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| Dec 1 The
injury bug has become an infestation. The Giants, who have dealt with injuries
to key skill players all season, are trying to piece together a defensive backfield
with the loss of cornerback Aaron Ross (hamstring) as they prepare for a critical
game against the Chicago Bears tomorrow at Soldier Field. In his typically curt remarks to reporters following Friday's practice, Tom Coughlin offered a bland "We will see" when asked if Derrick Ward would be the starting running back Sunday in Chicago. But the fact that Ward is even an option is encouraging news, since the Big Blue rushing attack the previous three games had all the ferocity of a Pop Warner team. Ward has been sidelined with ankle and groin injuries and hasn't played since an Oct. 21 win against the 49ers. Last week, veteran Reuben Droughns had a paltry 46 yards on 15 carries, although he did score a touchdown. By the time the sun sets in Chicago tonight, a good part of the 3 inches of freezing rain, snow and sleet expected to fall in a messy Dec. 1 storm will already have accumulated. The temperatures will fall below freezing, and then are expected to rise overnight. And when they do, the grass surface of Soldier Field will become a muddy quagmire. Believe it or not, that's just what the 7-4 Giants are hoping for. They'll take muck over ice any time. Maybe not the kickers. But certainly the running backs and the offensive linemen who are trying to kick-start an offense that has been stuck in first gear despite perfect field conditions since the rain-swept win over Miami in London on Oct. 28. Adewale Ogunleye and Alex Brown felt slighted over the last few years when they got Pro Bowl alternate status while Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan made Pro Bowls. They'd outplayed both Giants ends in the Bears' 2004 victory in New Jersey, and last year Strahan and Umenyiora didn't start due to injuries in the Bears' 38-24 win. In the two games, the Bears defensive ends had seven sacks, six by Brown. Strahan and Umenyiora had one each in 2004. Brown torched tackle Luke Petitgout in '04, then beat Bob Whitfield twice last year in a game that Petitgout got hurt. Nov
30 The
phrase "not on the same page" was used to describe the Giants' offense so
often last Sunday, you'd think the players belonged to a book club. In an effort
to get back on that page, the Giants' offense held a players-only meeting earlier
this week, tight end Jeremy Shockey revealed after practice at Giants Stadium
yesterday. Shockey wouldn't disclose the particulars of the meeting or the day
it occurred, other than to say it was before the week's practices began Wednesday.
Most of his offensive teammates already had left for the day yesterday when he
let out the news. Plaxico Burress has made a habit of playing without practice this season, but that might change this week. The Giants' prolific wideout, already hampered most of the year by an ankle sprain, has been slowed even further by a knee injury suffered last week and might not play Sunday at the Bears. Burress hasn't practiced all week, which isn't un usual, but his knee woes prompted a visit to a doctor in Manhattan on Wednesday and required more treatment yesterday that caused him to miss his usual session with reporters. That might explain the tense look on coach Tom Coughlin's face when asked about the availability of his star receiver for a game potentially crucial to the 7-4 Giants' playoff hopes. Asked if Burress would play, Coughlin said: "Well, we will see. Hopefully." It was about time someone inside the Giants' organization, not just outside of it, turned the thermostat up a notch on Eli Manning, as general manager Jerry Reese did this week. Manning's temperament has become an overblown issue. But the gripes about his swings in performance aren't. As admirable as it was for Manning to patiently face the heat about his four-interception debacle against Minnesota on Sunday, then Monday, then Wednesday, only one comment among all the words Manning uttered gave a real peek into his soul. And it was a throwaway line, really. Asked why he didn't react to his critics, Manning smirked and said, "I don't want to give them the satisfaction." Phil Simms has spent 14 years fielding questions about his former team, and usually responds with good humor and patience. Then came Wednesday, which he called an "all-timer." "It was asked to me 100 times," he said after returning home from a March of Dimes fund-raiser at the Waldorf-Astoria. The subject, of course, was The Skittish Kid himself, No.10 in your program, No. 1 on the sports talk radio charts. "I hadn't even said 'Hi' and I heard, 'How about Eli? Did you see the game?"' Simms said. "And this was people in the sports industry. I almost want to say their names because I found it funny." The Giants have a quarterback to worry about, running back Brandon Jacobs is still out, they've been in an offensive funk their last four games, Plaxico Burress is getting most of his yardage on a bike and Michael Strahan hasn't dropped a funny line in weeks. And now they have to worry about the comet named Hester that comes around every year. Tom Coughlin, who gives away very little, admitted yesterday that his team is devoting more time to harnessing Hester. "Absolutely," Coughlin said. "He has the ability to change the game around." Eli Manning and Rex Grossman have a lot in common. Both of them play quarterback in a major market. Both have a knack for throwing balls to the wrong team. Both have taken a steady stream of hits from the fans and media critics over their annual uneven play. And both lightning rods will be on the same patch of Chicago grass on Sunday, trying to pass their team in the direction of the playoffs. Manning and the 7-4 Giants will be squaring off against Grossman and the 5-6 Bears at Soldier Field. The Chicago Bears defense was so dominant the past two seasons it was often compared to Buddy Ryan's '85 Bears. This season, the Bears have been hampered by injuries and a lack of execution by the players who have replaced the starters. They look more like Ryan's '95 Cardinals, one of the worst defenses in the NFL that season. The
Giants will wear black decals with the number 21 in white on their helmets
Sunday at Soldier Field to honor Redskins safety Sean Taylor, who died Tuesday
after he was shot in the leg during an attempted armed robbery early Monday morning.
A Giants spokesman said all NFL players had the choice to wear the decals, but
the entire Giants team will wear them to honor Taylor. NFC East News Nov
29 If
Eli Manning needed a friend this weekend in Chicago, he might want to whip
out his BlackBerry, scroll down to "G" and begin mashing numbers. Rex Grossman,
Bears quarterback, definitely understands the frustration of being everyone's
favorite whipping boy. Even
GM Jerry Reese piled on. Reese has been a loose cannon in his first year on
the job, evidenced by previous comments about Luke Petitgout and Michael Strahan,
but calling his quarterback "skittish" can't be very good for confidence inside
Giants Stadium. "I don't know what that means exactly and I'm not too concerned
with it," Manning said yesterday. The offensive line is taking to heart the struggles by Eli Manning in last week's 41-17 loss to the Vikings. Manning's four interceptions handed over 28 points, and there was no way the Giants could overcome that generosity. There were plenty of dreadful passes, but there also were plenty of throws made under duress, and members of the line aren't hiding from the fact they were a large part of the problem. For all the well-earned abuse Manning has absorbed this week, much of it for his passion-free play and passion-free news conferences, the quarterback has also been hurt by something out of his control. His next-stall neighbor, Plaxico Burress, hasn't been available to practice and hasn't been himself on game day. Passers are often lost without their most reliable receivers. In fact, Peyton Manning hasn't been quite the same quarterback and the Colts haven't been quite the same winning machine without Marvin Harrison. The Giants need Burress to play in Chicago, and play at a high level. Without Plaxico as a deep threat, without his size and speed and leaping ability, the field closes in on Manning and friends. Suddenly, the Giants' offense feels like it's operating inside a phone booth.
