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
Fred Robbins doesn't look all that big until you stand next to him, and then the impression you get is that of standing next to a redwood and you just know that nobody could wrap their arms around him and have the fingers touch.

He is "only" 6-4 and 325 pounds, and believe it or not there are players in the NFL who are taller and others (sometimes the same ones) who weigh more than he does. Still, he is an imposing sight, more imposing when you realize that he can move with the quickness of a cat and strike before the second blink of your eyes.

So you talk to Fred with a sort of fascination, because men this big and this athletic are to be marveled at, to be (and granted, it isn't polite) to be stared at. After all, walking through the supermarket or working out in the local gym or getting waited on by the guy in the drug store, you never do see such out-of-reality size.

But he's friendly enough (thank goodness) and he smiles a lot, too. Fred Robbins, who plays right defensive tackle for the Giants, who is a graduate of Wake Forest, who was signed as an Unrestricted Free Agent March 8 (almost as soon as the UFA market opened), is "going home. Well, sort of.

He was a second round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2000, and he played for them his first four years in the NFL. He was a starter the last three years. Then he left to go to the Giants.

"I still have a lot of friends back there," he said. "I was especially friendly with [quarterback] Daunte Culpepper, and I'm kind of looking forward to playing against him now.

You know, I practiced for four years against a lot of the same offensive linemen who are there now, and every day Daunte wore that red jersey [that means don't touch the quarterback]. It's going to be a little different now." And what does Robbins plan to say to Culpepper, the hottest quarterback in the league these days, when he sacks him? "Oh, if I do," he smiles, "I'll probably say, 'Hey, Daunte, this was a long time coming.' Or maybe I'll say, "Hey, Daunte, I'll be back for more pretty soon.' I just think it's going to be fun."

Well, one man's fun is another man's nightmare, but if this is Robbins' kind of fun, by all means let him indulge. He couldn't do anything last Sunday when the Giants were throttled by the Detroit Lions because he has a sprained shoulder bad enough to keep him on the sideline. "I'm feeling good now," he said yesterday, standing in front of two or three lockers at once, "and to tell the truth, I think not playing helped. I got more rest and more treatment and more time for it to heal."

He's healed and he's ready, and faster than you can say William Joseph Can't Play, the Giants will put Fred back in the starting lineup. "I think Culpepper is a major challenge to a defense," he was saying. "He makes people miss because he's so big and strong [he is 6-4 and listed at 264 by the Vikings; in some cases, bigger than two quarterbacks], and he is a tremendous talent."

Is Robbins excited about returning to action against his old team, much as linebacker Barrett Green might have wanted to do last week against Detroit before he fell into disfavor with head coach Tom Coughlin and was relegated to special teams duty? "Oh, yeah, it is an exciting time," he said. "It will be a little strange, too, playing against them. You know, I practiced for four years with a lot of the same guys and I never got the chance to hit Daunte yet. You have got to put pressure on him. Hey, he can be sacked [a fat 18 times this season already] and that's how you stop them."

Does Robbins feel his knowledge of many of the Vikings' offensive linemen will be an advantage Sunday? "I guess," he said, almost reluctantly. "I know their little habits, what they do really well, what they don't." Robbins knows four of the five starters along the line well -- tackle Bryant McKinnie, guards David Dixon and Chris Liwienski and center Matt Birk (and if you're looking for size, McKinnie is 6-8 and "at least" 335 pounds. In addition, he was a teammate of Giants' tight end Jeremy Shockey at Hurricane University and both were first round picks in 2002.

"I think I have a little edge with the offensive line guys," Robbins said, "but then again, they practiced against me for those same four years, so maybe they feel they have the advantage, you know?"

Maybe so, but there is no doubt they are all bitterly disappointed that they won't see a lot of William Joseph, another Hurricaner.

EXTRA POINTS -- On the back wall of cornerback Frank Walker's locker is a faded photograph of a man in a football uniform named Wayne Carson Campbell. ... Why? ... "He was a coach on my college team [at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama]," Walker said, "and he was like my second father. He taught me not only football, he taught me about life and about being a man. He died way, way too soon. He was in his 40s, and I will always miss that man."

Wide receiver Amani Toomer pulled a hamstring in practice and is listed as questionable for Sunday. ... In case you haven't heard, Coughlin as semi-forgiven Barrett Green for whatever indiscretion he committed and sort of gave him back his job. .. "Green will start at weakside linebacker in our base defense," he intoned, "and Nick Greisen [who replaced the benched Green last Sunday] will be the starter there when we are in our nickel formation."

Someone asked Coughlin if, all things considered, Culpepper is the most dangerous quarterback the Giants will face all season. ... "He is this week," he said. ... Defensive end Michael Strahan, kind of a nervous wreck because his wife, Jean, is a few days late giving birth to twin girls, was asked how the loss last Sunday affected him. ... "We need our attitude to be one of 'refuse to lose' and that should take care of us," he said.

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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