Arthur Moats on the Lockout and more

As I sat there waiting for Arthur Moats to arrive, a woman working for JMU dining services approached me. With a contagious smile on her face, she asked for a donation to go towards curing cancer. I gave her some cash and she moved on. I reflected on what I was going to ask Moats during our interview. I was in awe that I was about to sit down with somebody who I had seen all over ESPN. My nerves were soon calmed--I see Moats walk in and give the woman a giant hug as she asks him how his NFL year was and he answers with happiness in his voice and an accompanying smile. I was no longer intimidated and felt very comfortable, but on to the questions.

As many know, a heated issue between the NFL and the players is the NFL's wish to impose a rookie wage scale. Moats, a sixth-round draft pick by the Bills in the 2010 NFL Draft, did not earn a receive a major contract and would have received less under a wage scale. That, however, did not impact how he felt. “I feel that it is necessary," Moats said. "If you look throughout history, the majority of those first-round guys that get paid all of those millions don’t ever pan out to be worth those millions. They are getting millions before they play on an NFL field." He was not against high draft picks receiving larger contract though. “Because they have great college careers, they should have a larger sum of money than everybody else, but not on the major scale it’s been.”

On that topic, I was curious as to if he believed NFL players receive too much in general. "It is entertainment," he explained. "Do you think George Clooney gets paid too much for a movie? His body isn’t getting banged up. He has a stunt double. You pay actors millions of dollars, but we are out here actually putting our bodies on the lines. I definitely think that the pay is fair. If you are fortunate enough to get a big contract like the Peyton Mannings and the Michael Vicks then that means you deserve it. If you don’t get that, then you don’t deserve it. It’s all about earning your pay."

We all know that the NFL is a business and it all comes down to money. But that doesn't mean the NFL and its employees are the only ones who are be hurt in the lockout. The NFLPA estimated 150,000 jobs negatively affected by the lockout.  Moats offered a bit of perspective on the issue:

“I feel that in a way both sides are being stern. But if you feel that what you offer is best, you have to fight for it. Both sides think they are offering the best. But really, it is childish in a sense of how much money [the owners and players] are arguing over."

One of the topics that the union has not budged on is an increase in benefits for retired players. It is definitely a need. Former players are now being more public about the health problems their NFL careers have caused them. Chicago Bears star Dave Duerson committed suicide, shooting himself in the chest so that his brain may be studied. Steelers Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw recently discussed the problems he is having with his brain, blaming his many concussions during his NFL career. “If you talk to retired players, they don’t even get half of a rookie’s game check," Moats told me. "The health insurance you get while on the roster ends once you retire. Players are causing permanent damage to their bodies."

The NFL has also expressed a wish to add two regular season games, expanding it to an 18-game season, while cutting two preseason games. Moats took the common, but justified, response of an NFL player. “I disagree with it. You have four preseason players, 16 regular season games, and potentially more playoff games. The league talks about players’ safety, but they want to add two more games? Plus offseason workouts? That’d be too much for a person’s body."

Without all four preseason games, Arthur Moats might not have made to Bills' roster. Moats finished the season as a starter and one of the defense's top play-makers. When asked about cutting two preseason games he said this: "That will hurt a lot of the rookies. I needed all of the OTA’s, minicamps, all the training camp, preseason games to make my mark. I needed it to make the final cuts. I was in a new position (Moats moved from a 4-3 defensive end to a 3-4 inside linebacker, then outside backer), a new defense, a new scheme, so getting adjusted to that and getting comfortable is going to take time. I feel two games of evaluation is going to be pressing a lot of the guys. My first time playing in an NFL stadium was my first preseason game. You get all the nerves out on that one so you can't count that one. Then the second game, if it cuts down to 2 preseason games, that’s where you have to really make your money."

"My first preseason game, I was terrible. The second game I felt a bit more comfortable and made more plays. The third and fourth is where I really made my mark and said to myself, ‘Hey, I can play in this league,’ and feeling that I made that impression on my coaches as well. Training camp--it's like practice. It’s not a game. If you cut to two preseason games, it'll affect the young guys negatively.”

