University of Georgia Athletics
Moore Made The Most Of His NFL Debut
December 03, 2020 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
In one sense, Nick Moore didn't have to wait long to make his NFL debut on Wednesday. In another, it was a very long and winding road that led the former Georgia long snapper to jogging out onto the field for the Baltimore Ravens one week before his 28th birthday.
Moore, from Snellville, Ga., was one of 10 practice squad players called up to fill in on the coronavirus-depleted Ravens when they played at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday — the Steelers won, 19-14. It was a game originally scheduled for Thanksgiving Day, but it had to be pushed back a couple of times because of positive tests and contact tracing.
Baltimore was without more than a dozen regular players, including starting quarterback Lamar Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP. The Ravens were also without starting long snapper Morgan Cox, which allowed Moore to suit up and take the field.
"Oh, man, it was pretty surreal, honestly," Moore said during a phone interview Thursday. "It was everything that you think it's going to be."
Moore's last game with the Bulldogs was in the Sugar Bowl against Texas, on Jan. 1, 2019. He then played in the Senior Bowl, signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent, and appeared in two preseason games before getting cut. After that, Moore, who graduated in May 2019 with degrees in Mathematics and Finance, went to work as a financial analyst for a company in Duluth, Ga., while also helping coach at his alma mater, Brookwood High School.
A few months later, Moore got a shot in the short-lived XFL, with the Tampa Bay Vipers. He was with the Vipers from December until the league stopped playing (and later folded) because of the coronavirus pandemic. But that wouldn't be the end of his football career.
On March 26, he signed with the Ravens. He was later signed to their practice squad and has spent most of the season working on the scout team. But then came the Ravens' recent problems with the coronavirus, which led to Moore suiting up Wednesday.
After a third-and-4 screen pass was stuffed by the Steelers on the game's opening drive, Moore got his chance on fourth down. And the former Bulldog delivered a perfect snap to Ravens punter Sam Koch who booted a 42-yarder.
Long snappers usually don't get much attention from the television broadcast crew, not unless something goes awry, but before his first NFL play Moore got a mention by NBC's play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico about the fact that he was making his debut amid the Ravens' pandemic-altered lineup.
"I still don't know what (Tirico) said but I had a lot of texts from family and friends that were tuning into the game," Moore said. "They were excited for me to get an opportunity and excited to see me doing well."
Wednesday's game was a matchup of the top two defenses in the NFL, at least when it comes to points allowed, so special teams figured to be critical.
Moore didn't get a chance to do anything on the Raves' second and third drives, which ended with turnovers. Baltimore's fourth drive also went nowhere and Moore delivered another good snap to Koch, who belted a 57-yard punt that was muffed by the Steeler's Ray-Ray McCloud and the Ravens recovered at the Steeler 21.
A few plays later, Baltimore ran the ball in from the 1, sending Moore out for his first place-kicking snap. This one also went off without a hitch and the kick was good, giving the Raven's a 7-6 lead late in the first quarter.
Moore got another mention from Torico in the third quarter when the camera cut to Moore warming up on the sideline. Moments later, Moore was on the field snapping to Koch again.
On a tough day for the Ravens' offense, which saw quarterback Robert Griffin III, who was starting in place of Jackson, leave with a leg injury, Baltimore punted seven times. That was seven opportunities for Moore to show that he belonged, as well the two snaps on extra points.
"I feel like I did pretty good," he said. "Obviously, you can always do better, but first game, limited days of practice — we didn't get very many days to practice last week with all the COVID stuff going on — so I was very happy with how things turned out.
"I wish we could have won the game, that would have made it a lot better, but from a personal standpoint I felt like I played pretty well, pretty solid."
Moore said making it to the NFL wasn't his first dream. Baseball was his favorite sport growing up and out of high school he was drafted in the 30th round by the Boston Red Sox. He spent four years in the Red Sox's minor league system, from 2011-14.
After getting out of baseball, Moore walked on at Georgia and originally was a linebacker.
"Throughout my time there I just kind of realized that snapping was something that I was good at and was probably the best way to get on the field at Georgia on a consistent basis," he said. "Once I started doing that I realized, man, I'm kind of good and I guess I can give it a shot at the next level."
Moore appeared in 23 games during his Bulldog career, serving as the long snapper in all 14 during his final season, in 2018. Then came his shots at a professional career.
"It's been a journey since I finished up high school," he said with a laugh. "The last 10 years have been pretty exciting and wild, and hopefully the ride's not over yet."
The Ravens are scheduled to play again next Tuesday, against Dallas, in a game that was originally slated to be this week's Thursday night contest. Moore said Cox, whom he credited with helping him out a lot leading up to Wednesday, will likely be back with the team for the next game, which means Moore will return to the practice squad where he spends much of his time as a tight end on the scout team.
"I do really enjoy playing offense. It's kind of fun getting to run some routes and catch some balls," he said. "I'm not nearly as fast as a lot of the guys I'm going up against but it's definitely fun for me. It gives me something to look forward to, and I like helping out the team as best I can, any way I can."
He may not be an NFL tight end, but he proved Wednesday that he can be a long snapper in the league.
