Oct 22 Giants win over San Francisco 33-15.

---

On The Game: Game 7 Recap Gamegirl... "...... It was a great opening drive, and the fans really had a lot to cheer about at the stadium today. I mean, there were lots of sacks by the defense, two interceptions, a forced fumble and even Osi Umenyiora recovering one and running it down the field for a touchdown. Eli Manning threw another touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey, but one of the biggest cheers went up when Lawrence Tynes made an extra point kick after missing the first one......" Mikefan.... ".......I hate to be a downer after a win, and probably the Giants can play sloppy next week and still beat the 0-7 Miami Dolphins, but missed extra points, blocked punts and foolish penalties won't win you games against the tougher competition coming up for the Giants....."

---

ESPN - Giants' D helps account for 24 points in rout.
Giants.com - Giants defeat 49ers, 33-15.
San Francisco Chronicle - 49ers sacked by Giants.
San Francisco Chronicle - Game Summary.
StarLedger - Unstoppable.
StarLedger - Jacobs enjoying healthy numbers.
StarLedger - Isn't that special? Not really.
StarLedger - Toomer open to Niners' plan.
StarLedger - Giants Rail.
Newsday - Umenyiora leads sack-happy Giants' defense.
Newsday - Bob Glauber: Defense frightens, but Giants aren't scary good.
Newsday - Giants win fifth straight, dominate 49ers, 33-15.
Newsday - Feagles' blocked punt could have been worse.
DailyNews - Giants defense batters 49ers as Big Blue wins 5th straight.
DailyNews - After trip to London, Giants must avoid second-half flop.
DailyNews - Giants defense leaves Trent Dilfer black and Blue.
DailyNews - Giants' offensive line makes unit look real good.
DailyNews - Strahan, Umenyiora, D-line motivated by personal wager.
NYPost - Jints can San Fran.
NYPost - Bullies are back on both sides of.
NYPost - Eli stands out by being overshadowed in victory.
NYPost - Osi enjoys an LT-Like afternoon.
NYPost - Pierce has 'no regrets' about late hits.
NYPost - Special teams not getting their kicks.
Record - Osi stars in Giants' win.
JournalNews - Jacobs' output matches his size.
JournalNews - Giants' dominant defense leads to fifth straight win.

Game 7 Giants (4-2) vs San Francisco (2-3)
Flip-flop. Starting the season, the Giants dropped two and looked to be on the brink of doom the way they were playing. The 49ers won their first two and looked to be continuing in the right direction. The last three years they were 2-14, 4-10, and 7-9.
Now the 49ers have lost three in a row while the Giants have won four straight. In the Giants 31-10 win on Monday night in Atlanta they racked up 491 offensive yards, their most since January 2002. The Niners are coming off a bye so they had plenty of time to prepare for the Giants working off a short week. In their last game, a close 9-7 loss to Baltimore, San Francisco was held to a season-low 163 yards. The Baltimore defense was as tough as the 49ers, but the Ravens won the game scoring just 3 field goals.
Trent Dilfer. It's a little early for Halloween, but the 49ers have sprung out the ghost of Super Bowl past to haunt the Giants. Trent Dilfer playing in his 14th NFL season, will start for the second time in place of Alex Smith who has been out with a separated right shoulder. Niners coach Mike Nolan stated that although Smith has healed, he's not convinced he's ready to face the Giants. Dilfer was the quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens in their 34-7 win over the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.
He became the only Super Bowl-winning quarterback to be cut in the ensuing offseason. Dilfer is 24-of-52 for 254 yards with 3 interceptions and 1 touchdown filling in for Smith since he was injured. If preparation counts (and it does), he's now had more time working with the first unit for this game. Read more about the 49ers, Trent Dilfer, Frank Gore, Eli Manning, and the Matchup, in the game preview.

Oct 21 The San Francisco 49ers struck fast and furious when the free-agent signing period opened in March. They doled out more than $128 million in contracts, including more then $40 million in guarantees to add five new starters to their lineup. And that doesn't include the re-signing of six of their own players and the one player they acquired in a trade. The lesson learned from all that should be that money doesn't buy happiness. It also doesn't always buy success. The 49ers (2-3) have the worst offense in the NFL, the 20th-ranked defense, and they limp into Giants Stadium today having lost three straight games.
After setting all sorts of franchise records during his breakout season last year with the San Francisco 49ers, Frank Gore now runs with a target on his back. With the 49ers offense hobbling into Giants Stadium this afternoon, the weight will fall on the man Pierce has dubbed "21," after Gore's jersey number, to pick up the slack. Gore, in his third season out of the University of Miami, will be without his regular starting quarterback, Alex Smith, because of an injury. Veteran journeyman Trent Dilfer, 35, will be handing the ball off to Gore.
"We just finished the bye week. We all stuck together as far as our opinion as to what we have to do," Gore said. "What we said in our meetings, we have to take it over to the game. Just believe in everybody and trust." The 5-9 Gore is a threat because not only is he a hard runner, but he also catches the ball out of the backfield (he had 61 receptions last year). Gore totaled 2,180 total yards, second-best in the NFC last season (his first as a starter), and broke the single-season franchise record held by former Niners back Garrison Hearst.

Eli Manning has gone through some familiar highs and lows through six games this season. There have been some electrifying completions, mostly to Plaxico Burress, and a few maddening interceptions, and his statistics are not markedly different from those in his first six games of each of the previous two seasons. It's a far cry from the quarterback who let his negative body language out after a bad play, as Manning did in Jacksonville in week 11 last season. That young guy had to be "rescued" by Tiki Barber, who said he called out Coughlin and the offensive play-calling after that loss to the Jaguars in part to protect the fragile Manning. Despite a few poor throws and interceptions, he's needed no such rescuing this season.

Plaxico Burress can do the math. The wide receiver signed a six-year, $25 million contract with the Giants prior to the 2005 season. He received a $5 million signing bonus. The man he goes up against today, San Francisco cornerback Nate Clements, signed an eight-year, $80 million contract prior to this season. That made the former Buffalo Bill the highest-paid defensive player in the league. He got $22 million up front. "His bonus was about as much as my whole deal," Burress noted. "He's a good player. I'm not going to take anything away from him. Everybody would love to be the highest-paid player on offense or defense. I can't do nothing but salute the guy -- and his agent."
Clements, at 6-1, 215 pounds, is a ball-hawk - he has 24 career interceptions, including five run back for touchdowns - and is not afraid to stick his nose in at the line to get involved in run support. Niners coach Mike Nolan considers Clements one of the top five cornerbacks in the NFL and he should know, considering Nolan previously worked with Deion Sanders, Darrell Green and Chris McAlister. "Nate rates right up there with those guys," Nolan said, "and what I like about Nate probably more than all those guys is he probably has a more complete game than any of those guys.
Nate Clements is big, physical and fast, making him perhaps the best-equipped player to handle Giants WR Plaxico Burress, who is only two TDs away from his career-high of 10 with more than half a season to play. If the Niners' DBs are able to do what no other secondary has this year -- take Burress out of the game -- the Giants must then turn to their three RBs -- Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Reuben Droughns, who combined for 188 yards rushing against the Falcons last week. The 49ers have allowed 124.2 rushing yards per game, so the Giants should be able to move the ball even if they can't throw at will.

There's no telling whether the Giants can continue their successful approach to the running back position in the post-Barber world. But after six games, the results are encouraging. By this time last year, the Giants were 4-2; Barber had rushed for 647 yards and no touchdowns. Brandon Jacobs was next with 217 yards and three TDs. The Giants had 168 points after six games. Entering today's game against the 49ers, the Giants again are 4-2, and the rushing numbers are nearly as impressive. Derrick Ward (421), Jacobs (212) and Reuben Droughns (121) have rushed for a combined 754 yards and six touchdowns. The Giants have scored 154 points. The lack of ego among the three backs is a key component of why this is working out so well. None of the running backs is demanding more carries than any other.
When starter Brandon Jacobs went down in the opener with sprained knee ligaments, Derrick Ward stepped in and averaged nearly 90 yards a game. When Jacobs returned, he promptly came up with the first 100-yard game of his career. When Jacobs and Ward were hobbled Monday night in Atlanta, veteran Reuben Droughns received his first prolonged playing time and responded with 14 rushing attempts and 90 yards. "You put any of the three of us in there and you'll get the same results," Ward said. The plan today against the 49ers is likely to go with a steady dose of Jacobs and Ward, with Droughns used primarily in goal-line situations. There are rumblings Jacobs (neck, ankle) might not be able to play, but he remains likely to suit up. Ward has battled through a sprained ankle, and if he can't make it through the game, Droughns will have to be called on again.

He is the little man who has been the giant behind the resurrection of Big Blue. Watch the Giants get after Super Bowl nemesis Trent Dilfer VII seasons later today. Watch them swarm Frank Gore. The best Giants seasons always have been about defense, and this one now has a chance to be about a rookie defensive coordinator named Steve Spagnuolo. "I'd say he's an intense, focused, intelligent field general," Mathias Kiwanuka says. Big Blue hasn't had a defensive coordinator this popular since John Fox made his mark under Jim Fassel. "You can tell the difference between somebody who's just talking about something and somebody who's really giving you their heart and soul," Kiwanuka says. "You could tell that he's really put a lot of effort and a lot of thought into it, that he cares about it, so it's easy to pay attention to him."

Oct 20 The Giants say they prepared all week to face either Alex Smith or Trent Dilfer at quarterback and the news that Dilfer will start tomorrow for the 49ers does not change much of anything. Smith, a former No. 1 pick, has been out with a separated right shoulder and Dilfer stepped in for the majority of the past two games. The Giants expected Smith to return, but Niners coach Mike Nolan stated that although Smith has healed, he's not convinced he's ready to face the Giants and so Dilfer will get the call. "He's a really smart quarterback, manages the game well," linebacker Antonio Pierce said of Dilfer. "Of course, he's gotten older but he's capable of being a starter in this league."
Yesterday, Osi Umenyiora sounded like a public relations director for the San Francisco 49ers, hyping up Trent Dilfer perhaps like no one else has. "He's won one (Super Bowl)," Umenyiora said, referring to Dilfer's victory with the Baltimore Ravens over the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. "I haven't won any. He has done something right. He's not as mobile as Alex Smith but you never know ... he might come out there and look like Tony Romo or Mike Vick. You never know."

