5 New York Giants Players to Watch vs. the Indianapolis Colts

Really if you think about it, the timing of what is to come on Monday night when the New York Giants host the high-flying Indianapolis Colts couldn’t be any better.

The marquee event, besides the game, of course, will be the halftime ceremony honoring former defensive end Michael Strahan.

Strahan, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer, will receive his Hall of Fame ring. It would also not be surprising if Strahan, at some point, addresses his old club with one of his patented inspirational speeches that so often used to fire up past Giants teams to play above the X's and O's, as head coach Tom Coughlin has been imploring them to do all week.

A motivational speech by Strahan, however long, certainly can’t hurt. The Giants need a win in order to take advantage of the fact that both Dallas and Philadelphia lost their games last week.

A victory against the heavily favored Colts will also confirm what Coughlin, general manager Jerry Reese and others in the front office and locker room believe: The Giants are indeed good enough to play with anyone.

It won’t be easy—these games never are. However, no challenge is insurmountable, no matter how things look on paper.

As always, here is our list of five individuals/units that need to do their part to make sure that the Giants fans who are making the pilgrimage to MetLife Stadium to honor Strahan go home happy.

In looking back at the preseason game against the Colts, there were at least a half-dozen instances where the Giants’ pass rush managed to penetrate the backfield only to see quarterback Andrew Luck slip away.

In our breakdown of the Giants’ game plan, we noted that the best way to get to Luck is to be able to keep up with him stride-for-stride and not let him move upfield.  

It’s a tall order but it can be done, and one Giants defender who has the speed and quickness to get this done is second-year man Damontre Moore.

“He’s going to be in the rotation. We’re urging him every day to focus on and concentrate on his assignments,” head coach Tom Coughlin said. “He’s athletic, but we have to do it within the scheme, so that’s where we are.”

Moore, whose Hall of Fame mentor, defensive end Michael Strahan, will be in the house on Monday night, has played sparingly up until this point, largely because he hasn’t earned the coaches’ full confidence on first and second downs. He has also played a bit out of control when rushing the passer. 

The second-year player has been working hard to refine his craft and earn that trust. With a tough cookie like Luck on deck, this could be a statement game for Moore.  

Moore, who at 22 years old is the second youngest player on the team behind 21-year-old rookie receiver Odell Beckham Jr., is certainly not short on confidence.

"I think I could make some things happen, but only time will tell," Moore told reporters. "Once we get out there, I just know when my name’s called, I’ll be ready. I can’t wait. I have a lot of things to prove to people.

"I got to just build up their trust," he added, referring to the coaching staff who will determine just how many snaps he potentially sees.

"Rome wasn’t built in a day; trust doesn’t come overnight."

If he performs well against the Colts, that trust might indeed come overnight as far as the rest of the season is concerned.

Following his Week 4 explosion for three touchdown receptions against Washington, tight end Larry Donnell went into a bit of a hibernation period in which he only caught one pass over the next two games (against Atlanta and Philadelphia) for six yards.

He started to show life again in Week 7 against Dallas, when he caught seven passes for 90 yards, but he was held without a touchdown reception for the third straight game.

That could all change this week against the Colts, who have allowed tight ends to score five touchdowns this season. In their last two games, they have allowed 17 of 20 pass targets to be completed to an opposing tight end for 160 yards and one score. 

Donnell has presumably addressed his ball-security issue that plagued him in Week 7 against Dallas. If he is indeed pat that, he could end up being a key contributor on offense for the Giants this week.  

There will be no more back-and-forth for veteran linebacker Jameel McClain. With starting middle linebacker Jon Beason officially on injured reserve, McClain can mostly focus his efforts on strictly preparing for the middle linebacker spot.

Will it make enough of a difference for the seven-year veteran who is in his first season as a Giant, that he won’t have to worry about having to shift gears once the game is in progress?

If it does, McClain isn’t saying.

“My role is my role; it won’t change,” McClain told reporters. “I just need to go in there and play wherever necessary.”

