George Walker IV/The Tennessean

Titans running back DonTrell Moore eludes a defender up the sideline at an afternoon practice. Moore was signed as a free agent after going undrafted last year, but couldn't latch on with the Jets. After 20 months without playing in a football game, he's been given another chance with Tennessee.

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On game days, DonTrell Moore's job is to run through walls.

Moore is building walls every other day of the week.

He constructs impenetrable barriers, blocking outsiders from seeing his true psyche and the pain he has endured.

Instead, he rattles off optimistic platitudes typically served up by presidential candidates.

"I can't really worry about what happened yesterday or what might happen tomorrow," Moore said in a phone interview with The Tribune from Tennessee. "All I can worry about is playing football right now."

Right now, DonTrell Moore is fighting tooth and nail to rescue his dream of playing in the NFL.

He was the closest thing the University of New Mexico football program has ever seen to a blue chip recruit, eschewing scholarship offers from Bowl Championship Series schools to be the man in Albuquerque.

And he was that.

Moore is one of the greatest running backs in UNM history.

He is the all-time leading rusher in school and Mountain West Conference history, taking a beating while rumbling for 4,973 yards.

Moore made an improbable comeback from a torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in the 2004 Emerald Bowl. After a mere eight months of rehabilitation, he played every game of his senior season.

But Moore's 1,028 career carries and speedy return from the knee injury took a heavy toll. He wasn't fast enough to dazzle NFL teams and suddenly looked very average while preparing for the 2006 NFL Draft.

He signed a free-agent contract with the New York Jets, but he was cut before the 2006-07 season began.

Moore was left with two options.

He was faced with moving on with his life or trying to mount an improbable comeback.

He insists it was an easy decision to skip the Canadian and arena football leagues and quietly work out in Albuquerque while waiting for his second chance.

"I never really doubted myself," Moore said. "I was disappointed that I didn't get to play right away, but I never thought that I wouldn't find a way back to football. Doubt is what happens when you don't believe in yourself. Doubt is what happens when you just spend all your free time sitting on the couch and just hope you get another chance. I didn't do that. I went out and worked. I promised myself I would be ready if an NFL team called. And I believe I was ready the moment the Titans called me."

Moore conditioned from August 2006 through February in Albuquerque, but he did his best to stay out of the public eye. He worked out with former teammate Allan Stone, a walk-on tight end from Texas, at Liberty Gym.

"I wanted to go somewhere that was quiet so I could focus on the work I had to do," he said. "No one really bothered me there."

Moore does admit it wasn't easy going 20 months between football games.

"It was difficult at first, especially when the season started and I wasn't out there with a team," he said. "I knew I should have been out there. I knew I could play, I just never got the chance to prove myself."

He credits his mother, Angela, and girlfriend, Teresa Reyes, with helping push through his darkest days.

"My family and friends never gave up on me," he said. "My girlfriend would always remind me to go work out, even though I really didn't need reminders to keep at it.

"I was a little frustrated, but they were there to remind me that God has a plan for my life. And he answers your prayers. Those answers don't come at your time, they come at the right time."

Moore caught a break in February when the Tennessee Titans decided to offer him a free-agent contract. He promptly moved to Nashville, Tenn., for more intense training.

It appears Moore is battling former Utah star Quinton Ganther for the final running back spot on the Titans' roster, although the team could opt to keep both players and make extra cuts elsewhere.

"I'm glad DonTrell's been given a chance to change people's minds about his ability," UNM coach Rocky Long said. "I don't think he was at full strength last year after his knee injury and that hurt his ability to stick with a team.

"I don't know what will happen, but I do know that he works hard and I wouldn't count him out."

Long and Moore said they don't think a year away from football has hurt his game.

Moore may have offered the best response Friday, rushing for 40 yards and one touchdown on nine carries against the New England Patriots.

"It's going well right now," Moore said. "I think the offensive coaches have given me a great opportunity to show what I can do in camp. They believed in me enough to offer me a contract and believe in me enough to let me practice with this team. I am working hard to show them that I belong here."

His NFL career may look healthier than it did last year, but Moore still could get cut again. He could spend another football season on a couch in Albuquerque watching games on television.

He refuses to directly address the issue, deftly adding more bricks and mortar to his protective walls.

"I don't look too far ahead into the future," he said. "Football is my dream, and I'm living my dream right now. I'm not going to worry about anything else."