|
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| Dec 19 With two games left, it's time for Coughlin to make another change. He reluctantly dismissed offensive coordinator John Hufnagel after the Giants' 15th game last season, grudgingly admitting that his OC's game plans were flawed and that he needed to demonstrate to the team that he could make adjustments. Coughlin's not going to fire offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, even if the Giants' offense lays an egg in Buffalo on Sunday, because he'd be admitting yet another failure in his coaching personnel decisions. Tisch and Mara would have a hard time keeping Coughlin after his third such mistake with coordinators. The game plan, especially the passing game plan, seems to have remained from Tiki Barber's tenure. Eli Manning, now down to a less-than-robust .550 completion percentage (.600 was the target before the season), relied heavily on Barber's superb pass-catching abilities and dumped the ball off to Barber whenever possible. Tom
Coughlin could be coaching for his job Sunday afternoon in Buffalo. A defeat
all but guarantees the Giants an 0-3 finish to the regular season (unless you
really think there's a chance they're going to beat the Patriots, who most likely
will be 15-0 after Sunday's game against Miami). And 0-3, followed by a first-round
loss in the playoffs - if the Giants even make the playoffs at 9-7 - is exactly
the "but- what-if" scenario that Giants ownership had feared. Considering
he is tied for third in the NFL in sacks, it came as no surprise that defensive
end Osi Umenyiora yesterday became the only Giants player voted to the NFC Pro
Bowl squad. Umenyiora leads the Giants with 12 sacks and the Giants lead the league
with 49 sacks. This will be Umenyiora's second trip to the Pro Bowl, as he was
voted in back in 2005 when he led the NFC with 14 ½ sacks. The fact that it will take both Michael Matthews and Kevin Boss to replace him shows how valuable Jeremy Shockey was. Though he ceased being the dynamic pass catcher of past seasons - his 57 catches ranked only seventh in the league among tight ends - he was instrumental in blocking. Brandon Jacobs could not have snapped off many of his longer runs without Shockey sealing off an outside defender. Matthews and Boss have different skill sets. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Matthews, used this year as an H-back, move tight end, stationary tight end and occasional fullback, is primarily a blocker. Boss, 6-6 and 253, initially caught the Giants' attention as a receiver and had to be taught the blocking game. He caught his first touchdown pass Sunday after Shockey left, grabbing Manning's third-quarter throw from the 19 and battling his way into the end zone. NFL
News Dec
18 Play-calling
was one of many issues that prompted the Giants to replace last year's offensive
coordinator John Hufnagel with Kevin Gilbride. This season, it is still a problem
as the Giants head down the stretch and possibly into the playoffs. On a night
such as Sunday, with a quarterback who often struggles to throw spirals, a heavy
passing attack might not have been the best approach. No matter how well Manning
threw in pregame warm-ups. "It's always different when you have a defense out
there and you don't always have the perfect position to step up," Manning said.
"The ball comes out with a little flutter and that just makes the ball move a
lot more. "In a windy game, you have to try to get a spiral or else you don't
know what the wind is going to do to it." Tom
Coughlin didn't even wait for the question Monday before he gave his answer,
one day after the Giants went pass-crazy in a 22-10 loss to the Redskins. He defended
the play-calling of offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, and insisted he had
no problem with the aerial game plan. And if you think throwing that often in
miserable conditions didn't give the Giants a good chance to be successful? "I
disagree with you," Coughlin said. "It's that simple." The
Giants, by virtue of getting defrosted by the Redskins 22-10, are venturing
further out onto an icy surface that isn't nearly as thick as it used to be. The
Giants clinch an NFC wild card playoff spot with a victory in either of their
final two games, but the reality of the situation is they'd better not wait and
are advised to do it Sunday in Buffalo against the Bills. The last thing the Giants
desire is a Saturday night date with the mighty Patriots, needing a victory to
avoid a collapse and squeeze into the playoffs. The Giants remain ahead of the
Vikings (7-7 after last night's loss to the Bears), Saints (7-7) and Redskins
(7-7) but if they finish 9-7 will not own the tiebreaker edge on any of those
teams. Beating
the Redskins would have assured the Giants of a third straight postseason
bid and given the players a chance to unwind a little in the final two games.
