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
The Giants' defense, which didn't play very well (if at all) last Sunday night in San Diego, may have a lot more to worry about now as the team prepares for a home game this Sunday against the St. Louis Rams.

It is likely that right cornerback Will Peterson, who was listed as doubtful for the game (lower back injury) will be scratched for Sunday and could be lost for the season, pending another MRI and the medical report derived from that.

In addition, veteran linebacker Carlos Emmons, who was scheduled to be moved back to his natural strongside position Sunday, might instead rest a sore knee/ There is some concern over that, too.

The assumption is that Curtis Deloatch will play the right corner position for Peterson, who missed considerable time two seasons ago (yeah, another back injury; or perhaps the same one again) but rebounded last year to play in all 16 games and be the starter in 15 of them.

"It doesn't look good for Sunday," Peterson said, "and it doesn't look good for the season."

The exact nature of the injury appears to be a stress fracture of the transverse process, which was fractured two years ago. "Will had a stress fracture two years ago in his back," said team physician Dr. Russell Warren. "At that time we held him out for the remainder of the season [the final 11 games] and it has not been an issue for him since then. The bone scan that was administered this week shows signs that he is developing a stress fracture on the other side of the same bone, the 'pars intra-articularis,' [but] last week was the first time he complained about his current back pain. He played all of last season and through this preseason with no complaints."

Peterson, a third-round draft pick in 2001, played last week but only after consulting with the medical staff. "I wanted to play and if it wasn't anything that was going to hurt me down the road, I said let's play," he explained. "But I was sore the whole game."

The game, of course, becomes secondary to a player's health and welfare, especially if it is a spinal condition, and Peterson is going to be diagnosed, through probably not until after the weekend, by the team's on-retainer spinal consultant, Dr. Frank Cammisa.

"There are still more decisions to be made and I have to talk to different doctors," Peterson said.

By missing the game against the Rams, Peterson leaves the Giants at a disadvantage in the secondary since "The Greatest Show on Earth," which isn't that great these days, still has a prolific passing quarterback in Marc Bulger and he can choose between wide receivers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce, the starters, and quality backups in Shaun McDonald and Kevin Curtis.

This doesn't include the two superior running backs, Marshall Faulk and Steven Jackson, who might be able to take advantage of the vacancy created if Emmons misses the game as well.

Should Emmons not be available, the benching of Reggie Torbor, which was decided Wednesday, might not take place. He will play strongside again, with his "replacement," Nick Greisen, starting at the weakside position and Antonio Pierce, for the time being, a fixture in the middle. Head coach Tom Coughlin was philosophical at the loss of Peterson. "Any time you lose a starting corner, it's going to be a factor," he said. "Hopefully, some of these other kids will be ready to go. [Rookie Corey] Webster practiced the last two days and feels good and I expect him to be ready to go."

Webster was being held as the replacement for left corner Will Allen, who simply hasn't played well. But now Allen will have to play and both Webster and Deloatch should find ample playing time - - one as the starter for Peterson, the other as a nickel back.

Peterson wasn't optimistic. "I know that two years ago what the situation was and this seems like it's worse than that," he said. "It has not been decided yet that that's what it is, a season-ending injury. But just putting two and two together, I'm feeling like, I don't know, it's up in the air."

Actually, it isn't. You may consider Peterson gone.

EXTRA POINTS - -According to several scouts, the Giants' rookie running back Brandon Jacobs has a flaw. ... "He runs too high," says the consensus opinion. ... "When he's young and very powerful he might be able to get away with it, but in a few years it will become a problem." ... Oh, please, is it that much of a problem that running backs coach Jerald Ingram can't fix it? ... If that's the case, perhaps someone else can.

The Giants have given up 1,225 total net yards of offense in three games, or a whopping 408.3 per game. ... They have averaged only 318.7 yards per game, a full 90 yards fewer. ... So what does 90 yards mean? ... Nine first downs, for one thing, which could translate into a lot more yardage for the running backs and the passing game. ... Speaking of the passing game, young Eli Manning is beginning to show flashes of future brilliance, but his real impact is in the huddle.

"For him to perform so well in such a tough situation [Sunday night in San Diego], such a hostile environment," says right tackle Kareem McKenzie, "he has proven to be the consummate professional. His 'pocket presence' is better than it had been."

McKenzie, the 335-pound gentle giant, smiled when told how a rookie named Phil Simms won over the team. ... It was in his first start, the sixth game of the 1979 season. ... He had (finally) replaced Joe Pisarcik. ... At one point in the first half, a veteran tackle named Gordon Gravelle missed a block and Simms got sacked. ... They came back, lined up in the huddle and the 22-year-old barked: "Gravelle, if that's the best you can block then get the hell out of my huddle." ... Yeah, he said "my huddle," and the others believed him.

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

NEW - Send a request to davesklein@aol.com for a free week's worth of news!

Stop in and visit "Mike's Keys to the Internet"
Links to every newspaper and magazine that's available on the net. 

Website by Mike