Green Bay Packers: J’Mon Moore has his confidence back

Green Bay Packers rookie receiver J’Mon Moore struggled in his first two preseason games. He turned things around against the Oakland Raiders on Friday night.

Like a gymnast tip-toeing on a balance beam, J’Mon Moore has had moments where he’s nearly lost his rhythm during his short-lived Green Bay Packers career. Highlighted by a flurry of dropped passes – what some people call a case of ‘butterfingers’ – Moore has had yet to live up to early expectations.

Even Moore himself admitted to such. During locker room interviews earlier this week, the rookie receiver spoke to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, saying, “I know I’m dropping it. I know that’s not what I do. So I know I have to get out there and get some catches in. Something’s not right.”

Coming out of college at Missouri, Moore’s biggest critique was inconsistency in his play. There’d be times when he flashed immense potential, coupled with times plagued by concentration drops and poor effort. It’s been the same story in the NFL thus far. That was, until Friday night against the Oakland Raiders when Moore finally got his groove back to the tune of four receptions for 62 yards.

It wasn’t a flashy performance by any means, and to the average fan may even look insignificant. But it was the kind of showing that allowed a struggling player to gain back some much-needed confidence. Through all the talk amongst fans and analysts alike, Friday night’s game was exactly what Moore needed to turn things around.

But it probably wasn’t a surprise to Moore, who, in that same locker room interview, made a bold prediction earlier in the week related to his skill-set:

"“Once I get in that zone and I’m just playing, it’s going to be bad business for DBs in this league.”"

The statement was a stark comparison from a player who had just confessed to not playing at a high-level. How could a guy, who had just admitted he hasn’t performed up to expectations, make such a confident, borderline-cocky comment just moments later?

It’s simple. He just had to let his play on the field do the talking.

Moore did exactly that against Oakland, capping off his night with a beautiful over-the-shoulder grab late in the fourth quarter from backup quarterback DeShone Kizer. It was a brilliant display of timing, footwork, toughness and, most importantly, holding onto the ball.

https://twitter.com/packers/status/1033444878049398784

In fact, Moore’s footwork reminds some people of current star receiver Davante Adams. His suddenness and twitch off the line of scrimmage — much like Adams — makes for an extremely difficult undertaking for defensive backs tasked with mirroring a receiver’s every movement. Coincidentally, Adams also struggled with drops early in his career, and we all know how that turned out.

If the Packers learned anything from Adams, it’s to be patient with young receivers. Moore’s development may be crucial going into the 2019 season. With Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison being in the final year of their respective contracts, Moore may slide into a much larger role after this season. Provided he impresses as the season wears on, Green Bay could feel much more comfortable letting go of Cobb and/or Allison.

Along with rookie receivers Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown, Aaron Rodgers could be throwing to a very unfamiliar receiving corps in due time. But that’s a little more down the road. For now, though, one thing is clear: J’Mon Moore has his confidence back — which could mean bad business for defensive backs around the NFL.