Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/199173
No place like home Former Lion WR Derek Moye eager to make impact with Steelers | D erek Moye's initial season with his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers couldn't have gotten off to a better start. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound former Penn State wide receiver made the club's final 53-man roster, and he was a game-day active for the Steelers' opening two games. Moye also had his first NFL reception in week two at Cincinnati, a 1yard touchdown catch with 1:54 remaining before halftime, as the Steelers tied the Bengals, 10-10, before going into the locker room. "It definitely was a great feeling, a great experience, especially being on a Monday night against the Bengals, an AFC North rival," Moye said recently. "Hopefully, I can use that to build off of. I definitely kept that football. I have it at my place right now." Unfortunately for Moye, his career has been at a virtual standstill ever since. The Steelers activated tight end Heath Miller, their leading receiver last season despite missing the final game after suffering a serious knee injury a week earlier. Miller had surgery late last year and was on the physically unable to perform list throughout training camp and the preseason, and he missed the opening two games while rehabbing the knee. Moye, basically the fifth wide receiver on the roster, was deactivated in week three against Chicago and also against Minnesota in London, while Miller was added to the game-day lineup. Moye remains on the 53-man roster at his current salary, $405,000 this season, but he's not complacent. "I definitely love being here, but I want to be playing, he said. "Anybody who's " in this game will tell you, we want to be OPEN ARMS Moye's first NFL reception was for a touchdown against the Bengals. The former Nittany Lion returned to his hometown team after brief stints with the Dolphins and Saints. Photo courtesy of the Pittsburgh Steelers out there on the field. I guess the coaches feel like I'm not entirely ready, but some other people are further along than I am right now. So I just have to be patient and keep working and try to show the coaches that I deserve an opportunity to be out there. "[And] I guess you can't keep Heath out of the lineup, now that he's ready. He's probably the best tight end in the game, so when he was ready to go, he needed a roster spot. He's a great player, so I can't be upset about that. It just depends how many they want to dress at each position. At the end of the day, it's all a numbers game, so that's what I have to deal with each week. "You can kind of tell how the week's going in practice whether you're going to play," Moye added. "Occasionally, it's looked pretty good, but other times, not so much. They'll let you know, too, because you'll have to play on the scout team if you're not active. But it's all good for me.