Antonio
Pierce said he "feels good" about the sprained ankle he suffered in last week's
41-17 loss to the Vikings. But the Giants held him out of practice, where he was
joined on the sidelines by WR Steve Smith, WR Plaxico Burress -- who in addition
to his usual ankle woes is also suffering from a sore knee -- and Aaron Ross.
Ross is still struggling with a hamstring injury, which forced his removal from
the Vikings game. Plaxico Burress has a knee injury to go with his four-month-old ankle injury. According to the Giants, Burress is "day to day" with an unspecified knee injury he suffered late in the Giants' 41-17 loss to the Vikings. His status for this Sunday's game in Chicago is unclear. Tom Coughlin did not mention the knee injury during his press conference yesterday, and Burress was not available for comment. Burress did not attend practice, staying inside for treatment. Later, he was taken to the city for another examination by the Giants' doctors. It's unclear whether he was having his knee or ankle examined, or both. A
coach's level of concern with an opposing player is directly proportional
to the amount of noise he makes at practice. So there yesterday stood Giants coach
Tom Coughlin in the middle of a punt-coverage drill that special-teams coordinator
Tom Quinn usually handles, barking at his players. "Gotta get down there and tackle
him! Do NOT let him get started," Coughlin yelled. Don't worry. The usual super-secret
nature of practice is not being given away here. Everybody, especially Coughlin
and the 7-4 Giants, knows about Bears kick returner Devin Hester by now. What
they don't know is how to keep that 5-foot-11, 186-pound whirlwind out of the
Soldier Field end zone on Sunday. Antonio Pierce spent one year in Washington as a teammate of Sean Taylor, the 24-year old Redskins safety who died early Tuesday of a gunshot wound from an apparent intruder. Pierce spoke with Taylor three weeks ago, commiserating after Taylor injured his knee. "He thought he was going to play that week," Pierce said yesterday. "That's how that guy is, he'll play through anything, he'll run through anything. There weren't too many things that could stop him on the field." Nov
28 Everybody
is a critic when it comes to Eli Manning. He's taken hits from fans, media,
opponents and Tiki Barber. Even GM Jerry Reese piled on Tuesday when he was quoted
as saying Manning looked "skittish" on Sunday. At times the criticism is unfair.
Often it's excessive. But really, what did he expect? He's taken shots from everywhere
since then regarding both his performance on the field and in the interview room.
He even took one from Reese Tuesday, when the GM was quoted as saying Manning
"has gotten skittish, for whatever reason" - not exactly high praise for a quarterback
known for his calmness and poise. In what appears to be a sign that they are optimistic about getting running back Derrick Ward back on the field, the Giants yesterday released running back Patrick Pass and signed linebacker Torrance "Tank" Daniels off their practice squad. Pass, a veteran and former Patriots player, was signed last week and played on special teams in the 41-17 loss to the Vikings. He was brought in for depth purposes, with Ward and Brandon Jacobs sidelined with injuries, depleting the backfield.
A
punter is rarely the key to any game, but for the Giants this week Jeff Feagles
looms as large as anyone when thoughts drift to Chicago's Soldier Field and the
menacing specter of the ball coming off Feagles' foot and landing into the waiting
arms of Devin Hester. "We're certainly not going to kick the ball right to
him, I can tell you that," Feagles vowed yesterday to The Post. "I'm not
going to come out and say what Sauerbrun did." As
Sean Taylor lay fighting for his life in a Miami hospital Monday night, a
gunshot in his leg severing the femoral artery, Antonio Pierce was leaving him
a voice mail and sending him a text message telling his former teammate that he
was praying for him. Taylor would never receive those messages. "I left him a
message with best wishes and that I was praying for him," Pierce was saying Tuesday.
"He wasn't a person that let you into his life, but we bonded on the field and
off the field." Nov 27 When he became the starter midway through the 2004 season, Eli Manning threw several incompletions and interceptions while bailing out and away from a rush that wasn't as close as he thought. He was jumpy and shell-shocked in the pocket. On Sunday, Manning showed signs of reverting to that form when he fell backward while delivering the pass that Sharper intercepted. Later, on a fourth-and-5, Manning backed away from a blitzer that was close to him but had been picked up by running back Reuben Droughns. The pressure was there, but Manning could have -- and should have -- stepped up and delivered the ball. The
morning after his worst game in nearly three years, Eli Manning stood in front
of the media answering questions for more than 30 minutes. He never raised his
voice, never got angry and rarely changed his expression. Four years into his
career, it should be clear he probably never will. "What do they want him to do,
come running (into his press conference) and cuss the world out?" asked Brandon
Jacobs. "No. He's a player with more class than that. He won't do that. That's
just not the type of guy he is." It
looks as if Eli Manning cares, but not enough to quell the rage of the many
fans appalled by the way he played in a desultory 41-17 loss to the Vikings and
disgusted with the way the Giants quarterback sounded and reacted following a
truly dreadful individual performance. There's a feeling that if he is going to
make the paying customers so miserable, the least Manning could do is show he's
feeling as pained as they do. "It's not like I leave here and all my worries are
gone and the game doesn't come back in my mind," Manning said yesterday. If
you have never been an Eli Manning fan, then today you are firmly ensconsed
in the camp that is virtually certain that he will never be a franchise quarterback
or win a championship for the Giants. If you are a Giants fan, you are undoubtedly
wishing today that Ernie Accorsi hadn't made that blockbuster Draft Day trade
four years ago for Manning and stayed put and let Ben Roethlisberger fall in his
lap. If you are a Giants owner, or general manager, you may for the first time
be creeping, however reluctantly, toward the realization that you better at least
start thinking about a search for your next franchise quarterback. Both Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning remained upbeat and looking forward instead of dwelling on the Vikings game. "You treat it like any other loss," Manning said. "It is a loss and you look at it and you learn from it. We have lost games this season and in the past. Our attitude hasn't changed. We are not down, we are not disappointed. You look at where we stand right now in the NFC, we are right where we want to be. We are in a great position. We are in control of our own destiny. We have the lead for the Wild Card. So we just have to handle our business the next five weeks and we will be in good shape." Coughlin's lengthy opening statement included the line, "My whole-hearted support goes to Eli." Later, the coach was asked if he is concerned how Manning will respond to his rough outing against the Vikings. The Giants aren't scoring enough points, and are giving away too many. They had a swell chance to move themselves a game closer to wild-card paradise by beating a Vikings team scratching to reach .500. Didn't come close. "Yes, we're 7-4," Tom Coughlin said Monday, and you could hear the "but" coming. "But we're not playing as well as we can play. Without a doubt, we can play better." Here's another way to put it: They couldn't play much worse.
