diego1115 Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 A Rosy Day For Moss: Receiver Becomes An Instant Redskins Legend by Joseph White The Associated Press ASHBURN, Va. -- Two dozen red and yellow roses -- Washington Redskins colors, of course -- were awaiting Santana Moss when he arrived at Redskins Park on Tuesday, a gift from an anonymous fan whose note said "Thank you.'' "I didn't realize how big this game was,'' Moss said. No, as a new arrival in town, Moss didn't grasp the full significance placed on the Dallas rivalry, at least not until he got into the game Monday night and started feeling the mounting tension and frustration. A 10th straight Redskins loss at Texas Stadium seemed inevitable when the Cowboys took a 13-0 lead. "If you could just see the faces,'' Moss said. "The game meant so much, to where we were trying to find some way to pull ourselves out of it. To do it the way we did it -- I've been in some games where we've won the fourth quarter in college and stuff like that -- but at this level it's hard to do that. That was really big for us.'' Now, of course, whatever he does for the rest of his life, Moss has a permanent place in Redskins lore. His two touchdown catches -- 39 and 70 yards -- in the final 3:46 turned certain defeat into a 14-13 victory, the perfect and long overdue antidote to Clint "Mad Bomber'' Longley's miracle pass that led the infamous Cowboys comeback on Thanksgiving Day in 1974. "As far as competitive athletic wins and having great thrills, this ranks right there with them,'' said coach Joe Gibbs, who has won three Super Bowls and two NASCAR titles. "For me, it was so much emotion -- and everything wrapped into it -- where the team was and all the things that have taken place. And for that to be Monday night and to know it was the Dallas Cowboys, you roll all that into one, it was very emotional.'' Indeed, Gibbs jumped and hugged and celebrated like a kid after getting an ice-water bath at the final whistle. For the record, it was Washington's first win in Dallas since 1995 and only the second in the last 16 meetings overall. "It was good to see that side of him,'' right tackle Jon Jansen said. "It's probably an indication of how much stress we've all been under, having to answer all the questions about, 'Is it still a rivalry if you can't win?' Blah, blah, blah. I think if you go down to Dallas this morning and ask anybody about that game, I think the rivalry is still there.'' Before Moss and quarterback Mark Brunell connected, the Redskins were headed to a confidence-sapping loss heading into the bye week. They had yet to score a touchdown all season. This year was beginning to look like a rerun of last year, when the offense's ineffectiveness left a good defense high and dry every week. But now the Redskins are 2-0, tied with the New York Giants for first place in the NFC East and with an extra week to bask in their victory. When play resumes against Seattle in two weeks' time, Washington will answer the burning question: Were the two touchdown passes a brief aberration in another long and losing season, or were they the spark that will ignite the team's first winning season of the millennium? The case for pessimism? The Redskins committed 12 penalties against the Cowboys, allowed five sacks, lost the turnover battle again and were dominated for 56 minutes. They are the only 2-0 team with a negative turnover differential. "You make sure you cover all the things we did poorly,'' Gibbs said. "Sometimes in a win like that, you have a tendency to say we played great, but you miss a lot of things that we did poorly. Penalties were definitely a problem. We turned the ball over. ... We've been riding a ragged edge. That's not good football. We've got to fix it. We've got to look at it as a great win, but there's things we need to improve upon.'' The case for optimism? The coaches and players have finally seen the offense actually work, if only for a few plays. Brunell showed he still can throw the long ball. The trade for Moss, which was supposed to open up a downfield passing game, suddenly looks worthwhile. "I think the whole thing was, 'We don't score points,''' Moss said. "Once you score points, then you're like, 'Oh, we can score points.' Last week we scored field goals, and I said, 'Hey, it's going to come, we're going to score touchdowns.' I just didn't know how or when. What happened last night is a good positive momentum swing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncsuapex Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 Ahhhh Yeees... This give me goosbumps, I think something really special is developing with the players and coaches AND "some" fans. We will look back on this victory at the end of the year as a really important one, not just because all the streaks of losing to dallas but important to THIS season and how far we will go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDane Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 Ok who sent him the flowers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MONTEY Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 Well deserved. And more If he continues to produce positive results like those two plays. :helmet: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
202Chaz Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 I hope a guy didn't send those roses because that a red light. The win was huge but roses I don't know....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Prime Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 Having a hat made that says "Got Dallas?..Yep" going to have a second one made and send it to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimFolk Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 Yeah, he deserved it. Great performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bat~man Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 so true , only question i got is .....where can i get a santana moss jersey ? ..... this guy became a redskin 100% monday night and i know its not the last of Moss >< what a game im STILL giddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAVEONAWARPATH Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 I hope a guy didn't send those roses because that a red light. The win was huge but roses I don't know....... If Moss keeps producing like this....heck, I'll send him flowers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgreen Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 I heard Brunell received a standing ovation when he entered the room at a black tie gala last night in DC. The buzz is back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 Heck did I forgot apologize to Danny for siding with Marty (frankly) Scottenheimer for drafting 50/50 instead of Moss? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nighthawk Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 I was thinking about that draft as well last night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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