Tight end Evan Moore is eager to come back from a hernia that sidelined him for the final three games of the 2010 season and required surgery in early January. In the process, he's hoping to reward the Browns for showing faith in him.
But Moore's quest could be delayed for quite a while because of the NFL's labor dispute. Attorneys for the players will argue today in a Minnesota courtroom that the lockout should end immediately. Moore is one of many who will pay close attention.
''It's out of my control, and it kind of drives me crazy,'' Moore said Tuesday during a phone interview. ''But you've just kind of got to deal with it.''
The Browns offered Moore a second-round restricted free-agent tender before the lockout took effect more than three weeks ago. Under the rules of the expired collective bargaining agreement, the tender was valued at $1.835 million.
''The thing about being a restricted free agent is you've still got to earn everything you get,'' said Moore, whose base salary last season was $395,000. ''That's one of the reasons I'm so anxious to get back with the team at the facility and build on some of the positive things we were able to do last year as an offense and start winning some games. Them telling me, 'Hey, we want you to be a part of it going forward,' at least at this point, is encouraging. I'm anxious to fulfill their expectations.''
Last season, Moore, 26, played in 12 games and started in four. He compiled 16 catches for 322 yards and a touchdown before a hernia, which occurred in the hip-and-groin area, ultimately forced him to finish the season on injured reserve.
Moore had surgery shortly after the season ended. A few days after the lockout was imposed, Browns President Mike Holmgren said players who were rehabilitating from injuries had to receive treatment from a third party away from the team's facility. Moore said he has complied by rehabilitating and training in California.
''By about mid-March, I was on the back end of my rehab,'' he said. ''Up until that point, I had been working directly with [the Browns'] trainers as well as somebody out in California, and they had been collaborating. Once the lockout rolled around, there wasn't much left to be done.
''Yes, there's been communication between my trainer out in California and their team doctor, their team trainer and that's what's most important. They've been staying on the same page. It's all been handled fine. . . . I've rehabbed it pretty much back to right about 100 percent at this point.''
Moore also met new Browns coach Pat Shurmur before the lockout cut off communication between players and team employees. In an interview at the NFL Scouting Combine, Shurmur called Moore a ''good-looking player'' and stressed the importance of tight ends in the West Coast offense.
''I had a chance to sit down with [Shurmur] briefly when I was in Cleveland meeting with our trainers,'' Moore said. ''I'm excited to play for him. I know he brings a system that I'm familiar with. I was able to play in it in college [at Stanford] and my rookie year in Green Bay.
''A West Coast offense [emphasizes] getting the ball out of the quarterback's hand and utilizing all your different weapons in the passing game, and that's not to discount what we're gonna do in the running game. I mean we have Peyton Hillis. I think it would be stupid to just abandon the running game. But that's the way I see it. I see myself fitting pretty nicely into Coach Shurmur's offense, but time will tell. We have a lot of work to do before then. Hopefully we can get started sooner rather than later.''
The Browns' offensive players hope to combat the lockout, in some ways, by training together in a couple of weeks. Moore said quarterback Colt McCoy has shown leadership by spearheading the planning of the workouts.
Beacon Journal sports writer
Career Transactions
Originally signed by New Orleans as an undrafted free agent on May 5, 2008; Waived by New Orleans on May 13, 2008; Signed by Green Bay on May 22, 2008; Waived by Green Bay on September 5, 2009; Signed to Cleveland's Practice Squad on November 9, 2009; Promoted to active roster Dec. 5, 2009.
Moore is 6-6 and weighs 247. He played college football at Stanford.
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