After the 22-10 loss, however, the screws have been tightened and the collars
are getting a little stiffer. And now they must do without tight end Jeremy Shockey,
one of the team leaders who will undergo surgery later this week to repair the
broken left fibula he suffered against the Redskins. He was placed on injured
reserve Monday and his spot on the roster was taken by tight end Jerome Collins,
who was signed off the practice squad. The practice bubble adjacent to Giants Stadium sat crumpled yesterday, and it will take some time before it can be inflated again. Maybe it's a blessing of a sort. The Giants practiced indoors all last week, and there were some pointed questions for Tom Coughlin yesterday about the value of practicing in the stadium before a December game. So in preparation for likely messy weather Sunday in Buffalo, the Giants will be forced to practice outdoors tomorrow and possibly for the rest of the week. "You tell me how you are going to mimic the winds," Coughlin said. "We could have practiced outside all week long and never got 25-mile-an-hour winds. It is a nice conversation point but I don't know that it has a lot to do with anything." If you are a Giants fan this week, then the way your stomach feels and the way your brain chooses to process information has as much to do with who your baseball team is as who your football team is. If you are a Yankees fan, then your first reaction when it comes to where the Giants presently sit is to believe in the power of reason and common sense. The Giants are better than Buffalo, you will tell yourself. The Giants are a better road team this year than they are at home. And you know something? Even if something bad happens in Buffalo . . . that's OK. Someone else will lose. And, hey: there's always the chance to shock the world in Week 17, right? How cool would that be? That is how the Yankees/Giants fan looks at the world. Giants report card - Paul Schwartz | Vinny DiTrani Dec 17 Giants lose to the Redskins 22-10
ESPN - Skins boost playoff hopes with convincing win over Giants. Giants.com - Giants fall to Redskins, 22-10. StarLedger - Drop-dead ugly. StarLedger - Loss hangs heavy on Jacobs' hands. StarLedger - Rookie TE finds himself in the thick of things. StarLedger - Disappointing effort for defense. Newsday - Redskins bring down bumbling Giants. Newsday - Giants pull another disappearing act. Newsday - Shockey fractures left leg. NYDailyNews - Giants left in state of Shock. NYDailyNews - Giant woes in December a cold reality. NYDailyNews - Drops are a Giant factor. NYDailyNews - Defense rests as 'Skins run all over Swamp. NYPost - Shockey breaks leg in ugly loss. NYPost - No place like home for a Big Blue bust. NYPost - Mann overboard. NYPost - Shockey suffers tough break, season over. NYPost - Amani drops the ball. TheRecord - Injury adds to pain of loss. TheRecord - Giants' tight end out. JournalNews - Fractured left fibula puts end to Shockey's season. JournalNews - Practice bubble collapses. WashingtonPost - Playoff Hopes Remain Intact After Victory. WashingtonPost - New Life for the Redskins. WashingtonPost - Blustery Wind Flusters All Participants. WashingtonPost - Gibbs Can Still Motivate. WashingtonPost - Collins Shows His Mettle. Game
14 Giants(9-4)
vs Redskins(6-7) Dec
16 The
Giants can clinch a playoff berth tonight. If they do, it will be the second
time this season that the Redskins helped the Giants achieve something huge. Michael
Strahan isn't the only Giant who knows his team wouldn't be anywhere near the
playoffs if it weren't for the first meeting between these two teams, on Sept.
23 at FedEx Field. The Giants rallied from a 17-3 deficit for a 24-17 victory
in a game that was decided by a goal-line stand in the final minute. Not only will Giants fans see old video of Tiki Barber making his Eli Manning comments, they will hear him critique the QB's 2007 season to this point. Some of Barber's new TV brethren - guys who played the game and now yap about it on ESPN, Fox, and CBS - ripped him for daring to critique a former teammate. "These guys were saying you can't bad-mouth your former teammates," producer Michael Weisman said. "I believe they never heard what Tiki said. They got their information secondhand. If they have a problem with what he says (tonight) so be it." Barber talked directly to Manning about his comments and, according to Weisman, still "regularly" speaks with some of his former teammates. "He may come back stronger on Eli (tonight)," Weisman said. "I haven't asked him what he thinks of Eli's season. I have no idea what Tiki is going to say." The
Giants have prospered in some very noisy venues this season, most notably
Washington, Philadelphia, Chicago and the dome in Detroit. Players in any sport
will tell you quieting a crowd on the road can be as big a boost as hearing the
huge cheers at home. That's why visiting teams to the Meadowlands have an advantage
before they even hit the field. Giants fans may be knowledgeable, they may be
loyal, but they simply are not boisterous. Brandon Jacobs vowed to bounce back from last week's performance when he ran cautiously in his first game back from a hamstring injury and fumbled twice in the second half. Jacobs said his leg is feeling much better and he worked on ball security all last week." Kawika
Mitchell was asked a simple question about Redskins quarterback Todd Collins'
ability to stay in the NFL for a decade between starts. The next thing anyone
knew, Mitchell was bemoaning the way the NFL handles its quarterbacks. Mitchell
knows, having watched Collins wear the red (no contact) jersey in practice when
the two were teammates with the Chiefs from 2004-05. "Being that third and second