Antonio
Pierce suffered a sprained ankle in Sunday's stunning loss to the Vikings
and missed the last few plays of the fourth quarter. He underwent X-rays that
were negative and said the damage is nowhere near what he suffered in 2005 when
he tore ligaments in his ankle against the Eagles and missed the last three games
of the season and the playoff loss to the Panthers. Pierce will likely to be able
to play on Sunday against the Bears and the pain in his ankle should subside.
But the sting of the loss to Minnesota hasn't yet gone away, especially since
the defensive leader had to watch the offense give up points.
ESPN - Vikings return three Eli picks for TDs in blowout win. Giants.com - Giants fall to Vikings, 41-17. StarLedger - Eli gets big boos from Big Blue fans. StarLedger - Loss gets under their skin. StarLedger - Vikings feast on Manning's tasty turnovers. StarLedger - It's a late Turkey Day. Newsday - Vikes' return: More returns. Newsday - Giants routed as Eli throws four interceptions. Newsday - Beefed-up security at Giants game. Newsday - Embarrassed Giants admit defense was awful. Newsday - Eli's miserable game raises old doubts. Newsday - Giants Overtime:Q&A. NYDailyNews - Eli, Giants get picked apart. NYDailyNews - Eli Manning too calm, Tom Coughlin not. NYDailyNews - Giants' defense runs into trouble, NYDailyNews - No rest in rout for Plax. NYDailyNews - Purple reigns in Swamp. NYPost - Eli's 4 interceptions hand Vikes victory. NYPost - Tom doesn't pull Manning, Burress. NYPost - Jackson looks like best QB on the field. NYPost - Not all on Eli. NYPost - Receivers don't have the answers. NYPost - Vikings DBs could tell when Eli lost it. NYPost - Plain and simple, he left 'em with no choice. NYPost - Sharper pick on an Eli misread. TheRecord - Blame Coughlin for mess. TheRecord - Eli’s 4 picks lead to Giant disgrace. TheRecord - Vikings' QB an escape artist. TheRecord - Team can't rely on Manning. TheRecord - History repeating itself with loss to inferior team. JournalNews - Vikings pick apart Giants, 41-17. JournalNews - Time for Giants to pick up the pieces. NFC
EAST NEWS VOTE GIANTS TO THE PRO BOWL - Go Here then click on - "Launch Official Ballot Now" Game
11 Giants(7-3)
vs Minnesota (4-6) Nov
25 With
the Giants' top two running backs, Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward, out today
(and possibly longer) with injuries, the cold-weather-challenged Manning is the
Giants' best option over the next few weeks. That's because the team's next five
opponents are ranked in the lower half of the league in pass defense, starting
with the Vikings, who are ranked dead last with 288 passing yards allowed per
game. "We know the weather is going to get bad, but we still have to throw the
ball," said wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who has zero touchdowns in his past
four games after catching eight in his first eight. "If we don't, guys are going
to line up eight in the box and put pressure on our running game. We're going
to air it out this week." Antonio Pierce expects to move forward with his football life today. Really. Literally forward. As in, not like last Sunday. "Last week, they faked us," the Giants' middle linebacker said of the Lions' pass-oriented attack in Sunday's 16-10 Giants win. "They came out with four straight running plays, and I'm thinking, 'Oh my God.' But before you know it, I had to back up 7 yards and play the middle of the field. "(Today) isn't going to be like that. It's all going to be in the first 5 yards of play." In other words, Pierce expects to be charging full steam ahead in this 1 p.m. game against the Vikings. Minnesota (4-6) doesn't just sport the No. 1-rated rushing attack, but it does it consistently, regardless of whether ailing rookie Adrian Peterson or productive veteran Chester Taylor is in the backfield. "We
have been playing so many passing teams that we haven't had a lot of runs
at us," Pierce said. "It is going to test another side of our skills on defense.
Everybody has been talking about our pass rush, so it will be a big challenge
to see if we can stop the run on a team that is just going to run the ball flat-out."
One way to slow down the Minnesota rush, Pierce said, has nothing to with him
or his defensive buddies. "The offense comes into it, too," he said. "We have
to get up on them and change their mentality." The
Vikings pose no great secrets and can be summed up in quite tidy fashion.
Running the ball and stopping the run: Great. Throwing the ball and stopping the
pass: Lousy. If the Giants can deal with the former and exploit the latter, they
should be in fine shape. They are too far back to catch the Cowboys and so far ahead of the wild-card pack that it will take a Mets-like collapse to keep them out of the playoffs. So, where do the Giants go from here? Into January, they hope. A win Sunday against the Vikes and they are all but in. The last six weeks are all about maintaining their position as the NFC's No. 1 wild-card team and the third-best team in the conference and then going on the road to play the winner of the NFC West or NFC South. The Cowboys and Packers, each 10-1, are locked in as the top two seeds and their showdown at Texas Stadium on Thursday night will likely determine the No. 1 seed. All three of the Giants' losses have come against the Cowboys and Packers. Two
seasons ago, the Giants fancied themselves a legitimate Super Bowl contender
before injuries and inexperience felled them at the end of that season. Last season
was much the same. The 2007 version of the Giants has prided itself on not looking
too far ahead and not making big statements about its relative value in the league.
This year's Giants also have not had the so-called "trap" game, where they overlook
an inferior opponent. Their three losses have been to a pair of 10-1 teams, and
the wins have been against teams beneath them in the standings. "Teams that want
to make a run into January and February," Pierce said, "don't let games like this
pass them by." And if they need a reminder of that, seeing the visitors in white
and purple should jog the Giants' memories. Nov
24 Last
week against the Lions Sinorice Moss had a career-high four catches for 46
yards, marred only by a second-quarter fumble. He nearly doubled his season yardage
and matched the number of balls pulled down in the game by Plaxico Burress and
Amani Toomer, the Giants' top two wide receivers. Tomorrow, when the Giants face
the Vikings and their league-worst pass defense, Moss hopes similar opportunities
are on their way. Tom
Coughlin wanted to impress upon his Giants the tendency of Sunday's opponent,
the Vikings, to run trick plays. So he showed the entire team the clip of Minnesota's
opening play last week against Oakland. Rookie wide receiver Sidney Rice started
out on what looked to be an end-around, but pulled up and threw a pass to a familiar
figure. Former Giant Visanthe Shiancoe caught the ball and rambled 79 yards to
the Raiders' 5 before the tight end was caught from behind by safety Stu Schweigert.
