One of those scores was to his new favorite target, TE Tony Moeaki.
In the third quarter, the Chiefs were facing a critical third-and-5 as they were hanging onto a 17-3 lead over the 49ers.
"Tony was running down the field with the mike backer beneath him and I was thinking 'I have to give him a shot in the back of the end zone for him or nobody' and it just worked out for everybody," Matt Cassel told Soren Petro on 810 WHB Monday afternoon.
Moeaki, who was running a post in the end zone, had a step on the defender and Cassel put the ball in the one spot where Moeaki could catch it and the defender could not as Moeaki leaped in the air, stretched his hand out and came down with the one-handed grab.
"I thought it was phenomenal," Cassel said. "It makes my life easier when you can throw the ball up and guys make plays like that. Part of my job is to let those guys go up and make those kind of plays because they do such an outstanding job of it."
I gotta admit...the pass was pretty spot-on. Cassel, who was high with several throws in the first half, put the ball right where it needed to be.
"I make that catch every day in practice as I'm warming up," Cassel said to Petro laughing.
The former tight end hasn't caught a pass since his Carson Palmer was a quarterback at USC so you know he was joking with that last line.
Congratulations! You've just made the wonderful decision to draft Tony Moeaki! Like most new Moeaki owners, you're no doubt filled with questions about your new family member. We here at Black Heart Gold Pants will try our best to answer any questions you might have.
We drafted Tony Moeaki. That's a good thing, right? It certainly is, just as long as you pay no attention to that giant honking IF: his injury status.
Yeah, what's the deal with all the injuries? First, a quick rundown: During the fourth game of his junior year of 2007, Moeaki simultaneously suffered a dislocated elbow and a broken wrist, injuries similar to what befell Andrew Bogut. The rehab kept him out of action for the rest of the season and spring ball, then in 2008 (his second try at a junior year), he broke his foot during spring practices. That nagged at him for the entire year, causing lingering leg problems and eventually requiring a second off-season surgery. Also, he suffered two concussions during '08.
Then, sure enough, Moeaki missed three games this season with another ankle injury, though the third missed game was Arkansas State; Moeaki probably would have played if it were a Big Ten opponent. He shined from then on, though, displaying his athleticism with two long-YACed touchdowns against Michigan and a gorgeous touchdown catch in the back corner of the end zone at Wisconsin. Those are on this highlight reel, but mind the language in the music; I think we caught an effenheimer in there.
So should we expect more injuries? Eh, tough to say. None of his injuries were affecting him terribly by the end of the year, and the only thing on the list of injuries that would be terribly relevant going forward would probably be the concussions, and even then, Tony Mo's not that far out of the norm for the NFL these days (a fact that makes us cringe, but it is what it is, we suppose).
Fine. Let's say he stays healthy. What kind of player do we have? Hoo boy. We realize we're homers here, but there's a reason why Moeaki was so highly regarded coming out of high school. He is not only a superb athlete, but one of the better blocking TEs in the draft. There aren't really any holes in his game (except, of course, whether he can play or not). His routes are crisp, his top end speed is more than adequate, he seals the edge beautifully, and he's a nice guy off the field. If he'd been healthy the whole time, he would have A) graduated last year, and B) probably been drafted a lot higher than 93rd.
So is it fair to compare him to Tony Gonzalez, like we're already doing? Of course not. Tony Gonzalez is this generation's best tight end, and it's not even close. Gonzalez and Moeaki have the same first name, but still. What Moeaki does have is the physical talent to stick around in the NFL for a long time. If, of course, he stays healthy.
And what if he doesn't stay healthy? Well, you can't say nobody warned you.
Will Tony Moeaki be awesome? We'd better hope so, because after his time at Iowa, a successful NFL career would be proof that we do, in fact, live in a just universe.
Iowa tight end Tony Moeaki reminds a lot of Hawkeye fans of Samuel L. Jackson's character in the movie Unbreakable .
In Unbreakable , Jackson plays Mr. Glass, a guy with a rare disease that causes his bones to be as brittle as eggshells. At one point, Mr. Glass takes a tumble down a flight of stairs and breaks about 12 of his bones.