The best evidence that Manning is growing more comfortable with the leadership role Barber famously claimed was ill-fitting has come on the football field. Heading into Sunday afternoon's game against the 49ers, the Giants are riding a four-game winning streak with the sixth-ranked offense in the NFL. From coach Tom Coughlin to the offensive teammates in his huddle, the consensus is clear: Manning is the team's leader.

There's genuine excitement around the Giants about the possible return of Steve Smith, the rookie receiver who missed the past four games with a fractured clavicle. Naturally, getting the polished USC product on the field tomorrow against the 49ers is a priority and might happen, as he made it through the week of practice. There was no rushing Smith's recovery, but there is a sense of urgency, as there were no great steps forward by second-year receiver Sinorice Moss during Smith's absence.

Running back Reuben Droughns likes to go about things quietly. His role on the Giants, his performance on the field, Droughns does none of it for show. He just goes out and does it. "It's exciting for me to be in a situation like this because I want to win," Droughns said. "And the fans and media around here expect you to." After being acquired in an off-season trade with the Cleveland Browns, Droughns was brought in presumably to be the backup for projected starter Brandon Jacobs. But when the Giants needed to fill a hole at the fullback spot, Droughns moved in without hesitation.

If he had to pinpoint the change in fortunes, Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo would choose the goal-line stand at the end of the Washington game in Week 3. "Although actually we played pretty well that whole second half," he added. Spagnuolo swears, however, there was no magic wand, no snap of the fingers that changed what was a woeful unit for the first 10 quarters to what has been a force for the last 14. What you are seeing now is what you were seeing then, minus the mental mistakes.

As the Giants' defense has continued to gain confidence with each impressive performance, particularly the sack pack of Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka and Michael Strahan, a couple of starters may be feeling left out. Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield are the ones who come off the field when the Giants decide to roll out the above-mentioned quartet, which has 18 of the team's 21 sacks.
Cofield and Robbins are traditional tackles and both have performed well this season, but not to the level of the four defensive ends, who come on in passing situations and, occasionally, in all situations. "Maybe if we were the only team doing it, I'd feel differently," Cofield said. "But you look around the league and it's becoming more and more common. In the NFC East, everyone puts faster guys on the field on third down."

TE Michael Matthews was signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent. At 6-4, 270 lbs, Matthews provides Big Blue with a young, hungry tight end behind Jeremy Shockey. "Making this roster as an undrafted free agent from Georgia Tech, I have come to realize many things. First, I realized you have to work hard to get where you want to be. You can't take anything for granted and you have to go through the high's and the low's. I'd have to say the main difference between being drafted and undrafted are the opportunities one would get."

Oct 19 For the fourth consecutive season, the Giants are off to a 4-2 start and feeling good about themselves. But this time, the Giants say there is something different about this team. Unlike last year. when the locker room was fractured by agendas and dissension, the Giants insist this roster is united. "There is really no finger-pointing or anything in that locker room," Tom Coughlin said after practice yesterday. "And that has been a big plus." Where there was once snickering and second-guessing of Coughlin, there appears to be nothing but respect. That's what a four-game winning streak can do for a team.

A four-time Pro Bowl cornerback, Sam Madison isn't used to playing in anyone's shadow, much less a rookie's. That might explain why the Giants' normally mild-mannered 33-year-old briefly lost his cool yesterday when asked another question about sensational young counterpart Aaron Ross. "I've been talking about Aaron Ross for five weeks," Madison told a group of reporters, his voice suddenly rising almost to a shout. "I'm not answering any more questions about him." Madison would rather talk about his accomplishments, with good reason. Like the 4-2 Giants, winners of four in a row going into Sunday's home game with San Francisco, the former Miami Dolphins standout has been on the rise after a slow start.

The Giants' running backs have become so interchangeable, Eli Manning sometimes has no advance knowledge who he's handing off to. "A lot of times I don't notice who is in the huddle," Manning said. "I have confidence in all of them in what they are doing. I am focused on what the play is and what is going on. They are kind of rotating in and out on their own."

Both wide receivers were second-round draft picks, although a decade apart. That's not where the similarities between Amani Toomer and Sinorice Moss end. Each had his rookie year marred by injury. Toomer underwent season-ending knee surgery after seven games in 1996. Moss was plagued by a nagging thigh injury that limited him to six games last year. With 11 catches, Moss is 576 behind the Giants' record-holder who passed Tiki Barber with his seventh and final catch in Monday night's win in Atlanta. Toomer can relate to what Moss is experiencing right now, and has tried to give the young receiver words of support and wisdom.

Steve Spagnuolo had an idea that Antonio Pierce might be an asset to the defense when the Giants hired Spagnuolo in January. The first-year defensive coordinator didn't realize just how helpful Pierce could be until the season began, and perhaps even right up to the last two games. In those two games, the most recent of the Giants' four straight wins, Pierce and his incessant film study produced some excellent on-field adjustments as the defense continued to dominate opponents.

After surrendering 13 touchdowns and two field goals over the first 10 quarters and 31 possessions, the Big Blue defense has been more brick than sponge. The unit is feeling rather good about itself after surrendering just two touchdowns and two field goals over the last 14 quarters and 43 possessions. "I think once we got a little bit of confidence ... they have been able to rise up and play good solid football," coach Tom Coughlin said. Not coincidently, the Giants won these last four games. They are back in play for the NFC East race, a game back of 5-1 Dallas. And now the defense will have a chance to build even more confidence because it will be meeting up on Sunday at Giants Stadium with the lowest-ranked offense in the NFL, the one belonging to the 2-3 49ers.

Denver needed a home win in the season finale against the 49ers last year to get into the playoffs. The 49ers left the mile-high city with a 31-28 win and the Broncos left wondering what went wrong. "There is potential for the 49ers to find their rhythm this week coming off their bye," said Johnston, the former Cowboy fullback. "If it's going to happen, it will be this week. They had some time to focus on what their issues were offensively and try and figure they are not doing the things they were successful at last year." It would still appear to be a slam-dunk for a Giants' defense that has been feasting on struggling quarterbacks after being dissected by Tony Romo and Brett Favre in the first two games.

Nate Clements, the former Bills defensive back, has been credited with 25 total tackles while grabbing one interception and knocking away three more passes. In Week 2, he was named the league's defensive player of the week when he had six tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in a win over the Rams. But Sunday will be Clements' first true chance to prove he deserves to be the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. No one will be calling his contract "crazy" if he can do what no other corner has been able to do this season: Shut down Plaxico Burress. Or at least keep him out of the end zone for the first time all season. "Big corner. Physical. He's fast," Burress, who is tied with Randy Moss for the league lead in touchdowns with eight, said of 6-1, 215-pound Clements. "He's a fast guy for his size.

Oct 18 Reggie Jackson used to hold the title, but now Tom Coughlin may be "Mr. October." After Monday night's 31-10 win in Atlanta, Coughlin is 12-2 in the month since he took over as Giants' coach for the 2004 season. And with San Francisco (Giants are 9½-point favorites Sunday) and Miami coming up, he could become 14-2 before November hits. His Giants have won four straight since that 0-2 start, and are just one game (plus a head-to-head loss) behind Dallas and a half-game (plus a head-to-head win) ahead of Washington in the NFC East.

Eli Manning has a passer rating of 83.7, 17th-best in the NFL. Chad Pennington, with a rating of 83.6, is 18th-best in the NFL. By the fancy numerical system first introduced back in 1973 by the league's special-study committee, Manning and Pennington are basically the same, unimpressive quarterback in different New York uniforms. They stand in a virtual tie, more than 45 points behind Tom Brady. Some hard numbers back up this conclusion. Manning has thrown eight interceptions, Pennington six. Manning has completed 60.7% of his passes, Pennington 68.3%. So what's happening here? Are our opinions swayed too much by wins and losses to recognize consistent mediocrity? Do we focus too much on last Sunday, and forget too quickly the Sunday before that? Are the stats lying, or our eyes? More likely, it's the stats.

In the development of an NFL quarterback, reading defenses, knowing the protection packages, shaking off bad plays and making adjustments at the line of scrimmage are all part of Eli Manning's ongoing education. What he already has mastered is the art of making nice with his offensive linemen. "You got to feed 'em well, keep 'em happy," Manning said yesterday. "They can eat." The best way to the heart of a lineman is through his stomach, by way of his wallet. "Whenever we're out and about he picks up the tab usually," guard Chris Snee said. "We look forward to seeing him at Christmas time, too." There are times when an upscale steakhouse is the selected venue, but it doesn't always have to be embroidered table linens and fine dining. "They're an easy bunch, you don't have to get too fancy with 'em," Manning said. "Just feed 'em well, early and often.
Amani Toomer, who did not catch a pass in the victory against the Jets Oct. 7 but came back Monday with seven receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown, said the line's play directly impacts the receivers. "Sometimes we'd run our routes a little shorter back in the day because you knew [the quarterback] might not have time," Toomer said. "You could get open as much as you want but if he didn't have time. ... Now, it's like we can run our full routes. It makes us feel a lot better as well in terms of how we attack a defense. And I think our quarterback helps that out a lot because he sees the blitzes coming and he adjusts the line really quickly and puts them in position to have success."
Once considered one of the biggest question marks for the Giants (4-2), the offensive line has quickly turned into one of the NFL's best. It has powered a rushing attack that has gained 188yards in each of the last two games, and the seven sacks it has allowed this season is fewer than all but four NFL teams. As a result, Manning has had plenty of time to run the NFL's sixth-ranked offense. And the rushing attack hasn't missed a beat, whether it's led by Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward or Reuben Droughns.

Conventional wisdom in the NFL says players coming off knee surgery need at least a year, maybe two, to regain their form. Amani Toomer is making that line of thought look silly. Fresh off a record-setting effort Monday night in a 31-10 rout of the Falcons in Atlanta and less than a year removed from tearing up his left knee, Toomer said he couldn't be more pleased - or more shocked by the speed of his comeback. "I'm ahead of the game from when I did it 11 years ago, and it does surprise me," said Toomer, 33, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee as a rookie in 1996. "My age isn't playing a big factor in my recovery."
Amani Toomer has caught more passes in a Giants uniform than anyone else -- even without recording a single reception in his last home game against the Jets. And yes, Toomer admitted he was a little bummed out after that game, when he finished without a single statistic. "I was a little disappointed, but it's hard to get disappointed when you win," Toomer said yesterday as the Giants returned to practice to prepare for Sunday's home game against San Francisco.
Toomer's focus now is on helping the team pursue the only goal on his agenda, winning a Super Bowl. Or, as he puts it, "The main thing is to get a Super Bowl ring." He's not making predictions, but it's clear Toomer likes this team's potential. He's particularly excited about the passing attack. Eli Manning's completion percentage is up to 60.7 and he is second in the NFC with 11 touchdown passes. Eight of those scoring tosses have gone to Plaxico Burress, who continues to excel despite being unable to practice with a sore ankle. Tight end Jeremy Shockey remains a receiving force. In Atlanta, Toomer, Burress and Shockey combined for 18 catches, 249 yards and two touchdowns'.

