ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — During training camp, Rahim Moore could be found off to the side working with coaching intern and Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson.
Woodson would purposely throw balls down low, so Moore would have to reach down to pull them in.
Week 1, as Andrew Luck targeted tight end Dwayne Allen down the seam, Aqib Talib deflected it and Moore reached down and caught it, just inches above falling to the grass incomplete.
Later in the fourth quarter of that same game, the ball smacked Coby Fleener's hands and Moore found himself in perfect position, quickly darting in the direction of the ball and diving to give the Broncos possession.
It appears that the extra work with Woodson paid off.
"If you're in the right position and you're going hard, then good things happen," said Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. "That's really what it was. In both cases he was where he was supposed to be. He was breaking the way he was supposed to be breaking and aggressively going after the ball."
With 71 interceptions during his career, Woodson ranks third in NFL history. He's the ideal person for fourth-year player Moore, who wears the number 26 because of him, to learn from. While working together, Woodson showed him to lock his pinkies like an "X."
Moore has been using other techniques to improve his interception rate.
"I've been working on catching that 10-pound medicine ball with just my fingertips, so when I catch those tough throws and high balls or something and it barely grazes my fingers, I can really just soak it in," Moore said. "He's been so beneficial in my life. I mean he knows everything about picking the ball off, and he's just so genuine."
While Moore couldn't come out with the ball the past two weeks, he is hoping for a few more picks after the bye week. He doesn't stress about interceptions and allows his instincts to take over. Those instincts led him to be in an ideal position pick off Luck twice.
"But I just try to make sure that I keep communicating with my secondary and eliminating mental errors and doing all I can to help win," Moore said. "When you're flying around and playing fast, great things happen."
Moore said he's surprised by how he's playing and how frequently he's making plays. He attributes his successes this season to his teammates with the defensive line keeping good pressure, the linebackers playing quick and the secondary's excellent communication.
"I'm just here and there so fast," Moore said. "I'm doing what I'm supposed to be. I'm attacking the ball, like every week, I'm around the ball almost every play."
Moore has racked up six interceptions throughout his career. In 2012, when Moore started 15 of 16 games, the Broncos' defense was in the top five in most defensive categories, including first in yards per play and third in passing yards per game.
He said the defense is "absolutely" close to being elite.
While he regrets that last drive and the defense's inability to make a play to stop the Seahawks' versatile offense during their opening drive in overtime, Moore was proud of the defense's success on third down as they won 12 of the 17 third down conversions. Compared to Week 2 where the Chiefs got the better of the Broncos on 11-of-16 third downs, it was a significant step forward.
"We'd love to win all of them, but we're getting there," Moore said. "We have to continue to learn how to keep finishing. That last drive was disappointing for me because I felt like I could have done something to help. I feel like we can get the job done.
"So we're going to put that behind us, we're going to move on, and just keep working."
