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A fairly carefree winter and spring helped Santana Moss regain his strength for practices--and autograph signing.
Redskins wide receiver Santana Moss credits his offseason (with emphasis on the prefix 'off') for rejuvenating his body and making him feel fresh for the season. |
BY ADAM HIMMELSBACH
ASHBURN--
As Santana Moss wandered through Paris, he realized this offseason was unlike the others.His body didn't hurt. He felt refreshed. He was in France for his honeymoon, and he was going to spend time in Italy as well.
In previous offseasons, Moss would have been in a weight room somewhere. Sometimes it was in the Redskins' training facility. Sometimes it was in the extravagant weight room he built in his Florida home.
But for Moss, 29, last season was filled with aches. Previously, he thought that meant he hadn't trained hard enough.
But this time, he responded differently. This time, he did very little.
It wasn't easy.
"Once I feel like I'm out of shape, I usually start doing something," Moss said. "This year, I was itching. Every week went by I was like, 'Oh, I don't think I can stay out of the weight room.' But then I thought about how my body felt last year, about how I wore myself down a little bit."
So Moss relaxed. He took three months off. He married his high school sweetheart and had a luxurious reception in Hollywood, Fla. He honeymooned in Europe.
"And other than that," Moss said, "I just chilled."
Last season, Moss was slowed by groin, heel and hamstring injuries, and he missed two games. In 2006, he was slowed by hamstring and hip injuries, and he missed two games.
This season, Moss wants things to return to the way they were during 2005, his first season in Washington, when he had 84 catches for 1,483 yards and nine touchdowns.
Moss says he has felt reinvigorated during the first week of this training camp.
"He's still the same Santana," Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell said. "This time, he's just probably more healthy than he's been. He's just so smooth running his routes, and so fast that it opens things up for us."
Moss is excited about the opportunities that should come with head coach Jim Zorn's West Coast offense. He would like to establish himself earlier in games than he did last season.
When Moss attended Carol City High School in Miami, his team ran a ground-based wing-T offense. Moss said his coaches sometimes asked him to line up in the wing-T, but he was unsure of the abilities of his linemen.
So he stayed at wide receiver, and he waited.
"I was like, 'Man, give me two catches today and that's a great game for me,'" Moss said, smiling.
Under Joe Gibbs, the Redskins built their offense with the running game. Under Zorn, it seems they will build their offense with the pass.
"I just hope I can get it early and often so it can help me get in the game more," Moss said. "A receiver's biggest hope is to get into the game as soon as possible. Then you don't get lackadaisical because you know the ball is gonna come to you soon."
This season, Moss and Antwaan Randle El--who are both listed at 5-foot-10--will have some taller help.
The Redskins drafted receivers Devin Thomas (6-foot-2) and Malcolm Kelly (6-4) in the second round of last April's draft. Moss said he has taken both players under his wing during this training camp, much like Wayne Chrebet and Laveranues Coles did for Moss when he was a rookie with the New York Jets.
"I'm very confident in what we can do together," Moss said. "I think we have the talent now. We just have to go out there and make plays. My only hope when I go out there is to make sure I'm focused and ready, so when the ball comes to me, I'm ready to explode."
Adam Himmelsbach: 540/374-5442
Email: ahimmelsbach@freelancestar.com
WHEN: Through today WHERE: Redskins Park, Ashburn OPEN PRACTICE: 8:30 a.m. ADMISSION: Free PARKING: Free INFO: redskins.com, 703/726-7411 |
