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SUMMER GAMES ARE OVER, FINALLY, AND EVEN COACH COUGHLIN WAS GIGGLING There was one magical moment during the telephone press conference with Giants' head coach Tom Coughlin. He was asked if any of the younger players helped themselves - even saved their jobs - with their performances Thursday night in New England, and he agreed that there were "maybe three or four" who did that. The follow-up question: "Do you ever wonder, when they play so well so suddenly, what the hell they were thinking all during training camp?" And he actually chuckled. "That’s a good question," he said. But he stopped short of naming that handful of younger players, although the obvious conclusion is that wide receiver Sinorice Moss (two touchdown catches) was one of them, and that rookie Will Beatty, who started at left tackle replacing the mildly injured David Diehl, was another. That led to another question: "Do you think Beatty played well because he suddenly realized he was on the ‘ones’ and entrusted to protect Eli Manning?" "Interesting," Coughlin said. “I think that might have a little to do with it. Overall, he had a very solid performance, and I think just knowing he was going to start and get a lot of snaps was most of the reason." Overall, Coughlin was pleased with the game, although it was a defeat (38-27). "Of course, you never like to lose," he said. "The players know that the first goal is to win every game, but they also knew we had to look at a lot of guys before the final cuts [Saturday by 4 p.m. ET). But some very good things were accomplished," he added. "The first team offense ran 12 plays and got 21 points. The first team defense got three three-and-outs with a plus gain of three yards." He paused, before his glee ran away with him. Get a grip, coach. "Well, we were really disappointed with a few things, too, like the punt that was allowed to bounce [behind the return guy] that put us on our four-yard line ... like the interception that got returned for a touchdown that gave them their first points [thrown by Andre Woodson, returned by safety Brandon McGowan] for 28 yards and an "unearned" touchdown. "And New England’s second touchdown, one of our safeties was entirely out of position [no, not a starter]. We gave them points and took points away from ourselves and that’s not a healthy thing to do." He also pointed to a third-and-one situation on the Patriots' 48-yard line "that we didn’t convert, and you should always convert those. Always." But the general feeling, according to the coach, was that the first team offense came away with a large dose of confidence, and that the defense was aware of how well it played, however briefly. Coughlin also had some bad news. Defensive tackle Jay Alford, who tore knee ligaments two weeks ago in Chicago, will undergo surgery and as a result will be placed on the Injured Reserve list, taking him away for the full season. "It's a blow to the kid and it's a blow to our team," he said. "Jay was playing very well and working very hard, from the off-season conditioning program to the OTAs and minicamps and in training camp as well. He was down about it, but now he knows that the challenge is to rehab him and be ready for next season." He might compare notes with defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who missed all of last season with a torn knee suffered in the third exhibition game - and when are they going to eliminate these meat-grinders? EXTRA POINTS - Coughlin said he hasn’t told any of the players that they have been released. ... "That’s tomorrow," he said. ... Rookie quarterback Rhett Bomar "had a gutsy performance," the coach said. "He did some nice things and there were times when he pulled the ball down and ran with it." If Coughlin keeps three quarterbacks, it would appear Bomar will have unseated Woodson, who did not play particularly well Thursday night - or at most times during the summer. ... Reserve guard and center Adam Koets left with a sprained ankle but it is not expected to become a serious issue. ... "He’s important for our depth and our practices next week," he added. Asked about the three key players who have missed significant time - defensive tackle Chris Canty, cornerback Aaron Ross and strong safety Kenny Phillips - Coughlin said he expects to see Canty and Phillips on the practice field this week but has "no idea" when Ross (hamstring) might recover enough to practice and play. ... Others who helped themselves appeared to be safety Travonti Johnson, Moss (of course), Beatty, defensive tackle Leger Douzable (who might profit from the loss of Alford) and running back Allen Patrick. "We had hoped to see those bursts of speed Patrick has," said Coughlin, "and we saw some of it last night." ... But whether it was enough, considering the backs ahead of him (Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw and Danny Ware), remains to be seen. Two potentially serious injuries (rookie first round pick Hakeem Nicks) and cornerback Terrell Thomas (blow to the head from behind) have been downgraded by the players themselves into "nothing at all." ... They both insist they’ll be ready for the Sept. 13 opener. ... Nicks caught another bomb, a 64-yard touchdown from David Carr (his third in the last two games) and is making more and more of a push for Domenik Hixon's starting position. Idle thought: Did Moss play as much as he did in order to spur interest in a trade? The Giants are top-heavy with receivers and he might bring something of value. ... Hey, maybe the Redskins will get him and have brothers on either side (Santana plays for Washington). Check out
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