Post by whoanellie on Aug 26, 2015 8:59:28 GMT -5
www.thetimesnews.com/article/20150826/SPORTS/150829224/15218/SPORTS/?Start=1
Back in the fast lane: Elon senior welcomes position switch
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Elon senior defensive back Julius Moore, rear, sheds a block by teammate Tre Lennon during a preseason scrimmage last weekend.
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Steven Mantilla / Times-News | Elon senior defensive back Julius Moore, rear, sheds a block by teammate Tre Lennon during a preseason scrimmage last weekend.
By Adam Smith
Times-News
asmith@thetimesnews.com
Posted Aug. 26, 2015 at 12:42 AM
Updated at 12:44 AM
ELON — Football is back in Julius Moore’s face and moving faster.
And while that switch doesn’t sound as if it inspires comfort, the Elon veteran defender said his position change in the secondary from safety to cornerback feels like a natural transition.
“It’s been smooth so far,” he said. “I feel like everything’s been good. I love safety, but corner, there’s something about it. I played it all four years through high school, so I’m used to the position.”
The Phoenix opens the season next week on Sept. 3 at Wake Forest.
Moore, a senior, has spent the last three years at safety, helping to read opposing teams’ formations and quarterback Elon’s defense from spots in the middle of the field often 12 yards off the line of scrimmage.
His sight lines and room to roam have been reduced to single sections of the field now as he relearns cornerback, a spot where Elon coach Rich Skrosky said he believes Moore’s speed can hold up, especially with the Phoenix primarily playing zone coverages.
“You lose a lot of vision at corner and everything happens much quicker,” Moore said, “so you’ve got to be on it. At safety, I can see everything, the whole formation. At corner, I can’t see the whole field. I’m on one side, someone’s always right in front of me and I can’t see what the other corner is doing or anything like that.
“I feel like my main thing is getting used to a receiver always being in my face again and his tempo coming off the ball, me being able to move with him.”
Skrosky said shifting Moore to cornerback allows Elon to use its top four defensive backs together as a starting unit, with Chris Blair and Miles Williams at the safety positions and Moore opposite Adrian McClendon, the other cornerback who might be putting forth the best preseason of the bunch.
Moore owns a bundle of experience. He has played in 34 of a possible 35 games during the last three seasons and established a reputation as a dependable tackler. He started all 12 games last year, leading the Phoenix with four interceptions and six pass breakups while ranking fourth on the team with 67 tackles.
This summer, he received high marks from strength training coach Ryan Horton, who graded the 5-foot-11, 202-pound Moore among Elon’s top five overall players in terms of weight room lifts and conditioning tests.
“He’s a big corner,” Skrosky said. “Mostly we’ll play him into the boundary, so all those short-side runs, he’ll be able to take on. Is he a better safety or is he a better corner? I don’t know that. But I know this, I want to get the best four guys back there and that ultimately was the decision.
Back in the fast lane: Elon senior welcomes position switch
emailprintCOMMENT 2
Elon senior defensive back Julius Moore, rear, sheds a block by teammate Tre Lennon during a preseason scrimmage last weekend.
Zoom
Steven Mantilla / Times-News | Elon senior defensive back Julius Moore, rear, sheds a block by teammate Tre Lennon during a preseason scrimmage last weekend.
By Adam Smith
Times-News
asmith@thetimesnews.com
Posted Aug. 26, 2015 at 12:42 AM
Updated at 12:44 AM
ELON — Football is back in Julius Moore’s face and moving faster.
And while that switch doesn’t sound as if it inspires comfort, the Elon veteran defender said his position change in the secondary from safety to cornerback feels like a natural transition.
“It’s been smooth so far,” he said. “I feel like everything’s been good. I love safety, but corner, there’s something about it. I played it all four years through high school, so I’m used to the position.”
The Phoenix opens the season next week on Sept. 3 at Wake Forest.
Moore, a senior, has spent the last three years at safety, helping to read opposing teams’ formations and quarterback Elon’s defense from spots in the middle of the field often 12 yards off the line of scrimmage.
His sight lines and room to roam have been reduced to single sections of the field now as he relearns cornerback, a spot where Elon coach Rich Skrosky said he believes Moore’s speed can hold up, especially with the Phoenix primarily playing zone coverages.
“You lose a lot of vision at corner and everything happens much quicker,” Moore said, “so you’ve got to be on it. At safety, I can see everything, the whole formation. At corner, I can’t see the whole field. I’m on one side, someone’s always right in front of me and I can’t see what the other corner is doing or anything like that.
“I feel like my main thing is getting used to a receiver always being in my face again and his tempo coming off the ball, me being able to move with him.”
Skrosky said shifting Moore to cornerback allows Elon to use its top four defensive backs together as a starting unit, with Chris Blair and Miles Williams at the safety positions and Moore opposite Adrian McClendon, the other cornerback who might be putting forth the best preseason of the bunch.
Moore owns a bundle of experience. He has played in 34 of a possible 35 games during the last three seasons and established a reputation as a dependable tackler. He started all 12 games last year, leading the Phoenix with four interceptions and six pass breakups while ranking fourth on the team with 67 tackles.
This summer, he received high marks from strength training coach Ryan Horton, who graded the 5-foot-11, 202-pound Moore among Elon’s top five overall players in terms of weight room lifts and conditioning tests.
“He’s a big corner,” Skrosky said. “Mostly we’ll play him into the boundary, so all those short-side runs, he’ll be able to take on. Is he a better safety or is he a better corner? I don’t know that. But I know this, I want to get the best four guys back there and that ultimately was the decision.
