Arthur Moats

Arthur Moats

refer to caption

Moats with the Bills in 2011
No. 55 Pittsburgh Steelers
Position: Outside linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: (1988-03-14) March 14, 1988
Place of birth: Norfolk, Virginia
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight: 246 lb (112 kg)
Career information
High school: Portsmouth (VA) Churchland
College: James Madison
NFL Draft: 2010 / Round: 6 / Pick: 178
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2016
Total tackles: 212
Sacks: 14.5
Forced fumbles: 4
Fumble recoveries: 4
Interceptions: 0
Player stats at NFL.com

Arthur Moats (born March 14, 1988) is an American football outside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Moats played college football at James Madison, where he was team captain. He is well known for delivering the hit on Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre that ended Favre's streak of consecutive starts the following week at 297.[1]

Personal

Moats was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and was raised in Portsmouth, Virginia, where he attended Churchland High School. He graduated from James Madison University with a degree in political science. Moats is currently in his second year of earning his master's degree online, saying he values education greatly. His father is a former marine and current high school math teacher.[2]

College career

Moats finished his career at James Madison University with 208 tackles. He played in all of his team's games as a true freshman. He started only 5 games as a sophomore, but became a full-time starter for his junior and senior years. Moats won the 2009 Buck Buchanan Award as the top FCS defensive player.[3]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Ht WtArm lengthHand size 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
6 ft 0 in 246 lb33 3/4 in8 5/8 in 4.66 s 1.61 s 2.67 s 4.37 s 7.22 s 36.5 in 10 ft 2 in 24 reps
All values from NFL Combine[4][5]

Buffalo Bills

Moats was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round, 178th overall, in the 2010 NFL Draft. He is the only Buck Buchanan Award winner to be drafted by the Bills. In the Bills 3-4 defensive scheme, he moved from defensive end to inside linebacker, which is an unusual position change considering most defensive ends move to outside linebacker in 3-4 defensive schemes. After several weeks of failing to generate a consistent pass rush, Bills head coach Chan Gailey decided to move Moats to his more natural position of outside linebacker to utilize his pass rushing skill set.

In a Week 13 contest of the 2010 season, Moats delivered a hit on Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre that aggravated the quarterback's shoulder injury. It was Moats' hit that eventually led to Favre's consecutive starts streak ending at 297 when he did not play against the New York Giants the following week.[6]

Moats' personal catch phrase, 'Don't Cross The Moats', was created by WGR550's radio personality Joseph Zogaib. Since then, it has a become a popular trending topic on Twitter, and Moats himself even tattooed the phrase across his upper back.[7]

In December 2013, Moats was named the team's Walter Payton Man of the Year for 2013. Moats earned this honor through his work with the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County and other local groups. Moats was also named the Bills Ed Block Courage Award recipient. He earned this honor by overcoming adversity from an injury and exemplifying courage both on and off the field.[8] He also conducts numerous school visits and takes part in the NFL Play 60 initiative.[9]

Pittsburgh Steelers

Moats signed a one-year, $795,000 contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers on March 24, 2014.[10] Both agreed on a three-year extension on March 9, 2015.[11]

References

External links

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