The Sports Xchange

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Defensive end Damontre Moore currently leads the New York Giants in sacks with 3.0 and has shown himself to be the most effective of the team’s pass rushers thus far this season.

However, it doesn’t sound as though the 23-year-old Moore is headed for a larger role in the Giants’ defense anytime soon, not after the blatant indiscretions Moore committed Monday night that hurt his team.

To recap, Moore, who posted the team’s lone sack and who managed two hits on the quarterback, also committed a stupid penalty in which he body-slammed Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford to the ground well after the quarterback released the ball.

Not only did Moore cost his team 15 yards, the penalty also came on a third-down play that the Giants had stopped cold. Instead, the Eagles’ drive continued all the way to the end zone, tying the score at 7-7 in what was the first of 27 unanswered points by the Eagles.

If all that wasn’t bad enough, the former Texas A&M defender, whom head coach Tom Coughlin said has an abundance of energy, didn’t exactly win brownie points when he would jump up and go into a celebratory dance after making a play despite his team being behind.

“There’s no excuse,” Moore said after the game. “I have to get my football IQ awareness up, and get a better understanding for the rules so I can eliminate these penalties.”

That Moore, a three-year veteran, admitted to having some cloudiness regarding the rules of the game is a damning testament to his preparation, which is why it was not surprising that head coach Tom Coughlin admitted his trust in the team’s 2013 third-round draft pick has been significantly dented.

“I can’t really honestly say that,” Coughlin said when asked if he could still trust Moore to be on the field moving forward and to not commit stupid penalties.

“He’s obviously of high energy and he does give outstanding effort; there’s no question about it, but with regard to that, there’s absolutely no excuse for anyone for the unnecessary roughness penalty that he committed last night.”

Coughlin also wasn’t pleased with the fact that Moore was unaware of the rules regarding the protection of the quarterback.

“Not being aware of what the down and distance was, and not realizing what was going on behind him, (and) not understanding the way in which a quarterback is protected and what can and can’t be done from the standpoint of his position — there’s no excuse for that.

“You use the word trust; I don’t know.”

With defensive end Robert Ayers, Jr. (hamstring) likely to return to the lineup this week, it wouldn’t be a total shock if Moore is either benched or deactivated for the game against the Cowboys.

If that happens, though, it won’t necessarily mean that Coughlin has given up on Moore, with whom he plans to sit down this week to discuss what happened and what he has to do moving forward.

“He’s very good about listening, etc., but we’ve got to see whether it can hold true on the field,” Coughlin said.

–Tackle Will Beatty, who has been on the PUP list while recovering from offseason pectoral surgery, is eligible to begin practicing with the Giants this week.

Coughlin said that it had not yet been decided if the team would start the 21-day window allowing Beatty, who tore his muscle in May, to practice with the team.

“When that is decided, it will be slow going,” Coughlin said. “He’ll first start with individual, when that happens, I’m not sure if that’s going to start this week. When we do, it will be with the idea of bringing him back slowly.”

Once Beatty does begin to practice, Coughlin said that he has a “lot of work ahead of him” before he’s cleared to return to the playing field.

“You have to put him in football work, Coughlin said. “He hasn’t done that for a long, long time. He has to get used to his pads. He’s got a lot of work ahead of him.”

Notes: Wide receiver Victor Cruz, sidelined since mid-August with a calf injury, continues to do rehab work inside, but as of Tuesday, head coach Tom Coughlin said that there has been no change to the receiver’s status. Cruz underwent a PRP injection Oct. 1 to expedite the healing process. According to a report by NorthJersey.com and confirmed by a source, Cruz will have a MRI on Wednesday to gauge his progress. … Tight end Daniel Fells was released from Hackensack University Medical Center where he had been hospitalized since Oct. 2 to treat a MRSA infection originating in his foot. Fells, who has had several surgeries to clear the infection from his body, was placed on season-ending injured reserve earlier this month. … Safety Cooper Taylor was waived Tuesday. Taylor was the Giants’ fifth-round draft pick in 2013 out of Richmond. He spent chunks of his first two seasons on injured reserve with hamstring and foot problems. Finally healthy this year, Taylor began training camp as one of the starting safeties before being passed on the depth chart by rookie Landon Collins and veteran Brandon Meriweather.