Detroit Lions: Kellen Moore Struggles Early in Training Camp

The Detroit Lions and their fans hope not to have to see anyone other than Matthew Stafford take meaningful snaps during the 2015 season, but the backup quarterbacks spot is an important area yet to be settled.

Both Dan Orlovsky and Kellen Moore return on new contracts for 2015 and while Orlovsky was the primary backup last year with Moore the number three, the contracts signed by each player in the offseason suggested a flip in status could be in store.

Orlovsky signed a one-year deal with just $140,000 in guaranteed money. Compare that to Moore who received a two-year deal with a $340,000 signing bonus.

Contracts aside, the spot on the quarterback depth chart behind Matthew Stafford will have to be earned. Unfortunately for Moore, he really struggled in last night’s practice in front of 7,200 fans at Novi High School.

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Let me say this up front: I’m neither a Kellen Moore “lover” or “hater”. My analysis of his performance last night is simply based on what I observed. I respect what he accomplished with his Boise State teammates but it is ultimately irrelevant to me. What is relevant to me is how the Lions quarterbacks perform and last night, Moore may have been the worst of the four.

Moore’s arm strength has been and remains a big question mark. His throws often looked labored while the stronger-armed quarterbacks on the roster zipped the ball with much more ease. But it wasn’t just the speed with which the ball traveled that troubled me. A number of intermediate throws came out awkwardly with the ball landing short in such a way that the receiver didn’t have much of a chance to make a play on the ball.

Longer throws down the sideline also were problematic as Moore had to put so much air under the ball that an already tight window was allowed to close further by giving the defender time to react and play the ball.

I wasn’t the only one in the Lions blogosphere left unimpressed:

Moore and 0rlovsky took turns seeing who could make the worst passes.
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) August 6, 2015

Biggest negative was QB not named Stafford. Moore was inaccurate. Gilbert threw lollipops. Orlovsky did what he does.
— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) August 6, 2015

The good news for Moore is that Orlovsky isn’t exactly lighting it up in his reps either and that there is quite a bit of camp and four preseason games yet to prove he can handle number two quarterbacking duties.

Next: 5 Important Questions as Lions Begin Training Camp

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