Repulsed Santana Moss may not roll on

ASHBURN -- A man can endure only so much frustration, disappointment and failure before he breaks. Santana Moss was pushed to that point three Sundays ago.

His Washington Redskins had just devised a new way to lose--a missed extra point after he caught a touchdown pass with 9 seconds remaining in regulation. The team's best offensive player for the last six seasons had experienced several different nadirs during that forgettable span, but this blunder introduced foreign depths.

Emotion filled Moss' voice as he spoke to reporters at his locker inside FedEx Field.

"It's just [expletive] years of losing," he seethed. "Excuse my French, but I'm just hurt."

Moss' spirit at that moment was broken. His words and tone gave the impression that he'd do anything to escape this woebegone franchise.
Yesterday, however, Moss said that he is not compelled to depart via free agency this offseason and spend the twilight of his career chasing a championship with another club in another city. He is willing to stick it out and try to see the Redskins' building process through under head coach Mike Shanahan.

"I don't feel like leaving is going to help me win games somewhere else," he said. "When you're somewhere that you're comfortable with, and you feel like you can play, and your family can live, and you can raise your family and live comfortably and play a great game at a high level, why leave?"

Moss, 31, will have the chance this offseason to back up those words with action. His contract expires after this season, and he could choose to test the free-agent market for the first time in his 10-year career.

That would be the quickest way to join a Super Bowl contender, but the Redskins have an advantage in the competition for Moss' services in the form of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.

When Shanahan took over as the Redskins' play-caller this season, he and head coach Mike Shanahan decided Moss' talents could be exploited as a slot receiver in three-receiver sets. Moss is a quality route runner who can play all three receiver spots. He normally is sure-handed, and he still is fast and shifty enough to separate from defenders on a variety of routes.

So instead of always lining up wide, Moss begins some plays positioned closer to the offensive line.

Moss hadn't done that since his collegiate career at the University of Miami, but his production this year validates the move. His 84 receptions equal his career high. He has 1,041 yards, marking the fourth time in his career he has surpassed 1,000. And he has six touchdowns.

"When you got guys who are not the tall, lanky guys, their legs are always under them, so they can cut a little better than most people," Kyle Shanahan said. "They can get to the top of their routes, stick out both feet and go both directions. You give guys like that a two-way go, it's tough to cover them."

Moss likes playing there because he more easily avoids being double-covered by a high safety.

"Now you have a chance to get inside where they can't put a Cover-2 over you all the time," he said. "The slot routes are routes inside where you can get open a little faster by putting a couple of moves on that guy getting him out of his break."

In that role, Moss has made a strong impression on the first-year coaching staff and his teammates.

"He's everything I thought he was and more," said quarterback Rex Grossman, who just recently began throwing to Moss in game situations. "He makes it easy for a quarterback because he can separate. And defenders know that and they get kind of back on their heels waiting for him to make his move.

"He just runs such good routes. And with coach Shanahan putting him position to get open, it's a good combination."

Sunday's game against the New York Giants could be Moss' last in a Redskins uniform, but at this point it's almost impossible to envision the Redskins offense without him.

Washington traded for him in 2005, so he experienced the up-and-down tenure of coach Joe Gibbs and the ill-fated Jim Zorn era. You couldn't blame him, then, if he wanted to get as far away from here as possible. He has experienced only two winning seasons out of his six with the club, and his two playoff appearances were fleeting.

On the other hand, perhaps that difficult journey would make reaching the final destination sweeter.

"I would love to be a part of that," Moss said. "I can't tell you if it would be more satisfying. I just feel like once I become a Redskin, I feel like it was meant for me to be here."

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(fredricksburg.com)