legendary quality to them.

In the aftermath of the “Spygate” videotaping scandal involving the New England Patriots in 2007, the NFL toughened its anti-cheating policies. Teams must sign annual statements saying they have complied with all competitive rules, and the league leaves open the possibility of unannounced inspections of teams’ facilities and stadiums.

Moss’s comments Monday came amid the general raving about Griffin’s exploits.

“You put him in a game-time situation, that critical, game on the line, it makes it a little more, ‘Wow,’ ” Moss said. “But other than that, as a player you know that that’s what he’s there for…. I’m glad we have a guy that, even though we’re dealing with his youth of him not being here, he doesn’t play like his age or his coming into the league this young. He doesn’t approach the game that way. He approaches the game like he’s been here before.”


(washingtonpost.com)