E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants' beat writer
for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995.
He is the author of 26 books and he is one of
only four sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls.
Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.

"WE HAVE BEEN IN PLAYOFF MODE; IT HAS TOUGHENED US FOR THESE GAMES"

By Dave Klein
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Defensive end Justin Tuck, you'll remember, referred to the Atlanta Falcon's offensive linemen as "dirt bags" the other day.

Wednesday head coach Tom Coughlin was asked if he heard and did he think it was going to be damaging or beneficial to the Giants on Sunday, when they attempt to get past the Falcons and into the next round of the post-season playoffs.

"I have no idea what that's all about," he said, trying hard to restrain a small smile from visiting his mouth. "I'm not even going to comment on that one. I'm not going there."

A few suggestions assert themselves. 1) Tuck is smart enough to know the officials are now aware of his charges and that the O-linemen will be watched; 2) He feels good enough about his plethora of minor injuries to speak up; 3) He's looking for attention from the Falcons which will, if not totally, free up the banshee rush of such as Osi Umenyiora and Jason-Pierre Paul.

Falcons' head coach Mike Smith is more than aware of the Giants' pass rush. "That kid, Pierre-Paul, can line up at right end, left end, nose tackle and defensive tackle ... all from a standing position. These are things you are not accustomed to seeing very often, so you have to make sure your guys work hard and study hard and can recognize the differences and not have a free rusher coming down on our quarterback."

The sudden devastating pass rush appears to have come from a few areas - Tuck is healthy, Osi is healthy, JPP is getting more and more confident and there are reports that coordinator Perry Fewell "simplified" the defense.

Coughlin doesn't think that last applies. "We have more people involved," he said, referring to the return of the walking wounded. "I don't know that this has anything to do with simplicity. They're trying to prove that their confidence level is rising and their 'situational defense' is much better."

He added, almost against his will, another observation. "There are enough pressure points and enough different personnel combinations to win with," he said. "When you know exactly what you're doing and you can play instinctively and hard and fast, it's simple. There is enough there to win with."

And for those looking for inspirational interpretations of the Giants' sudden reawakening, someone asked if Coughlin felt the team has been in "playoff mode" the last few weeks.

He agreed, quickly. "Yes, it makes the team battle-tested," he agreed. "It certainly does. We've had our backs to the wall and had to perform or we wouldn't be here. I think that's a good thing. We are now battle-tested in a number of ways."

The Falcons try to operate their offense on the ground, and running back Michael Turner is coming off a sensational season in which he gained 1,340 yards to lead the league, averaging 4.5 yards per carry and scoring 11 touchdowns. They'd love to run him early and often, dictating the rhythm of the game and controlling the clock.

There are two approaches to denying this. First, the Giants will probably try to shoot out ahead with the long passes to Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks or Mario Manningham (and try not to forget the under-the-radar Ramses Barden), along with tight end Jake Ballard, who figures to return from his knee injury. If they build a 14-0 lead, let's say, the Falcons will have to pass to stay in the game.

And as good as Matt Ryan has been (he approached Eli Manning levels) there is that Giants' pass rush against the Dirt Bag line, you know? You always try to do that which you do best, especially if it fits in with what the opponent doesn't especially want to do. There is no way coach Smith wants to get into a shoot-out with the Giants, even if his two star receivers - Roddy Smith and rookie Julio Jones - have put together similar Cruz-Nicks seasons.

"The Falcons have outstanding corners," Coughlin said, making reference to Dunta Robinson and Thomas DeCoud, "and [safety William] Moore is a very physical guy who will come down and hit you [on pass rush and run-force]." Moore, incidentally, is 6-0 and 221.

The fact that Manning had one of those "magical" seasons must be factored into the Falcons' game plan, and the slightest slip in coverage should free Cruz, Nicks or Manningham. That early lead would be critical to keep the ball in the air when the Falcons are on offense, and if that is achieved then the pass rushing derby can begin.

Is it too early for a prediction? Yeah, probably, but in cases like this you take the home team, even more so if the weather turns lousy and the other guys are used to playing under a dome.

EXTRA POINTS - The Giants remained 3-point favorites Wednesday and, as an aside, if they win they'd have the same record as the Falcons, 10-7. ... Someone asked Coughlin if he had ever heard that Wayne Weaver, the owner who fired him as Jacksonville head coach, said that act "was my biggest regret." ... "Yes, I've heard that," Coughlin said, "but I'm not going to comment on that. We're playing Atlanta this week."

There are 12 teams in the playoffs and four of them are coached by former Giants' assistants - Bill Belichick (New England), John Fox (Denver), Sean Payton (New Orleans) and Coughlin himself (receivers coach from 1988 through 1990). ... Both he and Atlanta's Smith earned Super Bowl rings as assistants, Coughlin in 1990 and Smith with Baltimore in 2000 (against the Giants).

Falcons' receiver Roddy White led the NFL in third-down receiving, catching 35 passes for 438 yards in that situation. ... Cruz was fourth, with 27 receptions for more yards (698) and more touchdowns (five to two). ... Manning finished second behind Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers in fourth quarter passing, completing 120 of 182 for 1,715 yards and 15 touchdowns for a 110 QB rating. ... His 15 final-quarter touchdown passes set an NFL record, one more than John Unitas and his older brother, Peyton.

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw and linebacker Mark Herzlich did not practice; while Ballard, running back Da'Rel Scott and defensive end Osi Umenyiora were limited in practice. ... No one is listed as definitely out and there is strong reason to expect that all players will be available. ... Ryan attended Boston College and was teammates with Giants' Mathias Kiwanuka, Chris Snee, Will Blackmon and Mark Herzlich.

If the Giants win and Detroit upsets New Orleans on Saturday, the Giants would then go to San Francisco and not Green Bay the following week while the Lions would head to Packer-land. ... And if two more upsets should occur, the NFC Championship game between the Lions and Giants would be played Jan. 22 in gold old MetLife Stadium, the gigantic air conditioning unit on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Check out Dave's website at E-GIANTS where you can subscribe to his newsletters which run much more frequently than what is available here.
- Team Giants

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