Oct 4 For a while there, it looked as if the questions might actually disappear. The completion average was up, at least close to the targeted 60 percent. The third-down success ratio was healthy and bolstered by a strong performance two weeks ago against Washington, the league's best third-down defense at that point. So what was Eli Manning doing Wednesday, answering those recurring questions about sagging completion rates and missed scoring opportunities as he pointed his offense toward the Jets?
Eli Manning and the Giants' passing game clearly have been out of synch the last three weeks. Plaxico Burress doesn't think that has anything to do with Manning. He blames himself. "Eli's doing a phenomenal job," Burress said. "He's doing a great job of putting us all in the right plays and putting the ball where it needs to be. Us as receivers, we've just got to come down with a few more of those balls and make plays for him." Burress has had a few drops, but mostly he's been limited by a sprained right ankle that forced him out of the loss to the Packers three weeks ago and hasn't allowed him to practice since.

Despite Derrick Ward's moderate success as the full-time back, Tom Coughlin said the plan going into the preparation for Sunday's game with the Jets is for both backs to get the ball. And neither one of them is complaining about that proposed arrangement. "We want to compete for playing time, because that'll make us both better. But whatever the order is, that's what we'll do," Jacobs said after a full day of practice. "If Derrick's hot, leave him in. If I'm hot, leave me in. I'd love to get 40 carries and run to daylight every time, but that's not the way it goes. It's a long season and I want to have a long career."
Derrick Ward stood by his locker yesterday in the corner of the Giants locker room with a handful of reporters in front of him. About 10 feet away, Brandon Jacobs was surrounded by a larger group of media at his locker. Ward was explaining how he and Jacobs complement each other by providing what the other is lacking, thus creating a complete backfield for the Giants. "Look how big he is. Just look at him," the 228-pound Ward said of the 260-pound Jacobs. "He's a big boy. It's not fair."

Brandon Jacobs spent two years playing behind Tiki Barber, so he knows the Giants' second running back usually plays a limited role. Now he is apparently healthy enough to reclaim his No.1 spot on the depth chart. And he doesn't want to see the same thing happen to Derrick Ward. "Just look around the league," Jacobs said yesterday. "Every team has two backs. D-Ward is a very good back. We're going to utilize both of us when things are right. (The coaches) see that D-Ward is capable of being very productive. They know that I can go out and do the same thing. Why waste talent? Why waste the talent we have?"
The Giants, however, have been basically a one-back team since Coughlin arrived in 2004. Tiki Barber was the featured runner for three years, and Ward has been the man since Jacobs was hurt after six carries in the regular-season opener against Dallas. "I'm sure the coaches will have some kind of game plan for us in line every week where we will both get our fair amount of carries," Jacobs said. "I would love to get 40 carries and run to daylight every time, but that's not the way it goes. "I want to have a long career and a long season, and to avoid having a short career and a short season you need to have two backs these days," "We're going to have a formidable running game," Ward echoed, "an even more formidable one than when it was just me."

Plaxico Burress hasn't played in a regular season Jets-Giants game, but he remembers the training camp scrimmage between the teams two years ago when several fights broke out. So he knows it's not exactly just another game. But he, too, said playing their Giants Stadium co-tenants isn't the same as playing one of the NFC East rivals. "Those are the toughest games that we play," he said.

Chad Pennington knows there will be a few bumps when he faces the Giants defense Sunday. "You can't expect the game to go perfect," the Jets quarterback said yesterday. "You can't expect to have a positive play every play. With the type of movement that they have, with all the different looks they present an offense, there are going to be some plays that look a little ugly." It may seem odd for an NFL player to be conceding any snaps to the opposition four days before the teams even take the field. But that's the kind of impression the Giants made with their 12-sack performance against the Eagles.
The most Chad Pennington has ever been sacked in a game is six times, or half of what the Giants did to the Eagles' Donovan McNabb this past Sunday. So as Pennington looks not to repeat his fellow quarterback's fate when the Jets (1-3) "visit'' the suddenly imposing Giants on Sunday, he knows he can't start hearing footsteps every time he drops back to pass. "That is the biggest challenge,'' Pennington said Wednesday. "As a quarterback, you have to take each play as its own entity. You use the previous information to help you anticipate. But it's tough not to get happy feet. It's tough not to try to get rid of the ball earlier."

Since suffering a sprained ankle in the Jets' season-opening loss to the Patriots, QB Chad Pennington's mobility has been diminished. The Giants certainly have noticed. DE Justin Tuck, asked yesterday if Pennington can be considered a sitting duck in the pocket, offered what could be construed as a backhanded compliment. "Kinda, I guess you could say that," Tuck said. "That's probably the reason why he's so good in their system. He's a pocket quarterback, you look at his quarterback rating, he has 105, he has it for a reason, he knows exactly where to throw the ball when he sees blitz. That's invaluable as a quarterback. In a way he's a sitting duck, but in that scheme it kind of benefits them."
The Jets were sacked nine times in the first two games, and one in the opener against New England resulted in a sprained right ankle that sidelined Pennington for a game. That sack was allowed by left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson. He hasn't allowed one since, despite facing Miami's Jason Taylor and Buffalo's Aaron Schobel in the last two weeks. But he did allow one in the preseason to Giants' defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who just happened to have six sacks of Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb on Sunday. "You definitely see that," Ferguson said of Umenyiora's six, "and say, 'Hey, man, I don't want that to happen to me personally or even to this organization.' It's real important to watch that tape and develop a game plan. We're doing that."

One more loss on Sunday, and the Jets' season is close to being over. At 1-4, in a conference stacked with quality teams, it would take a herculean effort to get to January. Crunch time, right, fellas? Evidently not, according to the Jets, who were talking yesterday as if it were the middle of preseason, not the must-win atmosphere you'd expect of a team that's reeling. Giants Week feels like any other week around here.
Even for the guys you'd think would understand the gravity of the situation. Such as linebacker Jonathan Vilma, one of the locker room's emotional leaders. There has to be a greater sense of urgency for this one, right? "No," he said. "Not because we're 1-3. We have 11 games left after this. No way you can say who is going to the playoffs after four games." Oh, boy.

Michael Strahan (knee) and Gibril Wilson (ribs) sat out practice yesterday but both should be able to go today and are in no danger of missing Sunday's game with the Jets, according to Tom Coughlin. Both were injured in Sunday night's 16-3 win over the Eagles, though neither missed time because of the injuries. Chris Snee, who missed a series with a knee injury on Sunday, was cleared to practice yesterday. Plaxico Burress (ankle) won't practice this week, but said he will continue to be ready for games. Cornerback Sam Madison, who suffered a bruised shoulder on Sunday, also was cleared and practiced fully. The only Giant who is already out of Sunday's game is wide receiver Steve Smith (scapula).

In a surprise move, the Giants on Wednesday waived WR Anthony Mix to add WR-KR Domenik Hixon, awarded via waivers from the Broncos. Hixon was the player hit by Bills TE Kevin Everett in the opener on the play that sent Everett to the hospital with a spinal injury. Mix had improved tremendously in training camp and appeared solid as a backup receiver. However, he apparently did not do enough on special teams. Hixon averaged 22.8 yards on 12 kickoff returns and 4.6 yards on seven punt returns for Denver. He also had two special-teams tackles, but no pass receptions. He was the Broncos' fourth-round draft pick out of Akron in 2006, but spent last season on the non-football injury list rehabbing a foot injury he suffered while preparing for the draft.

Oct 3 Now that Tiki Barber is gone and Brandon Jacobs is getting healthy, the plan used by many NFL teams may become the one for the Giants' rushing attack as well. The key will be whether Tom Coughlin and his offensive staff can split the carries between Jacobs and Derrick Ward, and keep both happy. "I think you have to deal with everything on a week-to-week basis," added Coughlin. "Where Jacobs is [physically] will determine how we can go ahead and utilize really all three of these backs." Three backs? Coughlin is including Reuben Droughns in the formula. Droughns was brought in originally to take some of the load off Jacobs.

While David Diehl was quietly (and with Diehl, there's really no other way he does things) shutting down Eagles defensive end Trent Cole on Sunday night, two other events had transpired or were transpiring in the world of left tackles. The first happened earlier in the day, and it was a very unfortunate event. Luke Petitgout went down in the Bucs' win over the Panthers with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, ending his season prematurely for the second straight year. The other was unfolding on the same Giants Stadium turf where Diehl was keeping a check on Cole, the NFL's temporary sack leader coming into the game.

It's one thing to get your hands on Reggie Brown and Jason Avant. It's a little different trying to jam Laveranues Coles or Jerricho Cotchery at the line. But neutralizing Philadelphia receivers Brown and Avant last week was a good step for Giants first-round cornerback Aaron Ross. Making the first start of his career at left cornerback, and moving inside to the slot receiver in obvious passing situations, Ross became an instrumental reason behind the Giants treating Donovan McNabb like a bunch of locusts munching on a wheat field.
His ability to jam receivers at the line, thereby throwing them off their routes and disturbing any sense of timing with McNabb, was a big reason the defensive front could converge on the quarterback for 12 sacks. Others helped, too. Sam Madison did a good job on his people, and extra defensive back Kevin Dockery stuck to Kevin Curtis like flypaper. But Ross, making his first start on the outside, really excelled.

The Giants' defense has come on very strong after the first two miserable weeks of the season. But where did all the offense go? After breaking out on opening night with 35 points, the Giants have had a startling, three-week decline. As good as the defense was in a 16-3 win over Philadelphia Sunday night, holding the Eagles to just 190 yards, that's how bad the offense was. The Giants had only 212 yards of their own. The Giants have done less, especially when in the red zone. Against the Cowboys on opening night, they finished with three touchdowns and one field goal on four trips inside the Dallas 20. In the three games since, 10 trips inside the 20 have resulted in three touchdowns and three field goals.

Not pleased with the performance of kicker Lawrence Tynes - who last weekend against the Eagles missed a 34-yard field-goal try and an extra point - the Giants yesterday worked out but didn't sign two kickers, Josh Huston and Billy Cundiff.

The Giants and Jets knock heads Sunday at a structure called Giants Stadium - both sides have strong feelings about that name - and don't think for a moment because they reside in different conferences and only play each other every four years or so that a fervent rivalry does not exist. "There is a rivalry there, no question," Jim Fassel, the Giant head coach from 1997 through 2003, said yesterday from his office in Scottsdale, Ariz. Fassel should know. Back in 1999, the bloom was fading from his NFC East-winning debut season two years earlier and the Giants were bumping along at 5-6, losers of three straight games.
Away from the team the week leading up to the game while attending his mother's funeral, Fassel for the first time handed the play-calling duties to a young assistant named Sean Payton, and the rout was on. With Kerry Collins tossing three touchdown passes to Amani Toomer, the Giants rolled to a 34-7 lead en route to a 41-28 pounding of Parcells' Jets. A year later, his job secured, Fassel had the Giants in the Super Bowl.

