Rashad Moore, Randal Williams, Bobby Hamilton, And June 1st Cuts....

[Angry Pope]

Raiders Team Report

5/19/2006

By Steve Corkran
Contra Costa Times


PERSONNEL ANALYSIS: Perhaps the biggest surprise at the team's most recent minicamp involved the absence of veteran DE Bobby Hamilton with the first-team defense. He has been a starter at left end the past two seasons and one of the team's most consistent performers, on and off the field. However, Hamilton is on the downside of his career, and the Raiders appear content to find a replacement sooner rather than later. For now, the leading candidates are Tyler Brayton and Lance Johnstone, or perhaps a combination thereof. Brayton is back at end after a failed experiment by defensive coordinator Rob Ryan trying Brayton at outside linebacker and a mixture of linebacker and end. Brayton has the edge over Hamilton in terms of being younger and faster but lacks Hamilton's vast experience and consistency.

Johnstone likely will play primarily on obvious passing downs, especially if Brayton doesn't develop into a reliable pass-rushing threat early on. Hamilton might be kept around as a situational player, particularly against the run, but he also faces the prospect of being a salary-cap casualty after June 1. The Raiders drafted an offensive lineman capable of long-snapping. However, long-time snapper Adam Treu isn't going anywhere anytime soon because of his immense value in the capacity he has filled the past nine seasons. Rookie Chris Morris will learn from Treu but likely not make much headway in supplanting Treu.

SCOUTING REPORT: TE Randal Williams has made serious strides toward challenging Courtney Anderson for the starting spot. This, only one season after Williams converted from wide receiver as a way of increasing his likelihood of making Oakland's 53-man roster. He has added weight without losing much, if any, speed, and he's improved his blocking. His receiving skills make him a player who can create matchup difficulties for opposing defenses. He has the speed to get open downfield and the hands to make difficult catches. He figures to start the season as Anderson's backup but get increased playing time as he progresses. Look for him to be a regular target of QB Aaron Brooks from the outset of the season.

MINICAMP MAYHEM: DT Rashad Moore made a favorable impression at the team's second minicamp and has eased some of the lingering concerns the Raiders had about finding adequate replacements for departed veterans Ted Washington and Ed Jasper. Moore showed promise during his time with the Seattle Seahawks, especially against the run. That is an area where the Raiders need help, with run-stopping end Bobby Hamilton being phased out. Moore has the size and strength to become a cog in the middle of the Raiders line, something that would help free up the linebackers to make plays and make the Raiders forget about Washington.

JUNE 1 CUTS: DE Bobby Hamilton: He remains solid against the run and a player who has something to add to a defense. However, he no longer is a standout every-down player. SS Derrick Gibson's job security took a severe hit when the Raiders drafted Michael Huff in the first round. He went from a projected starter to an opening-day longshot in no time.

LINEBACKERS ANALYSIS: C-plus. Kirk Morrison is a budding star. Danny Clark is a solid veteran. The Raiders are waiting for a third reliable starter to materialize.

 

[Angry Pope]

Here is Rashad Moore's profile...

Glenn "Rashad" Moore

Position: Defensive Tackle
College: Tennessee
Height: 6-3
Weight: 324
Hometown: Huntsville, Ala.


ANALYSIS

Positives: Good athlete with that natural burst and snap anticipation skills to dominate coming out of his stance … Charges with explosive quickness and power … Can neutralize and control combo blocks, uses his hands with force to disengage … Has good lateral agility, finishing well on stunts … Collides with force and shows proper wrapup tackling technique … Maintains balance and uses his hands effectively to defeat low blocks … Has the ability to plant and drive on the ball, displaying above-average quickness in long pursuit … Disruptive chasing the quarterback … Stays low and works his hips well shooting the gaps.

Negatives: Has very poor workout habits … Tends to put on considerable weight and shy away from the weight room when not monitored … Needs to drop 20 pounds in order to retain his explosion … Additional weight has robbed him of his lateral flexibility, but he does have an explosive straight-ahead burst … Gets too narrow-based due to his soft midsection, resulting in blockers getting underneath his pads to drive him off the ball … Needs to show better leverage in his anchor … His tenacity only comes in spurts … Needs to break down and wrap better as ball carriers can elude him in space … Disrupts the action in the backfield, but just can't seem to get to the quarterback … Runs out of gas too much due to poor conditioning … Has a tendency to get too high in his stance when moving laterally and lacks change-of-direction agility which leaves him exposed too much … Attitude needs to be improved, as his coaches constantly got on him about his conditioning.

