Indianapolis
When he looked down and discovered the football rolling around in the end zone, New England cornerback Sterling Moore was relieved.
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Unlikely heroes
NFL postseason history is filled with stories of players who emerged at just the right time.
Jack Squirek, linebacker, Los Angeles Raiders » Intercepted a Joe Theismann screen pass and returned it for touchdown in Super Bowl XVIII.
David Tyree, receiver, New York Giants » Caught four passes in regular season before making epic reception in Super Bowl XLII.
Timmy Smith, running back, Washington » His Super Bowl-record 204 rushing yards vs. Denver came after a 470-yard regular season.
Frank Reich, quarterback, Buffalo » The backup QB rallied the Bills from 35-3 down to beat Houston 41-38 in January 1993 wild-card game.
Sterling Moore, safety, New England » Released by Oakland and released and re-signed by the Patriots in rookie season, then made game-saving plays in AFC championship game.
Howard Griffith, fullback, Denver » Scored two touchdowns in Super Bowl XXXIII after rarely carrying the ball all season.
John Taylor, receiver, San Francisco » Had caught only 23 passes in first two NFL seasons before winning reception in Super Bowl XXIII vs. Cincinnati.
Jim O’Brien, kicker, Baltimore Colts » Successful on only 55 percent of career field goals, but beat Dallas in Super Bowl V.
Mike Jones, linebacker, St. Louis Rams » Tackle of ex-Ute receiver Kevin Dyson saved victory in Super Bowl XXXIV.
Alex Smith, quarterback, San Francisco » Nobody expected him to pass for 135 yards and account for two touchdowns to overtake New Orleans twice in last three minutes of divisional playoff game.
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Super Bowl XLVI
Sunday at IndianapolisNew England vs. N.Y. Giants, 4:20 p.m.
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At that moment, Moore was thinking less about having saved the Patriots’ 23-20 victory over Baltimore in the AFC championship game and more about how he would not be held responsible for a stunning defeat.
"I thought we had lost the game," he was saying Tuesday, surrounded by interviewers during the Super Bowl XLVI Media Day at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Instead, a season defined by what he laughingly summarized as "definitely, a lot of paperwork" will continue through Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.
The short version of Moore’s five months of multiple transactions is Oakland signed him as an undrafted free agent and later released him from the practice squad, then the Patriots signed, released and re-signed him, ultimately positioning him to make the biggest play of New England’s season.
By turning around just in time to strip the ball from Baltimore receiver Lee Evans’ hands for an incompletion, Moore ticketed his team for the Super Bowl. Actually, there was one more deflection to come. By breaking in front of former BYU tight end Dennis Pitta to make another play, Moore forced the Ravens’ failed field goal attempt that could have sent the game into overtime.
Those plays will live in Patriots history, while giving Moore a niche in NFL playoff lore with the likes of Washington’s Timmy Smith, who once rushed for a Super Bowl-record 204 yards against Denver, and the Giants’ David Tyree, who had caught four passes in the regular season before making an epic reception on the winning drive against New England four years ago.
Unlikely stories like those always seem to surface at this time of year, but Moore’s tale might top them all. He played only one year of high school football in northern California, because his mother figured baseball and basketball sufficiently occupied him. Coming out of junior college, he received exactly one Football Bowl Subdivision scholarship offer, and even that took some faith from the Southern Methodist recruiter.
"I kind of got some flack for recruiting this guy," said SMU secondary coach Derrick Odum, a former University of Utah player and coach. "I didn’t really care. I saw what I saw."
Odum discovered Moore’s "knack for the game," with playmaking ability that reminded him of former Ute star Eric Weddle.
Moore thrived for two seasons with the Mustangs, although recurring trouble with a dislocated kneecap affected his play. That’s apparently why he went undrafted, but the Raiders — and, later, the Patriots — liked him enough to give him a chance.
So there he was in the last minute of the AFC title game, with the ball coming toward Evans in the end zone. Having been turned around in his effort to cover Evans, Moore recovered just in time to complete a play that forever will be remembered either as a drop or a deflection, depending on one’s perspective.
"I’ll just say that I think if I didn’t hit the ball, it would have been a touchdown," Moore said.
Odum’s postgame text message to his former player mentioned that play, but only after citing the missed tackle that enabled Baltimore’s Torrey Smith to score a go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter.
"Just keeping him humble," Odum explained. "He’s humble, anyway."
Moore said he’s unlikely to take Odum’s offer of tackling drills when he visits SMU this winter, but he welcomes the continued coaching. Odum always told Moore that with his skills, "People will like you."
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