quarterback, that's a nice option to have sometimes," Mitchell said. "You can
stay around for a long time, especially if you find somebody that really likes
you and you're good in that scheme." The person that "likes" Collins is Redskins
offensive coordinator Al Saunders, who brought the 13-year veteran with him from
Kansas City to Washington after the 2005 season. Dec
15 The
blustery weather promised for Sunday night could signal tough sledding for
the passing attacks of both the Giants and Redskins at Giants Stadium. So it could
become like a game made for Brandon Jacobs.The Giants' 6-foot-4, 264-pound running
back figures to be the workhorse on a frigid night one week after coming back
from a hamstring injury that cost him two games. "I didn't play my best football
last Sunday," Jacobs conceded of his game in Philadelphia, where he gained 70
yards on 22 carries and fumbled twice. "There is the possibility guys might start
thinking 'Oh man, I don't think he can do it.' "If guys did say that, I gave them
all the reasons to by going out and playing the way I did. But I'm going to bounce
back and try to have my best game of my life." The
way Kawika Mitchell has played the last two games, he might not have to worry
about the sounds of silence in the offseason this year. As the 9-4 Giants try
to clinch a playoff spot tomorrow night against the Redskins, Mitchell is making
his own personal charge. The weak-side linebacker, one of two surviving offseason
acquisitions along with backup quarterback Anthony Wright, is trying hard to avoid
bargain-basement status and earn himself more than a one-year stay this time around.
Or at least take away the doubts he had about his future during a soundless free-agent
wait last offseason. When
Giants linebacker Kawika Mitchell played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2003-06,
he had the unenviable task of trying to scheme a defense toward limiting Broncos
running back Clinton Portis, whom he faced twice each season. Both players have
since migrated to the NFC East -- Portis to the Redskins -- but Mitchell has yet
to purge the images of Portis and his cut-blocking offensive line shredding through
the Chiefs defense. There was a time when Plaxico Burress was keeping up, hauling in passes and finding his way into the end zone as often as any receiver in the NFL and more frequently than most. He was more than keeping pace with the likes of Randy Moss and Terrell Owens, and it wasn't difficult to envision a career year that catapulted Burress to his first Pro Bowl. Then his right ankle had other plans. Though Burress hasn't missed a game since the second game of the season, he hasn't practiced once because of a sprained ankle that has at times turned him into a one-legged wonder. Free safety Gibril Wilson completed another week without any time on the practice field and is highly unlikely to play tomorrow night against the Redskins, but he swears he's making progress on a knee he injured Nov. 18 in Detroit. "Worst case scenario is next week," Wilson said yesterday. "I feel good, I feel confident. Hopefully this weekend. If not, next week for sure." Wilson has missed the past two games. He has been able to run and get through agility drills but is listed as doubtful to face the Redskins. The other starting safety, James Butler, also missed all week and will not play because of a strained hamstring. That leaves two rookies, Michael Johnson and Craig Dahl, to start in the secondary as they did last week in Philadelphia. The Giants handed in their Pro Bowl ballots Thursday, and though players can't vote for their teammates, a few were asked which of their locker-room mates were worthy of selection to the NFL's all-star game. Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan, Antonio Pierce, Plaxico Burress and Chris Snee were most often mentioned. But there might be a Giant more valuable to his team this season than any of those players, one whom most teammates forgot when discussing worthy Pro Bowlers. "He's the best I've ever seen," Pierce said of Jeff Feagles. "Ever since I got here, he's been deserving of [a Pro Bowl nod]." Kawika Mitchell said: "You usually measure a punter by his ability to put the ball outside the numbers. Jeff does it whenever he wants to." Dec
14 Todd
Collins replaced Jason Campbell on Dec. 6 in the second quarter of a 24-16
victory over the Bears after Campbell suffered a dislocated kneecap. Collins,
who hadn't thrown a pass since Dec. 19, 2004, with the Chiefs, completed 15 of
20 for 224 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions, earning NFC Player
of the Week honors. Collins' 21-yard touchdown pass to Todd Yoder was his first
since 2002. When asked if it is more difficult to prepare for a quarterback with
a limited video archive, defensive end Jason Tuck said, "I think so, because you
really don't know what to expect. You can look at those 20 passes in that game,
and that's not really enough." The
Eagles had just recovered Brandon Jacobs' fumble at the Giants' 8-yard line
early in the third quarter on Sunday. After a false start on first down, Donovan
McNabb told the Giants his team was about to go into the end zone. "The only thing
that came out of our mouths was, 'You might get a field goal try,'" defensive
end Justin Tuck recalled Thursday. Might? "That's right, might," Tuck said. "But
we might take the ball back and we might move them back. We don't really mind
that situation at all." Osi Umenyiora sacked McNabb on the next play, and the
Eagles did settle for the field goal that extended their lead to 10-6, a huge
factor in a game the Giants went on to win by three, 16-13. R.
