Matt Moore's Future May Depend On Finale

NFL News - January 3rd, 2010 - Written by John

In one of the more interesting stories heading into an otherwise meaningless game for the Carolina Panthers, keep in mind that at least quarterback Matt Moore will have a lot to play for in the finale.

He took over as starter when Jake Delhomme broke a finger and has already impressed his judges with three weeks of solid play, which has led to wins in three of the last four weeks of the 2009 NFL Football Season. But with just one audition left, he will need to give his bosses a reason to ignore any quarterback prospects in the upcoming draft, and feel comfortable enough with him to retain the starting spot next year.

As noted by ProFootballTalk, The Herald in South Carolina is running a story about Moore's chances to return as the team's starter in 2010. Since the fourth quarter against the Vikings in Week 15, Moore has been impeccable, throwing for 331 yards and five scores, and, most importantly, no interceptions.

“I've seen a lot of progress out of him,” running back DeAngelo Williams told The Herald. “He's been in our offense three years now, I want to say, and he had the opportunity when Jake went down a couple years to step in at the tail end. I think he played well then. He knew our offense already and when Jake went down this year, the first game, he had to get his rhythm back.

“But the last couple weeks, getting his rhythm, stepping in and playing well, scrambling when he has to scramble. He has the potential to be really, really, really good.”

There are still questions surrounding the team, including who the head coach will be next year, so it's not even clear if a new head coach would want to clean house and draft his own quarterback, which new coaches typically like to do. And Fox may even want to give Delhomme a chance to redeem himself. But if Moore has another good week, it may be impossible to overlook a player who has had relatively the same impact on his team as Vince Young has on the Titans.

“If that's the case, that's great,” Moore told The Herald. “There's always going to be competition in training camp. You've just got to keep playing well, keep executing and let the chips fall where they may."

With a superstar combination of Williams and Jonathan Stewart in the backfield, Carolina can easily compete for the division with a serviceable option at quarterback.

“There's always going to be competition," added Moore. "Regardless of who's there or who's going to be brought in or what. So it's going to be a chance to make things happen and you've just got to take advantage.”