CAREER NOTES

Took over as the team's defensive anchor in his final year after John Henderson and Albert Haynesworth departed for the NFL … Recorded 95 tackles (61 solos) with 3½ sacks, 9 stops behind the line of scrimmage, 3 fumble recoveries, 2 forced fumbles and 5 pass deflections during his career.

2002 SEASON

All-Southeastern Conference honorable mention by the Associated Press … Started the first team and final two games at left defensive tackle … Recorded a career-high 41 tackles (28 solos) with 2 sacks for minus-26 yards and 4 stops for losses of 31 yards … Had a quarterback pressure, a forced fumble and 3 fumble recoveries.

Preseason - Bothered in spring drills with a nagging back strain.
Wyoming - Caused a fumble on an 11-yard sack.
Middle Tennessee - Recovered a fumble and made 3 hits.
Florida - Sacked QB Rex Grossman for a 15-yard loss, recovered a fumble and posted 5 tackles (4 solos).
Arkansas - Had a 5-tackle performance.
Georgia, Alabama and Miami - Totaled 4 tackles in each game.
Mississippi State - Recovered a fumble, returning the ball 9 yards for a touchdown, but left the game with a neck/shoulder stinger.
Vanderbilt - Did not play (neck/shoulder).
Maryland (Peach Bowl) - Closed out his career with 3 tackles (2 solos).

2001 SEASON

Played in every game, starting vs. Syracuse and Florida at right defensive tackle and vs. Arkansas and Vanderbilt at left tackle … Finished with 28 tackles (13 solos), an interception, 3 pass deflections and 7 quarterback pressures.

2000 SEASON

Appeared in seven games as a reserve defensive tackle, recording 22 tackles (17 solos) with 1½ sacks for minus-21 yards and 5 stops for losses of 29 yards … Deflected a pass and caused a fumble.

1998 SEASON

Missed the first four games of the season with a high ankle sprain, collecting 4 tackles (3 solos) in limited action.

1998 SEASON

Redshirted as a freshman.

INJURY REPORT

Missed the first four games of the 1999 season with a high ankle sprain … Sat out four games in 2000 after spraining his foot vs. South Carolina … Missed the second half of the 2001 Notre Dame game with a back sprain … Bothered in 2002 spring drills with a lower back strain … Did not play vs. Vanderbilt in 2002 due to a neck/shoulder stinger.

CAMPUS AGILITY TESTS

4.95 in the 40-yard dash … 385-pound bench press … 315-pound power clean.

ARM HAND TEST 40 20 10 225 VJ BJ SHUTTLE CONE
32 10¼ 18


HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Johnson (Huntsville, Ala.) High … National Recruiting Advisor All-America, Player of the Year, all-metro, all-around and Defensive MVP as a senior … Made 65 tackles, 10½ sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, including one returned for a touchdown that year … Played only two seasons, starting at tight end and defensive tackle … His school went 10-2 his junior year and 8-4 his senior campaign … All-metro and all-area in basketball … Coached by Harold Wells.

PERSONAL

Psychology major … Born Glenn Rashad Moore on March 16, 1979 … Resides in Huntsville, Ala.

 

[Angry Pope]

Here is an old article on Rashad...

Wednesday, December 31, 2003

Sports

Moore makes his papa proud


Associated Press

Rookie Rashad Moore (95) has been standing tall for the Seahawks.
Mike Sando - Tacoma News Tribune

Rashad Moore placed a call home to Huntsville, Ala., on the first Sunday of his first NFL training camp.

"Dad, I've got a lot to learn about pro football," Moore said, suddenly aware of the steep climb ahead.

Five months later, the Seahawks have discovered plenty about Moore, an increasingly vital figure in their vastly improved run defense. With Moore leading the way Saturday in San Francisco, the Seahawks held the 49ers to a season-low 59 yards rushing, a key factor in the 24-17 victory.

