Jarvis Moss's Training Camp Journal: Vol. 1

Moss Works On Diversifying His Skillset

EDITOR'S NOTE: Jarvis Moss will be sharing his thoughts with you via an on-line journal over the next three weeks of training camp. This is the first in a series of entries he will pass along.

I don't know what I would do if Marcus Thomas wasn't out here with me. I would feel like I was out here all alone. I've got him and Steve Harris both. It's exciting. That doesn't really happen often, your best friend getting to play on the same pro team with you, both as rookies. We’re just trying to push each other, get better and help the Broncos out.

I've actually developed some close relationships with a lot of the rookies other than Marcus and Steve. I knew Tim Crowder from high school so him and I are close. Selvin Young was my host on my recruiting trip to Texas, so we've clicked pretty well. Roderick Rogers from Wisconsin is a real cool guy. I've been hanging out with him a lot the past couple of weeks. Not everybody was drafted and everybody doesn't look upon some of those guys as highly as others, but they can play. I'm sure when their time comes, they'll prove it to a lot of people.

One thing that stands out to me is that a lot of the veterans like what I do. They tell me all the time just to keep my head up and keep going because I'm going to really help them out. There's nothing like when you get that encouragement and motivation from veterans, pushing you and helping to keep your head on straight. I appreciate that a lot.

I like Coach (Jim) Bates too. Whenever he says something to me, I'm focused in really closely. He has a lot to offer me. He taught me so much already and I'm just trying to take everything in. I know I'll only benefit from it.

Kenard Lang and Ebenezer Ekuban are great guys. Really good players. I developed a big relationship with both of them already. Yesterday Kenard gave me a head's-up on a few things before we even hit the field that the coaches told him. And any time I've got a question, I always ask Ebenezer. He's always willing to help me no matter how tired he is. He does his best to explain it to me.

I've still got to be a rookie off the field. I've got to tell a joke in front of the team today. I'm going to go on the Internet this afternoon and look up some jokes so I don't get booed off the podium. I'm going to try to memorize it so it'll just look like I just came up with it or it's one of my personal jokes, so don't tell anybody.

I was the first person to sing in front of the team. I sang a slow song the first day, one of my favorite Ginuwine songs.

Carrying shoulder pads isn't so bad. Like I said, I'm here to play football. The rookie stuff is part of it. Once we take the field, we'll see who plays like a rookie and who doesn't.

I look at myself in the mirror when I wake up in the mornings and tell myself my goal is to be the Defensive Rookie of the Year. I'm learning a lot. I feel like with the coaches here and the things I'm capable of doing, the sky's the limit. I believe with all my heart I really could be the Defensive Rookie of the Year this year and that's my goal. I don't want to short myself anything.

I decided that when I got drafted. You don't become a first-round pick of an organization like the Broncos and expect anything less of yourself. That's my goal. I believe 100 percent I'm going to get it. I'm sure we'll find out months from now if it's true or not, but I think I'm going to get it.

I don't really have a number of sacks I want to get in mind. I just want to go out and make plays in all areas. I want stats in every category, causing fumbles, pressures, sacks.

You get the sense that this is a job really fast. People depend on you and you’ve got to be accountable. You’ve got to take care of your business and take care of yourself so you can be ready to go when your number’s called.

I've been taking care of my body. Getting in the cold tank stretching, getting massages- it's part of my job. I've got to make sure I'm ready to go when it's time to take the field. It's one of the things that's new to me. In college, if I had a bruise or an ache here or there, I was like, 'To hell with it,' and went on about my business. You can't do that here. It's a job and you've got to be ready to go.

The mental aspect is tough. It's an overload. They hit you with so much stuff. But like I said, it's a job. It's my job to get in my playbook and know my things.

There's a huge difference between offensive tackles in the SEC and in the NFL. You can just tell those guys are experienced. A lot of things I got by with in college don’t work at all. Period. They don't work. Coach Bates and Coach Burney are really working with me on some things, having me watching film on some really good pro defensive ends. I'm just trying to take bits and pieces from a lot of different players and throw them into my own mix of things.

I have no nerves at all. By the end of OTAs a lot of nerves were out. I know my plays a lot better. It's more just going out and playing football. I don't think as much right now. But like I said, it's an overload. They hit you with so much stuff. I'm on so many special teams and I've got to focus on that stuff too. Sometimes maybe I focus on it at the wrong time when I should be focused on something else. But getting in the playbook will knock most of the jitters off once you know exactly what you’re doing and you can just play and react.

I feel like I'm doing well. I'm still learning and pushing myself to get in better shape. I think sometime next week I should be out here showing these guys why they really picked me.

In one package, I'm out there with the starters. On all our dime and our passing situation stuff, Elvis Dumervil and I are the starting rush ends. I'm just working myself up. I'm just trying to do all the right things and get in my playbook more because that’s important. I messed up on a few things this morning, and like I said, I've got to get those things corrected.

Some people say I might not play on rushing downs because of my weight. Different people are going to have different things to say. People are entitled to their own opinion, but the expectations we set for each other are within the Broncos' family. I only have to be accountable to my coaches and teammates. Whatever they ask of me, I want to do it, whether it's on special teams or on defense rushing the passer. We really can't worry about the outside talking and chattering. I'm not worried about what people say because I've kind of been downplayed since I started playing well in college. That's never really bothered me. I'm just going to keep doing what I do.

I definitely have enough size to stop the run. Let me break it down like this: it's not always about how big a guy is. It's all fundamentals and technique and learning how to play with leverage. I guess it depends on if I can go out and overpower a guy. Everybody has weaknesses, I don't care who you're playing against. If you study them enough and break them down good enough, they’re going to have a weakness somewhere. If you're good at breaking down film and studying people, you can expose that at any time. That’s what I'm going to do. I'm going to work hard in the film room come season time studying guys, and I'm sure coach is going to help me out with it. I'm going to work on those things during the week up until Sunday.

Developing more than one talent is something I'm working on. I was beating them real bad with my speed Monday. The offensive lineman were jumping me in drills a lot yesterday. I didn't realize at first what they were doing so I tried to beat them around the edge and they would jump out on me automatically. John Engelberger and big Sam Adams told me to try a power rush on them and it worked the first time. The second time, I think he thought I was going to do another power rush on him and I just beat him with speed. Like coach said, you've got to have a mix of things you can throw at guys. You can't get by with doing the same moves. It might work every single time in college, but it's different here. It's a totally different league and I'm trying to throw a lot of different things into my rushes.

I just want to help out wherever they need me. I'm on a lot of special teams and I'm sure I'm going to be playing a lot of special teams. You just never know what will happen come season time. Somebody could get hurt or somebody could be fatigued and really need a blow. I've got to be ready when my number's called. I'm going to be ready.