 Moats with the Buffalo Bills in 2011 | |||||||||||||
| No. 52, 55, 93 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | (1988-03-14)March 14, 1988 (age 37) Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 246 lb (112 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Portsmouth (VA) Churchland | ||||||||||||
| College: | James Madison (2006–2009) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2010: 6th round, 178th pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Arthur Moats (born March 14, 1988) is an American former professionalfootballlinebacker who played in theNational Football League (NFL) for theBuffalo Bills,Pittsburgh Steelers, andArizona Cardinals. He was selected by the Bills in the sixth round of the2010 NFL draft. Moats playedcollege football atJames Madison, where he was team captain.
In 2010, as a member of the Bills, Moats delivered the hit onMinnesota Vikings quarterbackBrett Favre that ultimately led to the end of Favre's NFL record streak of consecutive starts the following week at 297.[1]
Moats hosts a football podcast,The Arthur Moats Experience With Deke.
Moats was born inNorfolk, Virginia, and was raised inPortsmouth, Virginia, where he attendedChurchland High School and graduated in 2006. He graduated fromJames Madison University with a degree inpolitical 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]
Moats finished his career atJames 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 2009Buck Buchanan Award as the topFCS defensive player.[3]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft0+1⁄4 in (1.84 m) | 246 lb (112 kg) | 33+3⁄4 in (0.86 m) | 8+5⁄8 in (0.22 m) | 4.66 s | 1.61 s | 2.67 s | 4.37 s | 7.22 s | 36.5 in (0.93 m) | 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) | 24 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[4][5] | ||||||||||||
Moats was selected by theBuffalo Bills in the sixth round, 178th overall, in the2010 NFL draft.[6] He is the onlyBuck Buchanan Award winner to be drafted by the Bills. In the Bills3-4 defensive scheme, he moved fromdefensive end toinside linebacker, which is an unusual position change considering most defensive ends move tooutside linebacker in 3-4 defensive schemes. After several weeks of failing to generate a consistent pass rush, Bills head coachChan 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 onMinnesota VikingsquarterbackBrett 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 theNew York Giants the following week.[1]
Moats' personal catch phrase, 'Don't Cross The Moats', was created by Joe 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'sWalter 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]
On March 24, 2014, thePittsburgh Steelers signed Moats to a one-year, $795,000 contract with a signing bonus of $65,000.[10][11] He began his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers as the backup right outside linebacker behindJarvis Jones. In the season opener against theCleveland Browns, he assisted in one tackle during his Steelers debut as they won 30-27. On September 21, 2014, Moats made two solo tackles and sacked Panthers quarterbackCam Newton as the Steelers routed theCarolina Panthers 37-19. The next game, he got his first start with the Steelers in place of an injured Jarvis Jones and made one solo tackle in a 24-27 loss to theTampa Bay Buccaneers. In Week 9, Moats collected three combined tackles, sacked Ravens quarterbackJoe Flacco, and forced a fumble as Pittsburgh defeated theBaltimore Ravens 43-23. The following week, he made a season-high four combined tackles in a 13-20 loss to theNew York Jets. He finished the season with 23 combined tackles, four sacks, and two forced fumbles while appearing in all 16 regular season contests and starting ten.
On March 9, 2015, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Moats to a three-year, $7.50 million contract with a signing bonus of $1.90 million.[10][12] Moats began 2015 as the left outside linebacker ahead of rookieBud Dupree. In the second game of the season, he made three combined tackles and was credited with half a sack after taking downSan Francisco 49ers quarterbackColin Kaepernick while helping his team rout the 49ers 43-18. On January 3, 2016, Moats racked up a season-high six solo tackles and sackedCleveland Browns quarterbackAustin Davis, helping the Steelers win 28-12. On January 9, 2016, he collected five combined tackles as the Steelers defeated theCincinnati Bengals 18-16 in an AFC Wild-card matchup. Moats finished the 2015 season with 35 combined tackles, four sacks, and two pass deflections and appeared in all 16 games and started 11.
Moats began the 2016 season as the backup left outside linebacker behind Bud Dupree. He started the season opener in place of an injured Dupree and made one tackle and a pass deflection in a 38-16 win over theWashington Redskins. The next game, Moats collected three combined tackles and sackedCincinnati Bengals quarterbackAndy Dalton, helping the Steelers win 24-16. On November 20, 2016, Moats made two solo tackles and sackedCleveland Browns quarterbackJosh McCown twice, as the Steelers defeated the Browns 24-9.
Throughout the first 12 games of the 2017 season, Moats played almost exclusively on special teams, with only 47 snaps on defense. Following injuries toRyan Shazier andTyler Matakevich on December 4 against theCincinnati Bengals, Moats was moved to left inside linebacker, splitting time withSean Spence andL. J. Fort for the Steelers' December 10 game against theBaltimore Ravens.
On July 25, 2018, Moats signed a one-year contract with theArizona Cardinals.[13] He was placed on injured reserve with a sprained MCL on September 1, 2018.[14] He was released on October 9, 2018.[15]
On June 10, 2019 Moats officially announced his retirement from theNFL via Instagram and Twitter.[16]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2010 | BUF | 15 | 4 | 33 | 18 | 15 | 2.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | BUF | 14 | 0 | 29 | 15 | 14 | 2.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | BUF | 14 | 4 | 25 | 17 | 8 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | BUF | 16 | 12 | 54 | 30 | 24 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | PIT | 16 | 9 | 23 | 17 | 6 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | PIT | 16 | 11 | 35 | 24 | 11 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2016 | PIT | 16 | 5 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 3.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | PIT | 14 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 121 | 45 | 228 | 136 | 92 | 16.5 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2014 | PIT | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | PIT | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | PIT | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | PIT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||