European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 31, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday december 31, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 19 commentary sex Saint Moore finds heaven with jets for 14 years Dyrland Moore looked upon the nil playoffs As nothing More than a Rumor a Bil of postseason business that never included him or his team the new Orleans saints. Thai s never As in not Ever not once not even by Accident. They came close in 1983, eliminated by a Field goal in the final seconds of the final game in a.500 season. That was better than the 1-15, 2-12, 3 ii and 4-12 years Moore lived through before thai but not much. And now quite unexpectedly he has landed in a pot of Jam with the new York jets. At age 35, Moore is Happy to report there is indeed a Sant Claus. The nil playoffs exist. He has seen them for himself. I guess fairy tales do happen he said softly after the jets beat Kansas City 35-15 sunday to Advance to the second round of the acc playoffs. Moore imported by the jets to Shore up a defensive line decimated by injuries arrived two weeks ago. New York lost his first game 52-21, hardly recommendation for playoff Success. Moore however was not discouraged. Last week was bad but not As bad As my first game at new Orleans he said. We got beat 62-7 by Atlanta in that Why would he still remember that score after All these years it stays with losing always docs. Some teams lose three or four games in a Row and figure they Are going through hard times. Moore had 14 years Worth of hard times. Through it All he was a survivor keeping his head up while saints fans were covering their with paper bags to hide their embarrassment Over the team s sorry record. He has seen More re building plans than an inner City tenement. This year though he could not Aid in new or leans annual reconstruction. He had a banged up knee and surgery he called it my 100,000-mile checkup revealed torn cartilage. So Moore spent the season on injured Reserve playoff Rookie Derland Moore. I would kill for the jets and at his age that is not the Best recommendation for future football employment. It occurred to him that he might nol have Many tomorrows left in the game. And he found himself wondering again about that Rumor called the playoffs. With three games left in the season new or leans lost to new England another languishing loss another game like so Many before it that the saints might have won but did not. That Day. Moore reached the end of his endurance and asked for his release. I could have slaved on injured Reserve and stayed on the payroll he said. But i m nol in this game for the Money. I m in it because i love it. I figured i had to go for it now or my career was there had been an Opportunity to escape last summer but Moore said he was nol psychologically ready to leave new Orleans then. Now though he was. I was hoping for an Opportunity to go to a playoff game at least once he said. It was my time to take a shot. I had done everything for the team in my career. This time i was going to be selfish and do something for myself. There Are things i had not experienced. This was my last Chance to experience them. I would never have been satisfied with myself if i had t so Derland Moore went shopping looking for team that needed an experienced defensive line Man. The jets beat up and bending under the Burden of a losing Streak were the perfect match for him. It meant Christmas away from Home an unusual condition for a Guy whose season always ended Well before the holidays. It also meant a Chance in the playoffs. And that meant everything. You be got to live it to know How Good this feels inside Moore said. There Are no words to describe it. There is a lot of Talent out there cd Usel players and All. For the jets to give me this Opportunity i would kill for that won t be necessary. Just staying healthy would be quite enough. Kicks need More than Ewing $30 million Center Patrick Ewing up photo Low to win by Bill Barnard new York. A after his first 75 games less than a full season in the Aba Patrick Ewing remains a enter of attention and not because he s playing like an All Star. He s being paid Superman s wages but it has be come obvious that he in t Superman. He was tried at Forward in a controversial move but made it Clear he did t like the idea and he was re turned to Center. He hates to lose but he has been unable to lift the new York kicks out of the Aba doldrums As they had expected when they made him the no. 1 pick in the 1985 Aba draft. Touted out of College As the Best Center of his generation and Given a $30 million contract Ewing was named Roo tie of the year last season but has been far from the dominating Center the kicks sought. In fact with the re emergence of Bill Cartwright the kicks tried Ewing at Forward to get both big men in the starting lineup to match the big front lines of teams such As the Boston celtics and Houston rockets. The Experiment was a dismal failure. At Forward Ewing rarely got the Ball and rarely did anything with it when he got it. Coach Hubie Brown moved Ewing to Forward because he Felt Ewing was quicker than the 7-foot-1 Cartwright and thus better Able to play defensive Forward. He then criticized Ewing in the Media for failing to do the Job he was being paid lavishly to do but Ewing said his former coach never confronted him personally. If he had something to say to me he should have said it face to face Ewing said. After 12 games Brown was forced to return Ewing to Center and he responded with 51 Points and 23 re Bounds in the next two games. Brown was fired dec. 1, and under new coach Bob Hill Ewing has continued to flourish at his old position. In his first 13 games since returning to Center Ewing averaged 22 Points exactly double his Norm for 12games at Forward. He also averaged 9.8 rebounds and hit 52.5 percent of his shots compared to 7.3 rebounds and a shooting percentage of 43.2 before the switch. My teammates have been going to me More the last few weeks and i be been getting plays called for me Ewing player of week new York a Center Patrick Ewing of the new York kicks who averaged 26 j Points and 133 rebounds was named the Aba player of the week for the period ending sunday the league contributed to three new York victories during the week. He had 28 Points including the game winning shot at the Buzzer and a season High 17 rebounds in an 86-85 Victory Over Chi Cago on Christmas Day. He said. You can t do anything without the but while Ewing s statistics have turned around the kicks have continued to lose. I feel better since i m playing better because people started saying that i was t trying hard and was t doing my Job Ewing said. Personal Pride enters into it but i still have to win to be Happy. I could score two Points but if we win i Don t care. I think i know How to win he said. You never forget that feeling and i be won at every other place be been in Grade school High school and College Ewing led Georgetown to the Mcaa championship in 1984 and to the final game two other times but h. 1 said too Many people Don t realize the Radical transition from College to pro basketball. He s played 75 games As a pro which in t even a full season but everyone expects so much of him be cause he s got a $30 million contract Hill said. When he knows we re going to him and he can get to a certain spot in the floor he can be devastating but he can t do that All the when Ewing was struggling at the beginning of the season he appeared emotionless. Now there arc moments in every game when he looks like $30 million. On dec. 20 against the Indiana pacers a team that had t beaten the kicks in Madison Square Garden in four years Ewing scored 12 Points in 4 19. New York still lost by 24 Points and Ewing found no Consolation in his Brief awesome display. The situation is getting pathetic he said
