More Moore means wins

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This article was published 30/06/2015 (3755 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Despite not having a touchdown in his first season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, a quick look at the record books suggests Nick Moore’s mere presence has an influence in the win column.

When he does make it into the end zone, as he did on an 18-yard grab late in the fourth quarter to seal a 30-26 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders Saturday, his value is only further illuminated.

The facts seem to tell the story: the Bombers are 7-3 with the wideout in the lineup — 6-3 last season and 1-0 in 2015 — and 1-8 without him.

“You’ve got to pay attention to Nick Moore,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said. “It’s different for a defence when you have Clarence Denmark and Nick Moore on the field at the same time. It divides their attention and opens up the field for everybody.”

Moore’s six catches and 94 yards is among his highest outputs in a Bombers uniform. But he wasn’t about to toot his own horn when it came to why the Bombers do better with him on the 46-man roster.

“Uh, I don’t know. It might just be the luck of the draw,” Moore said, doing his best next-question gesture. “I feel when I’m in there I can definitely help the team, definitely help the success, getting first downs and making plays and doing what they ask me to do.”

As sweet as it was for Moore and the Bombers to end their 10-year drought in Regina, the celebration stopped moments after the game, with preparations for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a short week taking precedence.

“It’s the first game of the year, and now that we’re on to Week 2, that doesn’t even matter anymore,” Moore said. “Hamilton’s a good team. They’ve been to the last two Grey Cups for a reason, their organization has been at the top of their game. It’s going to be a good test for us.”

Moore is off to a hot start, but the former University of Toldeo star is focused on team success.

“As long as you keep getting wins, that’s all the matters,” he said.

For Moore, personal accolades are nice and all, but being a leader, something he and the team wanted heading into the season, takes precedence.

“I’m in my fifth year now and I’m one of the older guys, rather than one of the younger ones,” Moore said. “I want to be out there making plays and showing that I can be vocal as well.”

He’s not bad at keeping a promise, either.

Asked early in training camp this year about when he’d open his account with the Bombers in the touchdown department, Moore quickly quipped, “First game. Yep.”

‘Being able to get into the end zone in the first game of the year gets that monkey off my back’

— Nick Moore

It’s a prophecy he fulfilled Saturday night.

“It’s great, and seeing that I didn’t score last year, being able to get into the end zone in the first game of the year gets that monkey off my back. I don’t have to worry about it anymore,” he said.

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Meanwhile, Moore’s incarnation of the “whip dance” got people talking on social media as the receiver’s name trended on Twitter Saturday following his winning touchdown.

“I had that one planned this entire off-season,” Moore said.

Despite the mixed reviews, Moore, who chose the dance due to its current popularity, said he was just trying to keep it young and fresh.

“Some people don’t understand what’s going on, but at the same time, it’s not for them to understand,” Moore said. “I’ve always been taught that when you get to the end zone, if allowed to, celebrate, and celebrate with your team. You never know when you’re going to get in there again.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.