Sun Dec, 1:00 pm (CBS) - Titans at Giants
Giants - what gives?
The Giants lost to a 2-8 expansion team that was chugging along on a three game losing streak. Just recently, the Texans had been beaten badly by Cincinnati
38-3. Afterwards, their head coach Don Capers said. "I felt we were clearly beaten in all three phases of the game." The Texans went on to lose two more before facing the Giants last
Sunday.
Now after beating the Giants, the Texans are 3-8 and listen to this. "For us, it's a five-game season," quarterback Dave Carr said. "That's how we are taking it. We are not a team that
is going to the playoffs, but (Sunday) we sure played like one. If we come out and play with heart and effort, hopefully we can get more wins."
This, from a quarterback who was sacked 5 times in the game, and was held to completing just 10 of his 23 passes for 103 yards.
Somehow it doesn't matter, because that's how the Giants make other teams feel - like winners.
The Giants play.
The Giants play down to their level of competition. You're not supposed to lose to 2-8 teams if you're looking to make the playoffs, and the Giants just
blew it. Meanwhile, the Eagles were able to win without Donovan McNabb playing. Second string quarterback Koy Detmer was
injured (dislocated left elbow) in that game, and is expected to be out for two-to-five weeks. So this week the Eagles
will be starting their third string quarterback, A.J. Feeley. Feeley was a fifth-round pick last season, who started just eight games in his college career at Oregon.
If the Giants can't gain ground on the Eagles now, maybe they'll be nice enough to spot us Duce Staley as well. We're not hoping for an injury, just thinking that maybe the Eagles will sit
the Duce out a few games, to rest him up for the playoffs where they seem to be certainly headed.
Seriously folks, the Giants play down to their level of competition, but they also have been known to play up to it, and that's what we're hoping for this
week.
The Titans.
The Titans lost their game last week too, but instead of doing it to an expansion team as the Giants did, they instead fell to the Baltimore Ravens. Still, both teams sit with a 6-5 record
and have hopes of moving on to the playoffs. If you thought the Giants beat themselves last week with penalties and a missed field goal, well, the Titans in their game, had
four turnovers and a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown. The Giants and Titans are both in second place in their division standings, and with
only five games left, the loser of this game might find some vacation brochures arriving, at the wife's request, to the front door.
Giants rushing offense.
Ron Dayne didn't get many chances in Fassel's gameplan last week, carrying the ball just 5 times for 21 yards. Maybe that
was because of the way Tiki Barber was playing, and what can you say about the numbers he put up? Tiki rushed for a career-high 146 yards on 19 carries. One of those carries went for 70 yards,
and it was the Giants longest play from scrimmage this season. Tiki Barber's record rushing day put him into the NFC lead with 1,335 yards from scrimmage, and he now has 882 rushing yards
and 453 receiving yards. It would seem that the way things were going, and the way things turned out, that the Giants would and should have kept the ball on the ground, near the end of the
game. Anyway, the Titans will be looking out for Tiki Barber.
Giants passing offense.
The Texans defense was very disruptive to the offensive line and as a result, there was no rhythm to the Giants passing game. Kerry Collins, in a
hurry all day, completed only 18 of his 41 passes. Amani Toomer hung tough enough to catch eight of Kerry's passes for 113 yards. Jeremy Shockey (4 receptions for 60 yards) wasn't as big a
factor in this game as he was the week before when he had 11 catches for 111 yards against Washington. The Giants need to contain the pass rush, and it looks like a much needed Chris Bober
will be returning for this game.
Giants run defense.
The Giants have missed veteran tackle Keith Hamilton since he tore his right Achilles' tendon in the Falcons game. Last week, backup defensive tackles Lance
Legree and Dwight Johnson were credited with zero tackles against the Texans. Even if , starter Cornelius Griffin makes it back for this game, suffering from a right ankle sprain, he will
not be at 100 percent. This is a bad week to go up against Titans running back Eddie George.
Eddie George.
This running back has gained more yards (5,660) during the past four years than any other. George has never missed a game
in his NFL career, and he will start in his 108th consecutive game against the Giants, a streak behind only Walter Payton (170) and Ricky Watters (114) . George
has 224 carries for 758 yards this season. Right now, the Giants are giving up 121.5 yards a game on the ground.
It was strange that coach Jeff Fisher replaced George for most of the Titans' last three possessions against the Ravens. George did have some dropped passes,
but had carried 16 times for 61 yards, and he said that he was on target for a 100-yard performance before being replaced by backup Robert Holcombe at the end of the third quarter. George
had only two more carries the rest of the game, and fell four yards short in his attempt to pass Hall of Famer Earl Campbell as the franchise's all-time rushing leader. Fisher guaranteed that
George would break that record this week against the Giants.
Giants coaching.
Jim Fassel had been successful with the offense since he took over the play-calling for Sean Payton. We know the front line 's been shuffled quite a bit of late, but it looked like no adjustments
were made during the game to help ward off the Texan defense which kept coming at them with the 3-4 blitzes. The Giants were thinking of themselves as a playoff bound team, but if they can't
adjust against an expansion team, how far are they going to go if they're lucky enough to make it?
I don't buy the story that the head coach 'warned the players not to take the Texans lightly'. The way I see it, it's the coach's job to motivate these guys before, during, and after a game,
or maybe we should just 'warn the players that the Titans will be tough this week", and feel absolved of all blame.
The players - Mike Barrow.
Linebacker Mike Barrow said it best. "It's frustrating. Three of the five games we've lost are to teams we should have beat. If we want to be a playoff team, we can't do that.''
Barrow noted the Giants lost to Atlanta when the Falcons didn't have Michael Vick. They lost to the Cardinals when Arizona receiver David Boston was not 100 percent and then they lost to the
expansion team Texans.
Let's hope we don't have to hear any more from Mike at the end of this game, because Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair, banged up with a rib injury, turf toe, and a sore right shin, might
not play for long or may even sit this one out.
The players - Kenny Holmes.
Giants DE Kenny Holmes played for the Tennessee Titans, and had 21-1/2 sacks in 58 games in a four-year span. The Titans did not pursue him when he signed
a five-year, $20 million with the Giants two years ago, and this will be the first time Holmes faces his former team.
"It's just another game," Holmes said. "I don't hold no grudges or anything. This is a business and that's how you have to approach it." That's what he says, but Holmes is coming off a three-sack
game against Houston, which is by far the best he's done in his 26 games with the Giants. Maybe his actions will speak louder than words.
Notes.
If quarterback Steve McNair can't play for the Titans because of injuries, Neil O'Donnell would step in for him.
DE Michael Strahan would tie an NFL record Sunday with at least a half-sack in his 10th consecutive game. He is a somewhat underwhelmed at the prospect.
"That's one of those records I think people keep because they have too much time on their hands," Strahan said.
Next Game
Dec 8, Giants at Washington 1:00 PM.
Last Week's review, game 11 - Texans 16 - Giants 14
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