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What Detroit Lions CB Emmanuel Moseley learned from his Super Bowl run with 49ers
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- What Detroit Lions CB Emmanuel Moseley learned from his Super Bowl run with 49ers
The Detroit Lions play the San Francisco 49ers on Monday in a rematch of last season's NFC championship game . For Lions cornerback Emmanuel Moseley , the game is also a homecoming of sorts.
Moseley spent the first five years of his NFL career with the 49ers before signing with the Lions as a free agent in the spring of 2023. He missed most of last season with a torn ACL and has played in just two games this year because of injuries but played 14 special teams snaps in last week's win over the Chicago Bears .
Detroit Lions cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (4) warms up before the game between Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024.
Moseley talked with the Free Press for this week's five questions. Some questions and answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.
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You're going back to San Francisco this week, the organization that gave you a start as an undrafted free agent. What does that organization mean to you?
That was a Grade A organization, do things really well. They care about the players. They always treated us well, they always treated me well when I was there. I appreciate them because they really jumpstarted my career.
You started for them in the Super Bowl in the 2019 season. What lessons did you learn from that run that maybe can help you and help this team in the postseason?
I think we was kind in a similar boat, similar record. I think our record is a little bit better (now) than what ours (was in San Francisco), I think we lost three games that year, but similar in everything. Similar locker room and the main thing I learned was just take it one game at a time. Don't even think about the Super Bowl cause if you think about it, think about it, think about it, there's a good chance you're going to be out because you're not thinking about the game next.
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What's your favorite movie?
To be honest, my favorite movie, it used to be, I'm not really a big movie guy, but it was "A Star is Born." It's with Lady Gaga and I can't think of the other guy that's in it (Bradley Cooper).
CB Emmanuel Moseley walks off the field at the end of the Detroit Lions training camp at the Lions practice facility in Allen Park, Mich. on Monday, July 29, 2024.
Why'd you like it?
I liked it because I be singing sometimes. That's another thing that I like to do is I like to sing when I'm in the car, in the shower, when I'm at the house.
If someone put together a movie about your life, who would play the lead role?
Ah man, I'd probably say Denzel Washington. Yeah, Denzel Washington.
What would the first scene be?
First scene would probably be me coming out of high school and getting my first college offer, big college offer from Tennessee . Just that day, not knowing that I was going to get it and then getting a call from a coach from Tennessee like, 'Yeah, we want to sign you.' It was a great day.
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Describe the day. What was the feeling when it came about?
It was electric, bro, cause I just got out of practice out of high school and then a scout had called me and was like, 'You got some news?' And I was like, 'No, what are you talking about?' So then I drove home and when I drove home, that's when they called me. Coach (Willie) Martinez called me and was like, 'Hey, we're going to give you an offer.'
That was validation of everything you thought you were.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, most definitely. Because every team was just like, 'Oh, you're just too little. You got all the attributes, but you're just too little.'
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Tennessee was your first offer?
First big school, yeah. I decommitted from UNC Charlotte because I was committed there.
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OK, this one is for fans headed to San Francisco. They have a day to spend there before the game, what should they do and see?
I think you got to get down to San Francisco and then go to the (Golden Gate) Bridge. I guess that's the famous bridge that's on every movie. Probably say go down, I forgot the name of the street, but it's the street where the mall is (Market Street). It's crazy, they got like train tracks going through. You got these trains coming. It's a million people walking around. It's just something to see. Where I'm from, I didn't grow up with that.
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No Alcatraz?
Nah, you can see Alcatraz from there. You can look over and you say, 'OK, that's where everybody's going, everybody on the boat.' But it's too cold to get on that boat.
Tell me about a little league coach that impacted your life?
I'd probably say Coach (Stephen) Davis. That was my high school. I know it's not little league. And then Coach Abraham, he was my middle school coach. I think that's when I really started turning the corner and knowing what I wanted to do. They gave me confidence that I could play at a high level. I played quarterback, so I was like the leader of the team, so they just pumped a lot of confidence in me and just told me that I can do it. And just told me to keep going and believe in myself.
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You can trade places with any athlete for a day. Who is it and why?
Man, Usain Bolt is super fast. LeBron (James) is really crazy. Honestly, it's probably between them. Yeah, I'd probably say LeBron, man, just because I looked up to him growing up and I was watching the 'Starting 5' (on Netflix) and I think he was on there just seeing his lifestyle, seeing how he took care of his body, things that he did for his family. I'd probably say LeBron.
When you were younger, did you want to be a basketball player?
I did, yeah. Yeah. Basketball was my favorite sport.
You mentioned the things he did for his family. What do you think of the way he has empowered people around him?
I think it's important cause they're the ones that believe in you when there was nothing and they're the ones that's going to always be with you through your ups and your downs. And me having my ups and my downs, my family was there, so always want to keep my family close to me.
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Dave Birkett is the author of the new book, " Detroit Lions : An Illustrated Timeline." Order your copy here. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Emmanuel Moseley: Lions can learn from my Super Bowl run with 49ers
