Columnists
Moss making all the right moves
By Kaylore
Jul 31, 2007, 19:28

Defensive End, Jarvis Moss was exhausted when he walked off the field carrying his teammates’ equipment, and with good reason. In addition to hauling equipment around for the veterans, a sort of rookie right of passage, the Broncos’ first round pick has proven to be something of a workhorse and in three days of practice has left everything on the field.

The first impression when you first lay eyes on the former Gator is how tall and slender he is.  At six-feet and six-inches, Moss towers over everyone.  The roster lists him at 265, but anyone who is familiar with "official" roster weight knows that they seem to always list heavier than the guy looks.  Moss looks to be closer to 240.  Whatever his weight is, Moss's long arms were giving offensive linemen trouble all afternoon.

Some have wondered if his slight build will limit the number of times and circumstances in which he can be used this year.  Moss isn't hearing any of it, choosing to focus instead on the things that he does have control over.  “I hear things about my size but I don’t listen to this or that. I just do what my coaches tell me to do and try to help in any way that I can.” But aren't there concerns about size affecting how an end plays. "No. You see it's not about size; It's about technique. If you have good technique then you do a lot more."

Jarvis has been doing just that. While he often appears winded late in practice, it must be remembered that when he’s not lining up with the second and first team at defensive end, Moss is also a gunner on the special teams unit – an area where he was a playmaker during his time at Florida. for Moss this is just one more way of showing his commitment to the organization that drafted him. “I’ll do anything. I play special teams and I’ve been doing that since college. I just wanna help.”

The extra help means extra effort, and that means less energy to spare throughout the day. Moss understands that dealing with fatigue is part of training camp and learning to be a pro. Taking better care of your body is a lesson that Jarvis seems to have learned already. “I’m just trying to push through it and contribute. I’m taking care of my body. In college I would just ignore bruise here or a nick there. Now I’m getting rest and massages and taking care of myself.”

The most impressive thing about Moss in watching him in practice is the skill set that he attempting to build. He takes to coaching well and also is willing to listen to the other veterans on the team. During  a series of drills, Moss was finding that his speed rush moves were being countered very effectively and he was not winning his matchups as well as he had the day before. “I tried some speed moves and they kind of weren’t working” Moss points out “So it was John Engelberger and Sam Adams actually who said ‘why not try a power move?’ So I went out there and got through.” The following play Moss faked the power move he had just used and then went back to a speed move. The ruse worked and Moss was through the line once again.

There is a lot of promise, but ultimately all these things must be taken to the next level for a true assessment to be made on how any rookie works out. Training camp is not a preseason game, and neither hold a candle to the speed of regular season games. However, Moss has a lot of things going for him: His athleticism, his work ethic, and his selfless attitude. More than all those, I think his ability to listen, learn and immediately use the techniques he is taught is what will make him a success for the Broncos and in the NFL.

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