QB Moore Makes Most Of His Opportunity
Mark Norris
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
August 9, 2007 10:50 PM
IRVING, Texas - Matt Moore's debut in a Dallas Cowboys uniform went as well as anyone could have wanted - including Moore himself.
On his 23rd birthday, the former Oregon State quarterback completed his first five passes and seemingly has pulled away from Richard Bartel in the battle for a possible roster spot. The Cowboys must decide if they will keep a roster spot for a third quarterback, place the third quarterback on the practice squad or even continuing searching for a third quarterback.
But the rookie free agent's performance certainly caught their attention.
"He's so much better than I ever was," offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said following Thursday's 23-10 win over the Colts when someone asked if Moore's performance in any way reminded him of himself. "I thought that was a good performance."
Moore and the third-team offense came in when Dallas had the ball for the first time in the second half. He made the most of his opportunity - completing all three passes on the drive to tight end Tony Curtis for receptions of 26, 25 and 7 yards. The drive ended with a Tyson Thompson touchdown, going 10 plays for 73 yards in 5:39.
Moore's passes were crisply thrown and had a power behind them not on display during training camp in San Antonio. Moore felt the same but admitted he probably was more juiced up than normal. He credited the execution of the receiving corps and the offensive line for allowing him to throw the routes he had worked on at camp.
"We had a lot of good stuff out there, and for the first time I think it went well for me," Moore said.
Garrett liked Moore's ability to move around in the pocket and make plays downfield. The thing he and the coaching staff like the most about Moore is the way he handles pressure in game situations.
Thursday's game gave them plenty to be impressed with.
Moore completed 7 of 9 passes for 88 yards, the bulk of those yards going to Curtis (3 for 58). The unlikely duo worked with each other very little during training camp because Curtis played with the second team most of the time. Despite that, Curtis said he and Moore got into a rhythm on the first drive that felt good.
"He found me open and threw it in the hole," Curtis said. "It worked out."
Moore's performance showed coaches he is grasping the offensive scheme. There were concerns from the staff because Moore joined the team late due to Oregon State's academic schedule that had classes concluding in mid-June. Moore only participated in one mini-camp before coming to training camp.
Few were sure what to expect of a rookie who had missed all the OTA sessions, the team's final mini-camp and all the majority of the off-season conditioning and throwing on the side.
Moore said it has been tough trying to play catch up with the other quarterbacks and the rest of the offensive unit, but he didn't want to use the missed time as an excuse.
Instead he uses the condensed time period as motivation to improve.
"I'm here now and I've just got to move forward," he said. "It was definitely difficult and I am not there yet by any means."
Moore said he will not worry about his playing time. When he gets his reps he will go in and make the most of them. But next time should be better.
"Definitely think I will be more comfortable and more aware," Moore said.
And maybe one step closer to that final roster spot.
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
August 9, 2007 10:50 PM
IRVING, Texas - Matt Moore's debut in a Dallas Cowboys uniform went as well as anyone could have wanted - including Moore himself.
On his 23rd birthday, the former Oregon State quarterback completed his first five passes and seemingly has pulled away from Richard Bartel in the battle for a possible roster spot. The Cowboys must decide if they will keep a roster spot for a third quarterback, place the third quarterback on the practice squad or even continuing searching for a third quarterback.
But the rookie free agent's performance certainly caught their attention.
"He's so much better than I ever was," offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said following Thursday's 23-10 win over the Colts when someone asked if Moore's performance in any way reminded him of himself. "I thought that was a good performance."
Moore and the third-team offense came in when Dallas had the ball for the first time in the second half. He made the most of his opportunity - completing all three passes on the drive to tight end Tony Curtis for receptions of 26, 25 and 7 yards. The drive ended with a Tyson Thompson touchdown, going 10 plays for 73 yards in 5:39.
Moore's passes were crisply thrown and had a power behind them not on display during training camp in San Antonio. Moore felt the same but admitted he probably was more juiced up than normal. He credited the execution of the receiving corps and the offensive line for allowing him to throw the routes he had worked on at camp.
"We had a lot of good stuff out there, and for the first time I think it went well for me," Moore said.
Garrett liked Moore's ability to move around in the pocket and make plays downfield. The thing he and the coaching staff like the most about Moore is the way he handles pressure in game situations.
Thursday's game gave them plenty to be impressed with.
Moore completed 7 of 9 passes for 88 yards, the bulk of those yards going to Curtis (3 for 58). The unlikely duo worked with each other very little during training camp because Curtis played with the second team most of the time. Despite that, Curtis said he and Moore got into a rhythm on the first drive that felt good.
"He found me open and threw it in the hole," Curtis said. "It worked out."
Moore's performance showed coaches he is grasping the offensive scheme. There were concerns from the staff because Moore joined the team late due to Oregon State's academic schedule that had classes concluding in mid-June. Moore only participated in one mini-camp before coming to training camp.
Few were sure what to expect of a rookie who had missed all the OTA sessions, the team's final mini-camp and all the majority of the off-season conditioning and throwing on the side.
Moore said it has been tough trying to play catch up with the other quarterbacks and the rest of the offensive unit, but he didn't want to use the missed time as an excuse.
Instead he uses the condensed time period as motivation to improve.
"I'm here now and I've just got to move forward," he said. "It was definitely difficult and I am not there yet by any means."
Moore said he will not worry about his playing time. When he gets his reps he will go in and make the most of them. But next time should be better.
"Definitely think I will be more comfortable and more aware," Moore said.
And maybe one step closer to that final roster spot.
posted by The Gryphon at 4:50 PM
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