 |
08-01-2007, 09:32 AM
|
#1 (permalink)
|
|
Both of them
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 10,225
|
Moulds has plenty to prove with Titans
Moulds has plenty to prove with Titans - Nashville, Tennessee - Wednesday, 08/01/07 - Tennessean.com
Quote:
Eric Moulds wonders why it took so long for another door to open.
Released by the Texans in February, the three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver remained unsigned for nearly five months before the Titans signed him last week.
There was talk he didn't see eye-to-eye with someone on the Houston coaching staff. Moulds suspects a lot of teams simply felt he was washed up at age 34.
"Knowing this business, certain things get out,'' said new Titans receivers coach Fred Graves, who coached Moulds for three seasons with the Bills. "Some people say, 'Well, he wants a lot of money.' But I know Eric wasn't about the money.''
Moulds proved that. When he signed a one-year deal with the Titans for the veteran minimum salary of $820,000, he told them he was more concerned with proving himself than proving his worth.
He didn't receive a signing bonus, nor was his contract filled with the incentives many players would expect or demand.
"I didn't want a signing bonus,'' said Moulds, a 12th-year veteran who is 347 receiving yards short of 10,000 for his career. "I just wanted a straight base (salary), and I just wanted to prove what I could do. I want to prove that I could still play and that I still have gas left in the tank. If I play well for them this year, maybe they'll want to sign me and bring me back.''
Through the first five days of training camp, Moulds has arguably been the best receiver on the field. He's made one difficult catch after another while learning the offense and working himself back into football shape.
Youth counselor
Moulds joined a young receiving corps — including three third-year pros with limited experience and three rookies — so he'll teach by default.
Case in point: Moulds has 732 receptions, while the other nine receivers (not counting injured veteran David Givens) have a combined 166 catches. Justin Gage, signed from the Bears, has 64 career catches. His signing bonus, incidentally, was $400,000.
Safety Chris Hope called Moulds an invaluable resource.
"He might not be as fast as he used to be, or be quite as strong as he used to be," Hope said. "But the way he runs his routes, the way he tricks his opponents by putting his hands up at the last minute to catch a ball, you can't teach that. And that is exactly what we needed. He'll come in and make the big catch for us, make the big block. But he'll also encourage the young guys to do the little things.''
Said rookie receiver Chris Davis: "I want to learn from him. It can't do nothing but help.''
GM Mike Reinfeldt said Moulds should help the defensive backs as well.
"He has shown why he has caught so many balls in the NFL,'' Reinfeldt said. "He is off to a good start.''
Moulds had 100 receptions for 1,292 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2002, his only 100-catch season. He has three 1,000-yard seasons.
"I know the guy," Graves said. "He is a workaholic, he prides himself on conditioning and he is a true professional. He is going to come in and learn the offense as fast as he can.''
Caught by surprise
The Bills traded Moulds to the Texans last offseason, and he expected to stick around Houston longer.
He caught 57 passes for 557 yards for the Texans, but his production dropped off significantly at the end of the season — eight receptions for 47 yards in the last five games.
Moulds said the release caught him by surprise, but the Texans felt he wasn't fast enough and couldn't get open.
"I am not sure why I was released. I talked to a lot of players who are still there and they are not sure and they don't understand. But you play long enough in this league and eventually it's going to happen,'' Moulds said.
"The Titans wouldn't have signed me if they didn't think I still had some gas left in my tank and I am going to make the most of the opportunity. When the season starts I think people will probably question why Houston let me go.''
|
__________________
|
|
|
|
Sponsored Links
|
Advertisement
|
|
|
08-01-2007, 09:18 PM
|
#2 (permalink)
|
|
TGM Trillionaire
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Philly boy in Cali
Posts: 33,859
|
I really don't know what to take from this, how come it took so long for moulds to sign with someone, there has to be more to it, if he wasn't about the money, then I can't understand why it took so long
__________________
|
|
|
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
|
| Thread Tools |
|
|
| Display Modes |
 Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
Moulds has plenty to prove with Titans