Many felt the Jets' surprising playoff run last year under new coach Eric Mangini was the result of a soft schedule. Through three games this year, the Jets (1-3) have certainly lent credence to that argument. Sunday's 17-14 loss to the Bills was the result of a missed 39-yard field goal by K Mike Nugent and two interceptions by QB Chad Pennington -- the second of which came on a play that began with 11 seconds left and the Jets trying to get Nugent a field-goal attempt closer than a 57-yarder. It was a tough loss, but the Jets must regroup now. To make the playoffs, they must start moving up in the AFC.

Two days after their current (Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan and Justin Tuck) and former (Mathias Kiwanuka) defensive ends accounted for 12 sacks against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Giants have added another player at that position. The Giants signed Dave Tollefson off the Oakland Raiders' practice squad. Tollefson, 6-4 and 255 pounds, has no NFL regular season experience. To make room on the roster, the Giants placed fullback Robert Douglas on injured reserve.

Oct 2 The pressure was coming from everywhere. It seemed everyone was blitzing. The corners were hitting receivers right at the line, and sticking to them like glue as they ran down the field. It was, in almost every respect, exactly the type of defense Tom Coughlin imagined when he hired Steve Spagnuolo as his defensive coordinator eight months ago. "Yes," Coughlin said yesterday, one day after the Giants got an NFL record-tying 12 sacks in a 16-3 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. "The aggressiveness, the playing with confidence, and I think we were very good in coverage as well."
The coach said Sunday's scheme created plenty of problems for the Eagles because Spagnuolo's game plan was more complex than the first three weeks' blueprints. Umenyiora was often standing as a linebacker and in different spots than his normal position at right end, thus confusing the Eagles offensive line. Maybe the Eagles were befuddled because they had heard Coughlin say two weeks ago that he'd prefer the defensive scheme to remain simple while the players adjusted to Spagnuolo's defense.
Eagles coach Andy Reid shouldered some blame for leaving second-year tackle Winston Justice one-on-one against Umenyiora most of the night, and even before watching the video, most of the Giants were stunned that Justice, making his first NFL start in place of veteran William Thomas, didn't have much help. "I'm 35, [Eagles right tackle Jon] Runyan is an All-Pro. Go help the kid," Michael Strahan said after the game. "You're really going to ruin the poor guy."

As historic as the effort was, with Michael Strahan passing Lawrence Taylor as the team's alltime career sack leader and Osi Umenyiora setting the franchise's single-game sack record, it also proved an unveiling of sorts for coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's schemes. The four-defensive-end front of Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka and Strahan made a second appearance. But so did a game-opening nickel alignment that matched up Kevin Dockery with dangerous wide receiver Kevin Curtis, a strategy that held Curtis to just 21 yards on two catches following his 221-yard, three-touchdown game the week before.
Coughlin called the defensive scheme "a little bit more advanced" and there's no doubt first-year coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is gaining confidence in his personnel. It was no coincidence that Mount Osi erupted, coming within one sack of the NFL record of seven set by former Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas. Often, Umenyiora was lined up where a linebacker would normally be rather than at end, never allowing the Eagles to know exactly where he was coming from. Asked if during his film study he'd ever seen Umenyiora at linebacker, Eagles coach Andy Reid yesterday said, "No." Asked if the strategy surprised him, Reid added, "Yeah, that was different."

It's hard to be certain whether the Eagles' 16-3 loss to the Giants on Sunday night would have been better if running back Brian Westbrook had played. But it's also hard to believe it would have been worse. His replacement, Correll Buckhalter, did a passable impression of Westbrook, rushing for 103 yards on just 17 carries and leading the team in both receptions (four) and receiving yards (35). "Buck did a nice job," head coach Andy Reid said Monday. "He was one of the bright spots." Overall, however, the Eagles offense was woeful, failing to score a touchdown for the second time in four weeks, a result Buckhalter attributed primarily to the Giants' defensive line.
"They just gave us a lot of different looks on defense, man," the sixth-year back said. Buckhalter's efficiency on the ground -- he averaged 6.1 yards per carry -- raised the familiar question of pass-to-run ratio. Overall, Philadelphia called 43 pass plays. Twelve of them ended with quarterback Donovan McNabb on the turf, sacked for a total of 62 lost yards. The other 31 went for 138 yards. The Eagles called 23 run plays, which gained them 114 yards. "I think we could have run a couple more times, yeah," Reid said.

Two straight victories does not a season make and Tom Coughlin knows the games are going to get close and the opportunities for points cannot be wasted. And so, he has sounded the alarm for kicker Lawrence Tynes. "You have to be concerned," Coughlin said yesterday.
After Jay Feely left the Giants to sign with the Miami Dolphins, Tynes was acquired from Kansas City for a low-round draft pick and won a training camp battle with rookie Josh Huston to be the kicker. He has hit seven of nine kicks so far this season, including a couple of 48-yarders. He's also 3-for-3 between 40 and 49 yards.
Alford's snaps on both misses appeared wobbly, but Coughlin said both kicks should have been made. "I didn't think that was an especially difficult kick," he said. There still are a few kickers on the free-agent market. Josh Huston is available, as is veteran Martin Gramatica, but Coughlin said he'd prefer to get Tynes in a better rhythm before looking elsewhere.

Only an 80-yard scoring bomb, or maybe a dazzling cross-country run, can stoke the home fans more than a sack. The sight of the opposing quarterback being pummeled by a pass rusher really ignites the throngs in the stands. And when it happens a dozen times in a game, you get the reaction Tom Coughlin applauded Monday.
The Giants Stadium faithful, who have had little reason to cheer in recent games, were vocally tested as Donovan McNabb was dumped 12 times in the 16-3 Giants' victory Sunday night which snapped a five-game home losing streak. "I think it inspired us," Coughlin said of the crowd reaction. "Certainly the fans responded to the defensive success and that kept snowballing. Guys were really into their play and the fans were into it as well."
While the defense is pointed in the right direction, Coughlin is concerned about the Giants' offense. The unit has scored just one touchdown in two of the last three games, including last night, when four trips inside the Philadelphia 20-yard line yielded only 10 points, thanks to a missed field goal and an interception thrown by Eli Manning. "It's something I don't like to see, no doubt," Coughlin said. "Obviously, we felt like we gave away 10 points last night offensively with the interception and the missed field goal. We obviously have areas where we need to improve, the green area being one of them."

A win over the Jets, and there is a reasonable chance that the Giants will win their next three - at Atlanta, home to San Francisco, against the Dolphins in London - and go into Dallas on Nov. 11 at 6-2. But first things first. They'll be facing a desperate team Sunday, and desperate teams are never easy to beat. The Jets found that out the hard way in Buffalo. Jets-Giants scouting report An NFL scout who has seen both the Jets and Giants this season gives his report on Chad Pennington vs. the Giants' secondary.

Giants report card - Vinny DiTrani | Paul Schwartz

Oct 1 Giants win over the Eagles 16-3.

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On The Game: Game 4 Recap Gamegirl... "......If you're a season ticket holder, the Giant-Eagle game is one you don't give up. From 56 points down to 3, the Giants brought the high flying Eagles down to Earth.... the offense got some points up but they could have done better on third down plays. After awhile, you almost didn't care, because you were looking forward to seeing the Giants defense on the field because of the great plays they were making........" Mikefan.... ".....Things were looking pretty bad two weeks ago. The defense under new coordinator Steve Spagnuolo looked like a mess, but now the Giants are 2-2, and 2-1 against division teams. They don't play another divisional game until Nov. 11 in their rematch against Dallas. They face four teams with poor records and get a bye week before that happens......."

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ESPN - Giants 'D' drops McNabb, Eagles in record-setting fashion.
Giants.com - Giants defeat Eagles, 16-3.
Giants.com - Eisen's Postgame Stats and Notes.
Giants.com - Transcripts: Postgame - Eli Manning, Donovan McNabb, Andy Reid.
Philly.com - Eagles are sacked and pillaged by Giants, 16-3.
Philly.com - Another failing grade for passing too much.
Philly.com - Eagles really missed Westbrook.
StarLedger - Giants sack it to Eagles.
StarLedger - Jacobs plays it safe, Ward runs in his place.
StarLedger - A dozen sacks and one sore QB.
StarLedger - LT sees Strahan's milestone.
StarLedger - Reviewing Giants vs. Eagles.
Newsday - Giants' 12 sacks, 6 by Umenyiora, bury Eagles.
Newsday - When 'D' is great, 'O' can be average.
Newsday - Plaxico fine without practice.
Newsday - Strahan breaks LT's Giants record for sacks.
Newsday - Giants' defense has suddenly blossomed.
NYDailyNews - Giants defense grounds Donovan McNabb, Eagles.
NYDailyNews - Steve Spagnuolo's defense tars and feathers Eagles.
NYDailyNews - Westbrook's absence allows Giants to tee off on McNabb.
NYDailyNews - Defense bails out shaky Eli Manning and offense.
NYPost - Sacks Maniacs.
NYPost - Donovan McNabbed.
NYPost - Eagles 'O' Line is for the Birds.
NYPost - Giants' offense sluggish in win.
TheRecord - Giants' defense rules Eagles.
TheRecord - Giants show late stand against 'Skins.
philadelphiaeagles.com - Justice: "All I Can Do Is Work Harder".
philadelphiaeagles.com - Eagles Limp Into Bye Week With Major Concerns.

Game 4 Giants vs Eagles
Giants vs Eagles. - The Giants and the Eagles have each lost one game to Green Bay. The Eagles lost to the Redskins in their second game of the season 20-12, but last week they exploded over Detroit with a 56-21 win. They racked up 536 yards of offense, and the Eagles scored touchdowns on their first five possessions of the game. Last week the Giants came on strong in the second half on both offense and defense. They rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit for a 24-17 win over the undefeated Redskins. It seems it's always a big game when the Giants and Eagles play and this one is no different.
Donovan McNabb. - What can you say about this guy that all the Philly fans haven't already said, both good and bad? An additional vote of non-confidence seemed to be the team trading out of the first round of the draft and then selecting a quarterback as their first choice in the second. Well, McNabb, coming off last year's knee injury, had great success last week after two bad outings. The Giants will really try to pressure McNabb this week, so it was good to see Michael Strahan playing stronger last week. Over his career, Strahan has more sacks against the Eagles ( 20.5) than any other team, and he has sacked Donovan McNabb more times than any other quarterback (11.5).
Plaxico Burress and Derrick Ward. - The offensive line needs to give Eli Manning time to find Plaxico Burress downfield. Burress can beat this Eagles secondary. To help make that work against the Eagles front line pressure, Eli needs to complete shorter passes to Jeremy Shockey, Amani Toomer, and Derrick Ward. Ward has looked like a Tiki Barber in the making, and the Eagles will have to respect the Giants ground game. Eagles fans will counter that the respect should go the other way since their defense ranks 4th in the NFL against the run, allowing 71.7 yards per game. Forget the fans, Eagles defensive end Juqua Thomas says, "We just know once we stop the run we can put our ears back and put pressure on (Giants quarterback) Eli Manning."

