Denver Native (Carol)
11-28-2008, 09:01 PM
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8864238/Jarvis-Moss-coming-on-Lineman-making-%60%60tremendous-strides%27%27-?CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=5
Jarvis Moss coming on Lineman making ``tremendous strides''
mid the cacophony of sounds around Dove Valley on the steamy August mornings of training camp, there was one noise that boomed louder than all the others.
"Come on, Jarvis!"
Those words were shouted in the bass voice of defensive line coach Jacob Burney, over and over again, so much that "Come on, Jarvis" became as much a part of the training camp soundtrack as an air-horn blast.
Burney would stalk along behind Jarvis Moss, the Broncos' second-year defensive end, barking instruction and criticism, sometimes singularly focused on Moss' every move.
The attention didn't stop after practice. Burney and Moss would remain together on the field, long after the other players had retired to the air-conditioned locker room, for more one-on-one practice.
"Come on, Jarvis!"
What's a little extra sweat, or some more harsh words from a well-meaning position coach? That's nothing, not compared to what it took to even get here, Moss said.
"I'm only 24," Moss said, "but I feel like I'm 35 as far as the things I've been through and seen."
Nothing - except perhaps the natural advantages that come with a muscular 6-foot-6 frame - about Moss' journey to the NFL has been easy.
Moss described his childhood life as that of a "nomad" - bouncing among the homes of various relatives until the time he graduated from Ryan High School in Denton, Texas. With his mother struggling with drug addiction and serving several stints in prison, Moss never stayed in one place too long. A couple of years with his grandmother, followed by time back with his mother and a short stay with his father. There were years with various aunts, too, and two years with his maternal grandfather, Bill Moss.
While he never lacked for family, Moss, who has six half-siblings, often went without. He borrowed clothes, shared bedrooms, all while maintaining his dream of playing professional Football.
That goal was almost derailed several times by a mystery illness that first showed up midway through his senior year of high school and persisted for nearly three years.
"To this day I don't really know what happened," Moss said. "I went to sleep, and when I woke up I was sick. I was hurting - my legs, my abdomen, my groin. Moss' high school coach, Joey Florence, took him to the emergency room, then to a series of doctors throughout north Texas, none able to find what was wrong. All the while Moss, who was then a blue-chip recruit, couldn't eat. He could hardly walk, and he certainly couldn't play Football.
Off to a slow start
"This is one of the best athletes in the country, and we can't figure out why he can't walk," Florence said. "It was the oddest thing in my coaching career I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of kids get injured. I've been doing this 20 years, but that was the dang-
dest thing. It was scary, just watching him shrivel up like that."
The pain persisted through Moss' first two seasons at the University of Florida. He received a medical redshirt one season and played in only one game his second year in Gainesville. It wasn't until the summer of 2005, when his weight had dipped to 220 pounds, that he was diagnosed with a bacterial infection in his pelvic bone and prescribed seven weeks worth of intravenous antibiotics.
"As sickly as he looked, a lot of staffs would have said, 'That's it, he couldn't play Football anymore,"' said Greg Mattison, Florida's former defensive line coach who is now a defensive assistant with the Baltimore Ravens .
Moss returned to the field by September 2005. The next season he was a full-time starter and had 7 1/2 sacks for the 2006 national champions. He left school with a year of eligibility remaining, and the Broncos - desperate to improve their pass rush - traded up to take Moss at No. 17. He signed a five-year contract that included an $8 million signing bonus.
But he started only one game as a rookie before breaking his fibula in practice Nov. 1, 2007.
He fully recovered, but was in many ways repeating his rookie year when the Broncos started training camp this past summer.
"As far as actually being on the field and playing, it was a huge setback for me," Moss said.
So when coaches decided to deactivate Moss for the first and second games of the season, the B-word began to make its way onto Internet forums and newspaper columns.
Bust.
Moss said he could understand why some might think that. That's the burden of being a first-round draft pick. But that doesn't mean it's fair, he said.
And while his lack of playing time early this season might have disappointed some on the outside, it was the kick-start he said he needed.
"I wasn't going to settle for it. I knew it was a test. I knew the coaches were testing me, just trying to get it out of me," Moss said.
He has played in the past six games as part of the rotation at defensive end. He's a staple on pass-rush downs, but is working to become a consistent every-down lineman.
He has 2 1/2 sacks this season - including two against Miami on Nov. 2 - and 22 tackles.
Moss making strides
"A lot of these guys come out of college and just want to use their God-given talent, but they don't know what it's like to prepare and work and go through an offseason and learn a game plan. I think he's made some tremendous strides," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. "Anytime you're a first-round draft choice, you're supposed to come in and play right away, but it doesn't always happen that way."
Moss' weight dropped to 244 during training camp, but is now back to 255 pounds. He said he hopes to add at least 5 more pounds - and possibly 10 - in the next offseason.