That was Moeaki in 2007, when he dislocated his elbow and broke his hand on the same play in a game against Wisconsin, an injury that eventually forced him to take a medical red-shirt that year.
During the 2008 season, he dealt with foot, hamstring, and calf issues, and only saw limited action in nine games. In the second game of the 2009 season, he suffered an ankle injury that forced him to miss three more games.
Can you see how fitting the nickname is?
Yet, despite his seeming calcium deficiency , Moeaki overcame the adversity of the injury bug to become one of Ricky Stanzi's favorite targets in the clutch.
In a Big Ten game against Michigan, he caught two touchdown passes of over 30 yards to help secure the victory.
In the fourth quarter of the Ohio State game, Moeaki made a key catch off a tipped pass to give Iowa a first down, helping them force the game into overtime.
The injuries aside, this kid can play some football.
Moeaki is a complete tight end. At 6'4'', 250 lbs, he has the size it takes to make it in the NFL. And that size doesn't slow the kid down at all, either.
To go along with the great size and speed, he also has great hands, as demonstrated against Wisconsin when he made a ninja-like touchdown catch in the back of the end zone to tie the game.
Perhaps his greatest, and most overlooked skill, is his ability to run block. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz hasn't overlooked it, and thinks the senior from the Island of Tonga is one of the most talented tight ends he has ever coached.
When someone like Ferentz says that about a player, NFL teams take notice.
With four months left before the 2010 draft, it is still anyone's guess as to which NFL teams will target Moeaki. The injuries might have diminished his stock a little, but there is plenty of time for him to prove himself.
So, which NFL teams need help the most from a player like Moeaki?
More Google searches for mock drafts won't help much. Moeaki is anywhere from the fourth- to 13th-best tight end in the draft. Some mock draft sites have him as high as the late second round, others have him late in the sixth.
The Cleveland Browns might be a logical prediction at this point. With the No. 93 and the No. 104 pick in the draft, Cleveland has a few picks to use on a new tight end for Brady Quinn (or a new quarterback) to target.
Moeaki would help the Browns' passing game, as well as their running game because of his superior blocking ability.
The Cincinnati Bengals also have a need for a tight end, specifically a blocking tight end who can catch well. That's Tony to a T.
Eleven-year pro Reggie Kelly is in his seventh season with the Bengals, but was lost for the season to a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in practice. The reward in getting an all-around tight end to help fill in for Kelly could outweigh the risk.
There are several other teams rumored to be interested, too. The Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals also seem to have a need for a tight end and seem like logical options, but they might end up selecting a tight end sooner in the draft.
The only thing that is for sure is there are almost four months until the draft, and anything can happen.
The 2010 NFL Draft will kick off on Thursday, April 22.
That's when Moeaki will find out which team is willing to take a chance on him.
Tony Moeaki has dislocated his elbow and injured his wrist, he has broken his foot and strained his calf, and most recently, he has sprained his ankle. His body is marred with scars, his career is littered with "What if's,"� his name is synonymous with bad luck. But on Saturday night, all of that was seemingly forgotten.
The man whose teammates call him a "freak,"� played on Saturday for the first time in nearly a month. This time, it was an ankle injury that held back the senior.
Like his 10-catch, 83-yard in Iowa's season-opener against Northern Iowa, Moeaki found nearly every crevasse in Greg Robinson's porous Michigan defense en route to a career night.
"He came back with a bang,"� said Erik Campbell, Iowa's wide receivers and tight ends coach.
In Iowa's 30-28 win over the Wolverines, Moeaki served as a sparkplug for a Hawkeye offense that was badly missing its star tight end. Quarterback Ricky Stanzi looked to Moeaki early and often, especially down the middle of the field.
On the game's second drive, the duo hooked up for a 34-yard touchdown pass, and to seal the game, Stanzi found Moeaki, who the quarterback said was his third option on the play, wide open on a drag route. Forty-two yards later, Moeaki had put the Hawkeyes up 30-28 with 13:06 remaining.
"When he slips out into the open for passes, he's great at catching the football, getting on the run, and getting to the end zone,"� Stanzi said. "He has a knack for finding the end zone."�
Hawkeye fans have only seen that knack in glimpses. There was his 35-yard catch from quarterback Drew Tate in 2006 - only the second touchdown grab of his then-young career.
