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Monday, Jun. 02, 2008

Experienced Moore ready for second NFL season

CHARLOTTE -- Maybe it was because he didn't know enough to know better, but when Matt Moore walked in the door nine months ago, he walked in unafraid.

Now that he actually knows a thing or two, the Carolina Panthers are able to proceed the same way.

The current backup -- who got his start mopping up one of the most mixed-up seasons in history -- is finally getting a chance to settle in here, and as crazy as it sounds, the Panthers are counting on him.

"It's big-time," Moore said with a nod and a cock-eyed grin last week when asked about the chance at increased practice repetitions with Jake Delhomme mending. "It's been nice getting the more reps and the more experience."

Moore never had that luxury last year, joining the Panthers in September as a waiver claim after Dallas gambled and lost by cutting him. The Cowboys were going to resign him to the practice squad when he cleared (since they were carrying just two passers), but the first of the rash of injuries got Moore his start in Charlotte, which ended up with a starting job. The Panthers had the opening since Brett Basanez went down in the preseason, but they felt good going in with Delhomme and David Carr, so they figured they'd give Moore a chance to sit and learn.

That lasted exactly five games, when he had to relieve Carr in New Orleans, when the failed backup got twisted like a pretzel. That his first pass was a 43-yard strike to gone-and-forgotten Keary Colbert of all people seemed to sum up his rookie year, as much as the fact it was Week 16 before his first touchdown, or the two wins he authored down the stretch.

"I'd say the first time he stepped in a game down in New Orleans, you could tell he just wasn't scared," Panthers fullback Brad Hoover said. "That's the thing. You step into a very hostile environment and he wasn't rattled. I've seen him make mistakes and he wasn't rattled, and you don't get that in a lot of quarterbacks, especially young quarterbacks.

"You see it in him, there's a lot of promise."

That's why the Panthers never blinked, or budged in their feelings for Moore. In case you missed the offseason, you'd be astonished to learn they didn't sign a free agent, or didn't trade up in the draft to take a franchise passer. Partly, it's because they've got a hunch they've got something worth working with in Moore. And with Delhomme on a pitch count through the spring and summer as he recovers from elbow surgery, Moore's taking advantage of the extra work.

"It's going to be part of what we feel is a talented young guy's improvement," coach John Fox said of Moore's snaps with the starters during minicamp and organized team activities. "He got to start three games last year, for a rookie free agent quarterback in the National Football League, that doesn't happen a lot.

"It's all about experience with quarterbacks, that's why they're so hard to develop."

Still, Moore shakes his head when asked about last year, knowing it took a bizarre confluence of circumstances for him to get here at all, much less play when a pair of No. 1 overall picks (including a near-twice-his-age Vinny Testaverde) broke down spiritually and physically.

He didn't look like much in relief, completing 14 of 32 passes for 166 yards and three picks (21.1 rating) in his first six appearances. But in those last three starts against playoff teams, he was a different guy, going 56-of-80 for 563 yards, three touchdowns and two picks (86.1 rating), but most importantly, winning a pair of them.

That allowed him to settle in, and catch his breath through an offseason.

"It's nice that I have a set schedule this year, it's just getting better that way," Moore said. "I can't tell you where I'd be without those three games, just knowing the little ins and outs, how it works, showing what I could do.

"It's just a confidence booster for me coming into this season."

For all the savvy he's shown on the field, Moore's still at a bit of a loss when asked to describe it -- far more comfortable in a huddle than scrum of reporters. The answers are short, and he grins politely through the clichés he's dispensing, still getting used to being looked to for answers. At the same time, those around him can see the growth where it's most important, on the field.