"He's got the potential to be one of the great defensive ends," Mattison said.
The walls of Moss' new home in Parker - the first home that is all his - are covered with memorabilia from his high school and college career and new items from the Broncos, including an orange No. 94 jersey. He's establishing roots in Denver - most notably by becoming a father for the first time when his son, Noah, was born nine months ago.
Moss, who knew little but familial upheaval as a child, is determined Noah won't ever feel the same.
"There's a lot for me to teach him," Moss said. "I couldn't be more proud to be his dad. I'm sure one day he'll say the same thing about me."
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com -------------------------------- Rolling with Moss
A look at the life and times of Broncos defensive lineman Jarvis Moss:
Born: Aug. 3, 1984, Denton, Texas, to Rita Moss and Jay Catlin
Elementary school: Began playing organized Football in Denton in third grade while living with various family relatives, including his maternal grandmother and his mother.
High school: Already 6-foot-6 by the time he started high school, coaches tabbed Moss first as a wide receiver. Coach Joey Florence refused to start Moss as a sophomore, though, because he thought Moss was too skinny. When Ryan High reached the state playoffs that fall, Moss was put in the game as a defensive end and "he went crazy tackling everybody," Florence said. He recorded 28 sacks as a junior as Ryan High won the first of consecutive state titles.
Senior year 2002-03: Suffered a pelvic injury late in his senior season that kept him out of several games. Still, he remained one of the most highly rated recruits in Texas and was a USA Today and Parade all-America selection.
College: Earned a scholarship to the University of Florida, but played in only two games his first two years in Gainesville because of a pelvic staph infection. He received a medical redshirt his first year. He was put on an aggressive dose of intravenous antibiotics before the 2005 season and played in 11 games as a sophomore. As a junior, he started 13 games and had 7 1/2 sacks and blocked two kicks - an extra-point attempt and a field-
goal attempt - in the fourth quarter of a game against South Carolina to save the Gators' national championship hopes. He had two sacks in Florida's national championship game victory.
2007: Left Florida with one year of eligibility remaining and was drafted No. 17 overall by the Broncos. He played in six games and started one before breaking his fibula Nov. 1. He had surgery and was placed on injured reserve.
2008: Son Noah was born Feb. 24. Moss' weight dropped to about 244 pounds during training camp and he was a healthy scratch for the Broncos' first two games. Has played in all but one game since and has 2 1/2 sacks as a pass-rush specialist in the Broncos' defensive line rotation.
Jarvis Moss coming on Lineman making ``tremendous strides''
mid the cacophony of sounds around Dove Valley on the steamy August mornings of training camp, there was one noise that boomed louder than all the others.
"Come on, Jarvis!"
Those words were shouted in the bass voice of defensive line coach Jacob Burney, over and over again, so much that "Come on, Jarvis" became as much a part of the training camp soundtrack as an air-horn blast.
Burney would stalk along behind Jarvis Moss, the Broncos' second-year defensive end, barking instruction and criticism, sometimes singularly focused on Moss' every move.
The attention didn't stop after practice. Burney and Moss would remain together on the field, long after the other players had retired to the air-conditioned locker room, for more one-on-one practice.
"Come on, Jarvis!"
What's a little extra sweat, or some more harsh words from a well-meaning position coach? That's nothing, not compared to what it took to even get here, Moss said.
"I'm only 24," Moss said, "but I feel like I'm 35 as far as the things I've been through and seen."
Nothing - except perhaps the natural advantages that come with a muscular 6-foot-6 frame - about Moss' journey to the NFL has been easy.
Moss described his childhood life as that of a "nomad" - bouncing among the homes of various relatives until the time he graduated from Ryan High School in Denton, Texas. With his mother struggling with drug addiction and serving several stints in prison, Moss never stayed in one place too long. A couple of years with his grandmother, followed by time back with his mother and a short stay with his father. There were years with various aunts, too, and two years with his maternal grandfather, Bill Moss.
While he never lacked for family, Moss, who has six half-siblings, often went without. He borrowed clothes, shared bedrooms, all while maintaining his dream of playing professional Football.
That goal was almost derailed several times by a mystery illness that first showed up midway through his senior year of high school and persisted for nearly three years.
"To this day I don't really know what happened," Moss said. "I went to sleep, and when I woke up I was sick. I was hurting - my legs, my abdomen, my groin. Moss' high school coach, Joey Florence, took him to the emergency room, then to a series of doctors throughout north Texas, none able to find what was wrong. All the while Moss, who was then a blue-chip recruit, couldn't eat. He could hardly walk, and he certainly couldn't play Football.
Off to a slow start
"This is one of the best athletes in the country, and we can't figure out why he can't walk," Florence said. "It was the oddest thing in my coaching career I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of kids get injured. I've been doing this 20 years, but that was the dang-
dest thing. It was scary, just watching him shrivel up like that."