Moore will make his seventh NFL start when Seattle heads to Green Bay's Lambeau Field for a playoff game Sunday. Looking back, that summertime phone call to his father revealed much about the sixth-round draft choice from Tennessee.

"He's not one of those guys who comes in and has a hard head about things," teammate Brandon Mitchell said. "He's the kind of guy who pays attention to detail. He's a smart guy and he takes coaching well. And he's willing to work."

The player Seattle coaches nicknamed "Booger" has earned a far more flattering moniker following a series of eye-opening performances.

"We call him `10-year' because he's like a 10-year veteran," said Mitchell, a defensive lineman in his seventh NFL season. "That's how he carries himself and, you know, that's how he plays."

Moore is 6-foot-3, weighs 324 pounds and has finished the 40-yard dash in less than 5 seconds. The swagger comes straight from his father, the man Moore also credits for furnishing him with values to succeed. Glenn Moore has worked for nearly 20 years at the former General Motors plant in Decatur, Ala., where he operates machinery that manufactures steering gears and front-wheel-drive axles.

"He's the type of guy who is going to let you make your own decisions," Rashad Moore said. "He's going to voice his opinion, but you're a man, you have to make your own decisions.

"And I really respect my father for that."

There were apparently no free rides for young Rashad.

"My son asked me one time, he said, `Daddy, why don't you coach us like so-and-so's dad does?"' Glenn Moore said by telephone from the family home in Hunstville. "I told him this: I said, `Son, you ever notice how the coach's son is always the shortstop or the pitcher in baseball, and then in football he's always the quarterback?"'

"Then I told him, I said, `You've got to earn your way up. A lot of these people are going to be weeded out by the time you get to middle school, high school or whatever. Then you're going to have to earn it yourself."

If hard work earned Moore a roster spot with the Seahawks, opportunity allowed him into the lineup. The team needed Moore ahead of schedule after veteran tackles Chad Eaton and Norman Hand landed on injured reserve.

"We hope he can come in here and fight for a backup job, give us depth," general manager Bob Ferguson said on draft day. "Maybe he has the potential to rise above that. We'll find out."

Early on, Moore had to wonder if the Seahawks wanted him to survive camp.

Defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes and line coach Dwaine Board pushed the rookie to his limits, so much so that some feared Moore might wilt. But coach Mike Holmgren and others expressed confidence in Moore's abilities, with maximum results.

Moore, admittedly a reluctant pupil at times for coaches at Tennessee, is soaking up everything the NFL can offer.

"He's above and beyond," Mitchell said.

While Moore prepares for the playoffs, his father is wrapping up a two-week vacation for the holidays. The break allowed Glenn Moore to focus on a favorite avocation: proud papa.

"It's an all-time high for me," Moore's father said. "A guy asked me the other night, he said, `Man, how does it feel to have a son in the NFL?'

"I told him, `Man, I don't know, really.' He thought I was joking, but you're just all the time on a high, just thinking about it."

 

[Angry Pope]

Rashad Moore Q&A

4/27/2003


Q: What was today like for you?
"It was a long, drawn-out day. I’m happy to be picked up by Seattle, and I’m ready to start my job there."

Q: Did you have an idea about where you would go?
"I had the impression that I was going the first day, but things didn’t turn out like they were supposed to. So, I ended up going on the second day."

Q: What kind of a player are you? Are you more of a run-stopper or a pass-rusher?
"I feel that I am a decent player. I probably can do a little bit of both. I’m probably a little better as a run stopper than I am a pass rusher, but if I have to get after the passer, that’s what I’m going to work to do. I feel that I can compete with the best of them."

Q: What do you know about the Seahawks’ situation? They ranked last in the league against the run last year.
"That’s what I heard. I’m just coming in to do what I gotta do, and work hard and play the best I can play, and go 100% on every play, and play special teams if I have to. I’m just coming in to do what I have to do to help the Seattle Seahawks win."

Q: How did the two first round picks [John Henderson and Albert Haynesworth] last year help you during your time at Tennessee?
"They helped a lot. It was very difficult playing this past year without those guys, due to the fact that I was the only returning lineman that had played the previous season. It was real difficult having to fight off double-teams. But, my guys helped me out a lot this year. Like Aubrayo Franklin, I think he got drafted in the 5th round, and there was a whole host of guys there to help me out this year. It was real difficult missing those guys, but it happens. People move on to better and bigger things in their life. I just had to deal with it."