W. McQuarters has done a good job carving out a spot for himself with the
Giants and could help out at safety this week against Redskins running back Clinton
Portis and tight end Chris Cooley. Last week in a 24-16 win over Chicago, Cooley
had five receptions for 93 yards and has gained 677 yards this season, while Portis
had 17 carries for 36 yards and six receptions for 86 yards. Being prepared to
effectively defend against both in a rematch against Washington isn't an easy
job, but McQuarters - a cornerback and punt returner - has the proven ability
to multitask. In each of the last two Giants' road victories, Amani Toomer has registered a game-changing play, the type of play vital to erasing the sting of a lopsided home loss to Minnesota, but just quiet enough to be lost in the hype over Eli Manning's resurgent play or fellow receiver Plaxico Burress' continued triumph over injury. But anyone who was paying attention to the Giants' collapse down the stretch last season knows that Toomer's season-ending knee injury was utterly debilitating to the offense. Several Giants spoke wistfully of experiencing a snow game and they just might get their wish. If the Giants (9-4) are to clinch a playoff berth, they'll do it while battling not only the Redskins (6-7) but also the thermometer. Tom Coughlin is old-school in many ways, but practicing outside in the winter elements isn't one of those ways. The freezing rain and snow could have been a good prep for the Giants, but Coughlin, who prides himself on leaving no stone unturned, gladdened the hearts - and warmed the bodies - of his players by working them indoors. "Because I'm actually more concerned about the quality of the practice," Coughlin explained. Playoffs?
Playoffs? Holy Jim Mora! The Giants, who lost seven of their last nine games
in 2006, who gave up 80 points in their first two games in 2007, who were a team
standing together only in their disdain for their coach, can clinch a postseason
spot Sunday night against Washington. Frankly, they haven't been this overcome
with excitement since Dave Brown took command of their huddle. "So what if we're
in the playoffs?" said Shaun O'Hara. "We've done that the last two years, that's
not a hill of beans for us. We want to do more." Not
all the Week 14 games went Washington's way. Victories by Minnesota and New
Orleans mean the Redskins don't quite control their own destiny. Even so, it's
likely that they will claim the NFC's final wild card berth if they win their
final three. "The way the NFC has gone this year, it's a lot of parity, so to
speak," linebacker London Fletcher said. The NFL certainly thinks the Redskins
are worthy of the late-season spotlight. Dec
13 Kareem
McKenzie wants Giants fans to be on their best behavior. The right tackle
is still stewing over the fans' reaction to the last home game at Giants Stadium,
a 41-17 rout administered by the Vikings. The smattering of fans that stayed until
the end booed the Giants players unmercifully as they made their way off the field.
McKenzie wants the fans to direct their venomous jeers to the opposing team, starting
this weekend against the Redskins. The Giants are just 3-3 in their own building
compared to 6-1 on the road. They are coming off two impressive wins at Chicago
and at Philadelphia, and McKenzie is hoping for a more sanguine atmosphere in
East Rutherford. There is a lot to dislike about the Giants offense and its ability to finish drives the past month. Seven turnovers inside the opposing 30-yard line in the last four games and three drives inside the Eagles 5 on Sunday that resulted in field goals, but no touchdowns. But those failures only highlight how effective the Giants offense can be. They have had at least 300 total yards in five straight games, and 19 drives of at least 39 yards in the last four games. Despite the fact they have scored an average of 17.5 points in those four games, the Giants are doing some things right on offense. Against the Eagles, Brandon Jacobs wasn't nearly as elusive or powerful as he usually is. He was stopped for a loss four times, including three consecutive rushes in the first quarter, and he broke only four tackles. "My mind was right where it needed to be," he said. "My game, physically, just wasn't the same." But the most troubling parts of Jacobs' performance were his two fumbles. Dating to his last game against the Lions last month, that gives him three fumbles in his past 27 touches. Jacobs protected the ball well early in the game as he ran tentatively so he wouldn't tweak his hamstring. But as the game wore on and he appeared to get more comfortable and aggressive (he had 54 yards on his last nine carries), he seemed to forget about gripping the ball tightly. As Plaxico Burress began his scouting of the upcoming opponent, he noticed a glaring absence. The Giants on Sunday night face the Redskins at Giants Stadium, and Burress knows the opposing secondary will not include safety Sean Taylor, who was shot and killed in his Miami home on Nov. 27. "I was looking at the film this morning, kind of got choked up a little bit, just knowing I'm going to step on the field this Sunday and [number] 21 is not going to be out there," Burress said yesterday. "He's a great friend of mine. He's a competitor. It's going to be a little different. It's sad to say, but we got to keep on punching. I miss him." The Redskins have played two games since Taylor's death, losing to the Bills and beating the Bears. A year ago, they were in a free-fall, having lost four of their last five, and every day seemed to bring a new controversy from the locker room. A list of potential replacements for Coughlin had already been prepared, beginning with Notre Dame's Charlie Weis and then-Louisville coach Bobby Petrino. This year, even co-owner John Mara said "there is a big difference" in how everyone feels. The Giants have just rolled off two dramatic, come-from-behind wins in a row and have a two-game cushion in the wild-card race. And while Coughlin's bosses are reluctant to discuss his fate until the season is over, they are pleased with everything from the team's record to his improved relations with both the players and the press. Dec
12 When
Tom Coughlin praised Antonio Pierce for his gutty performance in Philadelphia
on Sunday, it wasn't just a way to honor one of his captains. It also served as
a message to Pierce's injured teammates: Get on the field. It was a not-so-subtle
public directive that Coughlin has been delivering privately for weeks. The Giants
(9-4) are entering the stretch run, trying to fine-tune themselves for the playoffs.
