CHARLOTTE – Quarterback Matt Moore's three games on the sideline helped him gain some perspective.
Now that he's off the sideline and back on the field, Moore hopes to gain some yards and some victories.
"It's time to play, to step up and play coming in from a different perspective," said Moore, informed by Panthers head coach John Fox on Monday that he'll start Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.
"That was good, seeing the game from a different perspective," Moore continued. "Then I thought last week's practices were good for me personally, coming in after not really taking that many reps the past couple of weeks. I just felt different."
Moore certainly hopes he plays different than he did to start the season, when he threw four interceptions in two games. That prompted Fox to turn to Jimmy Clausen in search of a spark, but the Panthers dropped three straight games with the rookie at the helm.
"We're trying to find something that works, and if this is what it takes, this is what it takes," Moore said. "We've just got to win ballgames.
"We didn't win the first two ballgames that I played, and there was a change made. We haven't won the past three games, and there was a change made. That's just the way this business works. I understand why Coach Fox made that decision, and now it has come back to me."
Fox, in a statement released by the team, said: "We have struggled on offense since the beginning of the season. Sometimes it helps to step back and watch, and Matt has had a chance to do that."
Safety Charles Godfrey, who leads the NFL with four interceptions, believes Moore can come back and be better. Last season, Godfrey missed four games with a broken hand but hasn't missed a beat since his return.
"Sometimes it's good for you to sit back and watch it from the sidelines. You can pick up different things and see what you could have done better," Godfrey said. "Last year when I had an injury and sat down for a couple of games, when I came back, I looked at the game totally different.
"Hopefully, that's the position that we're in at the quarterback position. We'll see."
Moore said he's had time to reflect on what went wrong at the start of the season and to remember what went right in previous seasons. He said he's watched film of the 0-2 start but also has watched some film from his previous starts. Moore entered the season with a 6-2 record as a starter.
"Those first two games, I just wasn't in rhythm," Moore said. "You want to play fast. I think I was playing a little too fast, and I missed some things.
"Sitting back and being able to watch and then watching old film, I saw where if you play with a little better pace and rhythm, it will be a little better for you."
Moore said he would aim to keep it simple and keep the chains moving this time around.
"We have to execute our offense – which is running the ball – and then when the throws are there, we need to make 'em and catch 'em," he said. "I think a big thing for us and something I'm going to try to stress is game management. As much as you can from a quarterback perspective, we need to get as many yards as we can on first and second down and stay in third-and-short. We've been in third-and-long way too much this year.
"We're hoping to find a spark, and, hopefully, we can do that."
