Giants LB Okereke Praises 'Old-School' Muasau

The New York Giants have managed to avoid catastrophe during the preseason, staying relatively healthy, especially at key positions.

But the second level of the defense hasn’t been so lucky. Starter Micah McFadden went down in the team’s preseason loss to the Houston Texans, joining Matthew Adams and Dyontae Johnson as linebackers New York will prepare to be without.

While McFadden isn’t expected to miss serious time, but in the event he isn’t ready, rookie linebacker Darius Muasau is in line for snaps as the team’s Will linebacker.

Okereke spoke about his temporary partner in crime on Tuesday.

“He's an old school football player,” Okereke said. “I don't know if you saw it, but you might have heard it – that big hit against the Jets. He ran that running back right over. He plays physical, he plays fast, he plays the game the right way and he's smart. He's a plug and play guy for sure.”

Those traits made Muasau a sixth-round pick despite coming in undersized (225 pounds) without compensatory athleticism (4.7-second 40-yard dash). He’s a hot-motor player with the tenacity and processing to serve as depth while also contributing on special teams.

Still, it’s possible that a Day 3 pick can be over his head when the bullets are flying. Okereke and McFadden are a formidable duo, but swapping out a legitimate plus player on early downs for a rookie could lead to some turbulence.

Okereke was asked about what could cause some trouble in Week 1, but managed to spin it into a positive.

“Potentially, just communication,” the captain said. “Obviously, it's his first live game, so jitters, excitement there. But there is a such thing as youthful exuberance. So that's what he brings to the table, that excitement, that energy. He flies around with his hair on fire.”

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In the meantime, New York is still figuring out more pressing needs on defense, like the second boundary corner spot. Lesser depth and less confidence would be necessary if New York lacked depth at the second level. But even between the injuries, neither Okereke nor the Giants seem concerned.

“It's good, that speaks to the talent in our room,” Okereke said. “I think every guy in the room is plug and play, can play Mike or Will and play well for us. As we get into season, like you said, continuity is great, communication, hammering that in. So on gameday, it's seamless, but I feel confident with all the guys.”