It isn’t often a player says something that leads to a Google search for a Spider-Man Web site. Then again, the Vikings’ Mewelde Moore isn’t like most NFL players.
Of 1,696 active NFL players, he was the only one to score touchdowns while rushing, receiving and returning punts last season. This year, he’s got the other 1,695 players beat as the only one to return a punt for a touchdown and throw a touchdown pass. And, FYI, his perfect passer rating (158.3) is 50.3 points higher than Peyton Manning’s.
“God has blessed me with the ability to do everything on the field,” Moore said. “There’s nothing on the field that I can’t do.”
Some of that he credits to exceptional vision. Some of it he credits to “spider-sense.”
Uh, what?
“It’s just an awareness,” Moore said. “It’s kind of one of those things where you feel stuff that you didn’t necessarily see. It can be anything. From the blind side, everywhere. I can’t say it works every time. But for the most part, God has blessed me with the ability to be able to feel a little bit and not just only see.”
Moore’s case in point: his 71-yard punt return for a touchdown in Monday night’s 31-7 loss to New England.
Richard Owens had the key block at the point of attack. After that, it was more good blocking and Moore making two defenders miss with his, uh, spider-sense.
“Spider-sense?” Owens said. “He said that? That’s Mewelde. Maybe he means it’s just a sixth sense that he has. But I’m going to have to get on him for `spider-sense.”‘
Here’s where Google comes in handy. According to spiderfan.org, which breaks down the cartoon character’s super powers, anyone with spider-sense “doesn’t even need to think about impending danger; his reflexes will do the job for him.”
Well, if there’s one spot where danger is most impending in the NFL, it’s returning kicks. And Moore needed only 44 attempts to tie David Palmer’s franchise career record of two punt returns for touchdowns. Palmer had 162 career punt returns.
“Being back there as a return man, you got to have something a little bit different about you,” Owens said. “Not everybody can go back there and catch the ball with everybody chasing you and running at you, and then make a guy miss and break one like that.”
Moore is tied for third in the NFL in punt return average (12.4) behind Bears rookie Devin Hester (14.6) and New England’s Kevin Faulk (13.4). He also is one of seven punt returners who have scored this season. Hester has two touchdowns.
Next for Moore is a 49ers team that has struggled against the top punt returners this season.
Reno Mahe averaged 15.5 yards on two returns in the Eagles’ Week 3 victory and Dante Hall averaged 27.3 yards with a 60-yard touchdown in Kansas City’s Week 4 victory.
Moore still is making more game-changing plays as he regains leg strength from a preseason knee injury. Two weeks ago, on his first and only NFL pass, he lofted a perfect ball to tight end Jermaine Wiggins in the back of the end zone. And although Moore has only 28 touches from scrimmage, his 50-yard reception is the team’s longest and is its second-longest play from scrimmage.
With numbers like that, Moore was asked to elaborate more on this “spider-sense.”
“That’s my secret,” Moore said with a smile.
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Peter Parker would have been proud.