Injuries have decimated the Giants late in each of the last two seasons, and Coughlin
doesn't want to go into the playoffs shorthanded again. That's why the coach,
who is notoriously impatient with injuries, and once famously called them "a cancer,"
wants his players to feel pressured to play. Steve Tisch didn't start spending every weekend with the Giants until last year. Even though he was new to the world of football that his father, Bob, entered when he purchased half of the Giants from Wellington Mara in 1991, Steve knew things weren't right as the season wound down. After 13 weekends with his team this season, the Giants chairman and executive vice president knows things are very different. And as one of the two men, along with team president John Mara, who will decide coach Tom Coughlin's future once this season ends, Tisch sounded fairly certain of what he wants to happen in 2008 and beyond. The
Giants might not love Coughlin like a father, but they have played for him.
All bets on an extension might be off if his team loses the final three games
and then gets blown away in Seattle or Tampa Bay. But ownership still would have
to think long and hard before it fires the first coach since Bill Parcells in
the mid-1980s to take the Giants to three straight postseasons. The
Giants hold their own fate - win two of their remaining three and the Vikings
can't catch them. Both clubs must play the Redskins on a Sunday night. And Washington
actually could thrust itself into playoff contention by sweeping those games.
If the 9-4 Giants and 7-6 Vikings finish with the same records, Minnesota will
get the fifth seed, and the Giants the sixth slot. And the red-hot Vikes, winners
of four straight, definitely have the advantage in the remaining schedules. Sunday's 16-13 victory in Philadelphia improved the Giants' record to 9-4 and put them in a position to clinch a playoff berth with a win this week over the Washington Redskins. But the Giants once again achieved victory by unconventional means. Overall, the Giants are 4-2 this season when trailing at halftime. Winning such games is more difficult than it might appear at first glance. The Giants also continue to defy the odds and precedent regarding turnovers. They have won each of the last two weeks despite a negative turnover differential. VOTE GIANTS TO THE PRO BOWL - Go Here then click on - "Launch Official Ballot Now" Dec
11 The
line to get into the trainers' room at Giants Stadium is starting to get a
little long, just as time is beginning to run out on the regular season. The good
news is that with a playoff berth all but secured, Tom Coughlin can begin to get
his injured players some much-needed rest. But not yet. "I'm not talking about
anything like that now," Coughlin said Monday. "We don't have anything secured.
