Santana Moss
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- 45
- 200 lbs
- 5' 10"
- N/A
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This is beat writer Rich Campbell's review of the best offensive performances from the Redskins’ 23-3 loss to Baltimore on Saturday.
WR Anthony Armstrong: Armstrong did more than anyone to solidify his roster spot. He proved that he can adjust to throws in midair and make difficult catches. He would have scored a spectacular touchdown if QB Donovan McNabb hadn’t underthrown him deep down the middle in the first quarter. Still, Armstrong adjusted and made a terrific sliding catch. Later, Armstrong reached back to haul in a poorly thrown pass on a slant pattern. In the fourth quarter, he fully extended for a high throw from QB Rex Grossman and held on despite contact. Armstrong showed impressive speed, and his routes were so crisp that he was open all night. It’s probably too early to say he made the team with this performance, but consider how he outperformed his competition.
QB Donovan McNabb: I’m gonna cast aside McNabb’s passing inaccuracy, which certainly was problematic at times, and give him a game ball for how he held up under pressure. The difference between McNabb and what we saw from Jason Campbell last year was like night and day. McNabb sensed pressure several times and moved fluidly away from it without taking his eyes off his receivers. When the Ravens blitzed from the left in the first quarter, McNabb calmly rolled to the right sideline and threw on the run to hit TE Chris Cooley and convert third-and-14. Another difference: McNabb held onto the ball when LB Terrell Suggs got a clean shot on his blindside in the second quarter. Campbell often fumbled that type of play.
WR Santana Moss: Moss’ four catches for 79 yards should help Redskins coaches breathe at least a little bit easier about their offensive arsenal. Moss consistently got open and looked explosive in generating yards after the catch. Two of his receptions came after he lined up in the slot. The Redskins are going to take advantage of his quickness in there.
WR Devin Thomas didn’t get much separation on the handful of times I watched him today. It appears to be a trend at this point, and it doesn’t seem to matter if he’s going against CB DeAngelo Hall or CB Ramzee Robinson. It’s why he’s listed on the updated depth chart with the third team. Joey Galloway and Santana Moss are listed on the first team.
With Malcolm Kelly sidelined Sunday morning because of a sore hamstring, Devin Thomas made a move in the wide receiver race at Redskins Park.
Thomas had his second strong practice in as many days. His nifty catch on a go route, against tight coverage, was the highlight of 11-on-11 drills. Thomas, who may be battling Kelly for a spot on the opening 53-man roster, demonstrated improved concentration overall.
Coach Mike Shanahan noticed.
"Nice catch he had, especially on that big go route," Shanahan said. "He's had a couple good days."
Thomas and Kelly began camp near the bottom of the wideout depth chart. They have a lot of work to do if they hope to earn a first-team job, and Thomas has shown some encouraging signs recently. "Every time they come on the field, they're being evaluated," Shanahan said. "He's had a couple good days in a row. He's made big plays. That's what we're trying to see."
Joey Galloway and Roydell Williams opened camp listed at the co-starters at the X receiver, or split end, position. Santana Moss, still the Redskins' top wideout after all these years, is the starter at the Z position, of flanker.
But Galloway is 38 and has a total of 20 catches the last two seasons. Roydell Williams has been out of football the past two seasons. The Redskins wideout corp hasn't impressed.
"He's got to compete everyday and he's got to win a position," Shanahan said of Thomas. "He's got to be better than the guys that are in front of him consistently. That's how you win a position.
"The last couple days, he's done just that. He went out there, he's made some plays. It's a combination of everything. Just not the passing game but the running game, too. Just going out there, everything."
The Washington Redskins don't report for training camp until July 29, but Donovan McNabb's "Hell Week" is scheduled to get underway bright and early Monday morning in Arizona.
While the weeks that lead up to training camp are generally treated as down time across the NFL, the Redskins quarterback has invited some of his new teammates to his Phoenix-area home for a week of grueling workouts and team building.
"I think it's important for the specialists on the offense to have that chemistry, to have that bond," McNabb says, "where they can trust me and I can trust them."
To that end, McNabb invited the Redskins' receivers, tight ends and running backs to Arizona to take part in his regular offseason workout program. It's the same opportunity he offered in the past few years to his former teammates in Philadelphia. Receivers Devin Thomas, Santana Moss and Malcolm Kelly are among those expected to participate.
McNabb calls it "Hell Week" because of the demanding nature of his workouts, but also because of the extreme summertime heat. Temperatures around Phoenix this week are expected to climb as high as 112 degrees.
"It's a different mindset," McNabb said of the week. "I prepare guys the way I prepare."
The Redskins' players were expected to land in Phoenix Sunday with an itinerary waiting for them. The week was expected to begin with an early wake-up call and the players reporting each morning to Fischer Sports, the 20,000-square foot workout facility where McNabb does most of his offseason training.
There, Brett Fischer, McNabb's trainer, will lead the group through workouts and exercises nearly identical to the ones the quarterback does during the offseason.
"For them, I think it's an eye-opener what we're doing," said Fischer, whose resume lists him as a physical therapist, an athletic trainer and a strength-and-conditioning specialist. "I think it's an eye opener for them, comparing themselves with their quarterback, with how hard he's working out here. To me, it's him telling them, 'Hey, I'm taking this thing seriously to the next level. Let's go to the next level.'"
The daily routine focuses on the athlete's core -- abdominals, the lower back, gluteal muscles and hips -- and involves everything from traditional weights to resistance bands. Fischer likes to focus on balance, flexibility, joints and areas that most athletes tend to ignore in their regular workouts.
The group also will spend plenty of time on cardio, running steep hills in the desert heat until they finally take a break in the early afternoon.
As the Ozark Mountain Daredevils once sang, if you want to get to heaven, you got to raise a little hell. Certainly McNabb and his teammates hope this week of hell will lead to lots of heavenly moments in the regular season. McNabb is currently ranked at 12 in 4for4's rankings, and if he showcases a good rapport with his receivers during training camp and the preseason, he has a decent chance of moving up. It's also worth mentioning again that Donovan will play the Rams, Lions, and Buccaneers in 2010. McNabb might not be the sure-fire bet in Washington he would have been in Philadelphia, but at worse he'll be a spot fantasy starter with some upside.
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