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.

By DAVE KLEIN
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- So just when it couldn't get any worse, of course, it just did.

Faced with the loss of such as both Pro Bowl defensive ends, Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora; the season-ending injury to strongside linebacker LaVar Arrington; the game-to-game status of such as reserve defensive end Justin Tuck, cornerback Sam Madison and weakside linebacker Brandon Short and the bumps and bruises suffered by a handful of other players (mostly starters), the Giants were hit with a catastrophic piece of news yesterday.

Veteran wide receiver Amani Toomer is out for the season, following disclosure of a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. An MRI was done Tuesday night and, after consultation with Dr. Russell Warren of the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, it was decided that Toomer would undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season.

Indications are that he injured his knee in last Sunday's game against Houston, and he was seen hobbling off the field. But he returned and finished the game. "I didn't think anything of it," he said. "It was very disappointing when I got the [results after the] MRI. This happened to me before [he was a rookie 11 years ago] so I kind of knew what it felt like when it happened."

There was some thought given to rehabbing the knee without surgery and then testing it in a game, but then the risk would have been potentially greater. That was how Toomer viewed the situation, too. "It's unstable at this point," he said of the knee. "I just want to fix it. I don't want to go into the specifics of what happened but I feel like the best thing to do is get it fixed. Going out there and not being able to perform is worse than getting it fixed now and taking the time for it to heal. I'm disappointed that I'm not going to be able to play now."

Toomer's loss complicates the offensive preparation for the all-important Sunday night game against the Chicago Bears, and you thought it was only the defense that was going to be imperiled by injury.

The other starting wide receiver, Plaxico Burress, missed last week's game with a sprained back. He insisted yesterday that he'll be ready to go Sunday night, but shortly before practice his back "tightened up" so he stayed inside and underwent treatment from the trainers.

Let's just assume, for the sake of argument, that both Toomer and Burress are unavailable for the game. That would elevate Tim Carter to one starting position and, well, Michael Jennings or David Tyree to the other. Between them, Toomer and Burress have caught 63 passes for 870 yards and eight touchdowns. On the other hand, Jennings and Tyree have caught 10 passes for 111 yards and one touchdown.

There is also the slight possibility that the second round draft pick, wide receiver Sinorice Moss, might make an appearance. Thus far, having nursed a quadriceps sprain since training camp, the phantom has caught one pass for four yards -- but he did practice yesterday and, well, who knows?

But Burress is going to play, and he fully anticipates the pressure. "It is definitely going to be a big game with a playoff atmosphere," he said. "The Chicago defensive backfield guys make plays, but to tell the truth I haven't seen anything special. On film, I have seen them get beat -- and they do have a rookie safety." That would be Danieal Manning, a second-round draft pick from Abilene Christian.

But Plaxico was quick to assure his listeners that he wasn't predicting an easy time. "Let's just wait and see how their defensive backs match up against us," he smiled.

He was particularly anxious to see the offense repeat its game plan of a week ago, when tight end Jeremy Shockey turned out to be the go-to receiver in Burress' stead. "I love it when Shockey gets the ball," he smiled. "You get it to him early, it keeps him in the game, keeps him happy and gets him excited. Defenses have to honor him when he runs routes and when he gets the ball, and that makes it easier for us [the wide receivers]."

But there is no sugar-coating the surprising loss of Toomer. He leads the team in all-time career receptions with 561, but running back Tiki Barber has 560 and now will have the rest of the season to take and pad his lead. He has caught passes totaling 8,157 yards -- or 2,723 more than the runner-up, Hall of Famer Frank Gifford. He has had 100-yard receiving games 22 times, a team record, and his 47 touchdown catches give him a share of the runner-up spot with the late Joe Morrison, just one behind the late team leader Kyle Rote.

And there is no doubt in the 32-year-old Toomer's mind that he'll be back next season. "I enjoy playing, I enjoy my teammates and I don't see myself not doing this next year," he said. "Hopefully, [next year] I'll be able to start right up where I left off. That's where my focus is, getting my knee as healthy as possible so I can keep playing and performing."

His disappointment was evident, however, at the loss of the final eight games of this season. "It's really disappointing because I feel I'm on one of the best teams I've been on since I've been with the Giants," he said. "Eli [Manning] is doing well, Plaxico is doing well, Shockey is doing well. It seems like everybody it hitting on all cylinders. For me not to be in the mix -- I'm going to see them out there winning game, but I definitely want to be a part of it."

Head coach Tom Coughlin, busy consulting Tarot cards and mystics, was obviously upset. "We all feel badly for Amani," he said. "He had dedicated himself to having a good year and he was playing well. He has done anything we asked of him. His numbers and big plays speak for themselves, but time and time again he does the things that people on the outside don't notice, the kinds of things that make a difference in the game"

EXTRA POINTS -- Madison and Moss returned to practice but are both still listed as questionable. ... In addition to Burress, linebackers Carlos Emmons and Brandon Short, defensive end Justin Tuck, fullback Jim Finn and Umenyiora did not practice.

The Giants released tight end Charles Davis from the practice squad and replaced him with defensive end Matthew Rice. ... Rice attended Penn State, was originally signed by Buffalo and was in training camp this summer with St. Louis.

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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