The emergence of Sterling Moore

[PATSYLICIOUS]

We have free agency and the draft to try and develop another safety, and I think that is a priority for sure.

It will be interesting to see how BB takes his approach. Will it be continuing through the draft, where he has not found much success at the position, or will he address it like he did the DE's this yr, with more experience in free agency?

I'm thinking a safe bet would be a safety draft pick and a free agent CB, but it may be a blend of the two somehow also.

I agree that I would start at safety first too, but I also think that you can never have enough 'good' CB's, so I would want another CB--but this time I think I would explore some free agent options maybe.

Hopefully Dowling can actually stay healthy so we can see if he's the real deal. It's a major luxury having an offense like ours as we can do a good amount of 'experimenting' during the regular season. Heck, we didn't even have Chung/Spikes for half the year and still pulled a #1 seed. One more offseason/regular season and the defense should be completely rebuilt, by the stretch run of next season I think it'll be a very stout D especially if we can hold onto Carter/Anderson.

 

[supafly]

Just an excuse people are hanging onto. Like, don't worry guys, Taylor Price just needs more time because the whole late Ohio graduation messed him up (even though plenty of other rookies out of that state contribute completely fine in the same situation). Or Ocho would be good if he had the offseason, even though plenty of other players switched teams or systems completely fine without the offseason.

I agree that people make a lot of excuses about a particular players diminished skills. That said, I think it's almost natural to some degree.

I have made excuses regarding Cunningham, as we did see something at times from him last yr. You start to wonder what happened? In that case, I believe the change to 4-3 + the acquisition of Carter and Anderson helped to push him back in the pile.

As far as Price goes, he showed flashes in preseason, so it'd only be natural to think he could do the same in real game reps. Unfortunately, the WR position, including #85 has been hard for many to grasp...that's why I don't understand why they didn't try harder to bring back Gaffney a yr or two ago, at least he was someone who fit the system and understood.

We've had a lot of failures at both WR and DE/OLB, both from drafts and from free agency. The success we've had at positions have forced the front office to allow some guys to walk away (like the afformentioned Gaffney after 2007), but money managment is obviously an important part of the process. Developing those younger/cheaper players is always a hit and miss gamble.

 

[supafly]

Hopefully Dowling can actually stay healthy so we can see if he's the real deal. It's a major luxury having an offense like ours as we can do a good amount of 'experimenting' during the regular season. Heck, we didn't even have Chung/Spikes for half the year and still pulled a #1 seed. One more offseason/regular season and the defense should be completely rebuilt, by the stretch run of next season I think it'll be a very stout D especially if we can hold onto Carter/Anderson.

Considering that this was the first 2 yr stretch where the defense allowed more than 20 pts per game in quite awhile, I agree that this defense will only get better.

I think that next yr we will see a much stronger defense, as the younger players get more experienced and through the off-season process of the draft and free agency.

Great point that it should be much improved as the stretch run comes down after next Thanksgiving. I think the average ppg will be shaved by a few pts, and that the horrible 'yardage' stat will also be more middle-of-the-pack (although I don't agree with the whole yardage stat in itself as a good indicator).

 

[ATippett56]

I'd rather us find a legit FS which hopefully gets McCourty back to his 2010 form.

Dashon Goldson, free safety from the 49ers, is an unrestricted free agent.

 

[supafly]

Dashon Goldson, free safety from the 49ers, is an unrestricted free agent.

Yeah, I was surprised when they brought him in this yr, only to allow him to walk away with no deal.

Not sure if it was primarily money related, or if BB just didn't like something about him?

That situation makes me a bit leery to wonder if he could come back for another free agent visit, I suppose only he and BB know the circumstances.

From a fan's POV, I'd be all for it. I think he did well, particularly this yr.

 

[Triumph]

Moore made two crucial plays at the end of the game to prevent a TD on consecutive plays.

And, hes made some good plays during the season.

BB has him out there for a reason.

 

[supafly]

And, hes made some good plays during the season.

BB has him out there for a reason.

I remember when he played the first time, I think it was on MNF vs KC, and he was one of the no-names that they kept talking about. He really impressed right from the get-go, and many were dissappointed that he was cut a week or two later, as they felt that he looked much better than any other option.