Derrick Ward and Brandon Jacobs are not just sharing the workload in the Giants' backfield. They are also sharing injuries, too. Both players hurt their ankle in the Giants' 31-10 win in Atlanta Monday night and both said they were feeling "sore" yesterday. That is cause for concern with a short work week before the Giants play the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, but both players said they expected to be fine. "It's just part of the game," Jacobs said. "I've never been that guy that's always hurt. I've never been hurt, really, before my knee injury. But I'm doing all right. I'll be able to push through." "Trying to get over an ankle injury is hard because you don't get to rest it," Ward said. "I've got to manage it. We've got 10 games left. I'll be all right."
Jacobs said his unique size and straight-up running style is not making him more susceptible to big hits and more injuries. "A guy 5-5 can be hit low," Jacobs said. "Cleats get stuck in the ground at any point in time. Size is not why I've been nicked up. But being my size, guys are going to try to take you out of the game in those ways." Ward aggravated an already sprained ankle against the Falcons and blamed the turf inside the Georgia Dome, which he said is terrible and like cement. He will continue to practice and receive as much treatment as possible. "I try to be cautious on how I cut during practice and how I run in practice, try to save what I can until Sunday," Ward said."

Oct 17 There are a lot of areas in which Tom Coughlin can be questioned. His annual record after the first six games while coach of the Giants is not one of them. The stern disciplinarian, the one who operates every year with an alleged locker-room revolt moments away and whose game-day decisions are often criticized, has now led the Giants to their fourth consecutive 4-2 start after Monday's win over the Atlanta Falcons. With a victory on Sunday against the 49ers at Giants Stadium, Coughlin will also earn his fourth straight 5-2 record to begin the season. Sure, he's had trouble finishing on a high note, but there's no doubt Coughlin's Giants know how to start.
The Giants may be 4-2 after their 31-10 thrashing of the Atlanta Falcons Monday night, but they still think like a team searching for its first win. They remain hungry for respect, desperate for redemption after an awful start to the season. And yes, that's all by design. That mentality comes straight from the top, where Tom Coughlin is hoping his team can accomplish something it has had trouble with each of the last two seasons: He wants it to be able to handle prosperity.
In another weak year in the NFC, the Giants are playing better than anybody in the conference over the last four weeks. They are the only NFC team on a four-game winning streak. The game of the year in the NFC East and perhaps the NFC: Cowboys at Giants, Nov. 11. It's only mid-October, but if the Giants can avoid the injuries and dissension that have sabotaged Tom Coughlin's first three seasons, then they are not going away so fast and will be fighting for elite playoff position in December. Ultimately, it all comes to back Eli Manning.

What the Giants displayed in their tidy 31-10 victory over the Falcons inside the Georgia Dome is that they are evolving into a good offense. Eli Manning's right arm was able to exploit a Falcon secondary that, because Milloy was up in the box, often allowed Plaxico Burress to go against singled-up coverage with a cornerback. Manning shredded that strategy. Later, once the lead was established, the Giants changed gears and pounded away with their own multi-faceted running game. It was a formula that not only created a four-game winning streak but also season-highs in first downs (28), total yards (491), offensive plays (75) and time of possession (39:38).

Tom Coughlin is reluctant to take a long-term view of the season, preferring to focus only on the next game. But the Giants clearly have an opportunity to continue their roll. On Sunday, they will host a 2-3 49ers team that has lost its last three games and must travel cross-country. The following week, they will travel to London to face the Miami Dolphins, who are currently 0-6 and host unbeaten New England on Sunday. At 4-2, they are just one game behind Dallas in the NFC East. Among the 32 NFL teams, only Dallas, Green Bay (the two teams that defeated the Giants), New England and Indianapolis have more victories.

With Plaxico Burress attempting to reach a Pro Bowl on two bad ankles and the rookie Smith hoping to become the next big thing, Toomer maybe didn't fit in too well as this season began. Coming off a knee reconstruction that cost him the second half of 2006, Toomer had a bit of mystery about him, too. If the Giants weren't going to be any good and changes were coming, he might have been one of the first to go. Instead, he's as steady as ever. He became the Giants' all-time leading receiver Monday night with his seventh and last catch of the game, No. 587, to supplant Tiki Barber. Toomer also caught his 48th touchdown, tying Kyle Rote for most in team history.

Oct 16 Giants win over the Falcons 31-10.

---

On The Game: Game 6 Recap Gamegirl... "...... It looked like the Giants were taking Atlanta for granted. Anyway, our offense didn't let them keep their 10-7 lead. Eli Manning led a nice drive that ended with Reuben Droughns taking it in for a 1 yard touchdown. Things settled down after that and even though 24 total points went up in the first quarter, only 17 more were scored, spread over the final three, all of them by the Giants....." Mikefan.... ".......The Giants defense unexpectedly let Atlanta tag them right away for 10 points before they finally woke up, but then they settled down and played as they should. They allowed Atlanta only 14 first downs, got 4 sacks on Joey Harrington, and held the Falcons to only 284 yards of offense.... Next week the Giants have another game they should win. They host the San Francisco 49ers, the worst scoring team in the league....."

---

ESPN - Eli outplays Harrington as Giants put down confused Falcons.
Giants.com - Giants defeat Falcons, 31-10.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Giants' rush too overpowering for young O-line.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Falcons put problems on national display in loss.
StarLedger - Giants put it all together, beat Falcons.
StarLedger - Eli makes Toomer receive proper attention.
StarLedger - Manning hits stride early on.
Newsday - Giants dominate Falcons for 4th straight win.
Newsday - Giants' Jacobs returns after injury on first run.
Newsday - Are Giants up to the challenge?
DailyNews - Giants blow out Falcons, win 4th straight.
DailyNews - Amani Toomer catches on for history.
DailyNews - Defense helps Eli Manning, Giants overcome turnovers.
DailyNews - Giants must learn from 2006's collapse down the stretch.
NYPost - Big Blue ay 4-2 after easy victory.
NYPost - Toomer grabs page in record book.
NYPost - Eli is Mann of the hour.
Record - Eli lets it fly in Giants' win.
JournalNews - Giants' Burress stays on hot streak.
JournalNews - Giants' Toomer sets team record.

Game 6 Giants (3-2) vs Falcons (1-4)
The Giants won their game last week against the Jets. The offense was very ineffective in the first half and trailed by 10 points, but they came back strong with 28 points in the second to win it 35-24. The Falcons in their 20-13 loss to the Titans, were able to score only 13 points off of 5 turnovers. In the course of the game, they missed on 3 field goals attempts, changed quarterbacks, and finally failed to tie the score on a first-and-goal at the Tennessee 1 yard line with 2 minutes left.
Giants - Offense - Talk about slow starts. Total the Giants first quarter points over their first five games, and you come up with only 9 points. The Giants have scored 43 points in the first halves of their games and 80 in the second.
Atlanta - Defense - They rank 15th in the NFL, allowing 325.2 yards a game. They did their job last week with 3 interceptions and 1 forced fumble, and can you say "Pro Bowler?" John Abraham, a three time Pro Bowler, is their top pass rusher and he has 4 sacks. Linebackers Keith Brooking (Five-time Pro Bowler ) and Michael Boley command attention. DeAngelo Hall (Two-time Pro Bowler) is a top cornerback who plays an aggressive game. Manning and Burress better be on the same page when they go his way. Lawyer Milloy, at strong safety, has 12 years under his belt and is a four-time Pro Bowler.

Oct 15 Tonight against the Falcons, the Giants' defense might not need much help. That unit has been the driving force of the winning streak, allowing only 10 points in the last 10 quarters, and Atlanta's offense is in complete disarray. But if the Giants can't get their offense in sync, the Falcons could hang around longer than they should.
By now, it's a well-worn talking point: Will the Giants, riding a three-game winning streak, have a letdown tonight inside the Georgia Dome and fall to the lowly Falcons, who at 1-4 are living down to the meager expectations they were dealt once Michael Vick was banished from the league?

If the Giants need any motivation to stay focused tonight, they only need to remember the date they're playing. It's Monday night, a traditionally treacherous night in Giants history. They are 17-30-1 on Monday Night Football overall and 11-22-1 in Monday night road games. They split last year's two Monday games, winning on the road in Dallas, and losing on the road to Jacksonville. The Falcons aren't so great on Mondays, either, with a 9-19 all-time mark. That offers the Giants little comfort, however.
When you look at the Falcons' defensive lineup, you don't see a 1-4 unit. Former Jet John Abraham, first-round draft pick Jamaal Anderson, linebackers Keith Brooking and Michael Boley, cornerback DeAngelo Hall, tackles Rod Coleman and Grady Jackson, safety Lawyer Milloy: There is a lot of talent and experience on the Falcons' defense.

Sam Madison wasn't the only member of the defensive backfield who failed to enjoy his time under former coordinator Tim Lewis. After all, the Giants had one of the worst pass defenses in the league and Lewis' hard-driving, intimidating ways weren't appreciated by the players. Plus, the team ended the season with six losses in its last seven games and a first-round playoff loss to the Eagles. For Madison, it was even worse. He suffered a hamstring injury early in the season and tried to play through it, but that only made things worse. And it only made him look older and more worn down to those watching.

Bobby Petrino, in his first season as the Falcons' head coach, spent three years (1999-2001) working as Tom Coughlin's offensive coordinator in Jacksonville. Neither related any heartwarming tales when asked last week about the other. "I learned a tremendous amount of football and it was a valuable time for me," Petrino said flatly.
You can learn the hard way, especially in this town, that showing up every single day as the football General Patton usually doesn't get you very far in this Jerry Maguire day and age. Tom Coughlin's beliefs and principles are unwavering and unshakeable, so no one should buy into the notion that he puts on a purple dinosaur outfit and dances around at practice these days. Yet quietly, buried deep in the shadows of Joe Torre, of all icons, twisting in the wind, the resurrection of the head coach of the Giants and his football team is unfolding . . . in no small part because Coughlin, of all Lombardian advocates, has learned that it doesn't hurt to have a little Joe Torre in you.

