Pittsburgh Steelers LT Dan Moore Jr. has had some of the worst games of his career against the Cleveland Browns. That’s not unexpected when going up against one of the elite pass rushers of the day in Myles Garrett—a fellow Texas A&M graduate. That shared alma mater only fuels both of them to try their best when they go up against one another.
“I’m familiar with him, and he’s familiar with me”, Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review quoted him as saying leading up to Monday’s game between the two teams. “It’s now the mental game that is going to be the biggest challenge”.
The challenge doesn’t get any easier now with Za’Darius Smith on the other side. But Garrett will be flashing back and forth on the left and the right, and sometimes even right up the middle, so it’s not just Moore’s problem. But everyone has the same agenda. “Don’t let him add to his resume”, he said.
Or his highlight reel. It’s like getting posterized in the NBA when you get dunked on. You don’t want to be the guy on the bottom half of the poster wincing and falling down as the ball’s indicated trajectory aims right for the top of your head because you couldn’t get the job done.
Garrett was the first-overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, which is the year that Moore arrived at Texas A&M, so their time as Aggies did not overlap, but there is always a connection among alumni. The big names are always lured back to school for recruiting purposes, if nothing else, so they know each other.
“I know how he is, how he is wired. Especially with us going to the same college, he wants that Aggie matchup most definitely”, Moore said.
Of course, the difference between the two is that Garrett is an established elite at his position, while Moore is battling to retain his job on a weekly basis. The Steelers used their first-round pick in April to draft his eventual replacement in Broderick Jones.
Garrett can help expedite the process of the rookie stepping in sooner rather than later if he makes his fellow Aggie look like he doesn’t belong. Moore graded out poorly for the Steelers in their season opener against the San Francisco 49ers but otherwise was praised for having a strong offseason.
Even Moore understands that there will be a time in the near future that Jones is starting at left tackle, so he’s just trying to delay the inevitable. The question is where he will be by the time that happens. Here’s to hoping he’s not on the ground thanks to Garrett putting him there.
