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Panthers rookie QB Matt Moore took unusual path to NFL
Associated Press
Updated: October 12, 2007, 5:32 PM ET CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Hours after he made his NFL debut last week, Carolina Panthers rookie Matt Moore received a text message from former teammate Tony Romo.
"He said it took him four years to throw his first pass and it took me four games," Moore said of the Dallas Cowboys' quarterback. "But just look at him, and all he's done. He told me to just keep it going."
An undrafted rookie, Moore has gone from a forgotten signing in early September after he was cut by the Cowboys to practicing at times with Carolina's first team. With Jake Delhomme out for the season with an elbow injury and David Carr nursing a sore back, Moore and newly signed Vinny Testaverde are the Panthers' primary options.
Most believe the 43-year-old Testaverde will start ahead of Moore if Carr can't play Sunday in Arizona. But Moore, whose father is only two years older than Testaverde, could be in the mix.
It's another twist in a strange path for the 23-year-old Moore, who transferred colleges, flirted with playing professional baseball and was left disappointed he wasn't selected in the NFL draft.
Moore grew up in Valencia, Calif., and went to UCLA. After getting hurt as a sophomore, he fell off the depth chart and left school.
Before deciding whether to transfer to another school, the 6-foot-3 Moore took a job working at a batting cage. Despite not playing high school baseball as a senior, the left-handed hitter impressed his onlookers when he took swings after hours. They urged him to go to a major league tryout.
He did and was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels as a third baseman in the 22nd round in 2004. Moore was offered a $92,000 signing bonus.
"I kind of had had it with college football after UCLA. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go back to school," Moore said. "I really had to think about it. My parents really wanted me to go to school, which was obviously the right thing to do."
He returned to football, playing two seasons for Oregon State. He threw for over 3,000 yards as a senior and was the MVP of the Sun Bowl.
"My senior year just felt so much easier," Moore said. "The game was slower to me."
Moore was contacted by several teams -- including the Panthers -- but wasn't taken in the NFL draft. He then chose to sign with Dallas, in part because Romo went from an undrafted rookie to a budding star.
"He's living proof you don't have to be drafted," Moore said.
Moore completed 21 of 29 passes for 182 yards, one touchdown with no interceptions in the preseason, but was one of Dallas' final cuts on Sept. 1. A day later, the Panthers signed him.
"He was a guy we liked him coming out of college at Oregon State," coach John Fox said.
Still, Fox didn't expect Moore to play this season. He was going to learn as the No. 3 QB behind Delhomme and Carr.
Then Carr went down with a back injury in New Orleans and a member of the training staff handed Moore the special quarterback helmet with the radio inside. He was going to make his NFL debut.
"It was a little nerve-racking, but I had to get over it quick," Moore said. "I just tried to go out there and not make a big mistake."
Moore completed his first pass -- a 43-yarder to Keary Colbert. He was later fortunate not to have a pass intercepted near the goal line, and the drive ended with a field goal.
Carr returned in the second half, but has struggled with the injury since. It's left Moore taking a crash course to be ready to play Sunday if needed.
"It's been a little rocky, some good, some bad," Moore said. "But I have to get in there and get ready for this weekend."
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index
Associated Press
Updated: October 12, 2007, 5:32 PM ET CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Hours after he made his NFL debut last week, Carolina Panthers rookie Matt Moore received a text message from former teammate Tony Romo.
"He said it took him four years to throw his first pass and it took me four games," Moore said of the Dallas Cowboys' quarterback. "But just look at him, and all he's done. He told me to just keep it going."
An undrafted rookie, Moore has gone from a forgotten signing in early September after he was cut by the Cowboys to practicing at times with Carolina's first team. With Jake Delhomme out for the season with an elbow injury and David Carr nursing a sore back, Moore and newly signed Vinny Testaverde are the Panthers' primary options.
Most believe the 43-year-old Testaverde will start ahead of Moore if Carr can't play Sunday in Arizona. But Moore, whose father is only two years older than Testaverde, could be in the mix.
It's another twist in a strange path for the 23-year-old Moore, who transferred colleges, flirted with playing professional baseball and was left disappointed he wasn't selected in the NFL draft.
Moore grew up in Valencia, Calif., and went to UCLA. After getting hurt as a sophomore, he fell off the depth chart and left school.
Before deciding whether to transfer to another school, the 6-foot-3 Moore took a job working at a batting cage. Despite not playing high school baseball as a senior, the left-handed hitter impressed his onlookers when he took swings after hours. They urged him to go to a major league tryout.
He did and was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels as a third baseman in the 22nd round in 2004. Moore was offered a $92,000 signing bonus.
"I kind of had had it with college football after UCLA. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go back to school," Moore said. "I really had to think about it. My parents really wanted me to go to school, which was obviously the right thing to do."
He returned to football, playing two seasons for Oregon State. He threw for over 3,000 yards as a senior and was the MVP of the Sun Bowl.
"My senior year just felt so much easier," Moore said. "The game was slower to me."
Moore was contacted by several teams -- including the Panthers -- but wasn't taken in the NFL draft. He then chose to sign with Dallas, in part because Romo went from an undrafted rookie to a budding star.
"He's living proof you don't have to be drafted," Moore said.
Moore completed 21 of 29 passes for 182 yards, one touchdown with no interceptions in the preseason, but was one of Dallas' final cuts on Sept. 1. A day later, the Panthers signed him.
"He was a guy we liked him coming out of college at Oregon State," coach John Fox said.
Still, Fox didn't expect Moore to play this season. He was going to learn as the No. 3 QB behind Delhomme and Carr.
Then Carr went down with a back injury in New Orleans and a member of the training staff handed Moore the special quarterback helmet with the radio inside. He was going to make his NFL debut.
"It was a little nerve-racking, but I had to get over it quick," Moore said. "I just tried to go out there and not make a big mistake."
Moore completed his first pass -- a 43-yarder to Keary Colbert. He was later fortunate not to have a pass intercepted near the goal line, and the drive ended with a field goal.
Carr returned in the second half, but has struggled with the injury since. It's left Moore taking a crash course to be ready to play Sunday if needed.
"It's been a little rocky, some good, some bad," Moore said. "But I have to get in there and get ready for this weekend."
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index