Staff Writer
In one sense, Nick Moore didn't have to wait long to make his NFL debut on Wednesday. In another, it was a very long and winding road that led the former Georgia long snapper to jogging out onto the field for the Baltimore Ravens one week before his 28th birthday.
Moore, from Snellville, Ga., was one of 10 practice squad players called up to fill in on the coronavirus-depleted Ravens when they played at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday — the Steelers won, 19-14. It was a game originally scheduled for Thanksgiving Day, but it had to be pushed back a couple of times because of positive tests and contact tracing.
Baltimore was without more than a dozen regular players, including starting quarterback Lamar Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP. The Ravens were also without starting long snapper Morgan Cox, which allowed Moore to suit up and take the field.
"Oh, man, it was pretty surreal, honestly," Moore said during a phone interview Thursday. "It was everything that you think it's going to be."
Moore's last game with the Bulldogs was in the Sugar Bowl against Texas, on Jan. 1, 2019. He then played in the Senior Bowl, signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent, and appeared in two preseason games before getting cut. After that, Moore, who graduated in May 2019 with degrees in Mathematics and Finance, went to work as a financial analyst for a company in Duluth, Ga., while also helping coach at his alma mater, Brookwood High School.
A few months later, Moore got a shot in the short-lived XFL, with the Tampa Bay Vipers. He was with the Vipers from December until the league stopped playing (and later folded) because of the coronavirus pandemic. But that wouldn't be the end of his football career.
On March 26, he signed with the Ravens. He was later signed to their practice squad and has spent most of the season working on the scout team. But then came the Ravens' recent problems with the coronavirus, which led to Moore suiting up Wednesday.
After a third-and-4 screen pass was stuffed by the Steelers on the game's opening drive, Moore got his chance on fourth down. And the former Bulldog delivered a perfect snap to Ravens punter Sam Koch who booted a 42-yarder.
Long snappers usually don't get much attention from the television broadcast crew, not unless something goes awry, but before his first NFL play Moore got a mention by NBC's play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico about the fact that he was making his debut amid the Ravens' pandemic-altered lineup.
"I still don't know what (Tirico) said but I had a lot of texts from family and friends that were tuning into the game," Moore said. "They were excited for me to get an opportunity and excited to see me doing well."
Wednesday's game was a matchup of the top two defenses in the NFL, at least when it comes to points allowed, so special teams figured to be critical.
Moore didn't get a chance to do anything on the Raves' second and third drives, which ended with turnovers. Baltimore's fourth drive also went nowhere and Moore delivered another good snap to Koch, who belted a 57-yard punt that was muffed by the Steeler's Ray-Ray McCloud and the Ravens recovered at the Steeler 21.
A few plays later, Baltimore ran the ball in from the 1, sending Moore out for his first place-kicking snap. This one also went off without a hitch and the kick was good, giving the Raven's a 7-6 lead late in the first quarter.
Moore got another mention from Torico in the third quarter when the camera cut to Moore warming up on the sideline. Moments later, Moore was on the field snapping to Koch again.
On a tough day for the Ravens' offense, which saw quarterback Robert Griffin III, who was starting in place of Jackson, leave with a leg injury, Baltimore punted seven times. That was seven opportunities for Moore to show that he belonged, as well the two snaps on extra points.
"I feel like I did pretty good," he said. "Obviously, you can always do better, but first game, limited days of practice — we didn't get very many days to practice last week with all the COVID stuff going on — so I was very happy with how things turned out.
"I wish we could have won the game, that would have made it a lot better, but from a personal standpoint I felt like I played pretty well, pretty solid."
Moore said making it to the NFL wasn't his first dream. Baseball was his favorite sport growing up and out of high school he was drafted in the 30th round by the Boston Red Sox. He spent four years in the Red Sox's minor league system, from 2011-14.
After getting out of baseball, Moore walked on at Georgia and originally was a linebacker.
"Throughout my time there I just kind of realized that snapping was something that I was good at and was probably the best way to get on the field at Georgia on a consistent basis," he said. "Once I started doing that I realized, man, I'm kind of good and I guess I can give it a shot at the next level."
Moore appeared in 23 games during his Bulldog career, serving as the long snapper in all 14 during his final season, in 2018. Then came his shots at a professional career.
"It's been a journey since I finished up high school," he said with a laugh. "The last 10 years have been pretty exciting and wild, and hopefully the ride's not over yet."
The Ravens are scheduled to play again next Tuesday, against Dallas, in a game that was originally slated to be this week's Thursday night contest. Moore said Cox, whom he credited with helping him out a lot leading up to Wednesday, will likely be back with the team for the next game, which means Moore will return to the practice squad where he spends much of his time as a tight end on the scout team.
"I do really enjoy playing offense. It's kind of fun getting to run some routes and catch some balls," he said. "I'm not nearly as fast as a lot of the guys I'm going up against but it's definitely fun for me. It gives me something to look forward to, and I like helping out the team as best I can, any way I can."
He may not be an NFL tight end, but he proved Wednesday that he can be a long snapper in the league.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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