The fact that Jay Moore decided to play football for Omaha’s team rather than America’s team impresses Carl Hairston.
“I think it says something that he passed up an NFL job to be with us,’’ said Hairston, the Omaha Nighthawks’ defensive line coach.
To some observers, it might suggest that the former Nebraska defensive end has taken one too many hits to the helmet. Why would anyone in his right mind pick an expansion team in the fledgling United Football League over the Dallas Cowboys, one of the National Football League’s most glamorous franchises?
The 27-year-old Moore has his reasons. The overriding one is to put some stability back in his life after a year of being a football gypsy.
The San Francisco 49ers selected Moore in the fourth round of the 2007 draft, but injuries prevented him from playing a down with the team during the next two seasons. The team cut him at the end of training camp last year.
Looking for a job, he flew cross country for a tryout with the New England Patriots. The next day, he traveled to St. Louis for a workout with the Rams, and the team signed him as a practice-squad player.
He remained with the Rams throughout last season, then signed a futures contract with the Tennessee Titans in January. He participated in all of the team’s offseason training activities, then was cut July 9.
“To be honest, when I got released by the Titans, I wasn’t certain if I wanted to play football again,’’ he said. “I wanted to let my emotions settle down a little because I was a little fired up about the Titans thing.
“Once I got everything settled down, I decided I still wanted to play somewhere that I could have fun. I haven’t had fun playing football since I was in college. I didn’t want to have to worry about the crazy side of playing football that comes with playing in the NFL.’’
That attitude might have figured in Moore’s decision to turn down the Cowboys. He was running errands one day last month when he got word that the team wanted to sign him, but the offer came with a catch.
“They were telling me that they needed me to get on a flight and leave in a few hours,’’ Moore said. “It’s hard to do that when you don’t have a chance to talk to your wife about it.
“I was tired of picking up and going at the last minute and telling my wife, ‘See you later.’ I did that all of last year and during the offseason.’’
Moore had talked with Nighthawks officials when the team held a mini-camp at Papillion-La Vista High School in late July. He wound up signing shortly before the start of training camp after getting answers he had to questions about how the league would take care of its players.
“It wasn’t that I had doubts about the football part of it, but I wanted to know about insurance and what would happen if you’d get hurt,’’ he said. “The benefits, the schedule, those kind of things.
“I didn’t want to give them a yes right away and then have to back out. I did some research and decided that this would be the best opportunity for me.’’
Moore and wife Jamie live in Lincoln, and their parents live in the Omaha area. The idea of playing in front of family, as well as friends who had watched him compete, first at Elkhorn High School and then at Nebraska, appealed to Moore.
Moore started 30 of the 37 games he played for the Huskers and finished with 103 career tackles and 12 sacks. His pass-rushing abilities fit well into his new team’s defensive scheme.
“This scheme is a defensive lineman’s dream,’’ said Hairston, the Nighthawks’ defensive line coach. “This scheme is predicated on defensive linemen making plays.’’
Hairston played in one Super Bowl and coached in another in spending three decades in the NFL. He brings a hard-nosed approach to the playing field.
“We’re going to line up and beat the (expletive) out of people,’’ he said. “I’m old school. I want to beat your brains out. That’s my mentality. That’s the way I coach, and I want guys that have that mentality.’’
Hairston’s approach appeals to the 6-foot-4, 256-pound Moore.
“That’s the kind of mentality and attitude you have to have if you’re a d-lineman,’’ he said. “It’s one on one, beat your man. I haven’t had a coach like that in a while, probably all the way back to coach (John) Blake at Nebraska.’’
Like his teammates, Moore wants to get back to the NFL. At this point, he said, playing in Omaha might provide the best avenue.
The Nighthawks open an eight-game schedule Sept. 24. The season will be over in mid-November, a time when many teams are looking to replace injured players.
“It’s going to give me a chance to play football this year,’’ Moore said. “If it works out, great. If I get another opportunity to sign with somebody, whether it’s at the end of our season or during the offseason, that would be great.
“If it doesn’t, I’ll still be at home and I’ll have a chance to play some football, make a little money and be secure for a little bit. This will buy me some time.’’
Contact the writer:
679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com
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