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.

SIGN OF (VERY) HARD TIMES -
ONLY JPP (STARTER), SNEE, CRUZ
NAMED TO NFC PRO BOWL SQUAD

By Dave Klein
For a team that still remains the defending Super Bowl champions, albeit with virtually no chance of repeating in another month or so, you would think there might be more players selected to the NFC’s version of the Pro Bowl roster.

But the present is the harsh reality, and instead of a truck load of players the Giants landed exactly three – one starter, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul – and two reserves, wide receiver Victor Cruz and guard Chris Snee.

You’ll notice the absence of quarterback Eli Manning, who made the active roster in 2011, as well as any of the other offensive linemen. In addition, you’ll find no linebackers, no corners and no safeties.

"As I have always said," JPP commented, "I'd much rather be with my team and play in the Super Bowl [such athletes are exempt from playing in the Pro Bowl]. But it is an honor to be selected as one of the best at my position, no doubt."

It is the second such nomination for Pierre-Paul, first for Cruz and fourth for Snee. In addition, another five Giants were named to various levels of alternate selections. Kicker Lawrence Tynes was a first alternate; Eli Manning and rookie running back David Wilson are second alternates; center David Baas and safety Stevie Brown are FOURTH alternates. It should be noted that fourth alternates are picked only if the first three reserves at a specific position cannot make it for reason of injury, Super Bowl obligation or malaise.

Cruz leads the team with 82 receptions for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns. Ironically, he had 82 catches and nine touchdown receptions last season as well, but for more yardage -- 1,536. "I am honored to be selected," said Cruz, the King of Salsa. "It's like a dream come true. The Pro Bowl is a great individual achievement, but I know I couldn't have been named without the support of my teammates. Eli (Manning) is one of the great quarterbacks in the game. He has done so much for my career. Right now, I'm really focused on going out Sunday and helping the guys play as well as we can, getting a great team win against the Eagles and somehow getting into the playoffs as an opportunity to further our season."

The Pro Bowl will be played Jan. 27 in Honolulu, a week before Super Bowl 47 in New Orleans. The Giants are gearing up for their last-ditch attempt to earn the sixth and final NFC playoff invitation, based on the complicated and highly unlikely conditions that they beat Philadelphia Sunday while Minnesota, Chicago and Dallas all lose.

"We have a chance," said head coach Tom Coughlin, who must be beating himself up in private at the outlandish waste of opportunity the past two weeks. "Do we deserve a playoff spot? If we get in, then we deserve it." Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride was asked if he could put his finger on anything that might have led to the abysmal performance of his unit the last two weeks, just stared. "If I could put a finger on it, don’t you think I would have solved it by now?" he said. "We aren't making the plays we have to make, plays that were there. Why? A misfired pass? A missed block? Something. I just don't know what."

Asked about his play-calling and whether he can find fault with it, he said: "Again, it's the same challenge. You look at why things failed, and you say, 'Did I call it at the wrong time? Was this the wrong play for that situation? Did they have a coverage or a blitz that I wasn't expecting?' As always, you're never perfect. There are always going to be a couple of those in a game. Did we have some chances? Yeah, we did. Hopefully, we'll capitalize on them this week.

EXTRA POINTS - The Giants placed tight end Travis Beckum, their third round draft pick in 2009, on Injured Reserve Thursday and replaced him with cornerback Terrence Fredericks from the practice squad. With a spot open there, they re-signed former practice squad habitue Brandon Bing, also a cornerback.

As a further indication of how far the defending Super Bowl champs have fallen, one of the most influential gambling parlors in the country took the Giants down from 20-1 last week to 80-1 this week to win the Super Bowl. ... That's cruel.

Not practicing Thursday were cornerback Prince Amukamara, center David Baas and defensive tackle Chris Canty. ... Those engaging in limited practice were running back Ahmad Bradshaw, cornerback Jayron Hosley, wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, safety Kenny Phillips, guard Chris Snee and defensive end Justin Tuck.

The Giants' defense is currently ranked 3-th (out of 32) in total yards allowed and it's the big plays that are haunting coordinator Perry Fewell. ... "They're in position to make the plays and then they just don't,” he said. "They have to get it through their minds that the plays must be made."... Hey, perhaps this is one reason why only JPP made the Pro Bowl defensive squad, ya think?

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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