"He got caught at the 5 -- Shank, way to go," Jeremy Shockey said about his former
teammate and still friend. "He always says he runs a 4.5, but on that play he
did not look like he ran a 4.5. Reggie Torbor is in his fourth season and will be making his 14th start Sunday. He's had many chances to prove he should be the Giants' regular strong-side linebacker, and the Giants have always seemed to go in another direction. The most obvious move the Giants made was to convert Mathias Kiwanuka from defensive end to linebacker before this season. But Torbor, as genial a Giant as there is in the locker room, never took that as a slight. "We had no depth there; I was the only strong-side LB we had, so I knew they were going to do something," he said. "When they did it, I was just like, 'OK, let's go to camp, fight it out and we'll all be better."' With Kiwanuka done for the year with a broken leg, it's Torbor's job now. If Chris Snee really wanted to study and analyze what lies ahead, the reaction could be one of intimidation. The Giants tomorrow face the Vikings, the team that stops the run better than any other in the league. "I don't think you can just say, 'Hey, we're scared of these guys and do something else,'" said Snee, the starting right guard. "That's why we play this game, for these challenges." If Barry Cofield really wanted to study and analyze the upcoming situation, his reaction could be one of desperation. The Giants face the Vikings, the team that runs the ball better than any other in the league.
It
may just be wishful thinking or a bit of gamesmanship, but either way, the
fact the Vikings yesterday upgraded rookie sensation Adrian Peterson to questionable
has certainly caught the attention of the Giants for tomorrow's game at Giants
Stadium. Peterson, a swift and powerful running back, leads the NFL in rushing
with 1,081 yards and has scored eight touchdowns. Former Giants. Nov 23 Giants DE Michael Strahan wants to go out on top, but first he'd like to win a championship and break Lawrence Taylor's "real" sack record. After producing 1 1/2sacks in his first six games, Strahan has 6 1/2 sacks in his last four, giving him eight. He is back to doing what Giants fans have seen him do for most of his Hall of Fame career. Even now, 10 games into his 15th season and two days after turning 36. "I feel like I'm doing some things better than I ever have, but there are other things that I think I was doing better before," he said. "Ten years ago, I was physically stronger and faster, but I was just running around. Now, with my experience, I'm able to make up for what I didn't know with the knowledge I've gained over the years, so it pretty much evens out."
Reggie
Torbor will likely start on Sunday against the Vikings in place of Mathias
Kiwanuka, who broke his leg in last Sunday's win at Detroit and was lost for the
season. Kiwanuka had surgery on Tuesday and was seen hobbling around on crutches,
although he didn't speak to reporters. Torbor said he's spoken to Kiwanuka, but
not about what it will take to replace him. "We haven't talked about football.
We talked about him getting healthy," Torbor said. "He's got some things on his
mind. He's going through a lot right now." The
moment will never escape Pat Flaherty's memory. He already had been diagnosed
with colon cancer, but the grim reality of the situation had yet to sink in. This
was in May of 2004, as Flaherty sat with six doctors, discussing his options.
Surgery was recommended. In his first year as the Giants offensive line coach,
Flaherty reacted instinctually. "You say 'OK, let's do it after the Super Bowl,'
" he recalled recently in an interview with The Post. One of the doctors rejected
that time frame. "You may not be around after the Super Bowl," Flaherty was told.
Nov
22 Brandon
Jacobs strained left hamstring kept him out of practice yesterday and both
he and coach Tom Coughlin left the distinct impression that Jacobs, who leads
the Giants with 599 rushing yards in six games, will be out at least this weekend
against the Vikings and possibly longer. "You know me, I'm always ready," said
Jacobs, who missed three games with a sprained knee this season. "It's just the
medical staff trying to be cautious." Jacobs also got some advice from cornerback
Sam Madison, who tried to come back after missing two games with a hamstring strain
last season, reinjured the leg and ended up missing three more games. When Reuben Droughns and his nearly 3,500 career yards were traded to the Giants in March, he had visions of being part of a powerful 1-2 punch in the backfield. Instead, he's spent much the season buried on the depth chart at No. 3. Admittedly, it wasn't exactly what the 29-year-old was expecting. But he remained patient, convinced that his time would come. Finally, it looks like it's here. "He's a true professional," said running back Derrick Ward, who beat Droughns out for the No. 2 spot this summer. "We call him 'Uncle Reub' because he's been in the league for awhile, so he knows how the game goes. He's a team player. Everybody knows that your time is going to come. "It's his time right now." Derrick Ward, who has missed the past three games with ankle and groin injuries, took a step toward being available this weekend by participating in individual drills yesterday. He hopes to participate in 7-on-7 drills with the team today and see how he feels afterward. "It's that first contact that's going to decide whether I'm ready to go or not (Sunday), so we'll see how it goes," said Ward, who waited for the go-ahead from the trainers to resume practicing. "Hopefully Friday or Saturday I'm able to build up my wind and be ready to go on Sunday." That's
why the rallying cry this week is to prove they can stop the run against the
Vikings, who have the top rushing attack in the NFL (177.9 yards per game) and
still managed to run for 288 yards in Sunday's win over the Raiders even though
they were without rookie running back Adrian Peterson. "This defense definitely
gets the talk about pass rushing and things of that nature, but we don't want
to be characterized as a one-sided defense," end Justin Tuck said yesterday. "We
want to come out here and show we're a physical group as well as a skilled group
that can get after the quarterback." Maybe that's why they're looking forward
to smashing heads with one of the biggest, most physical offensive lines in the
NFL. Tom Coughlin barely kept his job after last season and then received the minimum vote of confidence from Giants ownership with just a one-year contract extension that didn't come until after he convinced them of his plan for the future. But he is now positioning himself for a multi-year deal. He has impressed co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch with his attempt to reinvent himself in his 12th year as an NFL head coach by easing up on his players, controlling his wild-man act on the sidelines, smiling once a week and giving players a say on team issues with his leadership council. He has also eliminated the locker-room chaos. Getting off to a 7-3 start helps his cause, too. Giants co-owner John Mara said the team is "obviously concerned" about fan behavior at the Giants-Vikings game Sunday in the wake of reports about Jets fans' notorious and unruly halftime behavior toward women at Gate D. However, there have been no reports of similar incidents at Giants games. "Whenever you hear anything of that nature, you are obviously concerned," Mara said. "In light of the story this week, we have had conversations with the NJSEA, and we have been assured that steps have been taken to ensure similar incidents don't occur in the future." Nov
21 At
7-3 heading into what could be the softest game remaining on their schedule
at home Sunday against the Adrian Peterson-less Vikings the Giants clearly look
to be the third-best team in the NFC and they should be able to claim the top
wild card slot. That means a road game at what looks to be either Seattle or Tampa
and, quite possibly, the first post-season victory for Eli Manning, which is always
a significant milestone for a quarterback. The New York Giants are in a class by themselves in the NFC. They are not nearly as good as the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers, both 9-1 and the only teams to beat them. They are, though, third best in a conference where only six of the 16 teams are playing above .500. With six games left in the regular season, and barring a collapse by any of the top three, the Giants (7-3) appear a lock for a wild-card spot and a third straight playoff berth. "We have to play to try to stay there and work our way into the playoffs and get another shot at those upper-tier teams that we have already played," defensive tackle Barry Cofield said. Tom
Coughlin famously called injuries "a cancer" when he took the Giants' coaching
job, intimating that the mind-set of the team needed to change. Safe to say that
approach didn't work. The 2007 approach, with general manager Jerry Reese letting
go injury-prone veterans (Luke Petitgout, Carlos Emmons, LaVar Arrington, Will
Demps) and forcing Coughlin to put more faith than the coach usually does in younger
players, will get its sternest test now. Kiwanuka went on injured reserve yesterday,
and running backs Brandon Jacobs (hamstring) and Derrick Ward (ankle, groin) are
iffy. The Giants' season could rest on the depth that has been so sorely lacking
the last couple of seasons. It
has gotten easy for Michael Strahan's teammates to tell when a big game is
coming. And in the hours before the Giants took on the Lions in Detroit on Sunday,
they started to see the signs. "From the time he got off the bus, he was very
focused, very energetic," cornerback Sam Madison said of the Giants' 15-year veteran.