 

[Angry Pope]

More on Moore...

Run stuffer gets earful from Hawks

ROD MAR / THE SEATTLE TIMES

PORTLAND — The sophomore jinx.

The Seahawks coaches whisper the threat of it to Rashad Moore in meetings. They holler about it on the practice field. They use the possibility of it to push him through the summer drudgery of two-a-days in Cheney.

The sophomore jinx.

It is the fear factor the team has used this preseason to keep Moore focused, to make sure he doesn't fall into some of the bad habits that hounded him in college at Tennessee.

It is the muse that is expected to make defensive tackle Moore, the surprise of last season, even better this season.

Beware the sophomore jinx.

"Everybody keeps hollerin' at me about the sophomore jinx, sophomore slump or whatever," Moore said. "I'm playing off that, just coming out here trying to do my job. I'm working hard trying to get nothing but better. That's all."

He came to the Seahawks last year, all promise and no portfolio, a sixth-round pick with first-round potential.

"He was a longshot to make the team, definitely on the bubble," coach Mike Holmgren said after yesterday's controlled scrimmage at PGE Park.

There were questions coming out of college about his work ethic. The book on him was that, in games and in practices, he took plays off.




And Seahawks coaches decided the way to rid him of that habit was to ride roughshod on him. He was one of defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes' pet projects. The subject of Rhodes' biting wit and raging wrath.

Certainly there were practices when Moore wished Rhodes would take a day off from the steady drip, drip, drip of sarcasm-laced instruction, wished Rhodes would contract a case of laryngitis. But Moore didn't cower in front of his coach. He listened and learned.

"It was hard for me last year with Ray on me all the time," Moore said, "but then I had to understand why he was. He saw what was in me and what I could do and he was just trying to bring that out of me. And he was going to do whatever it took to bring it out, and I can't blame him for that.

"Being drafted in the sixth round I knew coming in I was going to have to work extra hard to stay on this team. And do this and that. I never asked for a day off. I never would. I just tried to get the job done."

Week by week, remarkably quickly, Moore matured into a defensive threat. He became the steal of the 2003 draft.

In 2002, the Seahawks defense allowed 10 running backs to rush for more than 100 yards. Last year, in part because of Moore, they allowed only four 100-yard games. Splitting time with John Randle, Moore started six games.

"He had a pretty good offseason. Reported in good shape. And now, that sophomore jinx, I hope it doesn't happen to him," Holmgren said.

There's that phrase again.

"We tease him a little bit about the sophomore jinx, and maybe we shouldn't do that quite so much," Holmgren said. "We're trying to motivate him, and he's doing very well. If he just keeps going and keeps working, I think he's going to have a great year."

The guy they call Booger is rewriting the book on Rashad Moore. The sixth-round pick with long-gone motivational problems is overcoming his reputation.

With defensive lineman Marcus Tubbs, the 2004 first-round pick, still holding out in Texas and spending time with his critically ill mother, Moore is making the plays and making his pitch to become a starter.

He is running down running backs on screen passes. He is stuffing the run. And now the Seahawks, who thought they had a need for an immovable force in the middle of the line, might already have the answer.

"I've always said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder," Holmgren said. "But he did some things as a collegiate athlete that kind of worried a lot of people. Not that he's a bad guy. He's a good guy, but it could have been effort. It could have been taking plays off in somebody's mind. Then the word spreads. And I think that's how it happened with him.

"I'm just glad we have him. And I'm glad our scouts and (vice president of football operations) Ted Thompson said, 'This guy's a good player and let's try to reach him.' "

A year later, Moore's past doesn't matter anymore. The sixth-rounder is playing like a first-rounder.

"He had the talent level to get drafted higher," said Bob Ferguson, the Seahawks' general manager."He's big and strong. He can run. He's got a great heart for the game, and he's got a little stick to him. He's got a little attitude, and I think that's what's carried him on here."

Sophomore jinx? Whisper the words to Moore in the meeting rooms. Scream them at him on the practice field. Use the specter of it to motivate him.

Whatever the motives are, the threat is working.