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Meet A New Atlanta Falcon: S William Moore

Photo188_medium

via www.attcottonbowl.com

I could think of no more appropriate nickname than "C4" for William Moore, considering that everyone who talks about him talks about how he blows people up.

 

We heard it from Thomas Dimitroff, we heard it from scouts, and fans who saw him play in college, such as MarioVanPeebles Republic of China at Rock M Nation. Clearly, he's a tackling safety of the highest order. We've heard a lot more about Moore than some of our other picks, but let's take the time for a belated introduction, shall we?

Join me after the jump for more on our explosive safety.

Star-divide

History: A two year starter for the Missouri Tigers, Moore was an effective player who battled a variety of unfortunate injuries through his college career. He was a 2nd Team All-American in 2007, when it looked like he'd be a high first round pick if he left school. Honoring a teammate who passed away by wearing his number, Moore has a reputation as a down-to-earth and good guy.

Pros: Has the kind of strength and physique necessary to hit running backs, wide receivers and tight ends with equal force. Fantastic tackler who plays the run about as fiercely as you possibly can. Excellent lateral movement and surprising quickness. Can make a pick every now and then with above average hands and decent awareness. Potential team leader.

Cons: Moves well side to side and is quick, as previously mentioned, but lacks top-flight speed. Very aggressive, sometimes to his detriment. Instincts against the pass are not as good as they could be. After his college injuries, Moore has to have a question mark placed next to his durability, which is a concern.

Role: I'd frankly be surprised if Moore wasn't bringing his tlaent to bear on some unfortunate souls from the start of the season. The Falcons didn't pick him up to sit unless he performs at a level significantly below Thomas DeCoud  this summer, and he's such a force against the run already that he makes sense at strong safety. I fully expect him to get a ton of snaps and potentially factor in on special teams, if Mike Smith is willing to get him on the field for that as well. I see a very bright future for Moore, who could be a decade-long starter in the NFL if he steers clear of injury.

Final Thoughts: Moore seemed like a good pick at the time and nothing that's happened since has changed my opinion. I'm still a big DeCoud fan, but there's no denying that Moore offers considerable upside and has the support of the regime. I think it's fair to cautiously expect some very good things from Moore, especially with a defense that should be a little bit better overall than it was last year. Here's to the future!

Poll
What will William Moore offer in 2009?
Sustained starting
202 votes
Butt on the bench
17 votes
Practice perfection
2 votes
Different team
5 votes
Awesome alliteration
24 votes

250 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs  |  Comment 16 comments |

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What specifically were his injuries?

I know he was hurt during his senior campaign (foot?). Any injuries that create long term susceptability to re-injury?

by TomQ on Jun 19, 2009 8:43 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

A few

He broke his foot in 2005, hurt his hammy that same year, had surgery for a torn shoulder labrum in 2007 and had a few nagging rib injuries to go with those foot injuries senior year. It’s enough of a history that I worry a little.

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by Dave the Falconer on Jun 19, 2009 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

sounds to me like

a golden bill of health

know what you believe in and why you believe in it

by MentallyMIA on Jun 19, 2009 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Sounds a little injury prone...

Let’s hope the trainers can keep him healthy. I think he’s going to be awesome if he can stay on the field.

by TomQ on Jun 19, 2009 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

anyone know where I could get a #24 Moore Jersey?

I know he is changing his number to 25, but is there anywhere that they sold his draft pick jersey as #24? I wanna tape a “C” over the 2 and wear it to games (I like originality).

know what you believe in and why you believe in it

by MentallyMIA on Jun 19, 2009 12:00 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Get a custom replica jersey printed for $75.

Make the name Moore, the number 24

You have opinions. Share them.

by tlozwarlock on Jun 19, 2009 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

maybe you can make the number "C4"...

since that’s what you want anyways…dunno if you can do that or not.

by TomQ on Jun 19, 2009 7:22 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Nope

No letters in the number field. Yes, I’ve tried this.

You have opinions. Share them.

by tlozwarlock on Jun 20, 2009 12:55 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

thanks

I figured that was going to be my only option – that should work. I wasn’t sure if his draft jersey said 24, ’cause if it did, I was assuming it might have been on sale somewhere.

know what you believe in and why you believe in it

by MentallyMIA on Jun 20, 2009 2:23 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Draft jerseys usually have the pick number as the number.

Since they aren’t assigned numbers until Minicamp. Just an FYI.

You have opinions. Share them.

by tlozwarlock on Jun 20, 2009 11:17 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

William Moore wears #25 because...
Moore’s known for a devotion to the game and his teammates. He wears No. 25 in honor of friend and former Missouri linebacker Aaron O’Neil, who died during summer drills in 2005.

- much love, rockmnation (home of william moore!)

"If you believe in telekinesis, raise my hand."

by tigr on Jun 21, 2009 2:07 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Thanks for stopping by

I think we briefly discussed this, but it bears frequent mention. Kid’s got a big heart.

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by Dave the Falconer on Jun 21, 2009 10:06 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Dave and Falcons fans,

I’d hoped to be able to provide you more of a detailed scouting report from our end at RMN, but things have been absolutely crazy for me. Allow me to address some of the things you mentioned above:

Has the kind of strength and physique necessary to hit running backs, wide receivers and tight ends with equal force. Fantastic tackler who plays the run about as fiercely as you possibly can.

— Absolutely true and the primary reason why Mizzou kept him so close to the line of scrimmage in 2008.

Instincts against the pass are not as good as they could be.

— This is hard to quantify. His instincts were certainly good in 2007 when he set a school record for interceptions. Did he lose his instincts going into 2008? As you mentioned, he fought injuries all year long, and as I mentioned, Missouri’s defensive coordinator elected to play Moore as a nickel back/linebacker hybrid along the line of scrimmage for most of the year. This really did scheme Moore out of things and was a major bone of contention for Missouri fans, especially with the pass defense struggling the way it did last year. When he was allowed to ballhawk in 2007, he was great in coverage. Now, I don’t want to tell you he’s the second coming of Rod Woodson and will have 12 picks a season, but I do believe his deficiencies in pass coverage have been overblown because of his senior season.

Fun Fact: Below is Willy Mo’s car, hereby known as the “Willy Mobile”

by RPT on Jun 22, 2009 6:28 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Thanks for the feedback!

I think instinct is hard to quantify, and I’m drawing largely from others’ opinions when I put these together, with some of my own research thrown in. I’m much more willing to trust your hypothesis that it’s simply the way his senior season went that made him seem weak against the pass, and I’d be much happier if you were right.

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by Dave the Falconer on Jun 22, 2009 9:49 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Thanks for the post!

I appreciate you offering your insight on Moore. Makes sense. I’m really excited about his potential…

Did you feel like he was injury prone, or he just had a string of bad luck?

All due respect, but the “Willy Mobile” is ugly as hell :) Is that a Carola? Hopefully, once he signs that contract he can go buy himself a nice new hybrid :)

by TomQ on Jun 23, 2009 9:01 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Oh, no question the Willy Mobile is ugly as hell.

That didn’t mean I wasn’t entertained when it rolled by on campus though.

I think whether or not he is injury prone is a matter of sample size. He seemed to stay healthy while seeing significant time in 2006 and as a heavily relied upon starter in 2007. He kept getting hurt in 2008, and I’m not sure how to interpret that. It could be that he couldn’t withstand the beating of playing at the line of scrimmage on nearly every play. However, it could also be that he never fully had a chance to recover. I’d be lying if I told you I could confirm it either way.

by RPT on Jun 23, 2009 11:30 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

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