DaMonster

In college at Texas A&M, Damontre Moore was nicknamed DaMonster.  Giants fans found out why last night.  And UltimateNYG readers were tipped off to this DE's potential on Draft Day…

Some of Wonder's 4/27/13 post draft comments on Moore: ""I had him at ~40 in the Draft. He is mobile and aggressive. He is a good solid 4-3 DE with potential to develop into a very good pro. Whatever "it" is, he has it. He has playmaking ability, he has some speed, he has moves, he played in the SEC, he has experience, and it is just a good solid pick. Great value for middle of R3."

Last night in Pittsburgh, we got to see the Giants first preseason exhibition, and it was fine.  Preseason is crucial for younger players, players new to the system, and coaches, but not the fans.  The learning curve for rookies and players fighting for roster spots is huge.  The teaching by the coaches and the film study is critical.  So win or lose, jumping to conclusions about the team in general from a preseason game is mostly folly.  It was nice to see the Giants win, but the things you are looking for are… the Damontre Moores.

Everyone always talks about how college players have to adjust to speed of the game in the pros.  For us, we like to use preseason to note the rookies who can make an impact and play at the NFL level like they were always there.  It's a sign that they cannot not only adapt, but that we will see even more from them in the future when they actually figure out the game.

We saw it in a Rookie Round 7 pick in 2007's preseason.

We saw it in an undrafted free agent WR that scored 3 TDs in 2010.

And last night we saw another gem, arguably more impressive than the other 2, if that hyperbole possibly can be kept in check.

My apologies for more hyperbole, but I have not seen that kind of "speed" from a Giants rookie in preseason since Lawrence Taylor and Jeremy Shockey.  We tweeted last night that Moore was shot out of a cannon.  He was everywhere.  But he was mostly in the backfield, causing havoc for the opposing defense.  "Moore obviously was a problem for Pittsburgh," said Coughlin.  Cue to Giants fans smiling.  We like these kinds of problems!

What we as fans see is not the entire truth.  As an example, Moore's assignment on a particular play may have been botched, despite his athleticism in making the tackle.  Or maybe his gap control was less than desirable.  The Giants coaches will work with him and all of their players to correct mistakes. 

What we also liked in the (ESPN sourced, Coughlin quoted) link above is Moore's attitude…

>> It's humble.  On the punt block: "I'm just glad coach put me in a great situation." 

>> It's mature and responsible, if that is possible for a rookie: "There is always room for improvement. I made a lot of mistakes out there."

>> It's professional:  "I'm just ready to watch some film and get better."

Another tidbit I did not know- he's a real kid.  He's 20 years old and does not turn 21 until next month.  We're greedy as fans, and this just increases the upside on him, because more than a few prospects get red-shirted in college and come into the pros at 22-24 years of age.  Ross was picked in Round 1 and he was 25 by the time he suited up in September of his rookie year.  20 years old is sweet music.

Injuries always noted as the caveat, we think the Giants have a gem.  His name is Damontre Moore.