Sept 30 There was far more discernable relief than there was satisfaction after the Giants finally moved into the win column with last week's comeback road victory over the Redskins. "I'm not making it a bigger deal than it has to be," Eli Manning said after the Giants climbed from a 17-3 deficit to win 24-17. "We going to have to get a lot more wins to save the season." Perhaps that means the Giants are growing wiser, or else they were fully aware of what came next. At 1-2, they've stabilized themselves for the moment, but there's no denying tonight's nationally televised showdown with the Eagles takes on an elimination-style feel.
Both teams enter the game in exactly the same situations - fresh off season-saving wins last week after disappointing 0-2 starts. They both have been watching the Dallas Cowboys (3-0) threaten to run away with the NFC East. The loser of tonight's game could end up in a worse hole than they would've been in had they lost last week. But if nothing else, these two old rivals - who last battled in the first round of the playoffs last year (a 23-20 Eagles win) - do at least feel like they've salvaged something out of their miserable starts. The Giants' 24-17 win at Washington revived a defense that had been putrid, giving up 80 points in the first two weeks of the season. And the Eagles' 56-21 win at home over the Detroit Lions, revived their struggling offense and triggered a rebirth for quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Stopping the Eagles won't be easy. Philadelphia is coming off a 56-21 thrashing of the Detroit Lions. Brian Westbrook rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns, and caught five passes for 111 yards and another score. Receiver Kevin Curtis had 11 catches for a career-best 221 yards and three touchdowns. Donovan McNabb threw for 381 yards and four TDs. It was the first game in Eagles history that had a 100-yard rusher, a 200-yard receiver and a 300-yard passer in the same game. "In my opinion it was only a matter of time," Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said. "I know they struggled those first two games but you could see it; they were just missing here and just missing there. You knew it was going to happen, but I was hoping it would be like three weeks from now."

When the Giants have the ball: They have to stay balanced. Even if RB Brandon Jacobs misses his third straight game with a knee injury, the running game must keep the Eagles off balance. It'll be tough, because Philly's defense ranks fourth in the NFL against the run (71.7 yards per game), but Derrick Ward has proven in the first three weeks he can get it done. If so, that will allow WR Plaxico Burress to have more room for catch-and-run completions, which were a problem for the Eagles' defense against the Lions last week.

Brian Westbrook won't be trying to beat the Giants blindfolded tonight. But he might be hampered by one well-wrapped abdomen. Plaxico Burress won't be battling the Eagles with one arm tied behind his back. But he might be doing it on one ankle. Despite their injuries, both offensive catalysts are expected to play in the key NFC East contest at Giants Stadium. Their teams dug 0-2 holes to start the season, but each popped its head out with a win last week. Tonight's loser, however, could plunge to three games behind unbeaten Dallas, a heavy favorite over St. Louis. Neither Westbrook nor Burress practiced during the week, however, which might impact upon the dominance each has shown over his hated rival in recent seasons.

While Plaxico Burress has somehow played at a Pro Bowl level with a severe ankle sprain, Jeremy Shockey has yet to light a fire under his team and his stadium, and has dropped passes he should catch in his sleep. "He hasn't had a great 'Shockey' game ... what he considers great for himself," Antonio Pierce said. "He's a guy that's self-motivated, so he knows what he can do and what he's capable of. I think it's just one of those things where he feels that he hasn't hit that point yet." Pierce smiled and said, "Sure would love for him to do it this Sunday."

The Post's Steve Serby chatted with Derrick Ward, the Giants' starting halfback who has amassed 273 yards at 5.1 yards per carry since taking over for the injured Brandon Jacobs:
Q: Herm Edwards was your first NFL coach.
A: When I got drafted (7th round, 2004), he called me. "Get ready to play some football!" he said. "I know you came from a small school." He said he came from a small school so he's gonna give me a chance to show what I can do. He gave me that chance and now I'm pretty much showing him and everybody else in the NFL what I could do.
Q: What did you learn from watching Curtis Martin?
A: Professional ... paid great attention in meetings ... he knew the game.
Q: Biggest lesson you learned watching Tiki Barber?
A: Just being a professional ... being accountable to myself and my teammates. He's like a big brother to me. No matter what's going on in the media, what's going on with him, he's still my guy.

Like a struggling actor who has finally gotten his first big break, Ward, at 27, is finally launching his career. Tonight against the Eagles, the 5-11, 228-pound back is expected to make his third consecutive start in place of the injured Brandon Jacobs, despite not practicing on Friday and being listed as questionable with a sore ankle. While Ward was supposed to keep the backfield warm until the bruising Jacobs healed, the obscure back has rushed for more yards than superstars LaDainian Tomlinson, Steven Jackson and Larry Johnson - the consensus top three running backs in the NFL. He ranks eighth in the league in rushing with 273 yards and has 14 catches for 88 yards and a touchdown.

Derrick Ward turns his head to the left and stares at the silver sedan, darkened two shades by the tint on his Versace sunglasses and the back window of the Lincoln Town Car. He wonders if the other car's front bumper -- only inches away -- is about to join him in the back seat. "What is it about New York drivers?" Ward asks as hundreds of cars merge on their way out of the Lincoln Tunnel and onto Dyer Avenue. "Why would they rather ram into you than let you in?" After everything he has seen in the places he has been, Ward still can't understand New York traffic.

Remember Will Peterson? He was considered a steal by the Giants when they snatched him in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft. Peterson and Will Allen (selected in the first round that year) were supposed to be the cornerbacks to anchor the secondary for several seasons but it never quite worked out. Injuries cut short Peterson's stay and he's found a new home in Philadelphia. Now known as William James, he has been starting for the Eagles in place of Lito Sheppard, who in the season opener went down with an MCL knee sprain. Sheppard did not practice this week and is listed as doubtful. It's likely James tonight will get a crack at his former team, as long as he is able to recover from the lacerated finger he suffered during Friday's practice. e

Sept 29 In the week leading up to the Redskins game, when everyone was stressing out over a Giants defense that had given up 80 points in the first two games, Coughlin admitted he always knew it would take Strahan, who missed all of training camp and the preseason, a few weeks to get into playing shape. And even Strahan this week acknowledged that he did feel physically better against Washington than he did in the first two games.
Though Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan as starting defensive ends have not caused any havoc (neither has a sack in the first three games), there are signs galore that the front four is making real progress. Umenyiora and Strahan last week each did a better job applying pressure off the edges, allowing for singled-up blocking inside, which benefits the tackles.

Aaron Ross primarily played left cornerback at Texas, so he'd be comfortable out on the left side Sunday night against the Eagles if, as it seems likely, he is the new starter there in place of Corey Webster. Ross has been the Giants' nickel cornerback since the end of training camp, so he's getting more comfortable there, too. And he might end up playing more nickel than on the outside if the Eagles, who will be without starting tight end L.J. Smith, decide to spread the field at Giants Stadium and play three wide receivers most of the time.

Brandon Jacobs is probably going to have to wait another week. Though his sprained right knee made it through two days of practice with no additional problems, the Giants are choosing the cautious approach with their injured running back. Conceding "it's not my week to jump out there," Jacobs said he won't be playing against the Philadelphia Eagles tomorrow night. His focus is on returning on Oct. 7, when the Giants play host to the Jets.
Derrick Ward has rushed for 273 yards and averaged 5.1 yards per attempt in place of Jacobs, and is expected to make his third consecutive start. "Derrick is doing good, he's catching the ball, he's blocking well, he's running well, he's doing everything we need him to do to win football games," said Jacobs, who for the past two days played the role of Philadelphia's Brian Westbrook on the scout team. "I'm not rushing back at all. Now if we were struggling in that area, it would be like, I got to get out there, but we're not struggling in that area so it doesn't make any sense to rush myself out there."

The Giants' kick coverage, one of their better special teams areas last year, has not gotten off to a strong start, with New York 27th overall in kickoff coverage and 17th in punt coverage. Those numbers have demanded consistent attention in the special teams meetings this week. "It was a huge topic, especially kickoffs," veteran special-teamer David Tyree said. "We can't have it. We've been known the last couple of years as one of the better kickoff units in the league and that's what we have to get back to. Right now we're not there."

Sept 28 Earlier this week, after the Giants defense came up with a goal-line stand to secure a victory against the Redskins, Steve Spagnuolo got a call from Eagles special teams coach John Harbaugh -- his former co-worker in Philly for the previous seven years. "He was probably more excited than I was," Spagnuolo said yesterday. Expect the goodwill to end in about two days. That's when Spagnuolo will coach his first game against the team that employed him as a defensive assistant for eight years. And while there has been some talk about how much Spagnuolo knows about the Eagles offense and quarterback Donovan McNabb, the real impact he might have on the game will be on the other side of the ball. After all, he had a copy of Philly's defensive playbook for nearly a decade.
Steve Spagnuolo says he's trying to treat it as just another game, and linebacker Antonio Pierce says he's done a good job convincing the players of that. "He's probably keeping it all inside," Pierce added. True, says Spagnuolo, who concedes down deep he does have some special thoughts. "It's like playing your brother in a pick-up basketball game," he said. "You sometimes try harder than you do in the real deal."

Steve Spagnuolo knows he's facing a daunting opponent. His defense must prepare for the lethal combination of Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook. Although some have speculated that McNabb's mobility hasn't been the same since last year's knee surgery, Spagnuolo said McNabb, who passed for 381 yards and four touchdowns last week in a 56-21 rout of the Lions, remains an offensive force. "He is still very scary," Spagnuolo said. "I have a lot of respect for him and we treat him as if he is still the athlete he was when he first came up. We are not going to change that."
Every time a Giants defender was asked about Brian Westbrook's status for Sunday, he would smile like someone who knew what you didn't. "I think the whole injury thing is a myth with him," linebacker Antonio Pierce said of the Eagles' star running back, who earned NFC offensive player of the week honors despite leaving Sunday's 56-21 rout of Detroit early. "Every time he's on the injury list, he has his best game."