It may only be mid April, but the season is closer than it seems. In two weeks, the NFL Draft will be held. At some point, Free Agency will have to be held, and OTA's will have to be held as well. But Moats does not believe that the lockout will take away games from the 2011 season.

"Overall, the owners aren’t stupid and we aren’t stupid either. We know it’d be a huge loss of money if the season was delayed. It is not that serious now, but come August—if it gets that late—you’ll see decisions being made.” If there is not an NFL season, Moats will be taking an internship with Bank of America, all while staying prepared to play football.

Arthur Moats is currently spending his time working out at his college, James Madison University, as well as attending some extra classes. When he gets the call that the lockout is over, he said he will be ready to play. He was a very polite and kind person with great talent. Classy would be the word to describe him, much like Donovan McNabb throughout his career. Look out for this guy to be making plays for the Bills next season--if there is one!

More questions and answers from the interview are below. These are unrelated to the lockout, I just figured I would make the most of my time sitting across from an NFL player.


Q: Does the verasitility of being able to play 4-3 DE and 3-4 OLB and ILB give you an edge?
A: The more you can do, the more valuable you are to a team. It definitely gives me an advantage.

Q: Many project the Bills drafting OLB Von Miller. Do you feel threatened by that?
A: That’s fine with me. We want competition at every spot. If he can help our team, then bring him on.

Q: There has also been talk of the Bills looking at quarterbacks in this draft. Ryan Fitzpatrick was a big part of your teams turn-around after starting 0-8. How comfortable are you with Ryan Fitzpatrick leading your offense?
A: I am very comfortable. Everybody saw the change and the spark that he brought to our offense. He’s a seasoned guy. He is a smart guy—he went to Harvard—so as far as putting extra time in, he’s going to be dedicated. He is mobile and he is a gunslinger—he takes chances with the ball. In this league you have to take chances. Even if you draft a young guy, I feel like he can come in and learn from Fitzpatrick on how to be a professional. It is a huge difference going from the collegic level to the NFL level.

Q: Describe what was going through your mind after the Brett Favre hit.
A: After the fact, it felt good. During the play, he is just the quarterback. I knew it was a good hit, but after the game I’m thinking ‘that is Brett Favre!’ It was crazy--a lot of fun, a lot of fun. It was the highlight of my season. It established me as a big hitter, the next week I made my debut as a starter. It definitely got me respect in the locker room. It showed that I can make plays and I’m not afraid of anybody.

Q: Who do you model your play after?
A: As for as intensity and professionalism, it’s Ray Lewis. That’s who I’ve always been a fan of since highschool. That’s the reason I wear the number 52. I try to emulate my style after two people—James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Clay Matthews for the Green Bay Packers.

Q: No love for Brian Orakpo?

A: Funny story--During predaft, when I was at the combine, a Redskins guy asks me a question—this was during my evaluation to see what type of person I am. He asks me “say we draft you, you’re sitting in a chair during our first meeting, Brian Orakpo comes up to you and says that’s my chair. Are you going to move, or are you going to fight him for the chair?” I said “I’m not going to fight him for a chair” and he says “so you’re scared of Orakpo, you’re just going to let him take your chair?!” he was serious, but I got a good laugh out of that.

Q: Were you hoping to switch to linebacker or stay at end?
A: I was interested in switching to linebacker. I played D end my whole life. But as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, you have the ability to rush as a D end, but you also get to cover. I always felt that I was able to cover—I have the talent and the speed—so I looked at the switch as a challenge. The switch was fun. Looking back I said, “Wow, I did all of this at a position I had never played before.”

Q: Does being in a tough division push you to be even better?
A: “Anytime you’re playing against the best competition, that’s a plus. This isn’t the NFC West—10 and 6 might not get you into the playoffs. But winning in this division really gets you respect throughout the league. Being able to do well when you’re playing the best of the best says a lot.