A simple conversation before a game in Foxboro perfectly captures why Tom Moore became one of the NFL's most beloved offensive coaches. The story, shared by Peyton Manning, shows how Moore's trust in his players helped create football magic.
Manning and star receiver Marvin Harrison had been practicing a specific route - a slant-go-slant - because they had scored the week before on a more conventional slant and go.
Manning mentioned the route to Moore during pregame session and mentioned that he and Marvin really liked it against the defense that day.
You can watch the video below for the full experience (it should start at 5:24)
My second year we were going up to Foxboro and and the week before Marvin and I had thrown kind of a slant and go for a touchdown. So I came to him before the game in Foxboro I said hey Tom Marvin and I have been working on kind of a slant go slant right and I still remember like it was yesterday very first drive we got done about the 15 yard line and he said:
'Ok Peyton here we go. Let's go Dice right, scat right... uh... just run whatever the **** you and Marvin been working on.'
"and we called it and we scored a touchdown."
The call demonstrated Moore's key strength as a coach - his willingness to build his offense around his players rather than force players into his system, and even more importantly, his trust in his players. This approach helped him develop successful offenses across four decades in the NFL, from Terry Bradshaw to Peyton Manning to Tom Brady.
Moore, who still coaches at age 85, has carried this player-first mentality throughout his 46-year NFL career. It's why he's been part of four Super Bowl victories and why players still seek his guidance today. As Manning's story shows, sometimes the best coaching means trusting your players to execute what they do best.