Moon's Mid-Season Minute

One of the NFL's all-time greats, Warren Moon will be contributing a weekly column to NFLHS.com this season. An outstanding quarterback at every level, Moon played 17 years in the NFL and six years before that in the CFL. He owns the NFL record for most passes completed in a season (404, 1991), is second in NFL history in passing yards-per-game (527, vs. Kansas City, Dec. 16, 1990), and stands third in the NFL record books in passing attempts and completions. The 1977 Pac 8 Player of the Year for the University of Washington and an All-American at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, Moon is not only a leader on the field. He was named the NFL Man of the Year in 1989 for the tremendous work he does with numerous charitable organizations.

I try and watch as much NFL action as I can, and when I can't actually sit down and watch the games, I catch as much as I can on the highlight shows and keep up with all the scores. I've always been a fan of the League, and I'll always be a fan. I've even been to a few games already. I got a chance to broadcast the Raiders-Broncos Monday night game for CBS Radio, and I've been to about three Chiefs games, too.

I usually follow the teams that I have relationships with, and those teams are mostly the teams that I played for: Seattle, Minnesota, Kansas City, and the Titans, because there are still a handful of guys playing for them that I played with in Houston, like Bruce Matthews. I like the Baltimore Ravens because Brian Billick is their coach, and I had a lot of success playing for him in Minnesota.

I see the NFL as a league in transition right now. People are still figuring out the salary cap and how to work with it, how to keep quality players and also have some depth on their rosters. Right now, once you get past the first-tier guys, the second-tier guys aren't as good. I see a lot of quarterback transition, guys playing a little bit before their time. They're all very talented, but they're experiencing growing pains right now. But I think the league is in good shape at the qb position because the players are very talented, and the fact that they are so young, you give it another year or two and they will be very good.

I think young players can succeed in the NFL if they have the right players around them. You look at Daunte Culpepper, and he had Cris Carter, Randy Moss and Robert Smith around him to take the pressure off. But you take an Akili Smith, a quarterback that was picked ahead of Culpepper, or a Tim Couch, and they really suffered a lot early on, and Smith still isn't playing that much. It really depends on what they have to work with.

I really enjoy watching Brett Favre play. He's still one of the most exciting players in the league because he's so daring. He'll do things other quarterbacks won't even try to do, he'll get balls in places others won't even attempt. He used to get into trouble with it, and he still does sometimes, but when he makes a play, it's really exciting to watch. I played the same way I always felt I could get the ball in places where other people couldn't.

Peyton Manning

I like watching Peyton Manning because of his maturity and the way he handles the football. He's a great play-action faker and a very accurate passer he's really a field general out there. He controls the game at the line of scrimmage, and he checks off as much as any quarterback I've ever seen. When you can do that, it's because you have a really good understanding of the game.

I like Rich Gannon, too. He's probably not the most talented passer, but he's a very heady player. He's probably the most efficient quarterback in the league as far as moving the chains, knowing where all of his people are: all of his check-off receivers and check-down backs. He has great scrambling ability, too, which means that whatever he can't get throwing the ball downfield, he can make up for it with his ability to take off and run. He's a very efficient quarterback and he really understands his offense.

As far as the young players in the league, I really think Daunte Culpepper is almost there. The biggest reason for that is his maturity. I've talked to him since he was a junior in college. He's a fifth-year college guy so he came into the league more mature than a lot of guys that come out early, and he also had a year to just sit back and watch and learn in Minnesota. When he finally got his chance, he was prepared. Because his confidence hasn't been shaken early, he's going to continue to be one of the rising stars in the league.

Another guy I feel the same way about is Donovan McNabb. He's another fifth-year guy, very mature. He's been able to handle the adversity that confronted him in the beginning of his pro career. He didn't have the talent around him, and he really got knocked around a lot early and had some bad games, but he's bounced back from that and is really starting play well.

DeShaun Foster

Out of college players that I've seen this year, I like DeShaun Foster of UCLA. He's a very gifted running back with great feet. He has great size and excellent speed, but the thing I like the most about him is he has shifty feet. He can really make cuts going full-speed and not have to slow down. He also has great acceleration.

I really like Carson Palmer, the quarterback at USC, too. His team hasn't done that well, and he's had some up-and-down games, but he's as gifted a quarterback as I've seen in college in a long time. He's 6'5", 230 pounds, and he can throw all the different throws. Not only does he have a strong throwing arm, he has touch on the ball, he has mobility, and he can throw on the run. He's an excellent pro prospect he just needs to be in the right system. He's been in three different offensive systems the past three years, and I think that's hurt his progress.

I've enjoyed watching Ken Dorsey at Miami. I don't think he's ready for the NFL yet, but I think he's an excellent college quarterback who understands what he's doing. He doesn't have a really strong arm, but he's very accurate, and he seems to be a pretty good leader for a young guy.

I also like Joey Harrington at Oregon. He's a really firey, motivating guy. An accurate passer with good mobility, but what I like the most about him are his leadership qualities. He's a competitor, and his team will always be in the game. He's brought that team back from behind in a lot of games. I think he's ready for the next level.

Previous Articles:
Warren Moon: A Lot to Think About
Warren Moon: De La Salle - Poly Preview
Warren Moon: Improving Your Athleticism
Warren Moon: Fundamentals Are Key
Warren Moon: Success Through Adversity
Warren Moon: Don't Underestimate Chemistry
Warren Moon: How I Was Recruited