Dallas Morning News- Patriots Saddle up a Pony--

[ponyscott]

Front page in the Morning News Sports Section today, Syndicated columnist Kevin Sherrington champions Sterling Moore:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/column ... reregister


" Sherrington: Why a former SMU Mustang is the key reason Tom Brady is returning to the Super Bowl"
JIM ROGASH / Getty Images
Sterling Moore #29 of the New England Patriots celebrates his interception and touchdown with teammate James Ihedigbo #44 against the Buffalo Bills in the second half at Gillette Stadium on January 1, 2012 in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

Ex-Mustang Moore, Tynes set table for Super Bowl rematch

Kevin Sherrington

[email protected]

Published: 23 January 2012 12:00 AM

No quarterback has won more playoff games than Tom Brady. None will have started more Super Bowls, either.

But the greatest quarterback of this generation knows why he’s going back for his fifth Super Bowl.

"I sucked pretty bad today," he told Jim Nantz. "But our defense saved us."

Sterling Moore saved the Patriots, to be exact.

Twice, in fact.

Sterling Moore.

SMU’s Sterling Moore.

First, the undrafted rookie strips Baltimore’s Lee Evans of a go-ahead touchdown catch on Baltimore’s last drive. On the Ravens’ next play, Moore deflects Joe Flacco’s third-down pass, forcing a 32-yard field goal attempt by Billy Cundiff, who pulls it wide left. The stops give New England a 23-20 win in the AFC Championship Game and a Super Bowl match against the Giants , 20-17 winners over San Francisco in the NFC Championship Game.

Two times in a row the Ravens throw at Moore, signed off Oakland’s practice squad in October, with the Super Bowl on the line.

Twice the former Mustang comes up big.

The fact that he was even playing Sunday is probably as amazing as the plays he made under pressure, and maybe a lesson on finding players where others don’t.

What Tom Mason saw on the television Sunday was evidence of why SMU recruited Moore out of a California junior college in the first place.

"What we liked about him," the Mustangs’ defensive coordinator said, "was that he always made plays."

He was just a two-star prospect coming out of Deer Valley High School in Antioch, Ca., a 5-10, 200-pound cornerback without a lot of speed or prospects. He supposedly had offers from the likes of Cal-Poly and Hofstra. He went with Laney College instead.

Five interceptions his freshman year made for a pretty nice start. SMU noticed, anyway. The Mustangs were looking for playmakers.

Actually, they were looking for anything after a 1-11 season.

"He didn’t have great speed," Mason said, "but his presence was noticeable. He was confident. Not jerky confident, if you know what I mean.

"He was just a good fit for us."

Moore made an impression immediately, from the spikes he wore in his ears, even during games, to the way he walked, to the plays he made. One of his teammates, safety Chris Banjo, called him "prima donna." He smiled when he said it. No one knocks a guy who changes the attitude of an entire unit.

Moore led the team with 11 passes defended as a junior, then posted a sack and a couple of interceptions his senior year. One went back for a touchdown. The other came off TCU’s Andy Dalton, now starting for the Bengals.

Moore had aspirations just as big.

"I don’t like to be just a normal, everyday person," he said early in his senior season.

He certainly wasn’t your everyday Mustang. His head coach, June Jones, once said Moore played corner "about as well as anybody I’ve had in college football. He’s just an impact guy.

"Sterling’s very conscientious, but he takes chances. And that’s what great corners do."

He was resilient, as well. Mason said doctors figured Moore probably wouldn’t play again after he injured a knee for a second time near the end of his senior season. But he didn’t give up. Moore played four preseason games for the Raiders, who put him on the practice squad. The Patriots must have seen something. They picked him up in October, and five days later he played against the Cowboys. The Patriots released him the next day.

But Bill Belichick brought him back a month later, and Moore started three games in a row.

The more he played, the better he got. The last game of the regular season, in a 49-21 win over Buffalo, he had two interceptions.

Remarkably versatile for a rookie, he’s started at safety this season, and now he’s playing corner.

"He’s a perfect fit for Belichick," Mason said. "He’s smart, edgy. Maybe he doesn’t fit all the measurables, but he’s an intelligent player."

On Sunday, anyway, he was as good as Baltimore’s great safety, Ed Reed, the only other defensive back on the field with two passes defended.

No one made any bigger plays Sunday. Not Reed. Not Ray Lewis. Not Vince Wilfork.

Not Tom Brady.

"Congratulations," Mason texted Moore after the game. "You made two big plays to win it.

"Now go win the Super Bowl."

[SMU89]

Greatness

[Mustangsabu]

Fantastic.


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=32.959835,-96.798021

[jtoutloud]

It was great to see him do well and to hear "SMU Mustangs" spoken during such a huge game.

[The PonyGrad]

[LA_Mustang]

If only the DMN gave us some attention

[skyscraper]

Really great column and a great day for Sterling & the SMU program.
Glad he's getting the praise he deserves.
Some nice comments from Mason.

[MrMustang1965]

Sterling is now part of New England Patriots' history/lore! DON'T MESS WITH A MUSTANG!

[GiddyUp]

Love it. Felt so bad for him when his knee kept him out his senior year.

[MrMustang1965]

Anyone else notice the two words usually associated with an SMU football-related story that don't appear in Sherrington's column? Has the tide finally turned?