Earthwind Moreland
Encyclopedia
Earthwind C. Moreland is a former National Football League
cornerback
for the New England Patriots
and Arena Football League cornerback/wide receiver
for the Las Vegas Gladiators
. He was drafted by Team Alabama of the AAFL
in 2008.
in Atlanta and was a letterman in football
, basketball
, and baseball
. In football, he garnered All-City honors.
and was a letterman in football
. In football, he was a two-time All-Southern Conference
selection (junior and senior seasons), he also garnered third-team All-America
honors from the Sporting News during his senior year. Over the course of his college career, he played in 52 games with 42 starts as Georgia Southern won 3 consecutive Southern Conference titles and finished with the NCAA Division I-AA championship.
rookie
free agent
by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
in 2000, he was waived and claimed off waivers by the New York Jets
in the same off-season, and a year later was traded, along with a sixth-round pick in 2002, to the New Orleans Saints
for running back
Chad Morton
in August 2001, only to be waived by the Saints just over a week later and claimed off waivers by the Jacksonville Jaguars
the following day. Moreland spent about one month with the team before an ultimate release from their practice squad, landing with the Cleveland Browns
in the same capacity, and was mostly inactive. Allocated by the Cleveland Browns
to the Rhein Fire
of NFL Europe
in 2002, where Moreland earned All-League honors as the Fire went on to lose in World Bowl X
. Moreland remained with the team when he returned, then landed on injured reserve
with a groin
injury.
After being signed and released within a month from August to September 2004 by the New England Patriots
, he had a brief stint on the Minnesota Vikings
practice squad and was again signed by the Patriots. He was promoted from the practice squad and found some playing time with the New England Patriots
in 2004 due to injuries to the Patriots' secondary (including starters Ty Law
and Tyrone Poole
), making 2 starts in 9 games. By the end of the season and during the playoffs, Moreland was the 4th cornerback
on the depth chart
, behind Asante Samuel
, Randall Gay
, and wide receiver
Troy Brown
. Moreland was released after the season and has not played in an NFL game since the 2005 postseason, despite spending about 3 weeks over August 2006 attempting to make the cut with the Houston Texans
.
He recorded 15 career tackles (14 solo) in the NFL.
In 2008, Moreland joined the upstart All-American Football League as a protected player with Team Alabama.
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
for the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
and Arena Football League cornerback/wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the Las Vegas Gladiators
Las Vegas Gladiators
The Cleveland Gladiators are an arena football franchise based in Cleveland, Ohio which plays in the Arena Football League. The team is part of the East division of the AFL's American Conference. The Gladiators play all of their home games at Quicken Loans Arena, which they share with the NBA's...
. He was drafted by Team Alabama of the AAFL
All American Football League
The All American Football League was a proposed professional American football league. The league, which was to combine a professional pay structure with the requirement that all players be college graduates, had originally been scheduled to start in the spring of 2007, but later postponed its...
in 2008.
High school years
Moreland attended Grady High SchoolHenry W. Grady High School
Henry W. Grady High School is located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States in Midtown. It serves as the Communication Magnet school for the Atlanta Public Schools...
in Atlanta and was a letterman in football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. In football, he garnered All-City honors.
College years
Moreland attended Georgia Southern UniversityGeorgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University is a national public university located on a campus in Statesboro, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1906, it is part of the University System of Georgia and is the largest center of higher education in the southern half of Georgia offering 117 academic majors in a comprehensive...
and was a letterman in football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
. In football, he was a two-time All-Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
selection (junior and senior seasons), he also garnered third-team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors from the Sporting News during his senior year. Over the course of his college career, he played in 52 games with 42 starts as Georgia Southern won 3 consecutive Southern Conference titles and finished with the NCAA Division I-AA championship.
Professional career
Initially signed as an undraftedUndrafted
An undrafted sportsperson or undrafted free agent is specific type of sportsperson who plays, or attempts to play, in a professional sports league without first being selected in a draft....
rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
in 2000, he was waived and claimed off waivers by the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the same off-season, and a year later was traded, along with a sixth-round pick in 2002, to the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
for running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Chad Morton
Chad Morton
Chad Akio Morton is a former American football running back and kick/punt returner in the National Football League...
in August 2001, only to be waived by the Saints just over a week later and claimed off waivers by the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
the following day. Moreland spent about one month with the team before an ultimate release from their practice squad, landing with the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the same capacity, and was mostly inactive. Allocated by the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
to the Rhein Fire
Rhein Fire
The Rhein Fire was a professional American football team in NFL Europe, formerly the World League of American Football. Established in Germany in 1995, the franchise resurrected the name of the former Birmingham Fire team which was active during the 1991-1992 WLAF seasons.-History:The team was...
of NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
in 2002, where Moreland earned All-League honors as the Fire went on to lose in World Bowl X
World Bowl X
World Bowl X was NFL Europe's 2002 championship game. The game was played at Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf, Germany on June 22, 2002. It would be the final event held at Rheinstadion before its demolition....
. Moreland remained with the team when he returned, then landed on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
with a groin
Groin
In human anatomy, the groin areas are the two creases at the junction of the torso with the legs, on either side of the pubic area. This is also known as the medial compartment of the thigh. A pulled groin muscle usually refers to a painful injury sustained by straining the hip adductor muscles...
injury.
After being signed and released within a month from August to September 2004 by the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
, he had a brief stint on the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
practice squad and was again signed by the Patriots. He was promoted from the practice squad and found some playing time with the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
in 2004 due to injuries to the Patriots' secondary (including starters Ty Law
Ty Law
Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
and Tyrone Poole
Tyrone Poole
Tyrone Poole is a retired American professional football player who played 13 seasons as a cornerback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers 22nd overall of the 1995 NFL Draft...
), making 2 starts in 9 games. By the end of the season and during the playoffs, Moreland was the 4th cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
on the depth chart
Depth chart
In sports, a depth chart is used to show the placements of the starting players and the secondary players. Generally a starting player will be listed first or on top while a back-up will be listed below...
, behind Asante Samuel
Asante Samuel
Asante T. Samuel is an American football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
, Randall Gay
Randall Gay
Randall "Blue" Jerome Gay, Jr. is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Louisiana State...
, and wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Troy Brown
Troy Brown
Troy Fitzgerald Brown is a former NFL wide receiver, cornerback and punt returner in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Marshall...
. Moreland was released after the season and has not played in an NFL game since the 2005 postseason, despite spending about 3 weeks over August 2006 attempting to make the cut with the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
He recorded 15 career tackles (14 solo) in the NFL.
In 2008, Moreland joined the upstart All-American Football League as a protected player with Team Alabama.