After flying to North Carolina for a second opinion on his serious sprained right ankle, Plaxico Burress returned yesterday with the same prognosis. He's sore, and will be for weeks, but he plans to start Sunday night against NFC East rival Philadelphia and keep playing right through the pain, as long as it takes. "No question. I will play," Burress said. "I will be out there Sunday. I will find a way."
Burress said he's frustrated with his inability to practice fully and now experiences more nervousness and "butterflies" going into games. But he was relieved that Anderson said he "can't make [his ankle] any worse," and Burress assured reporters he'll play against Philadelphia. "No question. I will be out there on Sunday," he said. "I will find a way." If Burress' declaration was dripping with anticipation, it easily could have been rivaled by the eagerness of running backs Derrick Ward and Brandon Jacobs, both itching to get back on the field. Both returned to practice yesterday.
For Brandon Jacobs, it was his first time in pads since he suffered a knee injury in the Sept. 9 opener against Dallas. He took a few snaps and did some running and cutting before the knee stiffened up a little late in the workout. "We are just going to gradually work him in a little bit more, more conditioning work, that type of thing," said coach Tom Coughlin, indicating his running back will miss a third straight game. Derrick Ward, who returned to practice Thursday, again will start.

After participating yesterday in his first practice since spraining his right medial collateral ligament in the season opener, Brandon Jacobs said he wants to play against the Eagles on Sunday. But the Giants running back reluctantly admits it won't be his decision to make, but rather the Giants' coaching and medical staffs. "Right now I feel good," Jacobs said. "I practiced today for the first time and no problems. I feel like I can get out on Sunday but I don't have that decision so I do what they tell me to do.
Jacobs said he only stopped toward the end when his knee "got kind of stiff." Jacobs tried to downplay the tightness in the joint. If he wakes up with little pain or stiffness today and goes through a full workout, it will be good news for the Giants. "I did what I had to do -- show people that I can go and I'm ready to go," Jacobs said. "It's in their hands." That might be a good thing because, in his three years with the Giants, Jacobs has often been confident and braggadocious when speaking about his skills and toughness. And in this case, the Giants want to make sure he doesn't play prematurely and further injure the ligament -- or perhaps tear it.
In Jacobs' absence, teammate Derrick Ward has performed well, rushing for 184 yards in the last two games on 41 carries. He's also caught 10 passes out of the backfield for 61 yards. Ward's rushing and receiving ability has generated buzz around the league, leading to speculation that he's earned the right to share backfield duties even when Jacobs does return to the field. Jacobs said Ward's success hasn't motivated him to rush back. ""Not at all,'' he said. Still, offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride was asked if the team has a running back controversy brewing.

Michael Strahan and Jon Runyan can play it down all they like. They can pretend their rivalry has never been as fiery as the media has portrayed it to be, they can claim to be great friends off the field, where they laugh about the fuss that's inevitably made any time the Giants and Eagles play. But come Sunday night at Giants Stadium, there will be no laughing, no friendship and plenty of fire. The Eagles will take their 1-2 record up the turnpike this weekend to meet 1-2 New York in an NFC East matchup that will certainly dig quite a hole for the losing team.
The two games these teams play each season have gone a long way toward deciding the NFC East champion in recent years. The Giants are the only team besides the Eagles to win the division since 2000, but this year, with both teams at 1-2, they will be looking to stay within reach of the 3-0 Cowboys. "It's one of the most fun games to play because of the intensity of the rivalry," Tiki Barber said. "It's tough not to be juiced up for it, because it always has great meaning. The winner of these games is usually a favorite in the division. This year, whoever loses this game is going to have a lot of ground to make up [to get into the playoffs]."

Sept 27 The Giants defense will be scrutinized leading up to Sunday night's game against the Eagles, who put 56 points on the scoreboard against the Lions. But because of injuries and the Eagles' vaunted pass rush, which produced nine sacks against Detroit, the offense might face the toughest test. The biggest key may be the blocking. Quarterback Eli Manning has been sacked 74 times in his career; 22 by the Eagles.
Last week the Eagles piled on an outrageous nine sacks in their 56-21 demolition of the Lions. It was the second-highest total in Philadelphia franchise history, and it no doubt was fueled by the huge Detroit deficit that necessitated a one-dimensional passing barrage. "First play of the game they got a sack, so that wasn't situational," Giants quarterback Eli Manning said.

Plaxico Burress and Ronnie Barnes, the team's vice president of medical services, flew to Charlotte, N.C., yesterday to meet with Robert Anderson, a renowned ankle and foot orthopedist. The hope was that Anderson would give Burress and the Giants an idea of how Burress could better manage his right ankle, which has given him trouble since he sprained it in training camp.
Burress missed all of practice last week after being forced to sit out much of the second half of the Week 2 loss to the Packers. He played Sunday and looked healthy on his 33-yard catch-and-run touchdown (his five scores are tied for the most in the NFL), but he dropped two deep passes and another while diving that replays showed hit the ground. Coach Tom Coughlin said Burress was sore after the game, prompting team physician Russ Warren to suggest Burress get a second opinion.

There's never a good week for the Giants to be without Plaxico Burress. The wide receiver is the unquestioned big-play man of their offense, as demonstrated by his second half last week against Washington. It's particularly harmful, however, for the Giants to be without Burress when they face the Philadelphia Eagles, who visit Giants Stadium on Sunday night. Since he joined the Giants in 2005, Burress has faced the Eagles five times.
His numbers: 25 catches for 473 yards (18.9 average) and four touchdowns. In three meetings last year, including the wild-card playoff game, he had 17 receptions for 323 yards and three scores. That included the overtime TD catch from Eli Manning in the early season victory at Lincoln Financial Field. "He is unique," Eagles coach Andy Reid said of one of his team's chief tormentors. "He can change direction, he is strong, all of those things."

With Steve Smith sidelined with a fractured shoulder blade and only Sinorice Moss, Anthony Mix and David Tyree available to fill in, the last thing Coughlin needs is to see his star wide receiver stomping around in an immobilizing boot. He also doesn't want to see him watching drills on the sideline during the week. "Plaxico said to us (yesterday) that he's got to practice," Coughlin said. "He's not practicing, and he's coming into the games and, to his credit, knows his assignments. But obviously he's not as sharp as he could be."
That became apparent in the first half of Sunday's 24-17 win in Washington, where Burress dropped or was easily defended on three catchable balls and had a first-down reversed by replay challenge. He was held without a catch in the first half, but did finish with five receptions for 86 yards and a game-winning, 33-yard touchdown catch.

Four Philadelphia starters did not practice Wednesday, including RB Brian Westbrook, the NFC's Offensive Player of the Week who is sidelined by a strained abdominal muscle. "Last week he didn't practice because of a knee and on Sunday he ran faster than I've ever seen him run," said Giants MLB Antonio Pierce. "So we're going to kind of scratch him off the injury report."
If the Eagles hope to beat the Giants - and if they want to live up to the preseason hype about their chances in the NFC - then Westbrook must be on the field. He just might be the most indispensable player on his team, with the possible exception of McNabb. If Westbrook can't go, Correll Buckhalter will get the call, but the drop-off is vast. Buckhalter might be a better runner strictly between the tackles, but he's not nearly as elusive as Westbrook and doesn't come close to Westbrook's proficiency in the passing game.

After two subpar performances in his first games back from a season-ending knee injury, McNabb flashed the brilliance that made him one of the game's most feared signal-callers in recent years. That could spell trouble for the Giants when they host their NFC East rivals Sunday night. Despite turning around a slumping franchise when he arrived nine seasons ago, McNabb -- who has led the Eagles to four NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl appearance -- has been hounded by a town that still hasn't fully embraced him.
Donovan McNabb was nearly perfect on Sunday in a 56-21 win over Detroit, completing 21 of 26 passes for 381 yards, four touchdowns and a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3. At one point he completed 18 consecutive passes. To the Giants, and everyone else, he looked like he did before a torn right ACL ruined his season last year, and even before a sports hernia scuttled his 2005 campaign.

Michael Strahan is the leader of a Giants' defense that allowed 80 points in the first two regular-season games. The unit did step it up in Big Blue's third game, when it shut out the Redskins in the second half of a 24-17 win in Washington. Strahan, who set the NFL's single-season sack record with 22 1/2 in 2001, has eight tackles and no sacks through this season's three games.
"What we, the Giants, missed when he was out with injuries the last couple of years, was his emotional leadership," said Barber, who played 10 years with Strahan. "I don't know the value of the training camp, but it takes a while for it to come back and for guys to say, 'This is the guy that's going to pick us up.'"

Sept 26 Brandon Jacobs probably won't return from a sprained right knee ligament in time to face the Eagles Sunday night, which means another week of Derrick Ward at tailback. That's not exactly a bad thing. It actually illustrates what kind of depth the Giants have in their backfield. Rumors of the Giants' ground game dying a painful death after Tiki Barber rode into the sunset and Jacobs got hurt appear to have been greatly exaggerated.
When Jacobs went down against Dallas, Ward picked right up and has done nothing short of yeoman's work as the major fill-in. Reuben Droughns may have put up the Giants' first two rushing touchdowns of the season against the Redskins, but Ward did all the hard work. And exhausting work. Try a Barber-like 26 carries last week, the most Ward has ever carried as a pro. Add a team-high six catches, and he touched the ball 32 times.
Running back Brandon Jacobs (knee) probably won't return this week, but given his initial 3-5 week timetable (he was hurt in Week 1), he'll likely be back soon. What happens then with Derrick Ward? Jacobs will probably resume his planned 20-25 carries per game, but Ward has earned a chance to at least share that load. In nearly three full games as Jacobs' replacement, the unheralded Ward has rushed 54 times for 273 yards - an impressive average of 5.1 yards per carry and a total that ranks him eighth in the NFL.

Justin Tuck has to be on the field as often as possible. Yes, during the second half Sunday, we all saw what the Giants' defense can do when its collective head is in the game. We saw Michael Strahan forcing the Redskins to use Chris Cooley as a blocking tight end rather than a pass-catching Giants killer. We saw Osi Umenyiora slowly getting his health and his speed back, and we saw Mathias Kiwanuka, mostly as a tackle but occasionally out in space as a linebacker, play with abandon, not with hesitation.
After watching LB Mathias Kiwanuka struggle through the first two games, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo got creative with how he used the former DE, and as a result, Kiwanuka had a a team-high eight tackles and two sacks. A key part of Kiwanuka's resurgence appeared to be the fact that he played more often on the defensive line, including at defensive tackle quite often in the second half. In fact, one of his sacks came when he and speedy defensive end Justin Tuck lined up at tackle, with Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan on the outside - a devastating pass rushing combination. Coughlin wouldn't make the connection between Kiwanuka's improvement and the number of times he lined up at his old position. But he did admit the second-year man out of Boston College was in position to make plays more than before.

Anyone who saw Eli Manning pound his fist to the FedEx Field grass in frustration after throwing his second interception on an ill-conceived deep ball should realize even smart quarterbacks do dumb things. Manning, though, is so sharp that at times his teammates are taken aback, and that acumen more than anything else is the reason for great optimism with this still-young Giants franchise cornerstone.
Manning came out of the huddle on third-and-5 from the Redskins' 11, with the Giants still trailing, 17-10. What followed is what coach Tom Coughlin called a guessing game between his quarterback and the Redskins defense. "They showed the blitz," Manning said. "I alerted to the run play, knowing [the linebackers] were going to drop back out.
The offensive line was kind of looking at me like I'm crazy because [the linebackers] didn't drop out until late. "They were saying, 'Why are you checking this?' I saw them looking back at me. But I knew they were going to drop out and go to 'cover two.' And we had a draw play run and were able to get the first down, a big play in the game for us."

Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, the first-year coordinator, earns the hot seat for the second time in four weeks, even though his defense played well against Washington. This time, however, Spagnuolo gets the distinction because of the opponent. He used to coach the linebackers in Philadelphia under defensive guru Jim Johnson. He must be careful he doesn't spend the week trying to impress his mentor with some razzle-dazzle rather than just preparing his defense for the red-hot Donovan McNabb.

Their QB was hobbled, their defense was battered and the coach appeared to have lost his touch. And then the Eagles (1-2) finally showed up in Week 3. Sunday's 56-21 thrashing of the Lions proved coach Andy Reid was more than prescient when he said he saw signs of "the old Donovan" (QB Donovan McNabb, who missed most of last season with a torn ACL) late in the previous week's loss to the Redskins. Whichever Donovan it was against Detroit completed 14 of 15 passes for 332 yards and 4 TDs -- in the first half!"

Sept 25 Eli Manning was more than willing to play the game with the Redskins' defense on Sunday. Manning, especially in the second half, brought his team to the line of scrimmage with 12 to 15 seconds left on the play clock and did plenty of gesticulating and calling out to teammates as the Redskins toyed with showing and cloaking their schemes. It wasn't a show on the order of his brother Peyton's orchestrations, but Eli showed himself to be pretty adept at reading defenses and adapting, particularly when the results weren't as good as Manning had the first two weeks.

The Giants do not want to portray what transpired Sunday at FedEx Field as a victory that saved their season, but there's no denying it saved their sanity. Heading in at 0-2, the Giants would have salivated at the thought of winning in any manner. But the way their 24-17 triumph over the Redskins was achieved, with a comeback from a 17-3 halftime deficit that wasn't sealed shut until a remarkable four-play goal-line stand, did wonders for the psyche of a team that was simply not ready for despair to steal away its autumn.
When Sam Madison walked into the Giants' weight room yesterday morning, he noticed something he hadn't seen in awhile. Smiles. Lots and lots of smiles. "When you have 50-something-odd men with smiles on their faces, it makes your job a whole lot easier," Madison said. "You can watch film easier, you can work out in the weight room easier, everybody is at ease. It lifts a lot of pressure off everybody, and not only the players - everybody in the building."

Corey Webster may have lost his job as one of the Giants' starting cornerbacks, but Sam Madison thinks it's only a matter of time until Webster wins the job back. "Corey has some extraordinary talent," Madison said. "I just have to work with him on some little things. I think he's going to be an exceptional player in this league and I think he's going to do it for a long time. But the bottom line is: When are you going to do it?" Webster hasn't done it yet, which is why after 15 starts over two-plus seasons (and only one interception) he was benched in the second quarter on Sunday in favor of first-round pick Aaron Ross. Tom Coughlin would not commit to Ross as the starter this Sunday against the Eagles, but he sounded like he was leaning in that direction.

The only absolute the Giants take from their first victory is they won't become the first team in NFL history to go 0-16. At 1-2 they remain two games plus a head-to-head loss behind the Cowboys in the NFC East heading into Sunday night's game with the Eagles. Still it's better than 0-3. "We were 1-2 last year, and we are 1-2 this year," said running back Derrick Ward, who has filled in more than admirably for the injured Brandon Jacobs. "I think we went on a five-game winning streak last year at this point. So hopefully we can duplicate that."
You remember last year, right? The Giants had just lost in Week 3 to Seattle and sat at 1-2, just like this year's record. Then they ripped off five straight wins to finish the first half of the schedule at 6-2. That would account for the Giants' chipper mood yesterday. It wasn't just because coach Tom Coughlin canceled their film meetings in favor of some early lifting sessions and a free afternoon, but because the despair of the opening two games had vanished with one dramatic goal-line stand. The season might not be saved, but at least it has a future.
For two weeks, the Giants defense was perhaps the most vilified unit in the entire NFL. In losses to Dallas and Green Bay, the defense had surrendered league-high totals in points, passing yards and third-down conversion percentage. Even Tom Coughlin, the team's most influential evaluator, said late Sunday, "Rightfully so, the defense was bashed." No more. The Giants' 1-2 record gives them a much better outlook on what lies ahead.

Mathias Kiwanuka was credited with the Giants' only two sacks in Sunday's 24-17 victory at Washington. Both came when he went from a stand-up linebacker to a hand-in-the-ground defensive lineman, the position he played at Boston College, where he was good enough to be a first-round round pick in 2006, the 32nd overall pick. The Giant pass rush in general had more impact than it did in the first two games, and it doesn't take Vince Lombardi to figure out that the more opportunities to get Kiwanuka and starting defensive ends Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora in the game together, the more effective the Giant pass rush is going to be.

Plaxico Burress didn't need another reason to want to beat the Redskins on Sunday. An 0-2 start and a team beleaguered by defensive problems had already taken care of that. But when he caught the Redskins doing some trash talking on television before the game, he got it.
"In the back of their minds they already had us beat," Burress said. "If you turned on the TV (Sunday) before the game, you realized that all the things that they were saying were like they were just going to walk on top of us. They didn't think that we were a good football team."
After Plaxico Burress scored the game-winning touchdown Sunday night, he seemed ready to unleash an emphatic spike but instead ran to the Giants sideline and presented the ball to a man sitting in a wheelchair near the team's bench. Burress made sure the ball got to U.S. Army Lt. Colonel Greg Gadson, who on Saturday night delivered an emotional talk to the Giants at their team hotel.

Joe Gibbs spent much of Monday dissecting the four most painful plays of the young season for the Washington Redskins, the final four plays of a 24-17 loss to the New York Giants that knocked the Redskins from the ranks of the unbeaten. It all started moments after quarterback Jason Campbell passed 20 yards to Antwaan Randle El to give Washington, which had no timeouts, possession at the New York 1 with 58 seconds left. On First down: Gibbs signals to Campbell to spike the ball. The decision was made because the Redskins had used a three-receiver set to get into that position, and they wanted to stop the clock to move into their goal-line package.

Giants report card - Vinny DiTrani | Paul Schwartz

Sept 24 Giants win over the Redskins 24-17.

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On The Game: Game 3 Recap Gamegirl... "......I'll say it didn't look good for awhile. The Redskins were putting up points against the defense, and the Giants offense looked like it had taken a step back. Then in the second half you had the Giants team you hoped to see on both offense and defense. They took a 17-3 score and turned it into a thrilling 24-17 win. ......." Mikefan.... ".....I don't know how this would have played out, but maybe the Giants missed an opportunity when Clinton Portis ran for 16 yards and a first down and spiked the ball. Portis drew a delay of game penalty, but I suppose that based on NFL rules, if Sam Madison standing near him then picked up the ball and spiked it again, the Redskins would have lost that first down on offsetting penalties. Would that get the NFL to change a foolish rule in midseason......"

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ESPN - Giants rally as defense holds Skins to 83 yards in second half.
Giants.com - Giants defeat Redskins, 24-17.
Giants.com - Inspirational Message.
StarLedger - Big Blue makes a stand in second-half shutout.
StarLedger - Burress breaks out of blues.
StarLedger - Droughns eager to please his team.
Newsday - Giants avert 0-3 disaster.
Newsday - Goal-line stand preserves Giants' first win.
Newsday - Madison is Giants MVP on defense against Redskins.
Newsday - No drop in Burress' fight.
Newsday - Ward, Droughns carry the day for Giants.
Newsday - Giants' 'D' shows up for 24-17 win over 'Skins.
NYDailyNews - Giants' defense seals comeback win over Redskins.
NYDailyNews - Giants' defense survives Washington by Skin of teeth.
NYDailyNews - Plaxico Burress, Eli Manning a winning connection.
NYPost - Plaxico's glass is half-full.
NYPost - No points for Skins (Or Critics).
NYPost - Big Blue goes fourth & prospers.
NYPost - Goal-Line stand caps comeback avoids 0-3 start.
TheRecord - Giants notebook.
TheRecord - Giants show late stand against 'Skins.
JournalNews - Giants' defense makes its stand to beat Redskins 24-17.
CourierNews - Defense finally shows up, helps Giants rally for 24-17 victory.

Game 3 Giants vs Washington
Giants vs Washington. Not feeling too good about your 0-2 team? Well try to look at it this way. Almost a third of the NFL fans out there feel about the same. Just how many teams are 0-2 right now? That would be 10 out of 32. Maybe this will help a bit also. Over the next four games, the Giants will play Washington (a surprise at 2-0), and then three of those teams that are 0-2 right now.
Washington (2-0) - Offense. The Redskins finished last year at 5-11. It was the worst season in head coach Joe Gibbs career. This season they started with a home game win against Miami in overtime. Miami is in rebuilding stages with a new head coach and a new quarterback. Washington quarterback Jason Campbell had no touchdowns and 2 interceptions in that game. In the next game, a win over Philadelphia, Campbell had 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
Giants (0-2) - Defense. After two games, the Giants have given up more points than any other team in the league, and they're last in pass defense, giving up 310.5 yards per game. Covering tight ends is one of the Giants favorite weaknesses right now, if you will. Opposing tight ends, have caught 14 receptions for 171 yards and 3 touchdowns. Read more about Washington, Michael Strahan, the Giants, and the Matchup, in the game preview.

Sept 23 The Giants have fulfilled all the prerequisites of an 0-2 team for today's 4:15 p.m. game against the 2-0 Redskins. Tom Coughlin declared the team's mood as "serious.'' The defense, under heavy fire for its inability to keep two opponents out of the end zone, has circled the wagons and limited their availability to the media. Whatever contact the defensive members did have was sometimes angry and, in Antonio Pierce's case, self-interrupted with repeated air horn blasts.
The offense declared it must play better, even though little of the blame for this start rests on its shoulders. They have done what losing and desperate teams do. Now comes the hard, hard fact: If they lose to the Redskins, only a miracle will get them into the postseason.

The reminders how the Giants reversed a slow start last year, the snide comments about jumping off their bandwagon, the defiance and assurances, everything trotted out this past week gets put to the test this afternoon at FedEx Field. All they have left to do is beat the Redskins or else try to convince anyone an 0-3 team is worth anyone's attention.
Finding something positive in an 0-3 hole is like finding beauty in a beast. It's why Amani Toomer called today's game "about as close to a must-win game as you can get for Week 3." The reality is, the Giants aren't the team they were last year. Tiki Barber is retired, and the new defensive scheme could have its own television series called "Lost In Transition."
Unless there is a dramatic upturn in the Giants' defensive performance, it is going to take a monumental offensive effort each week to even compete for victories. It wasn't enough in the season-opening 45-35 loss in Dallas, and it wasn't close to enough in a 35-13 loss to the Packers in a home opener Eli Manning played coming off a bruised right shoulder. Old-fashioned shootouts light up the scoreboard and inflate ratings but rarely are a healthy formula to get through an NFL season.