"He looked like the Stray of old." Make that the Stray of young. The future Hall
of Fame defensive end tore a page from the scrapbook of his youth on Sunday with
his first three-sack game since 2003. It brought his season total to eight, which
ties him for the team lead with Osi Umenyiora and ranks seventh in the NFL (fifth
in the NFC). VOTE GIANTS TO THE PRO BOWL - Go Here then click on - "Launch Official Ballot Now" Nov
20 Because
they were healthier than in the previous two seasons, the Giants felt more
confident after their third consecutive 6-2 first half. After being decimated
by injuries late in 2005 and 2006, especially on defense, they were physically
fit for the stretch run. Time to adjust that forecast. Mathias Kiwanuka is done
for the season after surgery yesterday stabilized the broken left fibula and badly
sprained ankle he suffered on the second play of Sunday's 16-10 win in Detroit.
Kiwanuka soon will go on injured reserve to make room for a new player. Even with the retirement of Tiki Barber, the most prolific rusher in franchise history, the Giants went into this season confident they had so many capable running backs that there were too many to cram onto the roster. And so on the first day of September they shipped Ryan Grant - a player they believed was an NFL-caliber runner - to the Packers in exchange for a draft pick. In the eyes of the Giants, what remained was more than enough. That was then. This is now. "It went from a deep, strong position to a position now that has a couple of injuries," Tom Coughlin said yesterday. "Yeah, it is a definite concern." The
Giants' top two running backs have speed and power. But their best attribute
might be their impeccable sense of timing. In Week 1, Brandon Jacobs went down
with a knee injury and Derrick Ward was there to fill the void. A few weeks later,
just as Jacobs was getting back to top form, Ward suffered an ankle injury that
limited him and finally knocked him out last month when he also tweaked his groin.
Now, Jacobs has a hamstring injury and Ward is on his way back. The
Giants need a new starting strong side linebacker, and it's no sure thing
Reggie Torbor is next in line. Torbor replaced Mathias Kiwanuka early in the 16-10
victory in Detroit after Kiwanuka on the second play went down with a broken left
fibula that ended his season. Torbor, who was credited with two tackles, has been
a backup on the strong side throughout most of his four years with the Giants,
but yesterday Tom Coughlin did not name him the starter for Sunday's game against
the Vikings. "Reggie came into the game and completed the game, played well enough
for us to win," Coughlin said. "Mathias has many situational defensive positions
he plays as well and we'll have to work out how we'll deal with that as well."
There's a decent chance the Giants will not move Torbor in and instead could insert
Gerris Wilkinson into the lineup. The Giants were fall guys a year ago, some of their key players felled by injury, precipitating an ignominious fall from grace following a 6-2 first half. They will not be fall guys this time. You don't go into a place as loud and hostile as Ford Field and find a way to win on a day when your offense struggles and loses Brandon Jacobs and your defense loses Mathias Kiwanuka unless you are a together team. You don't get up off the deck after losing to the Cowboys at home unless you are strong-minded and resilient enough to forget it and move on. I know all about Any Given Sunday, and yes, Reuben Droughns and rookie Ahmad Bradshaw stepping in temporarily for Brandon Jacobs [hamstring] is a concern, but please look at the schedule and tell me why these Giants should not win 10 games. If the Giants have to get stuck in the wild-card round, the NFC is the place to be and this is the year to do it. The Cowboys and Packers are 9-1 and their game in Dallas in 10 days likely will determine who goes into the playoffs as the NFC's No.1 seed. The loser still will get a bye and a home game in the divisional round. The Giants are 7-3 and have the third-best record in the conference. If things play out the last six weeks as expected, they can expect to visit Seattle or Tampa in the wild-card round the first weekend in January - and go there with a better record than the Seahawks or Buccaneers. Taking Eli Manning's temperature minute-to-minute, quarter-to-quarter, game-to-game, has become a boring exercise. It's about as entertaining as watching someone picking cotton particles off a Q-Tip. This has not dawned on those bent on beating the subject to death. Like Fox voices who waited until the fourth quarter Sunday (Giants-Lions) before anesthetizing the audience with Manning babble. Daryl Johnston, working with Kenny Albert and Tony Siragusa, claimed he had been in New York on Wednesday and Thursday and the hot topics were "either" Alex Rodriguez's contract or "Eli Manning and could he win a championship as quarterback for the Giants. And it was all anyone was talking about the entire time I was up there." Not quite. Nov 19 Giants win over Detroit 16-10.
ESPN - Strahan, secondary help Giants beat Lions. Giants.com - Giants defeat Lions, 16-10. Giants.com - Statistics from the Giants 16-10 victory over the Detroit Lions. NYDailyNews - Kiwanuka Likely Done For Season. Freep.com - Kitna: Giants not better than us; Strahan: Lions 'worst team' in NFL in first half. Freep.com - What’s with Lions offense? Obviously, not much. Freep.com - Mike Martz seems to be outsmarting himself. StarLedger - Up for the challenge. StarLedger - Got a complaint about the refs? Get in line. StarLedger - Kiwanuka likely done for the year. Newsday - Giants stop Lions despite mistakes, odd calls. Newsday - Giants defense picks up in secondary. Newsday - Sure they're good, they're just not Giant. Newsday - Losing Kiwanuka a bad break for Giants' 'D'. Newsday - Strahan sacks Kitna trash. NYDailyNews - Giants' defense tames Lions. NYDailyNews - Giants' win over Lions sacks comparisons to last year's collapse. NYDailyNews - Eli Manning quietly passes a big test. Record - Giants' crucial picks keep Lions caged. NYPost - Big Blue hero? The Butler did it. NYPost - Mouthy Giants prevail, both on and off field. NYPost - Strahan trashes refs for "Garbage Call' on Tuck. Game
10 Giants
(6-3) vs Detroit (6-3) Nov
18 On
the eve of the biggest pro football game at Ford Field outside of Super Bowl
XL, Roy Williams had to beg Detroit fans repeatedly to make today's showdown with
the Giants one to remember. "I'm hoping our fans will come out and we have a whiteout
(fans all wearing white) and make this thing a playoff atmosphere," the Lions
star receiver said of today's game which could impact the NFC wild-card race.