Oct 14 The Giants have come so far, so fast from the depths of their 0-2 start to the realization that the temptation is to look just far enough ahead to see three losing teams - Falcons, 49ers and Dolphins - ahead prior to the midseason bye. Defensively, the turnaround from the 80-point salvo of the first two games is stark. Now every opponent knows it has to devise a plan to deal with the pass-rushing capabilities of sack-hungry ends Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan trying to get to the quarterback before young studs Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka beat them to the pocket. Enough has gone right to breed confidence, but not enough to engage in complacency.

The Falcons are a mess on offense. They will have two tackles, rookie Renardo Foster and third-year converted guard Tyson Clabo, starting on an offensive line that had already allowed 18 sacks. Four-time Pro Bowl tight end Alge Crumpler popped off on first-year coach Bobby Petrino last Sunday, after the Falcons' 20-13 loss to the Titans. And quarterback Joey Harrington, who brings his 24-48 career record as a starter into Monday's game, will get the start despite having been pulled against the Titans for recently signed Byron Leftwich. Who is scared of the 1-4 Falcons? Michael Strahan, that's who.

So far, the inability to practice has had a strange effect on Plaxico Burress. His numbers have been outstanding, but he's become a notoriously slow starter. That has seemingly had a carryover effect on the entire Giants' offense. For example, he was shut out in the first half in Washington and the Giants fell behind 17-3. In the second half, he caught five passes for 86 yards and a touchdown and the Giants rallied to win 24-17. Then last Sunday against the Jets, the same thing happened, a shutout for Burress in the first half and the Giants trailed 17-7.
Sitting on his stool in the locker room at halftime, with his right ankle throbbing even though he had been babying it all day, Burress had a moment of clarity. His survival instincts were telling him to take it easy, so he wouldn't make a bad situation worse. But his football instincts were telling him that was a stupid plan. "I start off the first quarter, the second quarter, trying not to further the injury," Burress says.

When Jason Witten, Bubba Franks, Donald Lee and Chris Cooley were combining for 17 catches, 190 yards and four touchdowns against the Giants in the first three games of the season, it looked bad. Antonio Pierce said it could have been worse. The Giants' middle linebacker said tight ends were running wild over the team's defense because the unit was trying to protect against deep balls to wide receivers. "Would you rather have a tight end catch six balls for 50 yards," Pierce said, "or a (wide) receiver catch six for 200?"
Tomorrow night when the Giants face their biggest challenge since Week 1: Falcons four-time Pro Bowl selection Alge Crumpler. "He's a well-rounded guy," linebacker Kawika Mitchell said of the 6-2, 264-pound Crumpler. "He blocks well, he runs good routes and he's a strong receiver. He plays physical with his routes. "When he gets the ball, he runs hard. He's definitely a guy you have to focus on." Getting the ball has been a problem for Crumpler, and he wasn't shy about letting his frustration be known after last week's loss to the Titans.

What Mathias Kiwanuka is in the process of doing this season, switching from defensive end to linebacker, Carson accomplished once, morphing from a Division II All-America end to an NFL Hall of Fame linebacker. "It's so big knowing there is somebody who had done it and been great at it," Kiwanuka said. "He's seen the low points and then played at the high level he did. He could be saying the exact same thing as 20 other people, but it carries more weight because of who he is." Carson, a frequent presence around Giants Stadium, understands better than anyone what type of adjustment Kiwanuka has had to make. How he has to move faster, think quicker, react more. In essence, how he has to forge a completely new football identity.

Coach Tom Coughlin is getting just a little tired of seeing at least one kickoff each game brought back against his team for a big gain. Last week against the Jets, it nearly cost the Giants a comeback victory. Immediately after Eli Manning led the offense to a touchdown to close the Jets' lead to 17-14 as the second half opened, Leon Washington sent the Giants Stadium crowd into shock with a 98-yard return of the kickoff for a touchdown. As it happened, the game turned out OK for the 3-2 Giants. But the sight of Washington streaking up the field untouched, place-kicker Lawrence Tynes in hopeless pursuit, wasn't completely washed away by the win.
Maybe it's because the Cowboys, Packers and Redskins also had some meaty returns in three out of the four games before the Jets finally broke through the coverage completely. "We just have to do a better job," Coughlin said. "We have to put people in the right spots. You can do a better job of placing the ball, of hanging the ball up, maybe maneuvering the type of kick that you do."

Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes looked seriously at the questioner, the levity of the previous conversation broken by the severity of the current subject. "You watch," Tynes said. "The next big rule change is going to be about the wedge. Too many guys are getting hurt." The wedge. Most people don't even notice the kickoff-return maneuver where four blockers lock arms and run as hard and fast as they can upfield. The object for the kicking team is to send a guy down there to bust up the wedge - basically using his body as a battering ram. It's one of the most violent aspects of the game.
This year, people have gotten hurt. Bills tight end Kevin Everett was the most notable, nearly paralyzed on opening day when he hit then-Bronco Domenik Hixon. Giants defensive end Adrian Awasom fractured a neck vertebra while breaking a Packers wedge, taking Green Bay guard Tony Palmer with him with a small bone fracture in his neck. All three players are on injured reserve.

Aaron Ross was the Giants' first-round draft pick in April. He got a five-year contract with $8 million guaranteed. He became a starter by his fourth NFL game and had his first two interceptions in his fifth game, returning one for a touchdown. "He's starting to really believe in himself," fellow cornerback Sam Madison said. But no matter how much Ross accomplishes in football, there's one thing he'll never do. He'll never beat his girlfriend in the 400 meters. "I wouldn't even race her," he said. "I'd have to trip her or something." There's no shame in that, though. Sanya Richards - Ross' longtime partner - is the top 400-meter runner in the United States.
Aaron - "My mom ran track when she was in high school, so I took her to a big event called Texas Relays in Austin the summer before I went to UT. I didn't know who Sanya was, but I saw how she looked, so I was like, "I'm gonna get her when I get up here." I walked into the little dining hall, and she called me over, so I sorta played like I didn't know who she was (chuckles). She's brains and beauty."

NFC East News
The Eagles have played well below their own expectations. They're coming off a bye week but they surrendered an NFL-record-tying 12 sacks in their last game, a 16-3 loss to the Giants at Giants Stadium. And they're hoping running back Brian Westbrook, who leads the NFL with an average of 174 yards per game from scrimmage, left tackle William Thomas and left guard Todd Herremans are healthy enough to play. Jets (1-4) host Philadelphia (1-3) at 1 p.m.
Dallas - Bledsoe owns a unique perspective on today's game between the Cowboys and New England Patriots. The quarterback began his NFL career with the Patriots and ended it with the Cowboys. Depending on your perspective, Bledsoe either mentored the two starting quarterbacks in this game or clung to his job as long as he could until he was replaced by both. New England at Dallas 4:15 p.m.
Redskins - Joe Gibbs returns to Lambeau Field for the first time since 1986, when he and quarterback Jay Schroeder registered a 16-7 win. Three years earlier in Green Bay, Gibbs and Joe Theismann sustained a 48-47 loss in the highest-scoring game in Monday Night Football history. Washington at Green Bay at 1 p.m.

Oct 13 The bar was set high for Eli Manning entering his third full season as the Giants' starting quarterback. His coaches wanted an end to his maddening inconsistency. They expected his completion percentage would top 60%. More than a quarter of the way through the season, Manning's percentage is close (58.6), but also skewed by a fantastic opening-night performance when he completed 68.3% of his passes. He hasn't topped 60% in any of the last four games. And his percentage for the last two games is only 52.9 (27-for-51).

Falcons defensive players did not have to travel far to get some inside information on New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. First-year defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer spent the past 12 seasons in the NFC East with the Dallas Cowboys and faced Manning twice a year since he broke into the league in 2004. His unit will get a shot at Manning when the Giants play the Falcons on Monday at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons' defense has been a bright spot during a lackluster 1-4 start, with performances such as three interceptions and a forced fumble last week while befuddling Tennessee quarterback Vince Young. But Manning directs the highest-scoring unit that the Falcons have faced this season. The Giants average 24.6 points a game, eighth-best in the league. "They are a big-play, big-strike offense in the passing game," Zimmer said. "They want to hit big plays. The way they run the ball helps them to do that."

Eli Manning has benefited from the solid protection. Manning has had ample time to complete 58.6 percent of his passes, even though his No. 1 receiver, Plaxico Burress, has not been able to practice on a consistent basis and generally has been a nonfactor in the first half of most games. "The offensive line is doing good things," Manning said. "The last game, we ran the ball extremely well, no sacks (until late in the fourth quarter). We had a few things we have to fix up, but they're playing well."

Plaxico Burress and Randy Moss of the Patriots share the NFL lead with seven touchdown receptions. It's no accident, given the time Burress puts in off the field. "You come in on a normal Friday where everybody else is going out of here by 3 o'clock, I'll come down here, he's still by himself," offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said. "He might not want anybody to know, but he's there by himself watching extra film. Preparing himself mentally, trying to compensate for what he's not doing physically." Burress is listed as questionable but will play, as will DE Osi Umenyiora (knee) and RB Derrick Ward (ankle), who were limited in practice.

Any single offensive lineman can be helped early and often in a game if he's deemed a weak link and/or the player he's going against is considered a menace. It's not especially complicated or secretive. The scheme that week relies heavily on sliding the blocking focus in the direction of the needy offensive tackle.That is precisely what the Eagles should have done two weeks ago to save untested youngster Winston Justice the embarrassment of repeated abuse by Osi Umenyiora en route to a six-sack eruption.
That is unquestionably what the Falcons would like to do Monday night against the Giants but likely a strategy they cannot employ on a regular basis. You see, Atlanta goes into action with both tackles out of commission, leaving behind two players who have never started an NFL game at the tackle position to deal with Umenyiora, Michael Strahan and, on occasion, Mathias Kiwanuka and Justin Tuck. Can one team protect two tackles, one on the right side, the other all the way down on the left side of the line? "Two? No," Tuck said.
How can the Falcons can protect both sides? Chipping involves leaving a running back in, unable to float into the passing lane unless his contact is perfectly timed and solid enough to hold up the pass rusher. Using the second tight end also takes a potential receiver out of play. "You'd like to think that, really," Umenyiora said. "Hopefully we'll be able to get that done. You know what's coming, you know what people are going to do." Then again, an offense can adjust to that by calling for a lot of quick screens and dumps that allow the quarterback to take a short drop-back and rid himself of the ball fast.