The Giants last started a season 0-2 in 1996. One of the two remaining players from that team recognized the importance of winning today's game here against the Redskins right from the start of this week. "We're 0-2 and we definitely need to find a way to win," Amani Toomer said. Of course, that '96 team did start 0-3, finished 6-10 and got Dan Reeves fired. Not exactly a blueprint for what the Giants want to do today at FedEx Field against the surprisingly undefeated Redskins, who have gotten just enough offense and defense to eke out wins over the Dolphins and Eagles by a total of 11 points.
Of course, the idea of dropping three first three games is impossible for these Giants to fathom. They insist they are a much better team than they have shown, despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary - such as the 80 points they have surrendered in the first two games. "I look around the league at what everyone else has and what we have and right now I think the only thing we are lacking is just the confidence part of it," said defensive end Michael Strahan, who has looked like a shell of his former self coming off his 38-day, training camp holdout. "It's kind of like the chicken or the egg. What comes first: The confidence or the win?" Confidence hasn't seemed to be a big problem for the Giants. A much bigger problem has been their inability to play defense.

When the Giants have the ball: They have to finish their drives. Last week, the offense scored zero touchdowns in three trips inside the red zone. Scoring from inside the 20 has been an issue the past couple of seasons, but this time it was partly due to thoughtless penalties on Jeremy Shockey and Amani Toomer.
When the Redskins have the ball: It's looking like the old Joe Gibbs Hogs the way the 'Skins have been running the ball through the first two games. Their 160.5 rushing yards per game is tops in the NFC and the style has helped them control the clock and the game through their two victories.

Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs is finding the NFL is much tougher to figure out this time around. "Now some weeks you see somebody score 10 points, the next week they score 51," said Gibbs, who coached the Redskins from 1981-92 and returned to the sideline in 2004. "I think the NFL is extremely close right now. It's hard to predict from week to week what is going to happen." Well, this week the coach can pretty much guarantee one thing: The Giants and Redskins will score a lot of points at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., today. And there are three reasons why.

Former Giants
LaVar Arrington remembers cruising at about 35 miles per hour on an exit ramp when a dump truck cut him off, sending his brand new Kawasaki ZX-14 motorcycle swerving left onto gravel and smashing into a guard rail. "Watch what they will do," Arrington continues. "They will get rid of (running back) Clinton (Portis) before they have to pay him his crazy amount of money. They will get rid of (offensive lineman) Chris Samuels. That is how they do business. Or they restructure you."

Sept 22 A day after linebacker Antonio Pierce caused a stir by blowing an air horn when a television reporter tried to ask him questions about the team's woeful defense, things were back to normal with the Giants yesterday. Back to normal, of course, meant wide receiver Plaxico Burress wasn't doing much in practice, and as usual his status for tomorrow's game against the Washington Redskins is up in the air.
Plaxico Burress took limited practice yesterday, but said he'd play tomorrow against the 2-0 Redskins. Although coach Tom Coughlin described Burress' situation as a game-time decision - Burress is officially listed as questionable - it probably won't come down to if the Giants' star receiver plays, but how much. If he can't play the whole game, then someone with decidedly less experience and fewer accomplishments will have to take his place. And he won't be named Steve Smith. The good-looking second-rounder is out with a fractured shoulder blade.
Anthony Mix is Burress' backup at the position, and forgotten man Sinorice Moss is listed as Amani Toomer's backup and can play the third receiver spot. David Tyree (wrist) practiced all week and is probable. "I didn't see him (Burress) do too much, but what he did, he did OK," said Mix, whose 6-5, 235- pound frame mirrors that of Burress. Limited to special teams in the opener, Mix got in on 23 plays against Green Bay, with three fourth-quarter catches for 39 yards. "I think I'll be called upon to go into the game," Mix said. "I got in [the] fourth quarter (Sunday), had a couple of catches. For me it was a confidence builder, every catch you make. I think I did pretty good. I didn't do great, (but) I played pretty well."

Anthony Mix caught the first three passes of his NFL career in Sunday's loss to Green Bay, oddly enough from three quarterbacks, Eli Manning, backup Jared Lorenzen and third-stringer Anthony Wright. At least the Giants don't have a question at quarterback this week. Manning had been limited in practice the week prior to the Packers' game, but the shoulder he injured in Week 1 has been fine this week, Coughlin said.
Despite the uncertainty of playing with a bruised and sprained right shoulder, Manning has gotten off to a very consistent start, completing 44 of 70 passes (62.9 percent) for 523 yards and five touchdowns. Four of those touchdown passes have been to Plaxico Burress, who never looked rusty in his first seven quarters of regular-season work after missing the entire preseason schedule with ankle and back woes. Unfortunately, Burress turned his right ankle Sunday. He will be a game-time decision Sunday.

Antonio Pierce became the latest target of the ex-running back-turned-media star when Barber took shots at the Giants' linebacker for his odd behavior toward the media this week following the Giants' 35-13 loss to the Packers on Sunday. At first, Pierce refused to speak to the press for four days, a partial violation of the NFL's new media policy. Then, when Pierce finally broke his silence on Thursday, he blew an air horn any time a reporter tried to ask him a question about a Giants defense that has given up 80 points in its first two games.
Barber called that behavior "completely disrespectful" on his radio show Thursday night. Then yesterday, former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe concurred, calling Pierce's actions "childish." According to Pat Hanlon, the Giants' VP of communications, Coughlin and "others in the organization" spoke with Pierce about his behavior. "In those conversations, Antonio made it clear that he understands that (Thursday's) conduct was inappropriate," Hanlon said in an e-mail.k

Sept 21 It took Antonio Pierce five days to appear at his locker to attempt to explain away a two-game litany of failure that can be traced to the ineptitude of a Giants defense Pierce prides himself on leading. Rather than attempt to sift through the carnage and attempt to explain the reasons behind the NFL-high 80 points the Giants have allowed, Pierce yesterday adopted a playful, semi-defiant and fairly bizarre stance. He actually pulled an airhorn from under his towel and let out a loud blast whenever the mood struck him. "No defensive questions," Pierce said. "Ask me about the Redskins."
Pierce said. "If there's anybody here. ... I guess y'all have all the X's and O's and answers for us and you know what our problem is. Everybody knows what our defense runs, so we're asking the media and the fans: If you can please help out the New York Giants defense, we'd gladly appreciate it. Fan mail can be sent to Giants.com." One suggestion the Giants could take under consideration is to do a better job covering the tight end. Jason Witten of the Cowboys had 116 yards and a touchdown in the season opener, and Bubba Franks and Donald Lee each had a TD for the Packers last weekend.
And Sunday, the Redskins likely will look for talented tight end Chris Cooley. "Do you have an answer for that? Did you write that book: 'How to cover the tight ends?'" Pierce asked a reporter. "We don't have the answers in here, so I guess we're asking the fans, the media and everybody else that has the answers to help us out."

Michael Strahan, who missed all of training camp and preseason, was irked when asked about a TV report during Sunday's loss to the Packers that showed the Giants sideline sitting passively as Green Bay broke the game open. "Anybody can sit on the sideline and look at the bench and go, 'Oh.' That is crap. You know what? That is crap," Strahan railed. "It is just so disappointing to me when you guys had me come out here to answer questions and you ask stuff that is just. ...Be creative. That is crap. Coach (Tom Coughlin) answered it. Don't ask me what you asked Coach. I am not Coach."
If you ask me, it's a little early to be playing the "us against the world" card. It's usually tucked away deep in the pockets of coaches and prominent players ready to be used later in a season when things start to turn sour. Slumping teams often reach for it as a way to motivate themselves to prove the media and fans wrong. They stop pointing fingers at themselves and point them at us. But it's only Week 3 of the NFL season and the Giants already are playing that card as they prepare for Sunday's must win game at Washington. It comes off as a desperate team reaching for desperate measures.

Most of the leaders of that defense avoided the media this week the way they've avoided quarterbacks and receivers through two weeks of the season, but some of them, along with their coordinator, finally spoke yesterday. The foundation of the questions - to paraphrase - had this premise: Your unit is hideous. Your thoughts? "What we've been doing is sticking with the process," said first-year coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who oversees a defense that has allowed 80 points in two games and recorded just two sacks, both by Justin Tuck. "We keep talking about that and to keep believing in what we're doing."
As a first-year defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo knew it wouldn't be easy, but he could not have imagined it would be this difficult. His Giants have given up an NFL-high 80 points in two losses this season. "You can't let two games shake your confidence in a 16-game season," Spagnuolo, a former Eagles assistant, said yesterday in his first comments to the media since the start of the season. "When you are in certain adverse situations you rely back on prior experiences. In 2000 and 2002, [Philadelphia] began 0-2 and we ended up in the NFC Championship game. So it's not shaken me yet."
Spagnuolo said the key to turning around a defense that can't stop anybody right now is sticking to and working inside the scheme. Though there could be some lineup changes in the offing -- Aaron Ross in place of right cornerback Corey Webster, Gerris Wilkinson in place of weak-side linebacker Kawika Mitchell, even returning linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka to the defensive front eventually -- belief in the system was paramount in Spagnuolo' s mind.

Jessie Armstead was in the locker room Thursday. "When Foxie [former defensive coordinator John Fox] first got here, he brought a new defensive scheme," Armstead recalled. "The first three or four games were rocky. We started looking at each other, questioning each other like 'Man, I hate this.' And as time kept going on, it became our turn and bam, there it goes." Michael Strahan, Armstead's former teammate, was a member of the first Fox defense as well as a member of the first Steve Spagnuolo defense. "In a lot of our cases we are not making mistakes because we can't execute it, we are making mistakes because we are still trying to feel out what we are doing," he said. "That is why in practice we have to pick up our tempo, practice with a different mind-set.

Jeremy Shockey was at a loss. Not for words, of course. The outspoken tight end, who committed a drive-killing delay of game penalty during Sunday's loss to the Packers and dropped a couple of passes, was asked yesterday if he had been able to discern anything positive from the first two games. "I'm more of a negative kind of guy," Shockey said. "I don't like to lose. This league's very hard. I hate to lose. I hate dropping balls. I always like to do as well as I can."
When he did get around to mentioning positives, they related to the team's collective "chip" on its shoulder that has come with an 0-2 start. He also said no sense of panic had permeated the locker room. "I don't see anybody really flipping out that much," Shockey said before turning a critical eye inward. "It is early. Everyone gets stressed out if you don't win, you don't make a play, you don't catch a ball. I am the worst at it and I admit it."