There was, most memorably, his eight-catch, 112-yard, three-touchdown performance against Syracuse in 2007. Two games later, he was lost for the season with an elbow and wrist injuries. And then there was Saturday, when Moeaki again shredded a secondary for 100-plus yards and two touchdowns.
It was the Moeaki fans had expected to see when he came on campus as one of the centerpieces of Iowa's heralded 2005 recruiting class.
"To be honest, it was just nice to be out there with my teammates,"� Moeaki said. "Running out of the tunnel with my teammates is always really special to me."�
What gets lost is the tight end's performance on Saturday is his blocking ability. On Iowa's opening drive of the second half, running back Adam Robinson ran for 40 yards on three carries, leading to Daniel Murray's third field goal of the evening.
On that drive and on several other occasions, Robinson was running to Moeaki's side of the line, clearing out seemingly every Wolverine defender in his way.
"I haven't been around a better one, personally, and that's at any level,"� head coach Kirk Ferentz said of the tight end's blocking ability. "I think he's really good, really good."�
Wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos added, "[He's] unbelievable. " The guy is one of the best teammates I've ever played with as far as talent and for the love of the game. It's amazing. There's nothing about Tony that's a fluke. "Every time he gets a chance, he makes plays."�
Indeed, over the past five seasons, Moeaki has been one of Iowa's biggest offensive weapons "” when he has played. His contributes have been limited by his injuries, but it's on nights like Saturday when Hawkeye fans truly get to marvel at what a healthy Moeaki can do to opposing defenses.
"I'll definitely savor this game for sure,"� Moeaki said. "It was a blast."�
The tattoo honors his mom’s Samoan heritage. The anthropology major is from dad. The football is 100 percent Paki O’Meara.
Where the football goes from here is anyone’s guess. Judging the Internet debate, there are anonymous doubters. Where this goes eventually will play out. What’s certain is O’Meara has the here and now to show what he can do as the starting running back for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
“He’s a guy who does everything pretty well and that’s not a bad thing to do,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. “He’s a smart player. He’s been on the field in special teams, so he’s an experienced player. Those are all good things.
“It’s his turn now.”
O’Meara (5-11, 211) bristles at the “everything well” thought. It’s something you can tell he’s heard a few times being a former walk-on without the big recruiting pedigree who had to fight his way up the ladder on special teams.
“That’s a compliment, I guess,” said O’Meara, who rushed for 1,694 yards in his career at Cedar Rapids Washington. “I like to think of myself as balanced. I can’t think of any one thing that really stands out. I try to contribute anyway I can.”
After an all-state senior year at Washington, O’Meara’s college options included walking on at Iowa or a partial scholarship at Northern Iowa.
He picked Iowa, red-shirted in 2006 and started working his way onto special teams as a freshman. Last season, he played on every special teams unit except field goal.
He really did a lot on Iowa’s 9-4 Outback Bowl winner last year. It was grunt work, sure, but it was football.
“Iowa has a great track record with walk-ons,” said Paul James, Washington’s athletics director and O’Meara’s prep coach. “Just look at guys in the NFL — Dallas Clark, Sean Considine. These are kids who earn it. They’re tough and work for everything they get. That’s Paki.”
O’Meara will be Iowa’s starting running back today because sophomore Jewel Hampton suffered an ACL injury and will miss the 2009 season. O’Meara knows this isn’t a coronation. It might be more of a gauge for how running back will be divided.
O’Meara is one of four pieces to the puzzle. Red-shirt freshman Adam Robinson is next in line with true freshman Brandon Wegher behind him. Red-shirt freshman Jeff Brinson is No. 4.
“Yeah, I don’t know if it’s going to be a two-man, three-man, four-man, but we’ll do whatever it takes to be effective out there,” Ferentz said. “But to answer the question, I’m comfortable (with running back by committee). I think the guys have practiced well, and I’m optimistic they’ll do some good things as we move forward.”
Iowa coaches saw something in O’Meara a year ago. Remember Nate Guillory, the juco RB who left before camp ended last fall? When that scholarship came open, Ferentz awarded it to O’Meara. It kicked in last spring.
