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.

COUGHLIN SATISFIED WITH RESULTS
FROM FINAL PRESEASON GAME;
FEELS TACKLE WILL BEATTY COULD BE READY

By Dave Klein
Head coach Tom Coughlin doesn't look at the Giants the way fans do. He wasn't bored by the seemingly endless 6-3 victory over New England Wednesday night, he simply viewed the exercise as a learning and teaching tool.

"We got the defense, especially the younger guys, 60 snaps in the second half," he said. "And the offense had 63. We had to play the regulars some [basically the first quarter and, for some, the first half] because there's a game to play next Wednesday night."

Yeah, the season opener against Dallas.

"We saw a lot of good efforts," he added. "Everybody knew the time for decisions was here and now; last night was their key [and, he might have added, their final chance]."

It was pointed out that of all the areas of the team, perhaps the defensive ends and defensive tackles would be the toughest to sort through and finally separate. Coughlin agreed, but added: "It's a good problem to have, don't you think?"

The names of the ends are Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora, Adewale Ojomo, Matt Broha, Craig Marshall and Adrian Tracy. The tackles are Linval Joseph, Rocky Bernard, Dwayne Hendricks, Marvin Austin, Marcus Thomas, Markus Kuhn and Shaun Rogers.

If you think 14 defensive linemen are too many, you're right. That total of 14 must, in all likelihood, be pared down to eight, maybe nine. So what to do, what to do? Some might fit on the Injured Reserve list, others might be waived in an effort to bring them back to the practice squad and others, to the delight of other teams, will simply be waived because there isn't enough room.

Austin and Rogers are injured, and that presents another dilemma. "We don't know how long the situation will continue," Coughlin said, indicating that it would be nice to have that information.

The running backs area is another collection of players with more than the average amount of talent, and includes two - Andre Brown and Da'Rel Scott - who made the most of their final chance.

"I thought Andre played well," Coughlin said. "He missed some cuts, and once he left the ball on the ground, but he shows speed and power on special teams, too. So does Da'Rel. They both blocked well on the punt teams. Brown is the wing and Scott the fullback and they did fine."

Brown carried 14 times for 55 yards and Scott added nine carries for 32 yards. They are big - Brown is 6-0. 227, Scott 5-11, 210 - and both possess excellent speed. But the starter is Ahmad Bradshaw, and he's backed up by the first-round draft pick, David Wilson, and D.J. Ware (who didn't get a touch Wednesday night, probably because he has already made the team). Also, don't forget to add in fullback Henry Hynoski.

The final cuts (from 75 to 53) are due Friday, and teams have until 9 p.m.to notify the league.

Coughlin also addressed the on-going frustrations surrounding left tackle Will Beatty and his inability to avoid the injury rut that has kept him off the field. "I'm encouraged," he said on his telephone conference call Thursday afternoon. "We'll see about Wednesday [the game] but I'd love to have him back and return our three-tackle situation [David Diehl and Sean Locklear are the others]."

For the moment, Locklear, a veteran signed as a free agent in April, has taken over the left tackle spot. "He has played well," Coughlin noted. "He has accepted his role as a backup to Will and David and he brings experience to the team."

But if Beatty continues to work out, can he really be game-ready for the Cowboys? "If he continues to make progress this week, then yes, I expect he'll be ready for the game," the coach said, although no one could see if his fingers were crossed.

As to the matter of how to act as defending champions, Coughlin said he has talked about that to the players all spring and summer. "At this point," he explained, "our goal is to win the championship. All 32 teams have that same goal. It's a new year and we're excited about that, about the chance we have to play again. In order to do what we did last year, we have to beat the very best - and they are all on our schedule this season."

That was a reference to games with San Francisco, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Carolina, New Orleans and Atlanta, not to mention two tests against both Dallas and Philadelphia.

EXTRA POINTS - Safety Tyler Sash begins his four-week suspension and isn't allowed in the building. ... The Giants will be able to monitor his physical condition through the medical staff but he can't practice with the team, attend any meetings nor use the facilities including the weight room. ... He drew the suspension for an inadvertent use of the drug Adderall, for anxiety, but did so without notifying the proper team and NFL authorities. ... He had a meeting with Commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday but the suspension, even with the extenuating circumstances, was upheld.

Ojomo, who was undrafted after his college career at Miami, said he chose the free agent offer from the Giants over several others "because this is the best defensive line in the league and I wanted to be a part of it." ... He seems to be one of the ends who will be kept.

The trash-talking continues between the Cowboys and the Giants. ... Dallas owner Jerr-ah Jones has "guaranteed" that the Cowboys will "kick the Giants' asses" Wednesday night, to which Tuck responded: "It would be about time; we've been doing that to them for a long time. I can understand the frustration when they look at our Vince Lombardi trophies and our rings."

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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