NFC East News
Eagles Donovan McNabb isn't his old self. Reggie Brown is no T.O. Kevin Curtis isn't even Donte' Stallworth. Added up, that explains why the Philadelphia Eagles' once-potent passing attack has been mediocre.

Oct 12 Brandon Jacobs said he was playing angry last Sunday against the Jets. Not just because of his first-quarter fumble that Kerry Rhodes returned for a touchdown, but more because Jacobs had been out for three weeks to nurse a sprained knee and wanted to initiate, rather than avoid, contact with would-be tacklers. "Down the line, I'm going to try not to be such an angry runner," Jacobs said. That's hard for him to do, because he loves to hit and be hit. Other than the fumble, which Jacobs attributed to his lack of work, he regularly ran through and over the Jets.
He might have avoided an early fumble last week if he hadn't fought off a Jets tackler, allowing Kerry Rhodes to reach in and strip him. He might not have cost himself three games with a sprained right knee if he'd just gone down on his sixth carry on opening night in Dallas. He stayed up instead, and someone rolled into the side of his leg. It is that kind of runner the Falcons will encounter Monday night as Jacobs combines his 26 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown with a more easily tackled, but more elusive second weapon in Derrick Ward.
This is not always by design, Jacobs claims. "Actually, the times I don't go down I'm being held up," he said. "There are times I'm trying to go down and go on to the next play, guys are holding me up so someone else can strip the ball. They do it mainly because I'm bigger and they got so much to grab." There's a macho quality at work with Jacobs, who clearly enjoys exploiting his unmatched size (6-4, 264), speed and power combination. Jacobs never is shy about admitting his pleasure for the physical nature of the game and his desire to pound away until there is no one left to hit. "It's his nature not to go down without a fight," center Shaun O'Hara said.

Falcons Warrick Dunn, at age 32, is sensitive about the suggestion he's too old to carry the load as the Falcons' main tailback. He also doesn't want to hear that the team's success leading the NFL in rushing the past three seasons was directly linked to suspended quarterback Michael Vick. Dunn says he is still effective. He's still shifty. He's still tough. He might not be able to break off the 90-yard runs like he did against the New York Giants last season - the Falcons play New York Monday night at the Georgia Dome - but then again, he might.
"I'm not falling off," Dunn said Thursday. The Falcons running game has fallen off - dramatically. Where they averaged a league-best 183.7 yards per game last season, Atlanta has yet to rush for 100 yards in a game this season. It is averaging 91.6 yards on the ground. The absence of Vick, who became the first quarterback in NFL history to run for more than 1,000 yards last season, could play some role in that, Dunn said, but not much.

Forget bulletin-board material to wake up the Atlanta Falcons. Justin Tuck was trying to slip them a sleeping pill. Yesterday, the third-year defensive end deftly portrayed the Falcons' loss of both starting offensive tackles to injury as a disadvantage for the Giants because they don't have much tape on the players who will fill in: Rookie Renardo Foster and second-year lineman Tyson Clabo. "I hate playing games like this where you don't have film on them," said Tuck, who is tied for second on the team with 4 1/2 sacks.
"They have a lot of film on us and they'll know exactly what we want to do. But (the Falcons' schemes are) going to be a surprise to us early in the game, so we have to feel our way through it." Those poor Giants. They only have 17 sacks on the season, which ties them for first in the NFL. And they feature a measly four defensive ends who could all be the top pass-rushers on most teams in the league. (Four ends that all play in obvious passing situations, of course.)
Tom Coughlin was asked yesterday if he'd ever gone into a game where one team must play without its two starting offensive tackles. "I don't know that I have seen it," the Giants coach said. That's the undesirable situation in store for the Falcons, with left tackle Wayne Gandy and right tackle Todd Weiner out with knee injuries, leaving two players (Renardo Foster on the left side, Tyson Clabo on the right) who never have started an NFL game at tackle poised to do just that Monday night against the Giants. Foster gets to try to contain Osi Umenyiora, the NFL's sack leader with seven, while Clabo gets to deal with Michael Strahan, who two weeks ago set the Giants' career sack record. What would Coughlin do in such a dire predicament?

Atlanta's Jerious Norwood averages 30.8 yards per kickoff return and Giants special teams ace David Tyree compared the 5-11, 202-pound, second-year running back to another quick, second-year back the Giants just got a close look at. "He's similar to Leon Washington (of the Jets)," Tyree said. "He's just very fast. He's not a scatback, Warrick Dunn-type guy, but at the same time, he can go if you give him a seam. "If we're not going to get the hang time (on kickoffs), if we're not going to get off the blocks like we need to do, and those guys are getting running starts, they're going to go (for a touchdown)," Tyree said. "Anybody in the league can do that."
David Tyree can't figure out why the Giants' kickoff coverage has deteriorated so much this season. He's part of a unit that has allowed one return for a touchdown, last week by the Jets' Leon Washington, and is ranked 31st by allowing an average start at the 32-yard line, better than only the Bengals. "It's not something we're accustomed to. Our return game has been up and down in the five years I've been here, but our kick coverage has always been solid," Tyree said. "Right now, we're not helping our team. In fact, we're lucky we're not helping the team lose."
The Giants currently rank 29th in the NFL in kickoff coverage, allowing an average return of 26.5 yards. That's a sharp increase over last year's average of 22.4 yards, which placed the Giants 17th in the league. The Giants have a new special teams coordinator this season in Tom Quinn, an assistant last year under the since-retired Mike Sweatman. But the players insist the change in coaches is not the reason for the mediocre coverage.

The Giants were beaten to cornerbacks Darrelle Revis (Jets) and Leon Hall (Bengals) on draft day, but Aaron Ross looks to be quite a consolation prize. The Giants haven't had a cornerback with this kind of promise probably since Jason Sehorn. Will Allen never lived up to his first-round billing, and William Peterson (now William James of the Eagles) enjoyed only fleeting success.
The Kid is by no means ready to shut down T.O., but the intoxicating prospect of coverage sacks given all the Big Blue pass rushers is suddenly a titillating reality for Steve Spagnuolo, the kid defensive coordinator. Because Ross is a 25-year-old rookie, he should have known better than to reportedly miss last Saturday night's curfew. He took his punishment from Tom Coughlin - watch the first half, son - like a man.

NFC East News
Dallas (5-0) looks like the NFC's best, but this is 'Boys against men. The Patriots (5-0) will show how much farther the Cowboys have to go to challenge for a ring.
Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson respects Chad Pennington's ability to throw deep but has been around long enough to know the quarterback's tendencies.
Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs has watched some great quarterbacks in the league, including Joe Montana. He says Favre ranks high because of his toughness.

Oct 11 The Atlanta Falcons were not the first NFL team that tried to lure Bobby Petrino away from Louisville, they were just the first team to succeed. Petrino took the job back in January because he considered it "the best job in the National Football League." It is hard to believe anyone would still believe that now. In his first nine months in the NFL, the 46-year-old Petrino has had to endure more trials than most coaches do in a lifetime.
His team is 1-4 and has a brewing quarterback controversy with two mediocre players. Three weeks ago, his star cornerback had an on-field meltdown and then confronted his coach on the sidelines. Last week his star tight end criticized him for relying too much on young players and said the Falcons have "the worst offense in the National Football League" once they cross the 50-yard line. And then there's Michael Vick, whose guilty plea to federal dogfighting charges cast a pall over Petrino's first season before it ever began.
Bobby Petrino in late March signed off on the trade of backup quarterback Matt Schaub to Houston, a strong indicator the first-year NFL coach fully believed in Vick. Schaub is among the NFL's passing leaders for the surprising Texans, while Vick's replacement, Joey Harrington, is completing 67 percent of his passes but has not been able to generate much of anything with the offense. Harrington was benched during last week's 20-13 loss to the Titans, yanked in favor of Byron Leftwich.

When he left the national powerhouse he built at Louisville to take over as coach of the Atlanta Falcons, Bobby Petrino had to know the jump from college to the pros wasn't going to be easy. But there's no way Petrino could have figured his rookie year in the NFL would be this tough. His star quarterback, Michael Vick, was indicted over the summer for his role in an illegal dogfighting operation and was suspended indefinitely by the NFL after pleading guilty in August. The Falcons had traded highly regarded backup Matt Schaub to the Houston Texans in the off-season, and beaten-down Joey Harrington was the only viable option at quarterback.
Even after getting past the Vick ugliness, Petrino's team is 1-4 and experiencing some infighting and major injuries. The biggest injury came Sunday in Nashville, to left tackle Wayne Gandy. His torn anterior cruciate ligament means undrafted rookie Renardo Foster, who played for Petrino at Louisville, will make his first start opposite Umenyiora. Right tackle Todd Weiner (knee surgery) is also out, meaning Michael Strahan will be going up against another untested player, converted guard Tyson Clabo.

A team heading into a game missing one starting offensive tackle can at least attempt to overcome the loss by fortifying that side of the line with extra help. A team facing a game without its two starting tackles? Good luck. That's the undesirable situation the Falcons find themselves in as they brace for the arrival of the Giants for Monday night's game in the Georgia Dome. Atlanta is set to lean on two players who never have started an NFL game at tackle. Renardo Foster, an untested rookie left tackle, fills in for injured veteran Wayne Gandy, who is done for the season with torn knee ligaments. Foster draws the unenviable task of blocking NFL sack leader Osi Umenyiora.

Oct 10 Discipline can be a dangerous game, and Tom Coughlin took a risk on Sunday when he benched rookie CB Aaron Ross for the first half for missing curfew Saturday night. Ross' replacement, Kevin Dockery, blew the coverage on a Jets touchdown in the second quarter. That could have been the game. It was reminiscent of Sept. 25, 2005, when WR Plaxico Burress was benched for the first quarter of a game in San Diego for twice being late to team meetings.
Without Burress, the offense stalled. By the time Burress got into the game, the Giants were down 21-3 and lost 45-23. After that game, Jeremy Shockey spoke for many of his teammates when he said, "It was unfair to the rest of the team. It's hard knowing that your best player is not on the field."
It would have been interesting to examine the fallout left behind from Tom Coughlin's decision to bench rookie cornerback Aaron Ross for the first half of the Giants' 35-24 victory over the Jets if the dramatic second-half turnaround had not transpired.There's always a debate when a coach opts to teach a lesson in this manner. After all, who does a benching hurt more, the offending player or everyone around him? Is it fair to rob the team of an important talent in order to make a point?