The pain persisted through Moss' first two seasons at the University of Florida. He received a medical redshirt one season and played in only one game his second year in Gainesville. It wasn't until the summer of 2005, when his weight had dipped to 220 pounds, that he was diagnosed with a bacterial infection in his pelvic bone and prescribed seven weeks worth of intravenous antibiotics.
"As sickly as he looked, a lot of staffs would have said, 'That's it, he couldn't play Football anymore,"' said Greg Mattison, Florida's former defensive line coach who is now a defensive assistant with the Baltimore Ravens .
Moss returned to the field by September 2005. The next season he was a full-time starter and had 7 1/2 sacks for the 2006 national champions. He left school with a year of eligibility remaining, and the Broncos - desperate to improve their pass rush - traded up to take Moss at No. 17. He signed a five-year contract that included an $8 million signing bonus.
But he started only one game as a rookie before breaking his fibula in practice Nov. 1, 2007.
He fully recovered, but was in many ways repeating his rookie year when the Broncos started training camp this past summer.
"As far as actually being on the field and playing, it was a huge setback for me," Moss said.
So when coaches decided to deactivate Moss for the first and second games of the season, the B-word began to make its way onto Internet forums and newspaper columns.
Bust.
Moss said he could understand why some might think that. That's the burden of being a first-round draft pick. But that doesn't mean it's fair, he said.
And while his lack of playing time early this season might have disappointed some on the outside, it was the kick-start he said he needed.
"I wasn't going to settle for it. I knew it was a test. I knew the coaches were testing me, just trying to get it out of me," Moss said.
He has played in the past six games as part of the rotation at defensive end. He's a staple on pass-rush downs, but is working to become a consistent every-down lineman.
He has 2 1/2 sacks this season - including two against Miami on Nov. 2 - and 22 tackles.
Moss making strides
"A lot of these guys come out of college and just want to use their God-given talent, but they don't know what it's like to prepare and work and go through an offseason and learn a game plan. I think he's made some tremendous strides," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. "Anytime you're a first-round draft choice, you're supposed to come in and play right away, but it doesn't always happen that way."
Moss' weight dropped to 244 during training camp, but is now back to 255 pounds. He said he hopes to add at least 5 more pounds - and possibly 10 - in the next offseason.
"He's got the potential to be one of the great defensive ends," Mattison said.
The walls of Moss' new home in Parker - the first home that is all his - are covered with memorabilia from his high school and college career and new items from the Broncos, including an orange No. 94 jersey. He's establishing roots in Denver - most notably by becoming a father for the first time when his son, Noah, was born nine months ago.
Moss, who knew little but familial upheaval as a child, is determined Noah won't ever feel the same.
"There's a lot for me to teach him," Moss said. "I couldn't be more proud to be his dad. I'm sure one day he'll say the same thing about me."
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com -------------------------------- Rolling with Moss
A look at the life and times of Broncos defensive lineman Jarvis Moss:
Born: Aug. 3, 1984, Denton, Texas, to Rita Moss and Jay Catlin
Elementary school: Began playing organized Football in Denton in third grade while living with various family relatives, including his maternal grandmother and his mother.
High school: Already 6-foot-6 by the time he started high school, coaches tabbed Moss first as a wide receiver. Coach Joey Florence refused to start Moss as a sophomore, though, because he thought Moss was too skinny. When Ryan High reached the state playoffs that fall, Moss was put in the game as a defensive end and "he went crazy tackling everybody," Florence said. He recorded 28 sacks as a junior as Ryan High won the first of consecutive state titles.
Senior year 2002-03: Suffered a pelvic injury late in his senior season that kept him out of several games. Still, he remained one of the most highly rated recruits in Texas and was a USA Today and Parade all-America selection.
College: Earned a scholarship to the University of Florida, but played in only two games his first two years in Gainesville because of a pelvic staph infection. He received a medical redshirt his first year. He was put on an aggressive dose of intravenous antibiotics before the 2005 season and played in 11 games as a sophomore. As a junior, he started 13 games and had 7 1/2 sacks and blocked two kicks - an extra-point attempt and a field-
goal attempt - in the fourth quarter of a game against South Carolina to save the Gators' national championship hopes. He had two sacks in Florida's national championship game victory.
2007: Left Florida with one year of eligibility remaining and was drafted No. 17 overall by the Broncos. He played in six games and started one before breaking his fibula Nov. 1. He had surgery and was placed on injured reserve.
2008: Son Noah was born Feb. 24. Moss' weight dropped to about 244 pounds during training camp and he was a healthy scratch for the Broncos' first two games. Has played in all but one game since and has 2 1/2 sacks as a pass-rush specialist in the Broncos' defensive line rotation.