NY Giants Have Confidence in Second-year Linebacker Darius Muasau

The New York Giants enter their Week 2 game against the Dallas Cowboys without inside linebacker Micah McFadden, one of their most underrated players on defense, who will likely miss the rest of the season due to a foot injury suffered in last week’s season opener.

One of the players who will likely be called upon to fill the void is second-year linebacker Darius Muasau, the team's sixth-round draft pick last year, who defensive coordinator Shane Bowen called upon after McFadden was carted off the Northwest Stadium field following the injury early in the first quarter of last week’s loss. 

“Got a lot of confidence in (linebacker) Moose (Darius Muasau),” Bowen said this week. 

“He went in there, and I thought he did a good job last week, for the most part. He's done really well last year when he played for us, and then throughout training camp this preseason.”

Muasau, according to PFF, struggled across the board with his unexpected increased role, the Ewa Beach, Hawaii native finishing with an overall grade of 30.0, a run defense grade of 46.6, and a coverage grade of 34.4. Muasau was credited with two tackles, one of which was a solo effort.

Not long after he was inserted into the game, Muasau was beaten easily by tight end Zach Ertz in single coverage for a 7-yard touchdown pass before finally settling down the rest of the way. 

The shaky start to his second season hasn’t done much to dent Musasau’s confidence in himself. 

“You know, right when I stepped on the field, I was confident in myself and my team and my defense that, you know, we could go out and execute,” he said this week. 

“I, a hundred percent, believe in my capabilities and my abilities to go out there and execute Shane's defense and his game plan for us.”