"I hope the fans come out with something special." No
quarterback in the NFL has been put to the ground more often than the Lions'
Jon Kitna, who has been sacked a league-leading 37 times. His backup, J.T. O'Sullivan,
has been sacked three times. That's 40 sacks allowed, which adds up to a load
of trouble for the Lions. Or else it adds up to a load of opportunity for the
Giants today when they take aim at Kitna and the Lions inside Ford Field. "I can't
honestly tell you why they're giving up a lot of sacks," Osi Umenyiora said. Traditionally, Turkey Day is about the only time Lions' fans get enthusiastic about their team, which has gone half a century without a championship. However, while Thursday's showdown with Green Bay looms, there will be lots riding on today's game with the Giants. Both teams are 6-3, and the winner grabs the top rung among NFL wild-card contenders. "Negative sells, but positive sells also," said Detroit coach Rod Marinelli, who has dealt with tons of negativity since taking over the team last season. "I am about being positive, I am about being upbeat, I love energy, and I understand this league. Slow and steady. That's what is going to win the race for the Giants. Tempo was a hot topic of conversation after three delay-of-game penalties, and a seeming inability of the Giants to proceed with speed on offense to counteract Dallas' quick-strike offense in last week's loss to the Cowboys. Today the Giants will face another fast-paced offense, and their own offense is looking for a happy medium between too slow and too fast, neither of which worked against the Cowboys. "You're sitting there wrestling with, 'Do you get out of what maybe you do best?'" offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said. "Sometimes you look at it as, maybe you slow it down a bit to get the ball out of their hands." One
of two things has already happened to the Giants. Either they just hit a little
speed bump on their road to the playoffs, or another second-half collapse has
already begun. The Giants (6-3) will find out soon enough, but they'll have a
much better idea after they take on the Detroit Lions (6-3) Sunday afternoon in
the first of what likely will be many NFC wild-card showdowns. One game doesn't
make a collapse, but given what's happened the last few seasons, disaster is never
really far from their minds. Eli Manning is much better than Dave Brown, not nearly as good as Phil Simms and so far about the same as Kerry Collins. So, where does that leave the Giants? It's clear after 48 regular-season starts and two more in the playoffs that Manning is not a top-five elite quarterback, which is what the Giants thought they were buying when they gave up all those draft picks to the Chargers, who wanted Philip Rivers anyway. Manning's mediocre performance in last weeks crucial game against the Cowboys, in which he was outplayed by Tony Romo, who was not even drafted, has served notice to the Giants: This may be the best he's got. Where he ranks in the NFL has become a hot topic. The passing game continues to struggle, even though QB Eli Manning made several impressive throws in last week's loss to the Cowboys. The Giants aren't stretching the field now that WR Plaxico Burress' sprained ankle is getting worse, as Burress admitted on Monday. So what's the solution? Maybe they should shrink it by running the ball. Dallas didn't bite on play action and the Cowboys safeties stayed deep. That's why the Giants have to force them to come forward by running Brandon Jacobs and Reuben Droughns up the middle. Perhaps that would then create more room deep for Burress and WR Amani Toomer. During his first two seasons with the Giants, Brandon Jacobs was an intriguing complement to the shifty Tiki Barber. So when Barber retired, many figured more carries for Jacobs would mean more bullish, power runs with Jacobs bouncing off defenders and knocking them flat. Yet, he hasn't had a big, bulldozer-type run like last year against Phillips or even earlier in the same game when he left six Bucs defenders in a pile while he stood behind them and screamed after none of them could bring him down. But that doesn't mean Jacobs hasn't been running with power now that he has become a full-time back. In fact, more than half of his 545 rushing yards -- 301, to be exact -- have come after the first contact from a defender. There will forever be only one Mark Bavaro, one Rambo, in Giants history. But now, as Plaxico Burress' ankle worsens and debilitates him, as the Giants vow to get off the deck today against the playoff-starved Lions, Jeremy Shockey needs to be Eli Manning's Mark Bavaro. George Martin's Journey For 9/11 "I got no complaints with him," Bavaro said of Shockey. "He's a good, tough tight end. You can't ask for more out of your tight end. You might ask for a little less showmanship, but you can't ask for more. He's giving you everything he's got every week, every play." George
Martin played 14 years with the Giants and owns a Super Bowl ring, but he
knows this golden moment is one of the more special times in his life of success.
Gallery Of George's Journey "Look at that sunrise," Martin, an art major at the
University of Oregon, says as we walk along the shoulder of state road 11E. "I'm
a country boy from Greenville, South Carolina, and I love these old dwellings.
You look at them and they tell a story. I like to photograph them because they
are going to be fading away from our American history." "Football doesn't last forever. It's not a business or career you can play until you're 50, even though Jeff Feagles is trying to," Giants director of player development Charles Way joked. That's why Way and his team hold resume workshops, teach players networking skills and how to read a bank statement, and introduce them to different opportunities such as coaching and business internships or broadcasting boot camp so they can start to think about careers after the NFL. Navigating Giants', Jets' new parking setup. How did it go? It was surprisingly less-than-awful, with a few caveats. More on those later. Short version: After a meandering tour of an office park in Lyndhurst, N.J., I reached the orange lot at 2:35 p.m., 100 minutes before kickoff. At 2:37, I was parked. At 2:40, I was in line to board a school bus. By 2:45, I was on the bus, which got to lot 17 at 2:53. The lengthy walk to the stadium took until 3:01. Twenty-six minutes total. Nov
17 The
Giants' offensive philosophy has become decidedly "smashmouth" - or, as offensive
coordinator Kevin Gilbride put it, "We would like to let Brandon (Jacobs) and
company plunder the necessary amounts" to set up the rest of the offense. The
Giants are averaging 134.2 yards on the ground and an impressive 162.2 in the
five games since Jacobs returned from a knee injury he suffered on opening night.
In theory, that kind of dominance should make for a productive big-play passing
game. But aside from Burress' ankle injury, they've also had to deal with the
ankle/groin injury to Derrick Ward, the team's best pass-catching running back
(24-150). And with rookie receiver Steve Smith (hamstring/shoulder) expected to
miss his eighth straight game tomorrow, third receiver Sinorice Moss (7-59) has
yet to fill the void. In
most NFL offenses, the third wide receiver isn't expected to be a big part
of the game plan. But he is expected to be some part of the game plan, if only
to attract enough attention to keep an opposing defense honest. So far this season,
Giants' foes have been able to do plenty of cheating, given how little production
New York has been getting from whichever receiver is playing behind Plaxico Burress
and Amani Toomer. Each
week, the first drill put in motion by the Giants coaching staff is designed
to hammer home a familiar lesson. "Take care of the ball," Tom Coughlin said.
