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 five sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls.
Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.

By DAVE KLEIN
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - All right, the last time we saw these two teams was three weeks ago.

It is probably understandable that the New York Jets were in a bit of a bad mood.They had to get up at 4:00 a.m., be on buses at 4:30 a.m., take the trip from Hempstead, L.I., to Albany, N.Y., and be prepared for a two-team "practice session" arranged last winter by the head coaches.

No sleep, lousy food, you know, all the ingredients for a monstrous headache.

So when they got onto the field(s), it was almost expected that there might be some anger and frustration. The Jets' defense was on the lower field against the Giants' offense; the Jets' offense was on the upper field at UAlbany against the Giants' defense. In the afternoon, it was reversed.

But all the action took place on the lower field in the morning, when on the first play of an offense-vs.-defense drill, Giants' tight end Jeremy Shockey took umbrage at some of the Jets, who drove into him from behind. He threw a couple of punches, more Jets piled on, and at one point when it was nine-to-one against Shockey, the odds seemed about right.

The Giants finally ran over (check their 40-yard times, coach) and order reigned. The rest of the practice session was spent with players chirping at each other, trash talking each other, and Giants' rookie running back Brandon Jacobs running through and over the Jets' defenders.

It included Giants' head coach Tom Coughlin and Jets' defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson engaging in a spirited discussion in the middle of the field, undoubtedly hotly disagreeing whether William Shakespeare wrote all that stuff or was it really Sir Francis Bacon (considering Henderson's girth, he probably was holding out for bacon).

Now it has come full circle and the two teams will play tonight at Giants Stadium in the third exhibition game for both and a game quietly being billed as more than just two teams from across the same river meeting on a sultry summer night.There could be some continuation of the Street Fight I in Albany, and this, then, has a chance of becoming Street Fight II.

The Jets are a good team and much is expected. The Giants might be a good team, and while not much is expected there are hopes and speculations. But the key ingredient in the Giants' plans, young quarterback Eli Manning, is not going to be available. He suffered a bruised elbow last Saturday night when Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers tried to tear his arm off to create a fumble. He got the fumble, but only the elbow (and a 29-yard touchdown, to boot).

So it's going to be Tim Hasselbeck, who appears to have beaten out Jesse Palmer for the second position behind Manning. This is not a major accomplishment for Hasselbeck, since Palmer offered little or no resistance. Rather, it is more like choosing a fresh cup of coffee because the other mug has lipstick on it.

"I think the speed picks up a little," said Hasselbeck, "when you're playing with the starters because that means you are also playing against starters. I mean, you have good players regardless of when you're playing, but for the most part, it's pretty much the same [in the third preseason game]."

He says his job is to put the ball into the hands of Shockey, wide receivers Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress, running backs Jacobs and Tiki Barber and in general comport himself like a professional with a job to do.

His other job is to keep the seat warm for Eli, and that is the most important assignment of all.

"He understands that his job is to get the ball to people who can do something with it," says Coughlin. "I think with that, the line understands that they have to protect him, people understand that they have to do something with the ball when they get it and that he has to get it to people who are open and let them play."

Got that? Sounds like Offense-101, doesn't it?

There is one short passage in the team's most current press release, and given another thought perhaps it should have been stricken. It reads: "The Giants hope and expect [that] Manning will be healthy enough to play in the regular season opener on Sept. 11 against Arizona. If he can't, Hasselbeck would likely get the call, if he proves tomorrow he is deserving."

Did that say "if he can't"? Why are the elves focusing on Sept. 11 and Eli's availability if this is only Aug. 26 and there are still more than two weeks to go? Is there something about the "bruised elbow" that hasn't been released?

Oh, well. Time will tell. By the way, Palmer will get some action after Hasselbeck finishes early in the third quarter, and Coughlin is hopeful of getting a few snaps for the other quarterback, Jared Lorenzen.

Those not expected to play include Manning, cornerbacks William Peterson (knee) and Lamont Brightful (shoulder), safety Jack Brewer (knee), linebackers Barrett Green (knee) and T.J. Hollowell (shoulder), defensive end rookie Eric Moore (knee), wide receiver Mark Jones (foot), offensive tackle Lewis Kelly (eye), and rookie fullback Luke Lawton (nose).

Defensive end Michael Strahan (sore rib cartilage) will be a game-time decision.

Remember, the game doesn't count. What does matter is what Coughlin sees from his players, what Hasselbeck does, how much longer he keeps the smoldering Jacobs under wraps and, well, all the other stuff that will determine who stays and who goes.

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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