National Football League

Raiders WR Moore shows he's not just practice star

Published Sep. 22, 2011 5:30 a.m. ET

foxsports

Almost from the moment he arrived at training camp, Oakland Raiders rookie receiver Denarius Moore dazzled his new teammates with frequent highlight reel catches.

He backed that performance up with a strong preseason and then really got noticed nationally with a breakout game in a losing effort against the Buffalo Bills last week.

Moore caught five passes for 146 yards, including a 50-yard leaping touchdown grab over a pair of defenders that gave the Raiders a lead late in the fourth quarter that the defense was unable to hold.

''I feel pretty good with what I've been able to do coming out here in practice and transfer it to the game,'' Moore said Wednesday. ''Coach says practice like you play, so that's basically what I've been doing.''

That's exactly what Moore did last week in Buffalo, making the same kind of catches he did all summer in training camp in Napa, just on a bigger stage with a bigger audience.

His big day started when he took away a ball from cornerback Leodis McKelvin for a 20-yard catch on the first play of the second quarter to set up Oakland's first touchdown.

He beat McKelvin again late in the first half for a 42-yard gain down the sideline to set up the touchdown that gave the Raiders a 21-3 lead.

He added a 10-yard catch and 25-yard reverse early in the fourth quarter to help the Raiders move back on top 28-24 before coming up with his biggest play in the closing minutes.

With the Raiders at midfield trailing 31-28 with less than 4 minutes to go, Moore went deep and was covered by McKelvin and safety George Wilson. But Jason Campbell threw the ball up anyway and Moore made sure it worked out. He outleaped both defenders for the ball, coming away with what is for now his signature catch.

''It was one of those trust issues,'' Campbell said. ''You see him getting behind the safety and you know he's going to be pretty much one on one with the corner. Guy went up and got the ball at its highest point and made a play for you. Around the league, you always see guys making plays and that's exactly what he did - he made plays. ... As a quarterback, you learn to trust a guy.''

The Raiders learned quickly to trust Moore, a fifth-round pick out of Tennessee. He put on a highlight show almost every day at camp, announcing his presence in one of the first practices when he beat starting cornerback Stanford Routt a few times.

That type of performance became an almost daily routine in Napa that hasn't slowed down much since then.

''He's done it in training camp, he's done it in practice, he's done it in preseason games and he's done it in regular season games,'' coach Hue Jackson said. ''He is as advertised. He made some plays. I mean, it's going to be hard to keep that young man off the field, and he hasn't been. He's been one of the active guys, and we'll continue to fire that.''

Jackson said one of Moore's biggest strengths is his lack of fear. Jackson, who has coached star receivers like Chad Ochocinco in the past, said now Moore needs to show consistency to reach that next level.

His teammates expect that to happen because of the work Moore puts in every day and his drive to succeed.

''That's what it comes down to. You've got to work hard in practice,'' teammate Derek Hagan said. ''He's definitely steadily trying to improve each and every day. Even if he's out there making a mistake, we're out there trying to help him. But he knows what he's doing, and he's getting the job done so far and hopefully we can keep it going for the next 14 games.''

Moore has gotten an opportunity for significant playing time early because of injuries that have forced Louis Murphy to miss the first two games and Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jacoby Ford to sit out last week in Buffalo.

With Murphy out again this week against the New York Jets, Ford's status in doubt and Moore's performance last week, it figures that he will see plenty of time against Jets corners Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie.

''I'm putting myself on the map where I'm part of the team and can actually make plays to help the team,'' Moore said.

That's quite different from his draft-day experience when he slipped all the way to the fifth round despite a strong career at Tennessee.

Moore said he has a ''chip on my shoulder'' that the Raiders are now benefiting from and has led other teams to regret passing on him in April.

''We really liked him and I'm sure the young man can tell you that,'' Jets coach Rex Ryan said. ''We had him in for a visit. We really did like him. It never worked out for us. He had a huge game this past week. ... He really did a nice job. That catch he made in double coverage against Buffalo was big time.''