We're playing as hard as we can to get as good as we can to be in position to
know that we're playing our best football. That certainly is not the case just
yet." When Coughlin first arrived here five minutes early four years ago, Wellington Mara was a lot more confident than Giant fans that he would be able to go toe-to-toe with the NFC East heavyweights: Bill Parcells, Andy Reid, Joe Gibbs. Parcells is in the ESPN studios and Reid and Gibbs will be on the outside of January looking in, and here stands Coughlin, on the brink of the playoffs, on the brink of becoming the first Giants coach to take his team to the playoffs three consecutive seasons since Parcells did it from 1984-86. But shhhhhhh. If you do something successfully over and over again, it can become part of your fabric. That includes winning sometimes illogical and often improbable football games by a handful of points. The 9-4 Giants have done exactly that in their last four triumphs, all on the road, which have put them on the brink of clinching an NFC wild-card playoff spot. They can secure that with a win over 6-7 Washington at Giants Stadium on Sunday night. "There is something to that," veteran wide receiver Amani Toomer said of a confidence born in tight victories. "You get into a game like that and think there is nothing to worry about. You just keep it close and you know you will give the other team a run for its money." Brandon Jacobs has four lost fumbles in his seven games this season, including three in his last two games. Tom Coughlin's chief pet peeve is ball security. So what's the solution? Coughlin and running backs coach Jerald Ingram helped Tiki Barber rid himself of fumbling issues with the "high and tight" carrying style. Coughlin reiterated his desire to see Jacobs do the same. "I don't really care that it makes a guy a little bit uncomfortable and slows him down a hair," Coughlin said. "That is not significant. What is important is the ball. You see how close these games are, how closely played they are, and how one play here or there can be the difference in a game." Defensive end Justin Tuck corrected a reporter who pointed out the Giants defense had allowed quick, relatively easy touchdowns on opening drives the past two games. "Three," he said, noting the Vikings' quick score in their 42-17 rout of the Giants. "Three games in a row. You never want to start a game like that." But if the defense can finish the way it has the past two weeks, the Giants will take a stumble out of the gate. As the Bears did the game prior, the Eagles took the ball and marched down the field on their first drive Sunday, scoring in 3:13 while covering 68 yards in six plays. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has shown an ability to adjust in-game, as he and the defense did in Chicago, when the Bears had only three field goals after their opening touchdown drive. NFL
News
ESPN - Giants survive last-minute drive to slip past Eagles. Giants.com - Giants defeat Eagles, 16-13. Philly.com - Giants edge punchless Eagles, 16-13. Philly.com - Playoffs? Don't even do the math. Philly.com - Before the Birds start rebuilding, McNabb must start against Dallas. Philly.com - End of the season can't come soon enough. NJ.com - McNabb's play hurts his case. NJ.com - Eagles rediscover the art of losing. StarLedger - Giants survive when Eagles' FG hits upright at :01. StarLedger - Jacobs not in any mood to celebrate big victory. StarLedger - Rookies give secondary a safety net. Newsday - Gritty Giants outlast Eagles to reach 9-4. Newsday - Plaxico comes to play. Newsday - Giants' Coughlin a sure thing to return next year. Newsday - Loss leaves Eagles with questions but no answers. Newsday - Giants' secondary superb against Eagles. NYDailyNews - Giants follow bouncing ball. NYDailyNews - Play of Pierce is super, man. NYDailyNews - Need practice? Plax rests case. NYDailyNews - Giants' young secondary has it covered. NYPost - Birds get the boot. NYPost - Plax-imum effort. NYPost - Jacobs: First fumble shouldn't have counted. NYPost - Tom must stay, A year after Tom must go. TheRecord - Plaxico helps out Eli. TheRecord - Living on the edge. JournalNews - Giants sweat out final kick, beat Eagles 16-13. JournalNews - Giants' extra points: Pierce makes key stop. Courierpost - Teammates defend Akers after missed FG. Special
Report - The worst the Cowboys can finish is 12-4 --
and Dallas owns the tie-breaker based on twin victories in the home-and-home series
this year. But there is still going to be a lot of football for the Giants, healthy
or not, division champions or not, and from the way they played Sunday in Philadelphia
there might be a lot of exciting and emotional football as well. Take middle linebacker
Antonio Pierce, for example. In 2005 he suffered a "high ankle sprain" against
these same Eagles. Game
13 Giants(8-4)
vs Eagles(5-7) Dec
9 Eli
Manning was already in the midst of one of the finest days of his career when
he dropped back to pass late in overtime on Sept. 17, 2006. As usual, the Eagles
were blitzing. Not surprisingly, within seconds, two defenders were in his face.
Manning saw it coming and had already adjusted the play, which set up a 31-yard,
game-winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress that is symbolic of what the Giants'
quarterback has done in his seven career games against the vaunted Philly blitz.
