Coughlin "can't really honestly say" he trusts DE Damontre Moore

The question of whether or not the New York Giants could trust defensive end Damontre Moore has been hanging around the Giants ever since they drafted him in the third round back in 2013. After Moore's bone-headed roughing the passer penalty on Monday night that led to a Philadelphia Eagles touchdown and Moore's admission that he needs to improve a "poor football IQ" head coach Tom Coughlin said Tuesday he "can't really honestly say" he trusts Moore.

"He's obviously high energy. He does give outstanding effort, there's no question about it," Coughlin said when asked directly if he can trust Moore. "There's absolutely no excuse for the unnecessary roughness penalty that he committed last night."

Coughlin said "there's no excuse" for Moore, who has now played 37 NFL games, not to understand what can and cannot be done in terms of hitting opposing quarterbacks.

"You use the word trust," Coughlin said. "I don't know. That's a good word.

"There's been a lot of sitting down and talking. I certainly will do more of it it. He is very good about listening, but we've gotta see whether it can hold true on the field."

It seems as though "trust" has been the major issue with Moore the entirety of his time with the Giants. Too many foolish penalties, too much running around on the field without seeming to have a real purpose or plan in mind.

Earlier Tuesday Paul Schwartz of the New York Post wrote about the "wasted talent" of the 23-year-old. Schwartz wrote this about the penalty on Monday night:

What Moore did was mindless, selfish, clueless and, quite frankly, deserving of severe repercussions.

Quite frankly, Schwartz's words are impossible to argue with.

It will not be a surprise if Moore is inactive Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. Robert Ayers will likely be back, and it is obvious that the Giants correctly have more faith in veteran George Selvie, second-year man Kerry Wynn and rookie Owamagbe Odighizuwa.

It is easy to say Moore is the same age as rookies Odighizuwa, Geremy Davis and Will Tye. Problem is, though, this is Moore's third season in an NFL locker room, and third with Coughlin as his boss. He shouldn't be making rookie mistakes. By now, he should know more about his job, should know the rules and should be an established NFL player.

Physically gifted with athleticism and ability to rush the passer Moore still shows the same weaknesses he walked in the Giants' door with in 2013. He doesn't play the run well, doesn't always play his assignments and shows too much lack of awareness with needless, costly penalties. He has 16 of them now in 37 games. Wynn, by comparison, has played in 11 NFL games. He has committed one five-yard penalty. Defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, drafted in the second round right in 2013, plays far more snaps than Moore. In 33 career games, he has committed two penalties. Only one of those, a five-yarder, has been accepted.

Moore is a genuinely nice kid. I've had the pleasure of talking to him several times, including a one-on-one interview during 2014 training camp in which he was very open and honest about his development. He does his best to lend a helping hand in the community and needs to be applauded for that. You want him to succeed. The Giants want -- and need -- him to succeed. They are practically begging him to succeed.

Problem is, it's not happening. He's the same "project" with the same issues he had when he started his career. Here is more Schwartz:

He [Moore] does not get it, does not sense the urgency of the situation or the tenuous nature of these precious NFL jobs. As a high draft pick with a rare (one-dimensional) skill set, Moore no doubt has protection from general manager Jerry Reese, but patience has to be wearing thin inside the coaching ranks.

It's unfortunate. Moore has an ability few possess and an opportunity not a lot of people get. He's not taking advantage of it, and the Giants are paying a price because of it.