John Mara must have been saving this line for the right time. On the subject of the three books out by current and recently retired members of the Giants organization, Mara said, "Usually when you have that many books written about your team, you just won a Super Bowl." The Giants co-owner and president has to have a sense of humor about all the strange attention his team has gotten the last month thanks to three books on the market. First, there was "Tiki: My Life in the Game and Beyond," Tiki Barber's autobiography. It's mostly about how awesome Tiki Barber is, and how Tom Coughlin is a big, bad meanie.
Then there was "The GM: The Inside Story of a Dream Job and the Nightmares That Go With it," by Tom Callahan, a seasoned sports-book author who shadowed former general manager Ernie Accorsi last season. The juiciest parts involve Accorsi's discontent with Coughlin. And now, we have "Inside the Helmet: Life as a Sunday Afternoon Warrior," Michael Strahan's work (with Jay Glazer) about the ups and downs of being an NFL player. And about clashing with, then coming to understand, Coughlin as a coach.

The first time Michael Strahan met Tom Coughlin he hated him. In fact, he hated him so much, he vowed 2004 would be his last season with the Giants. Now, nearly four years later, Strahan couldn't imagine playing for anyone else. "I think in a lot of ways we both have changed," Strahan said. "From my end there was a point where I said, 'Well, I can either be a part of the problem or I can be a part of the solution. And I wanted to be a part of the solution. Strahan said Coughlin is now "A totally different guy." And yes, he finds it hard to believe that he has so much respect for a man he once couldn't stand.

Despite an ankle injury that prevents him from practicing, Plaxico Burress has a chance to have one of the greatest seasons by a wide receiver in Giants history. WR Plaxico Burress has a chance to have one of the greatest seasons by a WR in Giants History. Through five games, Burress has 24 catches for 410 yards and seven touchdowns.
The number of catches is not spectacular; Burress is 10th in the NFC and tied for 24th in the NFL. The 410 yards place him third in the conference and 10th in the league. But it's Burress' penchant for scoring that has set him apart. His seven touchdowns lead the NFC and tie him with New England’s Randy Moss for first in the NFL.

If Plaxico Burress has provided the flash and drama in the Giants' receiving game this year, Amani Toomer has given them consistency. So how in the world did the 12th-year veteran wind up with zero catches in Sunday's 35-24 win over the Jets? Against the Jets, though, only two passes came his way. The first was intercepted to set up a field goal at the end of the half. The second was a third-quarter throwaway. Even Sinorice Moss, who went into the game with one reception for 17 yards despite his role as a third receiver, caught a ball.

If Giants co-owner John Mara has his way, the latest NFL coaching craze will have a short shelf life. Timeouts have long been called by coaches to give kickers extra time to stew over big kicks, but it wasn't until this season that anyone came up with the latest twist -- waiting until the last possible nanosecond before asking an official to step in. Mara said he doesn't appreciate what he is seeing in the name of gamesmanship, and said he hopes the competition committee can use the off-season to come up with an appropriate change to the rule. The league gave coaches the right to call timeouts from the sideline in 2004; previously, timeouts could only be called by players on the field.

Oct 9 A lot of players were put in excellent position on Sunday because of coaching. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, the rest of the assistants and the team's advance scouts did an excellent job of decoding what the Jets were going to do on offense. But the foresight wasn't limited to the sidelines. No, another "coach" was at work on the field. Middle linebacker Antonio Pierce, who spends almost as much time watching film as Roger Ebert, was moving players before the snap, yelling out signals and running to the spot of the run or pass for much of the game. Often, he crept to the line to listen to Chad Pennington's verbal signals and then signaled to his teammates to let them know what was coming.

Being labeled the Comeback Kid isn't so bad for Eli Manning. He would just prefer the Giants didn't have to keep coming back all the time. Despite the excitement of three straight wins, Manning knows the Giants (3-2) are playing a dangerous game since two of those victories came after they trailed in the fourth quarter. That's good, since it means they have been at their best when it matters most."

Amani Toomer would be a little closer to passing Barber's mark of 586 receptions if he'd had even one catch against the Jets on Sunday. But the 12-year veteran was shut out in the Giants' 35-24 victory -- a fact quarterback Eli Manning said he felt badly about. "At the end of the game there was still some time -- maybe six minutes left or so -- and I was talking to (Toomer) and I was wondering if he had a catch or not, and I realized he didn't," Manning said yesterday. "So I don't like that to happen.

The Giants have been outscored 58-43 in the first half this season but are outscoring opponents 80-64 in the second. They started their winning streak by rallying from a 17-3 halftime deficit to beat the Redskins, 24-17. "We just need to get off to better, faster starts," said Plaxico Burress, who, on a gimpy right ankle, has played far better in the second halves. "We shouldn't have to play that way to win football games in the fourth quarter. We should have the attitude coming out on the opening kickoff and not have to go in at halftime and make all of the adjustments that we did yesterday. We should start off the game fast, the way we ended it."
Plaxico Burress was a huge part of the Giants' come-from-behind wins against the Redskins and Jets. He has done his best work when the team is down. He has just one catch with the Giants leading in the game. In contrast, 16 have come with the team behind, and the other seven with the game deadlocked. Twice he has turned short Manning passes into touchdowns, romping 33 yards vs. Washington and 53 yards against the Jets.
"That's one of the things I focused on during the off-season," he said. "I wanted to train to become more explosive after I caught the football. I left a lot of yards on the field last year, not breaking through tackles or whatever." After five games Burress has gained 155 yards after his 24 catches, an average of 6.5 yards per reception. In his first seven seasons he averaged 3.1 yards after each catch. In his first two years with the Giants, he was at 4.0 yards after each reception.
Plaxico Burress has pretty much given up on the prospect of playing on two good ankles the rest of the season. "It really doesn't seem like it's getting any better," said Burress, adding that there was more swelling in his right ankle yesterday than the day after the previous week's game against Philadelphia. "It's just something I have to deal with."

The biggest offseason moves from the rookie general manager - releasing Luke Petitgout (out for the year) so David Diehl could move to left tackle - and making cornerback Aaron Ross his first-round draft choice - are sure looking good. It is grace under pressure in the fourth quarter that separates the pretenders from the contenders, and these Giants are suddenly Giants when the game is on the line.
For vastly different reasons, Plaxico Burress and Aaron Ross were non-factors in the first half of yesterday's Giants-Jets game. But they rebounded to make the biggest plays of the game as the Giants' overcame a 10-point second half deficit to defeat the Jets, 35-24, for their third consecutive victory. For the second time in three weeks, Burress did not have a reception in the first two quarters. But he had five in the second half. They accounted for 124 yards, including a sensational 53-yard catch, escape and run for the game-deciding touchdown in the fourth quarter. Ross sat out the half for disciplinary reasons after violating a team rule neither he nor Tom Coughlin has divulged.

An advance copy of Michael Strahan's "Inside the Helmet: Life as a Sunday Afternoon Warrior." The book, written with Fox NFL analyst and Strahan friend Jay Glazer, offers a unique behind-the-scenes look at life in the NFL. If you are a Giants fan remotely interested in what players go through to play this game, you should read it. Sure, Strahan goes into the stuff about the rules Coughlin introduced in his first season with the Giants, and Strahan rails about a fine he got for being late to a team meeting. "Tom went way past hard-ass, directly to asinine and then made a sharp right turn, passing GO, driving headlong directly to psychotic."
Strong words, no doubt. But the stronger message is the one Strahan delivers when he reveals how close he has grown to the coach. "I can't believe I'm actually writing this, but I want to end my career with Tom Coughlin," Strahan writes. "I want to learn more about him. Watch him crack that exterior even more in 2007. Then finally, I'll walk into the sunset with him as the last head coach of my career."

Oct 8 Giants win over the Jets 35-24.

---

On The Game: Game 5 Recap Gamegirl... "......Luckily the Giants got their act together in the second half. They scored 28 points to the Jets 7 by wearing the Jets defense down with Ward and Jacobs. On defense, cornerback Aaron Ross was the big hero with 2 interceptions on Pennington, and Osi Umenyiora got the only sack of the game near the end of the fourth quarter...." Mikefan.... ".....As we said in the game preview, both the Giants and Jets are slow starters, and their respective offenses saved all their action for the last three quarters, and if you came looking for sacks you were watching the wrong game.....Eli Manning's numbers looked much better by the time the game was over. At the half, he was just 3 of 10 for 22 yards and 1 interception. Manning then went 10 of 15 for 164 yards and 2 touchdowns...."

---

ESPN - Rookie Ross has two interceptions, one for TD, in win.
Giants.com - Giants defeat Jets, 35-24.
Giants.com - Eisen's Postgame Stats and Notes.
Giants.com - Transcripts: Postgame - Various Giants and Jets Players.
NYJets.com - Eagles are sacked and pillaged by Giants, 16-3.
NYJets.com - Coach, Teammates Keep the Faith in Chad.
StarLedger - Giants' rally past Jets turns jeers to cheers .
StarLedger - Rookie picks off two after first-half benching.
StarLedger - No double is trouble with Burress.
Newsday - Giants rookie Ross responds well to discipline.
Newsday - Giants grind out second-half rally to beat Jets.
Newsday - Everyone will be picking apart Jets' Pennington.
Newsday - Plax armed, dangerous.
Newsday - Giants Q&A: Pierce saw it coming.
NYDailyNews - Giants score 28 points in 2nd half to ground Jets.
NYDailyNews - Chad Pennington's poor start sabotages Jets.
NYDailyNews - Chad Pennington may lose grip as starting QB.
NYDailyNews - Aaron Ross responds for Giants after benching.
NYDailyNews - Plaxico Burress extends touchdown streak.
NYDailyNews - Jet defense flops against Giants in 2nd half.
NYDailyNews - Jets face long odds to make playoff run.
NYPost - Big Blue's 28-point, 2nd half outburst sinks Jets.
NYPost - Rookie Responds.
NYPost - Burress wasn't to be denied.
NYPost - Jacobs recovers after big fumble.
NYPost - Penn's picks sinks Jets.
NYPost - Don't bench Chad.
NYPost - Defense fails Gang Green.
TheRecord - Giants wake up in time for win.
TheRecord - Chad to blame for Jets' loss.