He courageously stands in the pocket, and at times has taken a pounding. But against
the Eagles, he knows there's always an opportunity for a big play. Coach Tom Coughlin is hoping the momentum of the last two drives in the comeback win over the Bears will carry over into this week and re-energize an offense that has become one-dimensional and stagnant in recent weeks. QB Eli Manning's mistakes against the Vikings continued in the first three quarters in Chicago, but he snapped out of it to complete seven of his last nine passes and lead the comeback. This week, Manning will get some help as RB Brandon Jacobs and WR Steve Smith return. Jacobs, who missed the past two games with a hamstring injury, must stay healthy over the last four weeks of the season because there's no more Derrick Ward as an insurance policy. If Jacobs goes down again, this offense will be in serious trouble. Osi
Umenyiora likes to say he's not a speed-rusher, but more often than not, the
fifth-year defensive end, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds before the 2003
draft, blazes around slow-footed offensive tackles. "We always kid around with
him and say, 'Whatever. You're a speed-rusher, you run around the edge. That's
what you do,'" fellow defensive end Justin Tuck said with a laugh. But Tuck said
Umenyiora also can use his underrated power to go through a blocker. Against the
Eagles in Week 4, three of his career-high six sacks came on bull rushes. Plus,
11 of his 40 pressures this season were the result of a power move. Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey can count on getting hit on Sunday. So can any other receiver who ventures over the middle. "I've made my share of mistakes just like any other player," J.R. Reed said. "But if I'm going to make a mistake, I try to make sure I do it at full speed. "In most cases, a big hit means I got there a split-second too late to make an interception. But the way I look at it, if I'm going to be late, I might as well hit somebody when I get there." They
were hardly warriors a year ago, much less the road warriors they have become,
and the road warriors they will need to be today, more than at any other time
this season. It is Giants-against-the-world today at Lincoln Financial Field,
and if they are who they think they are, they will embrace it, and never blink,
never waver, never crack. They should do themselves a favor and remember what
it felt like and what it sounded like when the Eagles ended their dysfunctional
season. They trudged out of Hell's Kitchen 23-20 losers in the first round of
the playoffs last season. The
Giants are only 3-3 at Giants Stadium this year. They have actually excelled
on the road the last two seasons, going 5-3 away from the Meadowlands in 2006.
The locals, subjected so far to a 6-8 record the last two seasons, will have to
content themselves with the overall picture. That should now bear a striking resemblance
to a playoff ticket. The Giants will clinch a postseason spot today if they win
and Carolina, Minnesota and New Orleans lose or tie, and Detroit and Arizona lose. The
Post's Steve Serby chatted with Ronnie Barnes, the esteemed Giants vice president
of medical services, who started with the club in 1976 as an intern and became
head trainer in 1980. It's been a difficult season for the Eagles. They are just 5-7 and Donovan McNabb's future in Philly is considered uncertain, even if Eagles president Joe Banner has said McNabb will be back. But the coach, who along with McNabb has been the foundation and the face of the franchise, has seen his family fall apart. "This has been a battle we have dealt with here for a few years," Reid said recently. "Our prayers are obviously with the boys, for their future." NFL
News Dec 8 If it's December, there must be a need for defensive replacements on the Giants. It's near impossible to avoid a huge injury or two in the NFL, especially as the season winds down. For Tom Coughlin and the Giants, the last three seasons have featured a long, painful march to season's end, replete with injuries to key players, especially on defense. The Giants feel this season is different than the past two, but seeing their two starting safeties and their middle linebacker on the sideline in practice for the third straight day can't make the Giants feel overly confident, especially with a visit to Philadelphia on Sunday. David
Tyree was shouting across the locker room in the direction of Chase Blackburn.
"C'mon Chase, don't do it!" Tyree yelled. "Special teams for life." That's where
those two normally make their living but tomorrow, Blackburn steps up on the depth
chart, as he's set to start at middle linebacker in place of Antonio Pierce, who
is expected to miss the game against the Eagles with a sprained right ankle. Pierce
played with the injury last week but was not effective in Chicago, and the ankle
swelled up on Monday. He missed practice all week, and all signs indicate he'll
miss his first game of the season. After
terrorizing defenses last year at Southern Cal, Steve Smith didn't envision
such a slow acclimation process into the NFL. Or that his name would have a long-standing
reservation on the injury report. The rookie receiver has missed 10 games due
to several ailments, the latest a nagging hamstring to go with the broken scapula
he suffered in Week 2. Now that the second-round draft pick is nearing full health,
coach Tom Coughlin had to see if his hamstring would hold up in a full-speed practice.
