#1

Eight years in the NFL and a Super Bowl ring have done

in Pony-Like Screenshots Sat Aug 10, 2019 3:51 am
by Bellroll33 • 210 Posts

PITTSBURGH -- The chip is still there, Lance Moore insists, just as weighty and sharp as ever. Eight years in the NFL and a Super Bowl ring have done little to make the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver forget his modest roots. He can still rattle off the name of the players who beat him out for a job with the Cleveland Browns during his first training camp nearly a decade ago even though he was a long-shot undrafted free agent at the time. Most of them are long gone. Not Moore. Hes still around, still trying to prove himself, still nervous he could find himself out of a job at any minute. "I dont know if I ever really let myself get comfortable," Moore said. Even if Moore spent eight productive seasons helping Drew Brees and Sean Payton turn the New Orleans Saints into one of the NFLs most consistent winners. On a team of undersized and underappreciated talent, the 5-foot-9 Moore found a home. He caught 38 touchdown passes in 101 games with New Orleans, morphing from special teams ace to indispensable red zone target. Until, of course, the math got in the way. A hand injury limited Moore to just 37 receptions and two scores in 2013. Knowing he was owed $3.8 million in 2014, Moore wasnt surprised when the Saints cut him loose this spring. "Thats how it goes in this game," Moore said. "A lot of teams are trying to get younger and cheaper at the same time." Moore turns 31 in August. He understands hes well into the second half of an NFL journey that is already longer than he ever anticipated. Yet there is something about the opportunity with the Steelers that intrigues him. Maybe its because playing slot receiver in Pittsburgh is like discovering the NFLs fountain of youth. Hines Ward was effective well into the final days of his 14-year career before retiring in 2012. He was replaced by Jerricho Cotchery, who scored a remarkable 10 touchdowns for the Steelers in 2013 at age 31. Cotchery turned all those scores into a lucrative contract with Carolina. Enter Moore, who lacks Cotcherys size and Wards tenacious blocking skills but makes up for it with what he describes as "football savvy." "Ive been little for a long time," Moore said. "I am not getting any bigger. I am 30 years old. I am happy in this body. I feel like I have made a lot of plays and will continue to do that." Its exactly what the Steelers had in mind when they signed Moore to a two-year deal in March, an agreement that came with more than a little help from backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, who spent four years rooming with Moore when the two played at Toledo. Gradkowski started calling Pittsburgh coaches about Moore the second his good friend was released by New Orleans. It didnt take long for something to get done. Moore wasnt about to sit around and wait for a more lucrative offer than the one that will pay him a total of $3 million if he makes it through the 2015 season. "You look at this franchise, what it stands for and you know theyre about winning," Moore said. "You get a chance to play with somebody like (quarterback) Ben (Roethlisberger) and you dont turn it down." It hasnt taken long for Moore to win over Roethlisberger, who called his newest target "a pro" who hasnt needed much time to pick up the nuances of an offence that is reshaping itself, particularly at wide receiver. Pro Bowler Antonio Brown is the units unquestioned leader, but the departure of Cotchery and Emmanuel Sanders a year after Mike Wallace bolted for Miami has spearheaded a youth movement. The list of players jockeying for position with Moore include second-year players Justin Brown and Markus Wheaton and rookie Martavis Bryant. Moore admits its a little weird being the old guy in meeting rooms. Hes nearly five years Browns senior and will be one of only three players in their 30s among Pittsburghs offensive regulars, joining Roethlisberger and tight end Heath Miller. It could be worse. Moore couldnt be here at all. If this is the beginning of the end, hell take it. Hes close to his boyhood home in Ohio on a team expecting to win after a pair of mediocre 8-8 seasons. His new team expects to play a lot like its new wide receiver: with a chip that likely wont go away anytime soon. "Youve got to keep that," Moore said. "In this league, that can make the difference." Brett Cecil Cardinals Jersey . -- Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera has a broken bone below his right eye after being struck by a bad-hop grounder, sidelining the star slugger for at least a week with opening day on deck. Yadier Molina Cardinals Jersey . Numbers Game looks at the As getting Jon Lester from Boston, sending Yoenis Cespedes to the Red Sox along with a deal involving the As and the Minnesota Twins. The Athletics Get: LHP Jon Lester, LF Jonny Gomes, OF Sam Fuld and cash. http://www.authenticcardinalspro.com/cardinals-tim-mccarver-jersey/ . Left back Layvin Kurzawa put Monaco ahead in the 36th minute with a low shot after being set up by midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia, sweeping the ball in after running onto Kondogbias cross from the left. Whitey Herzog Cardinals Jersey . Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona. Yadier Molina Jersey . After rookie right-hander Alex Colome excelled in a 5-2 victory in the opener, the Rays fell to Chris Tillman and the Orioles 4-1 on Friday night.MIAMI -- Miami Dolphins CEO Tom Garfinkel says interviews for a general manager will begin Friday, and experience will weigh heavily in the decision. Speaking Wednesday while attending a Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Garfinkel said hell be involved in the search already under way, but the final decision will be made by owner Stephen Ross. "Someone with a lot of experience evaluating talent, a proven track record of evaluating talent and a football person -- thats going to be the first criterion," Garfinkel said, according to the teams website. Canndidates without experience as a GM will be considered, however.dddddddddddd "I dont know that thats going to be a deal-breaker," Garfinkel said. He joined the Dolphins in September and is responsible for their business operations. Jeff Ireland departed Tuesday after six seasons as general manager. He and Ross said they mutually agreed to part ways. The Dolphins would have made the playoffs for the first time since 2008 if they had won one of their final two games against the Bills and Jets. Instead, they lost both to finish 8-8. ' ' '

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