Santana Moss just wants the damn ball. He's not whining. He's not making a big deal out of it. But he still wants it.
The Skins No. 1 receiver caught just two balls for six measly yards on Sunday. Jason Campbell threw toward him just five times.
He's not asking for the ball to be forced to him, but he's got his reasons, as he told Redskins Insider:
"I feel like everyone wants the ball, especially if they're a key to the offense. You want to get into the offense. You want to get into a rhythm. Just like a quarterback. He wants some safe throws first so he can get himself going, and then you never know what he can do, because once you got that confidence going, knowing that you got these guys with some touches, and you're feeling them out a little bit, then you know you can spread the ball the way you want to spread the ball."
Until Malcolm Kelly steps up on the other side, teams are likely to roll their secondary over to shut down Moss -- not that the Skins have shown much of an affinity for going for the big play anyway.
All the attention paid to Moss isn't necessarily a bad thing for the team, though. If teams are taking him out, it means that someone else is going to be single covered, perhaps with a mismatch.
For the Giants game, that meant that the interior receivers had a field day. Tight end Chris Cooley rumbled down the middle and had seven catches. Antwaan Randle El, who so often looked overmatched last season, found new life as the slot receiver, taking advantage of mismatches with linebackers, catching seven balls and leading the team with 98 yards receiving.
If that level of production keeps up, teams will probably further adjust, perhaps freeing up Moss a bit more.
Either way, Moss is taking it in stride:
"What I do most of the time when I'm not getting the ball is just find something to do. Block. Make sure I'm doing my job. Get in the right area. Make sure I'm a key guy when it comes to somebody else getting open. That often, sometimes gets me excited because I know I made a play without getting my hands on the ball."