Giants report card - Paul Schwartz | Arthur Staple

Game 5 Giants vs Jets
Both these teams - are off to slow starts this year though the Giants may have turned the corner with two straight wins over division teams. Their defense has started to put it all together, and even with an on again, off again offense, that's a big edge in this matchup.
The Jets thought they had turned their corner with a 31-28 win over Miami, but then they went down to an 0-3 Buffalo team that had scored just 24 points while giving up 79 over their first three games.
The Jets defense couldn't stop the Bill's rookie quarterback, Trent Edwards in his first career start, from going 22-of-28 for 234 yards passing, and a touchdown. The Jets offense couldn't get it done against a Bills defense that was yielding an NFL-worst 458.3 yards per game.
Slow starters - Both teams struggle to put up points in the first quarter. The Jets have only 7 first quarter points - out of 72. The Giants have scored just 9 out of their 100 total points in the first quarter. Read more about the Jets, Chad Pennington, Eli Manning, Osi Umenyiora, and the Matchup, in the game preview.

Oct 7 In August, Eric Mangini became the sixth member of a Jets coaching fraternity to experience the surreal feeling of being treated like an enemy in his own home. The Jets were the "road" team in the annual preseason game against the Giants. Mangini was struck by the sharp color (blue) and unmistakable sound (boo!) of the Meadowlands, which will have a new, co-owned stadium in 2010. "It's a very different walk through the tunnel when you're playing the Giants and they're the home team," said Mangini, who will make that same walk today. "They're a little less friendly than our group." If the Jets fall to 1-4, Mangini & Co. might get the same treatment at next week's home game against the Eagles. The fans are getting restless.

All week long Giants coach Tom Coughlin has been praising Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, pointing to his 76.8 completion percentage as a real area of concern for his team today at Giants Stadium. Coughlin wants his team aware that ball control could be the difference in today's game between two rivals who really don't consider themselves rivals anymore. Playing each other once every four years in the regular season and rarely mingling with the players from the other side have taken some of the luster of this contest.

The Jets and Giants have never met in the playoffs. But there's always a playoff atmosphere each time they meet. When the teams play today in only their 11th regular-season meeting, the game will not have the inherent drama of the 1988 finale, when the Jets knocked the Giants out of playoff contention. Today's Giants (2-2), with the reputation of their defense reinstated by dominant performances against the Redskins and Eagles, are looking to extend their two-game winning streak. The Jets (1-3), off a devastating loss to the Bills, are face to face with the fate of their season.

In the old days, Giants and Jets players lived near each other, often in the same Manhattan apartment building. They exchanged elbows (and sometimes fisticuffs) on the basketball court during the offseason and socialized in the same bars and restaurants. Matchup Analysis Nowadays, with the Giants almost exclusively residing in New Jersey and the Jets buying and renting on Long Island, the familiarity is considerably more nondescript. That doesn't mean today's encounter will be just another day at Giants Stadium.
Bragging rights are for adolescent punks who think these things matter and for the fans. Right? Right? Actually, some Jets said playing (and beating) the Giants is just as important as it was when they were scuffling with nearby high schools. "When we go out, we see those guys a lot," Jets receiver Jerricho Cotchery said. "If you see those guys, you want to know that you beat those guys. You won't brag about it, but your chest sticks out a little more."

Osi Umenyiora, who signed a six-year, $41-million extension two seasons ago, and Strahan, who is making $4 million this season, are the stars of the sack brigade. Strahan's one sack Sunday made him the Giants' all-time leader in that category with 133 1/2; Umenyiora, who has been a starter for two-plus seasons, already has 34 1/2, 10th in team history. But Tuck, the Giants' third-round pick in 2005, and Kiwanuka, their first-round pick in 2006, are the ones benefiting most from this new alignment.
Well, maybe Coughlin and the Giants are benefiting more, actually, as each of the two younger guys has 4 1/2 sacks in limited playing time. "Our bank accounts are more similar than their bank accounts," said Tuck, who is making $435,000 this year. "But when we hang out, we all try to pay, and we just sit there and talk about life. I'm 24, Kiwi's 24, Osi's 25; we tell Strahan what it's like to be young, since he probably forgot."

If the Giants today are able to inflict on Chad Pennington anything close to the abuse they heaped last week on Donovan McNabb, figure the Jets are in trouble. If that occurs, also figure Jets loyalists again will start clamoring for strong-armed second-year backup Kellen Clemens to replace Pennington. Matchup Analysis It doesn't sound as if the Giants believe that's a very good idea. "We're preparing for Chad Pennington; if the other guy comes in, the good thing about it is we have seen him on film," linebacker Antonio Pierce said.
"We know exactly who that guy is and what he's capable of doing. The big-arm guys always take a lot of risks. You get a guy like Chad Pennington, as long as they're controlling the game with the run game and playing good defense, he's the perfect quarterback you want, he controls it, he keeps the clock moving, he makes completions, keeps the offense on the field. "I don't want to say he dinks and dunks down the field, because you watch enough film, you'll see him take shots down the field. They're just not a big shot-taking team."

The Jets took cornerback Darrelle Revis with the 14th selection in the draft this spring. Had they been unable to trade up to that spot, however, they might have wound up taking Ross, a Texas product who was taken by the Giants with the 20th overall pick. Ross made his first start last week, and it was a good week to get a start on defense as the Giants had 12 sacks and kept Donovan McNabb under near-constant pressure. Even Ross blitzed and hit McNabb once. He finished with five tackles and two passes defended and has 11 total tackles this season. Like Revis, he was touted as a two-way threat with punt return skills coming out of college."
Revis and Ross share the same easygoing exterior, but they spring to life on the field, a pair of future stars that could solidify shaky secondaries in New York. Their paths intersect for the first time in the regular season today when the Giants host the Jets at the Meadowlands. Revis and Ross, of course, will be forever linked after a hectic draft day. The comparisons are sure to follow both players for years after the Jets traded up 11 spots -- and leapfrogged the Giants -- to nab Revis with the 14th overall pick. Giants general manager Jerry Reese admitted back then that he attempted to move up for a pair of corners -- Revis and Leon Hall from Michigan -- but the asking price was too high. So the Giants selected Ross with the 20th pick.

Steve Serby's top 12 NY players - With the Jets vs. Giants today temporarily interrupting the Yankees' quest for survival, this is the perfect time to give you Serby's Dirty Dozen - the best football players in New York.

Jets-Giants: Five to remember - A look back at five of the most noteworthy games in this rivalry. The Giants lead this series, which began in 1970, 6-4.

Even today, 22 years after the play that seemingly will live on forever thanks to NFL Films, Ken O'Brien still hears about Lawrence Taylor's infamous sack and the words that followed. "Son, you all got to do better than this," Taylor said as he was on top of O'Brien. As the Giants and Jets face each other today at the Meadowlands, there almost certainly will be a replay somewhere on television or at the stadium of Taylor's sack on O'Brien in the Giants' 34-31 overtime preseason win over the Jets on Aug. 24, 1985. O'Brien said he got to return the favor to Taylor shortly after that sack when he connected on a touchdown bomb to Wesley Walker. Taylor told him, "Way to go."

The mud is still flying in Michael Strahan's messy divorce, as his embattled ex-wife yesterday accused him of telling "lies" about her in his new book due out this week. In "Inside the Helmet," set to hit shelves Tuesday, the Giants sackmaster paints his ex-wife, Jean, as a gold-digger. He says she siphoned millions from him even before their high-profile divorce and describes her as being too cheap to let him buy his parents a modest $160,000 house."

Stadium News
The relationship between the Jets and Giants has been competitive, contentious and even childish for more than 40 years in their high-stakes battle to establish football supremacy in New York. But now they're 50-50 partners and need each other's money to build the $1.3 billion-and-counting stadium under construction in the Giants Stadium parking lot set to open for 2010 season. It's an unusual shotgun marriage of convenience and finances between long-time rivals after the Jets failed in their West Side stadium bid in 2005 and joined the Giants in their project.

Oct 6 Jeremy Shockey has worked hard to improve his blocking, he said, because he wants to help the team and having a productive running game is important to the team's success. "It is important to control the ball and the clock," he said. "We've got great running backs and any time we can feature those guys it makes it easier in the passing game." But, Shockey admitted, it would be fun to catch a few passes, too.
"Obviously, I want to catch the ball more," he said. "If I'm asked to block, I'm going to do that as hard as I can. I can't change how I'm used or anything like that. Obviously, I would love to not block, ever, and just catch the ball. But that's not going to happen. This is the National Football League and ... a lot of guys aren't asked to do both, and that's (the decision of) their coaches. ... I'm asked to do both and I'll do both with pleasure."

Shockey seemed downright misty-eyed Friday when he talked about whether he can ever reach the heights he did in his first five seasons, during which he averaged nearly 63 receptions and five touchdowns. He also went to four Pro Bowls. Shockey is on his usual pace with 16 catches, but he has zero touchdowns. He's dropped a few potential big-play throws and had a delay-of-game penalty for spiking the ball after a reception against the Packers, costing the Giants a first down.
"Obviously, I'm not 21 years old anymore ...," said Shockey, who turned 27 on Aug. 18. "A bunch of things have changed, a bunch of elements, a bunch of pieces in the puzzle have gone elsewhere. It's just different. It's not the same as it was and it's never going to be."

The days of running free downfield, of lining up in the slot and blowing past overmatched safeties, of plowing through arm-tackles for extra yards and stomping and raising hell on the field, those days don't arise much any more. Anyone awaiting an eruption from Mount Shockey might hope that tomorrow afternoon, when the Giants take on the Jets, is that game, but he has been waiting along with everyone else.
Jeremy Shockey had only one catch in last weekend's victory over Philadelphia, and as the Giants prepare to play the Jets Sunday afternoon, he is still looking for that breakout game where he gets into the full rhythm of the offense. But he's doing his best not to complain about it. "I just try to do what I'm asked. I'm going to have opportunities like I do every week I just try to make the best of them," Shockey said following practice Friday.