Since then, he's been the NFL rookie of the week, and our practice player of the week twice.

His 2 INT's vs BUF really made me appreciate what good coverage skills look like again, and both of those INT's were very nice plays on the route and the ball in general.

He had another good showing vs DEN in the playoffs, and gained a lot of snaps.

In the BAL game, yes he missed that tackle where he got his hand on the waist of Smith, but could not bring him down. That was not acceptable, but he made up for it by breaking up the potentially game winning TD in the back of the endzone vs Evans (one of the biggest plays of the yr), and then another bat down on the 3rd down pass to set up the missed FG.

For a rookie, I think he's shown plenty of upside. Maybe he hasn't 'emerged' as I originally said in the title of the thread, but he's certainly given us all reason to believe that this current secondary can actually hold its own.

 

[PatsFan2]

Sterling Moore

What's the 411...what's the 411? is he a CB or FS. He is only 21 his future seems bright...where does BB find these guys.

Discuss!

 

[letekro]

Re: Sterling Moore

He had multiple knee surgeries in college which limited his playing time and his ability to participate in the predraft process. When he played, he was known to be a physical corner with good ball skills. I saw one writeup that mentioned how he had a knack for slapping the ball from the receiver's hands at the last second.

Here's his college highlight reel:

Sterling Moore SMU Highlights - YouTube

 

[Double TE]

Re: Sterling Moore

Maybe he can develop and become a CB like Kyle Arrington?

 

[Razor's Edge]

Re: Sterling Moore

Everything I've seen from his limited playing time, shows me he's got the skills. He saved us last Sunday on two plays at the end. Then Cundiff did the rest

 

[PatsFan2]

Re: Sterling Moore

He had multiple knee surgeries in college which limited his playing time and his ability to participate in the predraft process. When he played, he was known to be a physical corner with good ball skills. I saw one writeup that mentioned how he had a knack for slapping the ball from the receiver's hands at the last second.

Here's his college highlight reel:

Sterling Moore SMU Highlights - YouTube

Thanks: was it him who knock the Ball away from the TE before the play on Lee Evans?

 

[RodThePat]

Re: Sterling Moore

Maybe he can develop and become a CB like Kyle Arrington?

I don't think Sterling needs much developing in order to become a CB like Kyle Arrington.

 

[PatsFan2]

Re: Sterling Moore

Everything I've seen from his limited playing time, shows me he's got the skills. He saved us last Sunday on two plays at the end. Then Cundiff did the rest

That was him wow he is awesome...i am not so worried about the Giants WR's now. And i thought we had to Draft a CB early in April...scrap that now. We need to Draft the Best Pass Rusher we can find and a very Fast WR who can run and catch on the outsides.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Raiders Whiffed On Sterling Moore - Just Blog Baby - An Oakland Raiders Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

While his cover skills were lacking what impressed me most about Moore was how he broke on the ball.

That is pretty much the reason why I like him alot, and why I wouldn't label a 21year old a JAG just yet. He could turn out to be garbage, a JAG, or something more.

 

[PatsFan2]

His last name is fitting he has given us More than we bargained for.

 

[patfanken]

Now I like Moore and the staff has done a good job of developing him. He is physical and versatile, and is a good bet to stick long term because of that versatility. (is he a FA after the season?) I just find it somehow ironic how much love people are giving him for his undoubtedly great play on Evans. You have to wonder what the reaction of the general fan base would have been if he'd knocked the ball out a microsecond later and it had been ruled a TD. That microsecond made Sterling more a local hero. A microsecond later and he'd have been the goat. Such are the vagaries and elusiveness of Glory and Fame, and the VERY thin line that separates it from infamy and vilification.

 

[groundgame]

Sterling Moore's Birthday: February 3, 1990. His 12th Birthday the day of Patriot's win over Rams in SB XXXVI on February 3, 2002.

 

[Modest]

Did anyone else feel bad for Moore at the end of the game? He just made 2 plays at the end of the game to save our season and after the game he was wondering around aimlessly trying to find someone to shake hands with.