Consistency is big objective for Bucs' Moore

Buccaneers left defensive end Kyle Moore is a mystery his coaches are still trying to decipher.

Bucs coach Raheem Morris remembers thinking the riddle was solved. Moore had a knee injury last season as a rookie and missed the first seven games. Not until Tampa Bay's bye in Week 8 was Moore finally able to practice, and he did with intensity.

"We almost stopped practice," Morris said.

Moore flipped his angry switch in practice again weeks later, when he was inactive against Atlanta. He took out all his frustrations on the practice field with one punishing hit after another, prompting Morris to keep Moore active for the last five games of the season.

The problem Morris and his staff are addressing during training camp is how to keep Moore steady.

"I know how to push his buttons," Morris said. "I just don't know how to push his buttons and turn it back off fast enough for me in practice yet."

Defensive line coach Todd Wash also knows how to push Moore's buttons.

Although Moore can be hot or cold, Wash cannot contain his excitement when thinking about what the protege might accomplish this season.

"He definitely has a fuse," Wash said. "When we get here, I think all you've got to do is say something one time. When he was a rookie, we had a situation where we had to have a ... meeting (about playing consistently) and he responded.

"He knows the expectations I have on him. We talk constantly about what we expect from him in a leadership role and performance role, and he's relishing that opportunity."

The Bucs expect Moore to stop the run.

After the departure of left end Kevin Carter in 2008, Tampa Bay's defense ranked last against the run in 2009. The Bucs did not re-sign Jimmy Wilkerson, who played left end last season, and they expect Moore to fill Carter's shoes.

"They need me to stop that run," said Moore, a fourth-round draft pick in 2009 from Southern Cal. "That's what I want to do: get to the run, like I'm supposed to do, and get to that quarterback, which I'm really supposed to be doing.

"I need to execute on a daily basis to secure that spot and really get some production on that left side."

Moore already has produced during training camp.

He was asked to gain weight last year to play in Jim Bates' system and went from 272 pounds to 294. Down to 267 pounds, Moore said he believes he is more explosive and feels less pain in his knees without the extra weight.

Moore also is focused on excelling as a starter and is taking practice more seriously. Although he coasts sometimes, coaches are optimistic he is becoming a player who plays consistently in practice and will against opponents on Sunday.

"It's early, but you see him locked in during meetings," Wash said. "You don't see any nonsense out of him. He knows this is a situation where he can really blossom in the role he's in. You have to have a big, physical left end in this league to stop the run and win ... and we feel that Kyle has that ability to be that person. So does he."