Super Bowl by way of Concordia

PHOENIX – Silly questions from pretend reporters are part of the deal for every player who endures Super Bowl Media Day. Winning a $500 Xbox One for knowing and singing the words to a couple of Katy Perry songs was quite an added bonus for former Concordia (St. Paul) defensive end Zach Moore.

"Michelle [Williams] from Destiny's Child came by and said she'd give me this Xbox One if I could finish two of Katy Perry's songs," the Patriots rookie said Tuesday inside the US Airways Center.

The songs?

" 'Eye of the Tiger' ['Roar'] and 'I Kissed A Girl,' " Moore said. "She gave me the first couple words, and I had to finish the chorus. No problem."

Perry made the Super Bowl as the halftime entertainment. Moore made it the harder way: from Division II football, where he had 12 sacks in 2012, to making the Patriots' 53-man roster as a sixth-round draft pick.

"I never would have pictured this for myself," said Moore, who had a half sack and a forced fumble in eight regular-season games this season. "It's a credit to all the hard work I put in for myself."

Moore grew up in Chicago and ended up at Concordia "because of some grade issues." The only contact he had with the Patriots before the draft came when Patriots defensive assistant Brendan Daly, a former Vikings defensive line coach, worked him out.

"I had a few D-I college offers, but I can't remember them," Moore said. "It was fun playing at Concordia. And I believe everything happens for a reason. I went to Concordia for a reason. And, looking around here today, I wouldn't change a thing."