Each week, ball carriers are instructed to hold the ball high and tight, to secure
the football in traffic, to treat it as a precious commodity not to be squandered.
Like a drumbeat, the Giants with numbing regularity are reminded of the fate of
those teams that do not heed this warning. "Turnovers lose football games," Coughlin
said. "Obviously, against this team that is a critical factor." Aaron Ross has been in games like the one coming up against the Lions. In fact, he's using some history to prepare himself for the air assault Detroit will be bringing at Ford Field. "This to me is just like when we played Texas Tech," said Giants cornerback Ross, out of the University of Texas. "You know you're going to be running maybe 50 pass plays and they might all be coming your way." Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield are of the same mind on this one. Just because the Lions mounted a historically bad running game in their loss to the Cardinals last week doesn't mean the heat is off. The defensive tackles' message to each other and their teammates? Be aware. Be very aware. It's unlikely the Lions will go run-heavy this game, being at home on a surface where they have gone 4-0 and put up an average of 31 points and 237 passing yards per game. But Kevin Jones, even with just 83 carries for 339 yards, is still a dangerous enough weapon for the Giants to take notice. They also give T.J. Duckett significant work. Nov 16 The Giants lead the league with 31 sacks and the Lions' 40 sacks allowed is the most in the NFL. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said the toughest decision this week won't be how to rush, but when. As he did for years with the Rams, Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz often puts four receivers on the field and sends a running back out for a pass. His schemes are a big reason why the Lions' sack totals are big. But they're also the reason they've thrown for an average of 246.1 yards per game. The Giants are being careful with Antonio Pierce. He had hoped to practice yesterday but was not allowed to by the coaches and medical staff as the Giants prepared for Sunday's game in Detroit against the Lions. Coach Tom Coughlin said Pierce "probably" will practice today. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said, "I'm hoping he'll be practicing." Pierce went one step further. "I'll be playing Sunday and I'll practice tomorrow," he said. It appears as though the honeymoon is over with the Giants and wide receiver Plaxico Burress, and the other bad news is that there simply isn't anyone to replace him - and the problem may become exacerbated this Sunday when they travel to Detroit to face the resurgent Lions. This takes some explaining. All season, their star wideout has missed practice all week because of a "severely sprained ankle," according to no less than Dr. Robert Anderson of Charlotte, N.C., a nationally respected orthopedic specialist in the foot and ankle. He prescribed "total rest," but because Burress is a pro football player, the compromise has been not to practice all week and then play on game days. It has worked reasonably well. Everyone from Tom Coughlin to Eli Manning to Jeremy Shockey agrees the Giants' three delay-of-game penalties in Sunday's loss to the Cowboys were unacceptable. So it's no surprise they've been working on getting up to the line faster and making calls more quickly this week. "It's not like it's something that isn't attended to or discussed and emphasized every week," offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said yesterday. "But of course last week we had three of them. And to have one is inexcusable. So it is something that we certainly made an effort to emphasize. When the Cowboys scored to take a 24-17 lead midway through the third quarter last Sunday, nearly everyone in the stadium knew the Giants simply had to score a touchdown. When they settled for a field goal after a holding penalty, everyone knew they then had to hold Dallas to only three points on the next drive. When the ball landed in Terrell Owens' hands on his way to a 50-yard touchdown pass, everyone knew the game was over. Sure, 11 minutes remained to trim a two-score lead, but this was the kind of game -- a late-game, toe-to-toe scoring match -- the Giants just don't seem capable of winning. This year's Giants haven't matched up well in those situations. So, if you're offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, what do you do when the pace starts to become a little quicker than you'd like it to be? Nov 15 The entire Giants secondary will try not to be fooled on Sunday when they face the Lions. Chances are, Detroit offensive coordinator Mike Martz watched Owens' touchdown and realized he has the weapons to run similar plays against the Giants defense. Even if Johnson's playing time is decreased after his rough game against Dallas, starting strong safety James Butler will be challenged by wide receivers Roy Williams, Calvin Johnson, Mike Furrey and Shaun McDonald. As practice began yesterday, Antonio Pierce sat next to Plaxico Burress on a stationary bike along the sideline. Then, as the linebackers started to run drills, Pierce crossed the practice field and milled around behind them, wearing a wool cap and his No. 58 jersey over sweats. The starting middle linebacker did not participate in practice and was listed on the injury report as having a mild concussion. Giants coach Tom Coughlin said Pierce was held out because he has had headaches since Monday. During their six-game winning streak, the Giants ran the ball well at times, threw it well at times, but never really managed to do both for four quarters. Now, coming off their first loss since Sept. 23, the Giants (6-3) have to regroup on both sides of the ball. That may be easier to do for the defense, whose hot streak keyed those six wins. Eli Manning has taken the brunt of the heat for the offense's stumbles, but this is a group that had been excelling consistently only with the run. Shaun
O'Hara knows all about the problems the Giants offense had a week ago, from
the three delay of game penalties in the second half as they were trying to come
from behind to their failing to score a touchdown after halftime for the second
straight game. And he knows most of the criticism of offense is being directed
at Eli Manning. "What else is new?" the center said. "That's the microscope of
the position. We all know it's not all on Eli and we all have to do our part."
