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Moss grows on 'Skins
Redskins hope overtime victory a sign team is learning how to win
By ADAM HIMMELSBACH
Date published: 10/3/2006
By ADAM HIMMELSBACH
LANDOVER, Md--Of course he wanted to find the end zone. Of course he wanted to pile up yardage totals that were as high as summer temperatures.
What wide receiver wouldn't?
But Santana Moss is not a complainer.
When the Redskins bolstered their receiving corps this offseason, ostensibly taking away at least a few of Moss' opportunities, he welcomed the additions. When Moss failed to score a touchdown or top the 70-yard mark in any of the first three games of this season, he did not carp.
He knows there's no point. He knows that no one--not his coaches or teammates or fans--want to listen to him cough up excuses.
"You wait your turn and be patient and know this game is a journey," Moss said. "You can't just sit here and say you have to make something happen or look for something to go your way every time; you can't do that. You just have to stick in there."
He sticks in there because he knows the glowing afternoons come with time. And on Sunday, with the early-autumn sun creeping below the top of FedEx Field, Moss made it known that his record-breaking 2005 season was more of a trend than an anomaly.
The ridiculously quick wideout caught four passes for 138 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Redskins to a thrilling and important 36-30 overtime victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Moss' final catch was his most spectacular, as he gobbled up a Mark Brunell pass near the left sideline, then rocketed downfield for the game-winning 68-yard score.
"The guy couldn't be a better playmaker and I don't know who is in the NFL," Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said. "Every time he gets the ball in his hands, it's a threat to have him go with it."
Moss is averaging 19.2 yards per catch, which is the third-highest mark in the league among receivers who have at least 15 receptions. Last season, Moss had 84 catches for a franchise-record 1,483 yards.
Though sure-handed, Moss is most dangerous when he receives a short pass on a slant or screen. That's when he puts his legs to work and dares defenders to keep up.
Redskins wide receiver Santana Moss has made the most of his receptions this season. The sixth-year veteran currently ranks third in the NFL in yards per catch, with a minimum of 15 receptions:
Rk
Players
Tm
Rcp
YPC
1.
Bernard Berrian
CHI
15
21.1
2.
Reggie Wayne
IND.
18
19.9
3.
Santana Moss
WAS
17
19.2
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Date published: 10/3/2006
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