Still, it’s only natural to think that not having to worry about shifting gears mid-stream is going to take a lot of weight off his shoulders as he prepares for what will be a tough Colts run offense led by former Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw.

About the only change in Bradshaw, who leads the Colts with 371 yards on 76 carries, since his days with the Giants is that he is finally healthy.

A shifty runner who is able to change direction on a dime, Bradshaw’s quickness could pose problems for McClain, who per Pro Football Focus (subscription required) has a minus-1.7 grade against the run so far this season.

The key to playing a runner like Bradshaw is gap control. Often, the majority of his yards come through a gap that was vacated by a linebacker that overcommitted to one side of the field.

McClain certainly has the intelligence to keep the defense humming and the experience to be ready for anything and everything that Bradshaw might throw at him.  

All signs from the Colts camp are pointing to the Colts having receiver Reggie Wayne (elbow) on Monday night. His return, combined with the presence of fellow receiver T.Y. Hilton, could pose a major headache for Giants cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Hilton currently leads the Colts with 53 catches for 866 yards and two touchdowns, with most of his work coming in the slot this year. Wayne is second on the Colts with 38 receptions for 434 yards and one touchdown.

In Week 7 against Dallas, Amukamara did what he could in his matchups against Dez Bryant, holding the Cowboys’ top receiver to 151 yards on nine receptions with zero touchdowns.

A fully functional Rodgers-Cromartie would be a big boost to the Giants pass defense, which is currently ranked 25th in the league.

Before injuries started affecting him midway through the Week 4 contest against Washington, Rodgers-Cromartie had posted NFL ratings under 43.0 in two of his first three games, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

If Rodgers-Cromartie can’t go the distance, Zack Bowman, who in the last game filled in opposite of Amukamara, will get the nod. Per PFF, Bowman has a 77.1 NFL rating in coverage.

It’s a good thing that quarterback Eli Manning has mastered the art of masking his emotions because when he was asked this week by reporters about taking more risks, the suggestion made by general manager Jerry Reese, Manning just deadpanned.

“Well, I think it’s important for us just to play smart football and find completions,” he told reporters.

“If there are opportunities to take some shots down the field and hit some shots down the field, it’d be nice to hit some big plays. We still have to find completions.”

He is right. To borrow the phrase heard ‘round the NFL after the Giants defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI courtesy of Mrs. Tom Brady, Manning cannot throw and catch the ball by himself.  

Manning is smart enough to recognize what he has around him as far as his supporting cast is concerned. That's why this week both his receivers and his offensive line are in the spotlight.  

Despite having a respectable 64.9 percent completion rate, Manning hasn’t quite gotten all he’d like to from his receivers, who, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), have combined to drop 14 passes so far this year.

Speaking of the Giants receivers, PFF also noted that, with the exception of Victor Cruz, who is on injured reserve, not one of Manning’s other receiving threats has more than 80 yards after the catch.

If those receivers aren’t separating from defenders after the catch, how are they supposed to separate on the deep throws, of which Manning has completed just five of 22 attempts of 20 or more yards this season, by the way?

Then there is the matter of the offensive line being able to hold its pass block for more than just 2.5 seconds, which is usually required to set up for the deep pass.

Per PFF, Manning is 48 of 78 on dropbacks where he has had more than 2.5 seconds to throw, with 10 of the 13 sacks against him coming on those longer set-ps.

Manning told reporters this week that he fully expects the Colts to challenge him to make his reads and get rid of the ball faster.

“They have a good scheme and they do a good job getting pressure on the quarterback, whether they’re bringing pressure, bringing blitzes or just bringing a four-man rush. You’ve got a lot of different looks to prepare for and to plan for,” he said.

Did we mention the fact that the Colts corners usually play press coverage and play it well? 

“They do a good job with their coverage, play a good bit of man coverage and feel confident in their corners,” Manning said.

“We’ve got to do a good job of protecting things up and everybody winning their one-on-one matchups—that’s all our linemen with their blocks, and receivers getting open.”

We can only hope that is the case for Manning’s sake.

Advanced statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus (subscription required) unless otherwise noted.

All quotes and information obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced. Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.