Now that the Survivor Series is over, are you ready for some football?
Well, you might not get some this Friday night. The Giants will be playing to just survive this next encounter without sustaining injuries to their key players. They are also up against the "tribe" known as the Ravens, and they are more vicious than any Tagi tribe when it comes to winning preseason football games.
Baltimore has won it's 11th straight tribal challenge, I mean exhibition game. While the Giants had trouble and lost to the Jets 27-24 last week, the Ravens shut the Jets out two weeks ago, 10-0, and they beat Carolina last week 24-13.

Playing to play safe.
All these preseason games lead up to just one thing, and that's getting the team ready for opening day and the regular season. The Giants are looking ahead to their opener against Arizona, and the recent injuries suffered by that team in preseason have to weigh on the minds of the Giants as well.
The Cardinals lost Rob Moore and reserve cornerback Coby Rhinehart, in last Friday's 35-17 loss to Minnesota. Both are out for the season.
The Giants lost running back Sean Bennett with a torn medial collateral ligament and other damage to his right knee, suffered in their first preseason game, and Bennett will be out for the season.

Quarterback Kerry Collins wishes there were less games. He has suffered three injuries in the preseason, including a broken jaw in 1997, and a broken nose in 1998. In 1999 he sprained his foot during training camp.
When asked about playing the last preseason game Collins said, "You don't want to get hurt in the preseason. There's no worse feeling in the world. The idea is to get some work and get out of there. If I have to pull it down and run with it, yeah, I'm going to head out of bounds or slide, definitely."
Having said that, Collins also states, "I felt after last week's game I was ready to go. One more game, get another quarter in, a couple more series is going to be good, but as far as my readiness for the first game of the season, I feel like I'm very ready."

Two different teams will be taking the field on Friday night.
While the regulars, the guaranteed starters, will be thinking about getting on the field, doing their thing and getting off, the rookies on the bubble, will be hoping to impress someone with possibly their last performance before the final cuts are made on Sunday. Even then, the Giants are thin at many positions and may be looking hard to see who they can pick up from other teams. Head coach Jim Fassel said. "I'll make that move in a heartbeat, no question about it. Anybody on the street that we think can improve this football team, we'll be after."

The defense takes offense from that Jet's loss.
"It was disgusting to me, and embarrassing," safety Sam Garnes said, "and not just because it was the Jets. I don't care if our offense puts 100 points on the board, we're the New York Giants. We're known for our defense. We have to go out there and play like it. We have to play with pride, whether it's preseason or not."
The Giants on offense have been slowly coming along this preseason, scoring more points each game as they work in their new offensive line. Meanwhile, the defense hasn't been much of a threat to other teams. There is no pass rush up front, and they are thin in their secondary coverage. The way it looks right now, the offense might have to carry this team, and as Sam Garnes says, that's not the way things go around here.

Who's carrying the football?
Tiki Barber has done it the best so far this preseason. Most of the Giants starters will be out by the second quarter, and Ron Dayne will get a lot of playing time as the Giants continue to break him in to the workings of the NFL.
Ron picked up 37 yards on 12 carries against the Jets last week, and for the three games he has 151 yards on 46 carries for about 3.3 yards per play. Joe Montgomery averages in at 2.7, and Tiki Barber has a 7.8 yard average this preseason. Jim Fassel contends that the running back position is the only one unsettled as far as a starter is concerned. Settled or not, the Giants would like it to be Ron, and they plan to use Tiki in other roles. Because of the season ending injury to Sean Bennett, Tiki will have even more assignments other than being the third down back, and sometimes punt returner.
"We can use him as a weapon, a change of pace guy, I'm not afraid to put him in and leave him in there," Fassel said. "But I want to see if Ron Dayne and Montgomery can become a workhorse kind of back."
Tiki says, "Ron is going to be our featured back, there's no question about that, but there still is room for me. Starting is a prestige thing, an ego thing, but not a big deal to me. It could be the second play, the third play, but sooner or later Sean [Payton] will tell me, 'Tiki, get in there.'
Ron Dayne has a lot of talent and a great track record, and many are just waiting for the real season to start to get a real measure of what he can do. "Some things we can work on with him, angles and reads," Jim Fassel said. "All in all, he's making progress. He's coming along. I'm going to work Ron Dayne quite a bit."

Special teams and the kicking game.
Brad Daluiso has not kicked off in a game since undergoing reconstructive left knee surgery last October, and the plan is for him to do so this game. The Giants have already shown a weakness on special teams, and they could sure use the kind of depth that Brad gets on his kickoffs.
Wide receiver Thabiti Davis, who was previously cut by the Panthers and Jaguars, has looked good on special teams this preseason and has impressed the Giants as a receiver.

Last licks.
Kerry Collins will play the first quarter of course, and then there will be a good chance to see Jason Garrett for the second and third quarters, followed by Mike Cherry who will finish the game. Free safety Shaun Williams (bruised toe) won't be back for this game, but is expected to return to practice next week on a full-time basis, and hopefully be available to start on opening day.
The Ravens have some key players back, linebacker Peter Boulware (six month shoulder rehabilitation), defensive tackle Tony Siragusa (four weeks in a contract dispute), and running back Jamal Lewis (dislocated his left elbow almost four weeks ago).

Notes
Giants are 0-2 in the preseason at Giants Stadium against the Ravens.

Giants are 0-3 overall against the Ravens at Giants Stadium.

Giants have a 9 game losing streak in the preseason’s final game.

Giants were 2-2 in preseason last year and finished the regular season at 7-9.

Ravens were 4-0 in preseason last year and finished the regular season at 8-8.

Next Game
Opening Day - Sept 3, Arizona at Giants 1PM FOX

For those very organized fans.
If you use a Palm Pilot and want to keep the Giants schedule, and actually, the whole NFL schedule on it, there is a free download available here at PFL.

Last Week's review, Jets 27 - Giants 24

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