Outside of the Giants' locker room, Manning has absorbed a disproportionate share of the blame for the Giants' 31-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday. Fans venting on message boards or sport talk radio stations and some members of the media have opined that Manning came up short in comparison with Dallas quarterback Tony Romo. Some have gone further and suggested Manning is not suited to lead the Giants to a championship. If I were to write that Eli Manning was one of the worst quarterbacks in history and that the Giants wasted too much money and too many draft picks on him, chances are he'd never know I'd said it. If I were to say that Eli will one day be better than big brother Peyton, he wouldn't know that, either. "Honestly, I don't read anything or watch on TV," Manning said yesterday in a corner of the Giants' locker room. "I'm vaguely aware of what's out there, but I really don't look at it. It's football. It's part of the game. You win, you lose. It really doesn't make any difference to me about what's being said." There are two things that should be crystal clear about the Giants by now. First, after a big loss, Eli Manning will get most of the blame, and every part of his game and personality will be torn apart. Second, and most importantly, Manning doesn't care. "E's such an easygoing guy, none of that affects him," Giants running back Brandon Jacobs said yesterday. "Sometimes he can care less what's going on around him. That's the type of guy he is. E has handled all of it well. None of it has really bothered him. "So if people want to stop now they really can, because they're wasting their time." Nov
14 Eli
Manning is boring. There, I said it. He's a boring guy with the media, a boring
quote, a boring bulletin board-material feeder, a boring touchdown celebrator
who gives boring high-fives, makes boring audible calls and hands off in a boring
way. In our great town, boring can equal death. Or at least the occasional open-pit
roasting, such as the one Manning has been getting since Tony Romo -- you know
him, the guy who smiles all the time, gives witty quotes and dates famous women
-- came in on Sunday and displayed some panache for the glittery Cowboys. Here's the deal with Manning: He's a good quarterback. Those who declare the Giants can't or won't win a Super Bowl with him at the helm are clueless or else they've never heard of Doug Williams or Trent Dilfer or Brad Johnson or even Kurt Warner. Those who continually compare him to older brother Peyton are misguided, as Peyton is among the top 10 quarterbacks ever to play in the NFL and Eli is never going to approach that exalted status. Of course, before last season Peyton was classified as the greatest quarterback to never win the big one, until he won the big one. The debate over Eli Manning has been raging in New York for more than 3-1/2 years, since the day the Giants paid a hefty price to get him. Outside the Giants organization, that price will forever be a part of how he's measured. However, inside the Giants front office, they base their measurement on only one thing. "The only thing we evaluate is 'Can we win with this guy?'" Giants co-owner John Mara said Tuesday. "That's the one thing. When we talk about any player at the end of the season, the No.1 question is 'Will he help us win?' And to take it one step further, 'Can we win a championship with this guy?'" One
last look back to DAL - If we take a look at Eli Manning's 11 incompletions,
we'll notice that only three were inexcusable: A high throw to Plaxico Burress
on a second-and-10 in the second quarter, a ball that was knocked away by LB Akin
Ayodele on the second play of the third quarter and his high throw on fourth-and-4
in the fourth quarter that was knocked away. So, to sum all this up, Manning's
real numbers should be 23-for-26 for 236 yards, one TD and no INTs. And yes, I
realize those numbers don't include the delay of game penalties, which may or
may not all be his fault. Seventh-round
rookie Ahmad Bradshaw might have pulled himself out of Tom Coughlin's doghouse
just in time to make an impact on the future. How much and where it will come
remains to be seen. At least the 5-foot-9, 198-pound running back out of Marshall
can start with kickoff returns. "That's for the coaches to decide," said Bradshaw,
who has no carries and just one reception for 11 yards out of the backfield in
six games. Kicker Lawrence Tynes is in his fourth season in the NFL and his first with the Giants. Tynes, 29, followed an usual path to the NFL. Born in Scotland, he wasn't introduced to football until he was a teenager. After an outstanding career at Troy University, he was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs. Tynes played in NFL Europe and the Canadian Football League before making the Chiefs roster in 2003. He played three seasons in Kansas City before the Giants acquired him in a trade on May 22. Special
Report - What happened Sunday was the Giants' fault. They didn't play well
enough, they didn't take advantage, they allowed the Cowboys to dictate terms
and they allowed the game to be taken away from them -- the pace, the intensity,
the creativity and the momentum. You cannot blame that on a holding penalty. Oh,
and for those of you still clutching to the hope that Cowboys' quarterback Tony
Romo was across the line of scrimmage when he threw a touchdown pass, drop it. Nov
13 Plaxico
Burress said his sprained ankle, which has kept him out of practice for most
of the season, is getting worse. "Today is probably the worst it's felt," the
Giants' wide receiver said one day after he caught only four passes for 24 yards
in a loss to the Cowboys. Later, when asked if his injury continues to increase
in severity, Burress said, "That seems to be the thing; it seems like it's getting
worse." And not practicing during the week has likely knocked him out of "football
shape" -- a term that was tossed around during Michael Strahan's holdout and the
first couple of games when he appeared slower than usual. In his last three games,
Burress has just 11 catches for 81 yards. And after starting the season with a
touchdown streak, he has been kept out of the end zone in each of the last three
games. The
end of the world came and went and not one Giant crumbled over in mortal pain.
Sure, Plaxico Burress' ankle hurts, and Kareem McKenzie can barely unclench his
teeth while proclaiming his bruised back feels "splendiferous," but most of the
damage huddled around egos, and those, like hearts, have been known to mend. And
so it is that the Giants continue the second half of the season fairly intact,
which is far better than the shape they were in this time last year. The
NFC East race may be all but over, but the Giants' season isn't. And just
because they collapsed in the second half last season, doesn't mean they're going
to do it again. That's what the Giants want everyone to remember in the wake of
their deflating, 31-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. As Eli Manning said
twice during his post-game press conference and one more time Monday, the loss
to the Cowboys may still sting, but "it's not the end of the world." OK,
so Eli Manning's better than Philip Rivers. But he's not nearly as good as
Tony Romo, and as long as that remains the same, the Giants will be playing for
a wild-card spot for the remainder of both careers. In a league as quarterback-dominated
as the NFL, the kind of an edge Romo affords the Cowboys is an advantage they
can ride for as long as he remains healthy. As for the Giants, there's no sense
in Waiting for Eli any longer. Little brother has arrived, and it looks like this
is as good as it's going to get. He'll never be Peyton, or Brady or Favre, and
that's OK because - with the possible exception of Romo - neither will anyone
else currently playing in the National Parity League. It's
times like these when Giants fans need to hear the wit and wisdom of that
noted pigskin philosopher who often remarked, "In New York, it's euphoria or disaster."
Bill Parcells coined that clever, appropriate saying during his run as Giants
coach from 1983-90. In the wake of the Giants' disheartening 31-20 loss to the
Cowboys on Sunday, a game they looked forward to as a true measure of just how
good - or not good enough - they were after a six-game winning streak, it's a
good idea to remember the Tuna's words. If nothing else, it will help heal the
angst with a dose of what's really needed at a moment like this: perspective.
It's still seven weeks away, but making the playoffs for the Giants could come down to the final Saturday night of the season when they play the Patriots. Bill Belichick returns Dec. 29 to Giants Stadium, the scene of his espionage caper gone bad when the Patriots were caught in the Spygate scandal in the season opener against the Jets. The Giants privately are rooting for two things in the Patriots' next six games: They want them to lose, which would end their run at an undefeated season, and they want them to have clinched the AFC's No. 1 seed before the final game. That would remove Belichick's motivation to play his starters and could get the Giants a good look at Matt Cassel instead of Tom Brady and lots of Jabar Gaffney instead of Randy Moss. NFL bye weeks bring road trips of a different kind. Coughlin, who gave his team, 6-2 at the bye, essentially six days off, went to Jacksonville, Fla., to visit his son and daughter-in-law and their newborn daughter, his fifth grandchild. "She's very loud," Coughlin reported. Giants guard Chris Snee came to the realization of just how many back-seat coaches there are in the world. He went to see his alma mater, Boston College, then ranked No. 2, lose to Florida State. "Oh, God, there's so many coaches in the stands," Snee said. "I love Boston fans, but just listening to some of the comments, they have no idea what's going on. All they are are negative, the whole time. Toward the end I was getting irritated, so I just went down to the sideline. Giants report card - Paul Schwartz | Arthur Staple.
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