Wide receivers Justin Brown and Derek Moye are competing against each other for a spot on the Pittsburgh Steelers 53 man roster during training camp and the two know each other well as they both played for Penn State prior to Brown transferring to Oklahoma because of the fallout stemming from the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
“Justin and I are good friends,” Moye told Audrey Snyder of the Patriot News. “Having him here almost takes me back to Penn State when us two guys were on the field together. It was kind of cool being with him out there on Saturday and looking over and seeing him in the huddle.”
What Moye also saw Brown do Saturday night against the New York Giants in the preseason opener was him make four catches for 32 yards during the game as he led the Steelers in targets with six. Moye on the other hand was targeted three times in the game and caught two of those three passes for 22 yards.
With Plaxico Burress now out for the season, it now figures to be a three man race between Moye, Brown and J.D. Woods for the fifth and final receiver spot on the 53 man roster. New wide receivers coach Richard Mann told Snyder that Moye has a thing or two he needs to work on.
“[He’s a] big guy, 6-foot-5,” Mann said of Moye. “One of the things we’re trying to get him to do, when you make good releases and stuff don’t stay out there, get on that guy. Who is gonna win that battle with [a] 6-foot-5 [guy] playing with the reach that he has? [He is a] strong receiver.”
The Steelers will take on the Washington Redskins Monday night in their second preseason game of the year and the battle between the two friends will continue. Being as Brown was a draft pick, he figures to be in the driver seat right now, but Moye certainly isn\’t out of the running, especially if he can contribute on special teams.