Special teams star David Tyree is hoping to come back on Sunday from his broken wrist. He was surprised he could catch passes yesterday despite wearing a protective splint. "That's the plan - I'm not practicing for no reason," he said when asked if he could face the Redskins. "All those decisions are always coaches' decisions, but I know I can help this football team. I'm feeling good and I'm ahead of schedule." Asked about Tyree's availability, Tom Coughlin said, "You never know. You never know." Special teams coordinator Tom Quinn was more optimistic. "Yeah, he looks fresh," Quinn said. "The rest has done him well with the legs, so it looks good in getting him involved on all the different teams."

Former Giants
Tiki Barber's retirement puzzles Madden It was evident during John Madden's chat with fellow NBC analyst Tiki Barber after the Giants' opener that Madden was baffled by Barber's decision to retire. Nearly two weeks later, he still is. After Barber again laughed off the notion of returning to rescue the Giants yesterday, I asked Madden whether he had come to understand Barber's decision. Nope.

Sept 20 There were moments when it seemed as if Coughlin wanted to be anywhere else but where he had to be, which was standing and fielding questions about the sad state of the Giants defense. He grew testy when badgered about the shoddy pass coverage against opposing tight ends, who thus far have hauled in 14 receptions for 171 yards and three touchdowns.
The holes on defense are everywhere for the Giants right now, so maybe coach Tom Coughlin simply had so many other things he was focusing on that he lost sight of the point that his team's defense hasn't been able to cover the opposing tight end in either of the first two games. "The tight end down the field has not been as big of an issue as some of the other issues," Coughlin said yesterday in his morning press briefing before the Giants practice.

Then Coughlin was asked if cornerback Aaron Ross, the team's first-round draft pick last spring, has shown enough through the preseason and the first two games of the regular season to earn his first NFL start. "He's done some good things the last couple of weeks in practice," Coughlin said. "We want to continue to accelerate him, get him involved as much as we can. ... But then, of course, he has to hold up his end of the deal as well."
Ross has said repeatedly that he is still learning and getting comfortable in the defense. Playing in the slot was a big adjustment for him, because he never played inside at the University of Texas. Now he's trying to master that position and play corner. Despite the sharp learning curve, Ross said he will be ready if called upon. "I feel like I will be," he said. "That's something you have to step up to. They have big expectations for me from drafting me with the first pick. If they asked me to go out and start, then that's what I would do."
Ross has become a quick study as the nickel cornerback, a position he never played in four seasons at Texas. On Sunday, he had two passes defensed - one that he tipped into the arms of Gibril Wilson - and looked way better than anyone in the Giants' beleaguered secondary, at least until he began cramping up at halftime and could not finish the game.

It was clearly noticeable Sunday while the Green Bay Packers were running up and down the field against the Giants' defense. There was no life, no signs of defiance or even disgust among the defensive players, even when they hit the sideline. The lack of someone stepping up to inspire the unit carried over into Wednesday's locker room. The only ones who even tried to explain the defensive mess were players such as Justin Tuck, Sam Madison, R.W. McQuarters, Kawika Mitchell and Gibril Wilson. The so-called defensive leaders, however, were nowhere to be found.
The majority of the Giants' high-profile defensive players have taken to creating their own agendas when it comes to speaking with the media. Suddenly, there is a "we only talk on Thursday" decree. Under NFL media policies, only players with unusually demanding media responsibilities are allowed to designate one day a week to speak. Michael Strahan falls in that category and he's selected Thursdays as his designated day, as have Jeremy Shockey and Eli Manning. Osi Umenyiora has recently adopted that same policy and yesterday, when approached, second-year Mathias Kiwanuka - struggling in his new linebacker role - said, "Thursday, I'm trying something new."

Eli Manning would never want to take away any of the fire and enthusiasm away that makes Jeremy Shockey a dangerous tight end. Yet Tony Romo and Jason Campbell have tight ends just as dangerous as Shockey in Jason Witten and Chris Cooley, and they come without the histrionics and drive-killing drama that seems to envelop Shockey like a black shroud. Campbell, especially, has a prize in Cooley, the 2-0 Redskins' high-yield tight end who rarely says a word or busts a move on the field that would cause even the strictest official to furrow his brow. Manning would rather have Shockey, a player capable of making a big play. He'd just prefer his guy tone down his act when the 0-2 Giants are on the move.

Only three players were on stationary bikes during Wednesday's practice. Coach Tom Coughlin is hopeful wide receiver Plaxico Burress will work today. "[It] still appears to be a little sore," he said of Burress' ankle. Running back Brandon Jacobs (knee) and WR Steve Smith (fractured scapula) appear to be the only players certain to miss Sunday's game against Washington.
"He is coming along well," Coughlin said of Jacobs, who was injured in the opener against Dallas. "He feels good. If you didn't know differently, you would have him out there." Coughlin added, however, "He has a ways to go." Jacobs originally was supposed to be out three to five weeks. WR David Tyree (wrist), linebacker Gerris Wilkinson (patella) and cornerback Kevin Dockery (ankle) returned to practice full time. Quarterback Jared Lorenzen (ankle) was limited.

Sept 19 There was no consensus in the preseason as to who would win the NFC East, but most prognosticators had the Redskins (2-0) in last place. But right now, Washington is tied with the Cowboys for the top spot; the Giants and Eagles are still searching for their first victory. The Redskins aren't a quick-strike offensive threat, especially with QB Jason Campbell (431 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs, 66.3 passer rating) still feeling his way. And Washington's 16th-ranked defense hasn't dominated and has generated only one takeaway.

So often in the Giants' locker room, one hears this phrase: "That's just Shockey being Shockey." Jeremy Shockey can be a bit of a puzzler at times. Shockey is capable of great moments, exceptional catches and runs after catches - a touchdown reception in Seattle in 2005 when he had his collarbone broken, the extra half-dozen yards he picked up after his helmet came off in the playoff game in Philly last season - and also capable of some truly dumb ones.

Tim Lewis, whom Tom Coughlin fired at the end of last season and who is now the Carolina Panthers secondary coach, was a convenient scapegoat for the Giants last season. His defenses regressed in his three years as coordinator, particularly against the pass. So far, though, Spagnuolo - who learned at the feet of master blitzer Jim Johnson in Philadelphia - hasn't done much better.
There is no clear-cut evidence that Steve Spagnuolo as a novice coordinator is a major factor in the pathetically inept performance of the Giants defense. The real culprits are the same players who during the summer lauded Spagnuolo and the aggressive scheme he imported from Philadelphia.

Apparently unsatisfied with the play of their secondary, the Giants brought in veteran CB/S Artrell Hawkins for a visit on Monday. Hawkins was cut by the Patriots in mid-August, in part because of an undisclosed injury that he said "I've managed before." He started 12 games at safety for New England last season. Before joining the Pats (2005-06), he spent seven years playing cornerback for the Bengals (1998-2003) and Panthers (2004).

Sept 18 Tom Coughlin walked into the press room wearing a blue shirt with a white "NY" over the heart, and you couldn't help but wonder how much longer he will get to wear it. His team is in trouble again and he is in trouble again. He isn't Dead Man Walking yet, but if this keeps up, the plank will be waiting for him. The worst possible way for Coughlin to open the 2007 season, given the way his dysfunctional Giants closed the 2006 season, was with The Worst Team In Football.
Tom Coughlin said he is not worried about the morale of his team, because everyone around the Giants is being very open and honest about the reasons why they are 0-2. That may be fine for now, but soon enough, if the Giants keep losing Coughlin might be powerless to do anything about a deterioration in the morale of the fans and, more importantly, the owners.
The Giants have started 0-2 in 17 previous seasons. Only five times did they rebound to finish with a winning record. And only once were they able to rebound in time to make the playoffs - and that was way back in 1934. Of course, that '34 defense didn't give up 40 points per game. "There are a lot of areas that we can improve upon," Coughlin admitted. "You know, you'd think that some of the things you'd have ironed out for Week 2. We didn't get that part of it done. There's obvious reason for that. But still they're facts."

The Giants' defensive glass is half-filled with improvement against the first- and second-down running plays. That was all Tom Coughlin could pour into it Monday in the wake of Sunday's 35-13 loss to Green Bay. That's like saying the food was delicious on the Titanic, or the view was awe-inspiring from the Hindenburg. Pretty soon teams are not going to bother running the ball on first, second or third downs against a Giants' defense that, after two games, has shown absolutely no propensity to stop the pass.
Clearly, the Giants need a spark. In the past, Tiki Barber could always bust loose for a 200-yard game. Now, even if Eli Manning puts up 35 points, as he did in Dallas, the defense is going to give back 45. So, the spark must come from the defense. There is only one player with the credentials to suggest he can dominate a game, come up with a huge sack and change the mind-set of a unit that is giving up 40 points a game.
But future Hall of Famer Michael Strahan, who spent the summer in Southern California instead of Albany and didn't report to the team until the Monday before the opener and then practiced just four times before he played, has not made an impact so far. Does he still have it in his 35-year-old body, which has suffered two major injuries in the last three years, to take over and impose his will?

When Steve Spagnuolo left the Giants Stadium field on Sunday, he was staring at the ground with a furrowed brow. Yesterday, as the players peeled off to the locker room following a walk-through, Spagnuolo continued down the dark hallway, glaring at the suddenly chilly concrete. Guess this isn't exactly how he imagined his first stint as a defensive coordinator would begin.
Blame the front office, not Spagnuolo for worst defense in Giants history. An NFL scout who has watched tape of the Giants' first two games agreed to assess the Giants defense on condition of anonymity because evaluations aren't supposed to be discussed publicly. Here's his take: "I don't blame 'Spags' (defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo). I like what he's doing and I like his style. They just don't have guys that can cover or even line up. Spags had them playing zone -- and they got beat short. So he went man against the Packers -- and got beat deep. So he went zone again -- and got beat short. He's probably thinking right now it's better to play zone and keep the game in reach rather than blitz and have the other team hit big plays. So he's not playing the true Philly defense. If he does, with this personnel, they'll get blown out every game."

