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| He looks sorta strong I guess. |
Moses
hails from Tulane University in New Orleans, where he transferred after two
years at the University of Iowa. He had a fairly productive career at Tulane,
finishing in the top five in sacks in school history despite playing just two
seasons there. He has good size at 6’2”, 259 lbs, and certainly fits a current
need for the Packers. Everyone knows the Packers’ pass rush was awful last year
and the team went to great lengths to address that need during the offseason.
Moses has been given a chance to make a difference at the outside linebacker
position, and it seems he has made the most of that opportunity.
To
draw public praise from a proven veteran on the defense is a great
accomplishment for an undrafted rookie during OTAs. Moses did just that in
getting the attention of fellow linebacker Desmond Bishop, who described him as
good at, ‘run stopping, rushing the passer, getting his calls in. Everything.
He’s smart. He’s a good player.’ That’s great news for the young linebacker,
but it doesn’t stop there. Tramon Williams, who took a similar path to the NFL,
said that, ‘we talk about him every day, pretty much. He’s got a lot of strength
and pass rushing ability, let’s just say that.’ Talk about him every day? I
mean what exactly is this guy doing in shorts and a helmet to garner this much
attention from the vets? Clay Matthews went the furthest of everyone in saying
that, ‘I think he’s shown the coaches as well as myself everything he needs to
at the outside linebacker position.’ That honestly sounds like crazy talk to
me. How could Clay Matthews have decided that Moses has earned a roster spot
before he’s even seen him with pads on? Seriously, what is this guy doing at
practice?
It’s
becoming a familiar refrain in the Packers offseason for a relatively unknown player
to be making some noise. Many of these players go on to have early success in
the regular season, and more than one has developed into a Pro Bowl caliber
player. Is Dezman Moses the next guy to explode onto the scene from out of
nowhere? The Packers’ linebackers certainly seem to think so, and who would
know better than them? For every first-round glamour boy that fails to live up
to lofty expectations, there are a dozen late-round (or in this case, no round)
workhorses just begging for an opportunity. Nobody is going to hand anything to
Dezman Moses for free, he’s going to have to work for every practice rep, every
go around with the first stringers, every paycheck and bit of praise he gets. He’ll
no doubt be raw, probably can’t catch a cold, and probably isn’t very fast, but
if he’s foaming at the mouth to get after the passer, why not turn him loose
for a week or two?
Moses
will no doubt be featured prominently in the preseason as a player the coaches really
want to get a look at. If he can make some plays, he’ll make the team. I
remember a certain Desmond Bishop laying the wood a few times in the preseason
to make the team as a special teamer. He had to work for his roster spot, then
he had to work to become the starter at inside linebacker. Last I checked he’s
developed into a nice little player in the middle of our defense. I’d recommend
Moses takes a page out of Clay Matthews’ book, and flies around like a fucking
maniac during the preseason. Throw caution to the wind and get after the quarterback.
He might just be the shot in the arm this defense needs to return to
prominence.
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