Santana Moss played 10 years in Washington, but none were better than his first. He set a career high with 1,483 receiving yards on 84 catches while finding the end zone nine times.
The funny thing about that season? Those plays were drawn up on a week-by-week basis, Moss revealed.
Moss joined Craig Hoffmann and Logan Paulsen on Audacy’s Take Command podcast to share the secret behind his magical 2005 season.
“I would come in there and no one else in there – not even the quarterbacks – and they would give me the offensive plays that they want to run with me taken from another team,” Moss said (14:20 in player above). “All passing plays. ‘Can you run this route? Can you run this route? Can you run this route?’ Coach, I can do it.”
Moss explained that his Week 2 breakout in Dallas – in a rivalry game that he didn’t know the importance of until then – sparked the change. He accounted for both of Washington’s touchdowns with 159 yards on five catches in the 14-13 win.
While Moss would’ve thrived in today’s game, he wasn’t the prototypical wide receiver in the 2000s. Despite that, he found success lining up outside and wherever he was asked. But it wasn’t until the 2005 season that the 5’10” wideout reached that next level.
“We played every game with another offense in the passing game,” he said. “We ran everyone else’s passing game week in and week out and kept our base formations and our run game and our run protection and our pass protection. But we changed the passing game and gave me routes that other guys who’s supposed to be the elite of the league that were doing against the other teams.
“Never done that in my life and it was a hit. And then the next year we get a new coordinator. And I’m sitting here like ‘I just had 1,400 yards playing sandlot football, basically, ‘cause everything was drawn up that week and then you take that away from me.’”
Even with the new coordinator, Moss found success with Washington. He averaged 931 yards and 71 receptions per season from 2006 to 2010.
“They would move me around. I’m in the backfield. I’m in the slot. I’m at tight end. They would move me around and give me matchups where I can just relish and go out there and dominate,” he continued.
Moss was ahead of his time, but he appreciates how the game is played today.
“That’s what today’s game is about. Finding those key matchups. Finding those key alignments that we can show a defense where they’re not honed in on it because they didn’t study it all week saying ‘When they come in this formation they’re going to do this.’ No. We’re gonna switch it up and still do the same thing and I love it.”
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