It was a nice reward, especially considering O’Meara passed on some scholarship money to walk-on at Iowa.
“I was trying to think of it in financial terms, which is why I was considering a I-AA (FCS) school,” O’Meara said. “I wanted to try to help my parents out.”
The O’Mearas wanted their son to follow the big dream, and that always was Iowa.
“It’s great that he got a scholarship, the money is nice,” Tim O’Meara said, “but it’s more important as a reward and recognition for his talent and really the tremendous amount of work he’s put in.”
Paki designed the tattoo that covers a good portion of his left biceps. It’s quintessential Samoan, a culture that considers tattooing an ancient art. He wanted something that would represent and symbolize his heritage.
“He drew it and he asked me to look at it to see if it was OK,” Fau O’Meara said. “He asked if it was OK and I said yes.”
Tim O’Meara thought Paki might be an anthropology major because of his multicultural background. He said it certainly wasn’t for future employment.
“There are no jobs,” said Tim, an anthropologist who taught the subject at the University of Melbourne in Australia. Now, he works for a company called Waste2Energy Inc.
Paki’s name has footing in both worlds. It’s the Samoan version of his grandfather’s name, “Robert.” Actually, it’s colloquial, so it’s really “Bob.”
Turn back the clock to mid-September 2007 and you'll find Tony Moeaki on the threshold of stardom.
Recruited out of Wheaton-Warrenville South High School as the No. 1 tight end prospect in the country, he seemed to finally be on his way to fulfilling his vast potential. After two seasons of backing up Scott Chandler, he was Iowa's starting tight end. He had caught 14 passes in the first three games of the season and scored three touchdowns against Syracuse.
Then in the fourth game, at Wisconsin, he broke his wrist and dislocated his elbow on the same play, and watched his career path detour into a distinctly different direction.
Had everything gone according to plan, he would be in training camp with some NFL team right now, vying for a roster spot. Instead, he is back at Iowa for a fifth season, trying to get back on track.
"I'm approaching the season like it's any other season," Moeaki said. "I'm excited to be back. I couldn't imagine something unlucky happening again."
Moeaki hasn't had much luck the past two years.
After that unfortunate tumble at Wisconsin that resulted in two serious injuries, he underwent surgery and not only missed the rest of the 2007 season but also spring practice.
Back on the field last fall, he was making a routine cut in pre-season workouts when he broke his foot. He probably tried to come back too soon from that injury, which led to hamstring and calf ailments. He also suffered concussions against Iowa State and Illinois. He managed to see action in parts of nine games last fall, but seldom lasted a full game and never was 100 percent.
He needed a second surgery to repair the foot after the season and missed spring ball again.
But now, granted a fifth year of eligibility, he said he's 100 percent healthy.
"If there's justice at all - and sometimes there is - hopefully he'll go through this season totally unscathed," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said.
Moeaki, soft-spoken and normally very serious, jokes that it was the plan all along to cram a career's worth of injuries into one year.
"It's been frustrating, but injuries happen all the time," he said. "I never was hurt in high school or in my first three seasons here. It's just been this past year or so."
His teammates now see a deeper resolve to bring all that potential together into one final glorious season. No one sees it better than offensive lineman Dace Richardson, who has known Moeaki since the sixth grade and regards him as a brother.
"He's always been determined," Richardson said. "That's just the way he is. He works hard in everything he does. He's a leader for all of us."
Richardson has had injury woes of his own. He had a knee injury so serious that his career was once considered to be over. He and Moeaki have fought their way back onto the field together.
"We make jokes about how it must be something in the Wheaton water or something like that," Richardson said. "Even though we laugh about it, we've worked hard in the off-season to make ourselves even stronger so when we get to the season we won't have problems."
Richardson isn't the only one who thinks Moeaki can still become an elite tight end. The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder has been named to the preseason watch list for the John Mackey Award, which goes to the best tight end in the country.
"With Tony, our fans haven't had a chance to see the same guy we've seen," Ferentz said. "He's an excellent football player, couldn't be a better team leader or team member. It would be a great boost to our whole football team if he has the kind of year we think he's capable of."
