Coughlin: "Penalty guy" Damontre Moore has to change the perception

Damontre Moore of the New York Giants has now been flagged for roughing the passer penalties in the last three games in which he has played, also having been inactive for a game after the first of those three penalties.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin said on Thursday that Moore is going to have to play his way out of the reputation of being a "penalty guy."

"You've got to play your way out of that, the idea that you're a penalty guy. That's what he's confronted with," Coughlin said. "The problem is that it doesn't always get called the way you're seeing it with him. In other words, it may or may not be a foul, it's that close. But you have to make sure he understands it's because of the fact that he has a record of this that it's being called so close. So he's got to change."

Moore has now committed 18 penalties in 39 NFL games, and Coughlin said he felt Moore's history earned him Sunday's roughing penalty against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"He wasn't even late. I don't think it was that late the other day, to be honest with you," Coughlin said.

Coughlin said it's going to be up to the 23-year-old Moore, a talented pass rusher who's skills the Giants could obviously use, to change the perception.

"You've got to know the rules," Coughlin said. "You can't use the top of your helmet, you can't use the helmet as some kind of spear, you can't take the quarterback low, so all of those things."

We have talked about Moore a lot here at BBV, and we know the Giants have talked to the young man a lot. Let's hope Moore figures it out because he can still be a difference-maker for this team.