Is it scheme, or is it the players? That's the question that has haunted the 0-2 Giants after their 35-13 home opener loss to the Packers. A unit that remained basically intact, save for the free agent acquisition of linebacker Kawika Mitchell and the sprinkling in of some younger backups, is now deep into failure in its second system. The same players who bristled under Lewis' zone schemes haven't gotten to the quarterback or covered receivers effectively under Spagnuolo's philosophy. Maybe that's why coach Tom Coughlin is already thinking about some lineup changes.
Coughlin said he might look to change some of the schemes to get Mathias Kiwanuka on the field more in passing situations. Kiwanuka played sparingly at linebacker Sunday, coming off the field in the nickel packages and for a few series when Reggie Torbor filled in. Since Strahan's return, Kiwanuka rarely has lined up on the defensive line, as he did in the preseason alongside Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora. "We have all three of our ends and Kiwanuka available to us," Coughlin said. "They're at all different stages right now, and we've got a long way to go here. We have to get them all firing on the same cylinders."
Desperate for playmakers in a weak secondary, the Giants drafted cornerback Aaron Ross in the first round in April. Maybe Sunday in Washington, they will get a chance to see what he can do. Tom Coughlin yesterday said Ross had played "decently" in the Giants' 35-13 loss to Green Bay on Sunday, and then added, "We'd certainly like to see more of him." He has already beaten out R.W. McQuarters for the nickel-back job. He could next leapfrog over Corey Webster into the starting lineup.

For all of the debate over whether Manning would (or should) play with his injured throwing shoulder, he survived and performed quite well. He threw for 211 yards and a touchdown and one interception. Manning for the most part was kept clean by his offensive line, which allowed only two sacks. "The offensive line did a good job," he said. "I didn't take many hits and that also helped out as well." Ironically, the quarterback everyone had been counting on to take Manning's place if Manning couldn't play ended up getting injured himself. Jared Lorenzen was injured during his second play of the game at the end of the fourth quarter. He was sacked by Packers DT Corey Williams and came up limping. Lorenzen lasted six more plays before giving way to third-string quarterback Anthony Wright.

Coughlin said he will ask the league for an explanation why the five-yard delay of game penalty on TE Jeremy Shockey for spiking the ball was not tacked onto the play (Shockey's 14-yard reception) rather than nullifying the play entirely. "Delay of game is a dead-ball foul," Coughlin reasoned. "If it is a dead-ball foul, the play is already over so why aren't we going to subtract five from here instead of going back and replaying the down?"

Giants report card - Vinny DiTrani | Paul Schwartz

Sept 17 Giants lose to Green Bay 35-13.

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On The Game: Game 2 Recap Gamegirl... "......If you made it to the stadium today, you got to see a great quarterback play the game and what looks to be another in the making. Brett Favre won the 149th game of his long career, and that might not have happened if Eli Manning's performance wasn't degraded by some of his own teammates along the way. Manning is great to watch in person, and you can almost feel the attitude difference in Eli from the previous years........" Mikefan.... ".....On the positive side, Eli Manning looked healthy despite all the shoulder concerns and he played like he was in midseason form. On the downside, some of the veteran guys he should count on played like rookies. Names like Jeremy Shockey, Amani Toomer, and Plaxico Burress all drew penalties that hurt......"

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ESPN - Favre now winningest QB in NFL history after Packers' win.
Giants.com - Giants fall to Packers 35-13.
Officialbrettfavre.com - Today's win simply vintage Favre.
Packers.com - Favre, Offense Roll In Second Half Of Big Win.
StarLedger - Woe-And-Two.
StarLedger - It's contagious: More players bit by injury bug.
StarLedger - Outbursts are costly for Giants.
StarLedger - Favre takes a pass on win mark.
StarLedger - Giants rail.
Newsday - It may be a new season, but it's same old Giants.
Newsday - Long day for CB Webster.
Newsday - Giants lack defense, discipline in loss to Pack.
Newsday - Giants' penalties prove costly.
Newsday - Favre passes Elway to become NFL's win leader.
Newsday - Grading the Giants.
DailyNews - Coughlin watch starts early.
DailyNews - Eli Manning guts through injury, but fails to lift Giants to win.
DailyNews - Big Blue 'D' deserves 'F'.
NYPost - No separation for Eli.
NYPost - No defense for Big Blue mess.
NYPost - Woeful Giants 'Pack' it in.
NYPost - Injuries keep mounting.
TheRecord - Giants defense yet to show up.
TheRecord - Eli only positive on entire team.
TheRecord - Giants defense needs to improve quickly.
TheRecord - Nobody tops Favre.
HartfordCourant - Oh, This Could Get Ugly.
CourierNews - Packers' Grant returns to beat his former team.

Game 2 Giants vs Green Bay
Giants vs who? Oh yes, Green Bay. The way it's been going, there's been so much news about the Giants each week that there's barely enough time to consider who they're playing. Eli Manning might or might not start for the first time in his career, Brandon Jacobs is out for a few games, There are new books out about the Giants from a former player, the former general manager, a die-hard fan, and soon, from a current player (Michael Strahan).
Giants- Eli Manning. While there was speculation all week that Manning might not start in the season opener at Giants Stadium on Sunday, according to NFL Network’s Adam Schefter, Manning will start.
Michael Strahan. It was Strahan's first game back last week, and for him it was all training camp, preseason and regular season game, rolled up into one. If Strahan has anything left after all these years, he needs to lead the Giants defense this week and show it. Against Dallas, the Giants gave up eight explosive gains, defined as at least 10 yards on a running play or 25 on a pass. They also allowed the Cowboys to convert on 6-of-11 third downs. Five of the six conversions were on 3rd-and-6 or longer.
Brett Favre. He'll be 38 on Oct 10, and still has good arm strength and mobility. He's also very football-wise if only they would listen to him. Favre wanted his team to sign Randy Moss (9 catches for 183 yards and 1 touchdown last week), but General Manager Ted Thompson seems intent on building up the defense instead. Without the necessary tools, it leaves Favre trying to do it on his own.
Your crystal ball. That would be your TV set again this week. Catch the Redskins playing the Eagles on Monday night at 8:30 p.m. The Giants face the Redskins next week, and the Eagles the week after. The Eagles (0-1) are coming off a loss to the Packers, and they have to face a division opponent. The Redskins (1-0) struggled to a 16-13 overtime win over the Miami Dolphins, a rookie-heavy team in rebuilding with a new head coach and a new quarterback.

Sept 16 The second week of the season is not supposed to feel as harrowing as it does for the Giants. It is not that they dropped their opener, because exactly half of the teams in the NFL did just that. The Giants lost more than a game in Dallas, as halfback Brandon Jacobs won't suit up in the Giants Stadium opener against the Packers. Quarterback Eli Manning and defensive end Osi Umenyiora also left the Dallas game, and although both appear set to give it a go today, there's no telling how long they'll last or how effective they'll be. If you drew up a list of the five most indispensable players on the roster, those three would be on the list.

Today, Eli Manning has a chance to add his name to the list of tough-guy quarterbacks by taking the first snap of the game against the Packers. Pennington won't make it, but he has already proven his toughness in battling several injuries through 10 NFL seasons. In the NFL, though, there's an inherent conflict when it comes to quarterbacks and injuries -- something the Giants faced all week in deciding whether to play Manning. Playing hurt risks making an injury worse. Not playing hurt risks losing the respect of teammates. "It's part of the business," said former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, no stranger to playing with pain. "But one of the ways you gain respect from your teammates is for them to know you're willing to sacrifice yourself for the team and you're willing to play through some things. You don't ever want to be regarded as the guy who can't play through pain. "All those macho things are how you gain respect in the locker room, so it's important."

Just seven days after suffering a second-degree sprain of the AC joint in his right shoulder, Manning will take the field at some point in the Giants' home opener against the Green Bay Packers and might even start his 43rd consecutive game (including playoffs). His presence undoubtedly will be a huge lift to his teammates, still reeling from their opening-night loss to the Cowboys, and his display of toughness should ignite the Giants Stadium crowd.
While Big Blue played like Humpty Dumptys who had a great fall against the Cowboys, Manning fired four touchdown passes and dared critics to invoke the names of Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers, and had Tiki Barber singing his praises. "You can just see he's got a little bounce to his step," Michael Strahan said. A little swagger? "Oh without a doubt," Strahan said. Manning looked like a franchise quarterback against the Cowboys, looked the way a Manning is supposed to look.

Just on the chance that Jared Lorenzen gets into the game this afternoon, they were planning parties down in Fort Thomas, just across the border from Cincinnati. Of course, the people there think they know a secret. To New York, Lorenzen is the big backup with some colorful nicknames, like J-Load, the Hefty Lefty and the Pillsbury Throwboy. To Dale Mueller, Lorenzen's former coach at Highlands High School in Fort Thomas, Ky., he's simply one of the greatest athletes he's ever coached.

Derrick Ward is the longest-tenured running back on the Giants' current roster. That statement seems unlikely, because Ward has been the team's least-utilized back since coming aboard on Oct. 13, 2004. Playing behind Tiki Barber and Brandon Jacobs and two injuries limited him to just 35 rushing attempts in his first three years as a Giant - all in 2005. But now Ward is ready to step into the limelight.

Believe it or not, there were other things going on around Giants Stadium besides the hand-wringing over quarterback Eli Manning's bruised/sprained right shoulder. Not that the game-time decision on Manning wasn't important, especially now that it actually looks like he could play. But fixing the defense ran a close, though overlooked, second. Coach Tom Coughlin guaranteed a better defensive performance in today's 1 p.m. game against the 1-0 Packers. Now, that's not exactly the stuff of Nostradamus. And he wouldn't get very long odds in Vegas if he wanted to plunk some money down on it. The fact is, things just can't get much worse for coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's defense, not after it allowed 45 points, 478 total yards of offense and an unsightly eight big plays against the Cowboys.

Eli Manning is the most important player in the Giants' world, but he certainly was the least of their problems on opening night seven days ago. The biggest concern, obviously, was the defense in the Cowboys' 45-35 win. Steve Spagnuolo's crew looked frozen at times in the opener, and every phase, from pass-rushing to the play of the linebackers to the coverage by the secondary, needed to be better. The Giants will get the opportunity today to make those improvements. It'll come against Brett Favre, who is going straight to the Hall of Fame when he finally hangs up his cleats but leads a Packers offense that hasn't been good for more than a little while.

The story all week for both New York football teams was whether their starting quarterbacks would be healthy enough to play today. There was no such story in Green Bay, nor have there been many since Brett Favre took over the Packers' quarterback duties three games into the 1992 season. Favre, meanwhile, will be making his 239th consecutive regular-season start (259th including playoffs), an incredible string that sometimes even amazes the quarterback himself. A victory today would give him the most wins ever by an NFL starting quarterback (149), breaking a tie with John Elway.
Brett Favre has played with a separated non-throwing shoulder, a broken thumb, a severely bruised hip, a sprained knee, a brain-jarring concussion and nerve-numbing pain in his throwing elbow, among the many other injuries that have threatened his Ripkenesque consecutive starts streak.

Steve Serby asked Michael Strahan - "Do you hope that if you sack Brett Favre this time, it will be a "legitimate" sack?" Strahan - "The first one was legitimate." Serby - "One that will not be questioned?" Strahan "Well, that was six years ago, everybody wants to talk about that one. But if I get a sack (today and) if it happens the same way that the other sack happened, then it's legitimate to me. A sack is a sack is a sack."

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