Giants' Darius Muasau upbringing has prepared him for increased responsibilities
Darius Muasau #53 of the New York Giants celebrates his second half interception against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Sep. 8, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Darius Muasau’s welcome to the NFL moment came in his first game. The rookie linebacker felt awe studying the Vikings on the other side of the ball.
“I saw Sam Darnold back there, I saw Justin Jefferson,” Muasau recalled this week. “Like, guys that I grew up watching. Guys that I had on my fantasy football [team] the year before that.”
The admiration didn’t last. Muasau showed he belonged by recording an interception. He proved it further by starting five games, including the Giants' last three with Bobby Okereke out for the season.
Muasau will have a different level of trust come Sunday. With fellow linebacker Micah McFadden out, Muasau is in line to relay play calls from the coaches to his teammates against the Colts.
The role, also known as the green dot because of the green helmet sticker, usually goes to veterans who hear the calls on a headset inside the helmet. Muasau did it for the second half last week against the Falcons when McFadden was out with injury.
If he has to do it for a full game, he’s ready for it
“That’s what I’ve been training for throughout my whole life,” said Muasau, who had a career-high 11 tackles in Atlanta. “Felt like I didn’t miss a beat once Micah went down. Ty [Summers] stepped up and he did a great job filing in for him. But yeah, just next-man-up mentality.”
To know why the sixth-round pick feels natural in that role, it starts at home. Muasau is the second-oldest of six children, so he often looked out for his younger siblings growing up in Hawaii.
His father, Matthew, also instilled discipline as a 20-year military veteran. Chores had to be done, beds had to be made and homework assignments couldn’t be late.
It created a standard that carried over into football where he found ways to be accountable as well as lead his teammates.
“Things like that added up to help make me into the man I am today, and the player I am today,” Muasau said. “Just going back to having that green dot is just helping me take on those responsibilities.”
Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said he allowed several players to be the green dot in training camp and practices just to be ready. He wasn’t surprised Muasau handled the role last week because he’s seen him improve when he’s had to play a bigger role with Okereke sidelined.
Muasau also has made an impression by not making the same mistake twice. It’s something his father would be proud of, and it showed Bowen what kind of player he could — a rookie who adjusts well when he’s thrown into first team reps in practice or during games.
“I think [it’s] a pretty good indicator, as a coach, when you have young guys that are able to learn from their mistakes,” Bowen said. “Where we can progress and move on, and they can move forward. Let's learn something else now and focus on something else.
“I’ve been really pleased with him, and I think he's taken advantage of his opportunity, and hopefully that continues.”
Muasau’s promise took time to show up after that Week 1 debut against Minnesota. He was inactive the next week and then had just four tackles over the next seven games — all four coming on Oct. 20 against the Eagles.
But it gave Muasau time to study the veterans ahead of him. He watched how Dexter Lawrence, McFadden, Okereke and Brian Burns prepared, and it helped him stay ready for when he got more snaps.
With the season almost over, he's ready to make one last impression as a rookie. For Muasau, it’s not about doing anything differently. It’s just about staying ready and doing what you're asked to do. Those are the lessons learned from his father. And Muasau expects to keep that going with the Giants on Sunday in a bigger role.
“I feel like that’s how everyone in the room is prepared, to where we’ll all be in command of our information,” Muasau said. “We have a standard to where we hold each other accountable for our actions on the field and just being able to go out there and just perform at our best level.”
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
