On the surface those four weeks wouldn't appear to be too important for Matt Moore who spent hte past four seasons with the Carolina Panthers, appearing in 22 games.
But in the strange, here today, gone tomorrow world of the NFL, that month with the Cowboys proved to be quite valuable and helped land him in Miami.
Moore failed to make Dallas’ roster that season but he succeeded in impressing then offensive line coach/assistant head coach Tony Sparano.
Sparano is now the head coach in Miami where the Dolphins on Friday signed Moore to a two-year, $5 million contract to backup and push incumbent starter, Chad Hearne. Sparano said he's always viewed Moore as being a a smart, dependable player.
“I watched that kid compete in a pretty high level during that training camp against some pretty good players and we really at the time wanted him to stay around,” Sparano told reporters Saturday when the team introduced Moore. “We wanted to keep this guy and had high hopes for him.”
Those hopes continue today, only with a different team.
Obviously, they did some research and thankfully they liked what they saw,” Moore told reporters. “The connection in Dallas definitely helped.”
Henne, the team’s second-round pick out of Michigan in 2008, enters camp as the starter but hardly has the job locked down. In 32 games he’s completed 61.1 percent of his passes for 6,246 yards and 27 touchdowns with 33 interceptions for a passer rating of 75.3.
Should Henne not show improvement that could help Miami best its 7-9 mark a year ago, Moore would be in position to take over.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore looks on during NFL football training camp in Davie, Fla., Saturday, July 30, 2011. Moore, like other free agents, can't begin practicing with their new team until Aug. 4.
The signing is another feather in the cap for SMW, the Portland-based sports agency operated and owned by NFL agent Lynn Lashbrook. The company, which also includes NFL agent Marcus Williams, represents 18 NFL players, most unheralded athletes trying to stick in the league. Clients include veteran Philadelphia linebacker Akeem Jordan The agency, the only one in Portland that represents NFL players, also offers online courses for aspiring agents in several sports fields and classes in sports management.
Moore is SMWW's prized client and much has happened to him since he left Oregon State.
All set to join Dallas’ practice squad in 2007, Moore received a better offer from the Panthers to join their 53-man roster.
Moore played in nine games for Carolina in 2007 after starter Jake Delhomme and backup Vinny Testaverde were injured. Moore threw for 730 yards and three touchdowns with five interceptions.
A healthy Delhomme led the Panthers to the playoffs in 2008 while Moore didn’t see any action. But Delhomme went back on the injured list in 2009 and played poorly when healthy, prompting Carolina to turn to Moore. He appeared in seven games and led the team to victories in four of its final five contests. Moore finished the season with a 98.5 passer rating after throwing for 1,053 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions.
Moore's performance earned him the starting job in 2010 and a one-year, $3 million deal as a restricted free agent. Moore held off rookie Jimmy Clausen but struggled to repeat his 2009 performance. He completed 55.2 percent of his passes for 857 yards and five touchdowns with 10 interceptions over six games. Injuries around him on offense didn’t help and Moore’s season ultimately came to en end when he went on injured reserve with a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.
“I wish I had the answers to (why I struggled),” Moore said. “It was rough. Injuries definitely hurt. There were really no excuses. We just didn’t play good football.”
The Panthers finished 2-14 and in April selected Auburn quarterback Cam Newton with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. With a second-round pick invested in Clausen, Moore was done in Carolina.
Following the end of the lockout, Miami reportedly held discussions with Denver about acquiring quarterback Kyle Orton, Moore received interest from San Diego and San Francisco.
Another interesting connection to Miami for Moore is Dolphins wide receivers coach Karl Dorrell, UCLA’s head coach when Moore was there.
Moore ultimately transferred to Oregon State after a knee injury set him back and he lost a chance to start. Moore said the two maintain a good relationship.
“It’s great,” Moore said. “I’m sure everyone thought it was going to be sticky. I was really excited to come back down here. The 24 hours I have been here has been awesome. I see our relationship growing from what it was in a good way.”
All things considered, Moore has done well for himself. Should he finish his current contract he would have made $8 million three years. Not bad for a former undrafted rookie free agent. But Moore hopes to do more than merely carry a clipboard for the Dolphins and cash a paycheck.
“It is a performance based business and if you are not performing, you are going to go get someone that does,” Moore said. “One minute you are on top of the world and the next minute you are one and eight. You just have to stay real focused and real prepared and play your best ball at all times.”