It's been a long time since the 27-year-old Shockey had a truly big game as a receiver. It certainly hasn't happened this season, in which he's had just 16 catches for 197 yards, including a high of five catches for 79 yards against the Redskins two weeks ago. He had only two games with more than six catches last season, and hasn't had a 10-catch game since Dec.11, 2005. That game in Philadelphia also was the last time he had more than 100 receiving yards (107).
Even as the Giants are 2-2, Shockey wishes he could consistently go out in the pass patterns, leaving the blocking end to either Michael Matthews or Kevin Boss. To call it a complaint is making too much of it. Better to call it a matter of preference in a league where offenses rely on the pass more and more. "I had a great mentor in Dan Campbell," Shockey said of the Giants' former blocking tight end of the Jim Fassel era. "I wish he'd never left. But I thought just the other day, everybody's throwing so much more than they are running the ball. But it is important to control it by running the ball."

Plaxico Burress may be hobbled by a bad ankle, but the lanky wide receiver's presence still weighs heavily on the Jets' defense. When asked how he planned to stop Burress, defensive coordinator Bob Sutton said, "That's what we've spent this whole week on." It doesn't help the Jets are a bit shaky in the secondary, with safety Erik Coleman listed as doubtful after missing practice all week with a concussion after Buffalo rookie Trent Edwards sliced up the Jets' secondary a week ago. If Coleman isn't ready to go when the Giants host the Jets tomorrow at Giants Stadium, second-year player Eric Smith is expected to take his place.

Outside of Randy Moss, who torched the Jets' secondary in Week 1, Burress may be the toughest wide receiver to defend in the NFL at the moment. Despite playing with a severe ankle sprain and a torn tendon in his left pinkie, Burress has six touchdown receptions, second in the NFL behind Moss' seven. In his fifth start of his career, Revis may see a lot of Burress on first and second downs before switching onto the slot receiver in third-down packages.
At 5-11, Revis will be staring up at the 6-5 Burress and trying to figure out how to prevent the Giants receiver from snatching jump balls from Eli Manning in the end zone. Last week in Buffalo, Revis allowed nine completions on 11 balls that were thrown in his direction when in single coverage. However, Revis forced a fumble and broke up a key third-down pass that gave the Jets another chance before they finally fell, 17-14, to the Bills.
The Giants' plan likely includes taking advantage of their noticeable height advantage over the Jets' secondary. For starters, Burress is 6-foot-5, while Revis is 5-11. The Giants also have the 6-3 Amani Toomer and 6-5 tight end Jeremy Shockey. At right cornerback, David Barrett is 5-10, as is starting safety Erik Coleman, who might miss the game because of a concussion. Coleman's possible replacement, Eric Smith, is 6-1, while Kerry Rhodes, the other starting safety, is 6-3. "They're a play-action team and you don't want Plaxico to get behind you," Revis said. "If he does, he can hurt you. It's a competition, nothing that you can get scared or worried about.

Since the Giants are known to apply extra pressure via the blitz, somebody has to keep an eye on that "A" gap. Barnes very well could be the guy when the area rivals face each other tomorrow. He's well built for the job at 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds. But the sixth-year veteran, whose career began in Giants camp in 2002, has been active for only two games this season. There's suspicion in the locker room that Barnes was inactive against the Buffalo Bills last week for making public comments about Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter the previous week.
Based on the practice-field repetitions, Barnes is expecting to be more involved against the Giants. "You get an idea during the week, just how the plays are run, what's up and what's not," he said. "But you really don't find out for sure until that day. I think I'm going to play. It's looking that way." Barnes was on the field against Miami two weeks ago, leading the way as Thomas Jones piled up 110 yards. The Jets' primary runner had just 35 yards on 12 carries at Buffalo last week.

On Sunday, Tom Coughlin will face the Jets for the first time in the regular season as the Giants head coach. And though no postseason berth is on the line, the stakes are high for two teams that started this season 0-2. The Giants will try to win their third straight game and thrust themselves into the thick of the NFC playoff race. The 1-3 Jets will try to win their second game and avoid falling too far behind New England in the AFC East race.

Oct 5 Osi Umenyiora estimates he watches three hours of video a day (including a full hour on himself) to pick up tendencies and tell signs of what offensive linemen are going to do. "I look for anything," said Umenyiora, who came into Sunday without a sack and jumped into the NFL lead. "You have to know which way they're going to slide, whether the tackles going to jump you or deep set you, you have to look and see if he's showing you run." If that isn't enough, Umenyiora isn't relying on anything as capricious a divine providence or as coldly logical as film study, but good, old-fashioned superstition.
On game days, the superstitious Osi Umenyiora eats only a bagel before kickoff. That's not a problem when the kickoff is 1 p.m., like in Sunday's Jets-Giants game at Giants Stadium. But it's a different story when the kickoff is 8 p.m., like in last weekend's game with Philadelphia. "I was starving!" Umenyiora admitted. Maybe he mistook the wings on quarterback Donovan McNabb's helmet for buffalo wings. Perhaps he saw the Philadelphia offensive line as a buffet line. At any rate he took out his hunger on the Eagles, with half of the Giants' dozen sacks of McNabb.
Someone asked DE Osi Umenyiora if he was champing at the bit at the thought of chasing Jets QB Chad Pennington on Sunday, given Pennington has been slowed by an ankle injury that has limited his movement. "I'm playing on one really good leg myself, so I'm not champing at the bit about anything," Umenyiora said with a smile. "If I'm able to move around playing the defensive end position, then he should be able to do that playing the quarterback position." Umenyiora injured his left knee in the season opener in Dallas, and while he has played in every game this season, the Pro Bowler missed practice yesterday. Coach Tom Coughlin said the knee was sore, and when asked if he had any worries about Umenyiora's availability for the Jets game, Coughlin said, "Hope not. Hope not."

Early in the third quarter of Sunday night's victory against the Eagles, Giants quarterback Eli Manning and wide receiver Plaxico Burress recognized a blitz was coming off the left side. Both players knew that meant a quick screen to Burress was the proper audible. They just didn't agree on where the ball should go. Burress took a slide step to his right, putting him about a yard and a half in the backfield. Manning, meanwhile, fired the ball at the line of scrimmage where Burress was standing. Incomplete. Fourth down. Punt. Angry Tom Coughlin. "What are we doing?" NBC cameras caught the coach yelling as the offense came off the field.
"Maybe I took a step backward that I shouldn't have taken," Burress said the other day. "We were on the same page," Manning said, then immediately contradicted himself by adding: "He just had a little different reaction than I did." In the fourth quarter, Burress ran an in-route on a third-and-7 and Manning fired the ball high and inside. Incomplete. Fourth down. Punt. Confused Burress staring at Manning. Frustrated Manning shaking his head as he walked to the sideline.

Jeff Feagles took the snap and placed the ball down, laces out, and Lawrence Tynes sent it flying toward the goal posts from 35 yards away on the practice field outside Giants Stadium yesterday. He didn't appear to be feeling the weight of the world on his shoulder pads. The trick will be making the balls all fly through the posts inside Giants Stadium during Sunday's Giants-Jets showdown. Tynes booted a 34-yard field-goal try wide to the right and banged an extra-point try off the left upright here in last Sunday night's 16-3 win over the Eagles, although rookie long snapper Jay Alford sent that second snap a bit inside.

Giants running back Derrick Ward wasn't around the Jets long enough to make much of an impression, but one player certainly recalls him. "We spent a lot of time together," said receiver Jerricho Cotchery, Ward's roommate when they arrived as draft picks in the summer of 2004. Ward was selected in the seventh round by the Jets. Cotchery said he remembered the frustration of Ward, who was injured early in camp and did not make the opening day roster. "They had to put him on the practice squad," Cotchery said, "and as soon as we did, the Giants got him."

Domenik Hixon knew he had been hit hard. The force of the special-teams tackle sent him backward to the turf so forcefully that, two days later, his shoulder would still burn. Getting up slowly, he saw that the Bills' Kevin Everett was still on the ground, motionless. Hixon didn't know it was serious at first. And then it sunk in ... it wasn't a precaution. Everett was seriously hurt. "That was the first time in my whole life that I had ever seen something like that actually happen, you know, someone who was paralyzed from the hit," Hixon said yesterday of the opening-day injury
Everett suffered against the Broncos. After Everett was carefully taken off the field that day, Hixon had to get back to his job as a wide receiver/return man for Denver and "erase what happened." Hixon fumbled a kickoff against Jacksonville and was criticized for making too many fair catches. Some Denver fans suggested he had lost his aggressiveness after the Everett injury. With the Giants, he has a fresh start.

Jets safety Erik Coleman may miss Sunday's game against the Giants due to a concussion. The Jets revealed yesterday that he suffered the injury during Sunday's loss to Buffalo but did not feel symptoms until Monday. The team first reported that Coleman was suffering from a "head" injury as of Wednesday. "We take concussions extremely seriously," said Eric Mangini, who likely will start Eric Smith in place of Coleman against the Giants on Sunday. "We'll see how it goes through the rest of the week. This was something that actually developed after the game in terms of the symptoms and things like that." While Coleman, who leads the team with 29 tackles, is the first Jet to suffer a concussion this season, the team is no stranger to head trauma.

There are a lot of things a cornerback can work on during the week to prepare for an opponent. He can develop better hand placement, pick up tendencies in film work, and even adjust to varying degrees of speed and quickness. What he cannot do is grow 7 inches. Too bad for the Jets defensive backs who will be covering the giant Giants on Sunday. Andre Dyson, who is 5-10, will be giving up almost a helmet in height when he is matched against 6-5 Plaxico Burress.
David Barrett, who is just as tall as Dyson, will be looking up to stare down Amani Toomer, who is 6-3. Jets rookie cornerback Darrelle Revis is 5-11. Blame genetics for those mismatches in measurement. But if the Jets are able to cover their oversized opponents Sunday, it'll be based on technique and not stature.

If you're not a season ticket holder who bought a prepaid parking pass, if you're not a single-game ticket-buyer who managed to secure a pass for this weekend's game, the Giants are repeating their parking mantra: Don't even try to get into a stadium lot. Head directly to the off-site facility in Lyndhurst, pay your $20 and board the shuttle to the stadium. And oh, don't forget to bring your portable party, as tailgating in the lots at the Wall Street Corporate Center (located near Medieval Times restaurant) is strictly prohibited.

---