It did and Smith is expected to play tomorrow against the Eagles. "He's worked
himself into a normal practice," Coughlin said yesterday. "We'll just have to
see what we decide to do with him (tomorrow)." Despite the growing optimism about
incorporating Smith back into the offense, there remains a steep learning curve
in terms of his knowledge of the offense. The game tomorrow afternoon in Philadelphia is the type a fullback can wrap his arms around, as the Eagles like to bring an extra defender up to the line of scrimmage to stop the run. That's where Madison Hedgecock and his hard-charging style come in. "It's hard to find those guys like him," GM Jerry Reese said. "They're like dinosaurs, the big, strong fullbacks who can go in there and knock those linebackers out of there and catch the ball out of the flat and get some yards that way. He has all the skill sets you want in a fullback. For us to lock him up for a few years is the right situation for us." Dec 7 Brian Westbrook is the Giants' obsession. The Big Blue game plan Sunday at the Linc centers around containing No. 36. "Absolutely . . . absolutely," defensive end Justin Tuck said. "If we don't, we don't have a chance." Westbrook didn't play the September night the Giants sacked Donovan McNabb 12 times. We already know Osi Umenyiora won't be sacking McNabb six times because Winston Justice won't be playing left tackle for William Thomas. It is the presence of Westbrook - and the possible absence of middle linebacker Antonio Pierce - that spells big trouble for the Giants, especially with the Eagles fighting for their playoff lives. As the Eagles' Jeremiah Trotter used to stalk Tiki Barber, Pierce normally has the job of stalking Westbrook. Last
Sunday against the Bears, Antonio Pierce was clearly limited by an ankle injury
that kept him out of practice all week. It showed on the field and on the stat
sheet, as the Giants' middle linebacker was credited with a season-low-tying three
tackles. Afterward, Pierce admitted he probably shouldn't have played with the
injury. Well, this week, he might listen to his ankle. The
banged-up Giants appeared to get some good news on the injury front yesterday
when coach Tom Coughlin said he expected strong safety James Butler to play Sunday
against the Eagles. Butler strained his hamstring on the first play last week
against the Bears and was held out of practice the past two days, but Coughlin
was optimistic when asked about the third-year player yesterday. "I expect that
Butler will make the game," Coughlin said. Lining up behind Eli Manning in Philadelphia will be ... . a running back to be named, possibly as late as Sunday morning. Leading rusher Derrick Ward is out for the season, and the Giants' second-leading back, Brandon Jacobs, has practiced on a limited basis this week because of an injured hamstring. Jacobs said the hamstring has improved each day this week, though he's not going to force himself back into the lineup. The Giants' running game has been in flux all season, starting when Jacobs left the opener at Dallas with a knee injury and missed the next three games. He returned Oct. 7 against the Jets, rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, then started the next five games. But Jacobs injured his hamstring Nov. 18 at Detroit and has been inactive the last two games. The
throng around Osi Umenyiora's locker yesterday wanted to know if the Giants
defensive end was planning to hang another six sacks on Donovan McNabb on Sunday
in Philadelphia. Wisely, Umenyiora demurred with a laugh. "I don't think they're
going to let that happen again," he said. "I mean, if it does, someone's going
to lose their job, and I'm not talking about the players; I'm talking about the
head coach." There is no Justice. At least there won't be any Sunday when the Giants and Eagles have their rematch at Lincoln Financial Field. Winston Justice, the Eagles' starting offensive left tackle in that first meeting, has made cameo appearances in just two games since he made headlines of the wrong sort in that Sept. 30 contest won by the Giants, 16-3. That night Osi Umenyiora had a team-record six sacks, most of them at Justice's expense in one-on-one situations, as the Giants dumped quarterback Donovan McNabb 12 times. William Thomas, the Eagles' regular left tackle, was sidelined, as were star running back Brian Westbrook and tight end L.J. Smith. "They whipped our tail, we are not making any excuses about it," said Philadelphia coach Andy Reid. "[Those three players] will be there this time, and let's go play and see what happens." Only in this downtrodden NFC could a last-place, 5-7 team still consider itself in the playoff mix. There you have the Eagles, anxiously awaiting a shot at the Giants on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philly. With a victory and the right combination of events, the Giants could clinch a wild-card berth - but the more desperate team will be the Eagles, who still have visions of winning their remaining four games and sneaking into the postseason. From 2001 through '04, Donovan McNabb was the symbol of the Eagles' dominance of the Giants. He was the slippery scrambler who wiggled his way out of tens of sacks, ran for 107 yards in 2002, completed 80 percent of his passes for 314 yards in a late-season victory the following year, and threw for four touchdowns in the 2004 opener. But on Sunday, the 31-year-old McNabb might be facing the Giants for the last time -- at least in an Eagles uniform. "Hell, this might be my last year with the Giants," said defensive end Michael Strahan, McNabb's friend and a former fellow soup pitchman. "We could go out together." McNabb's relationship with the Eagles, strengthened by a 12-year, $115-million extension in 2002, has begun to crumble in recent years. We have heard it a thousand times, another of those mind-numbing lessons that NFL coaches have been preaching and repeating since before the birth of statistics. It's about hands and footballs, and that makes it very important: take the ball away from the other team more times than they take it away from you. That may not guarantee a win, but it should help. So you might say the Giants have been walking on the lucky side recently. And that those plus-minus stats really do matter. After all, the first four clubs in that column are all in first place. The No. 1 team is - big surprise - New England. Dec
6 When
the Giants dropped Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb for an NFL-record-tying
12 sacks in Week 4, they did so against a Philly offense that was without its
best answer for a nasty pass rush. Not left tackle William Thomas, who missed
the game with a knee injury and whose replacement -- Winston Justice -- was victimized
on three of the Giants' sacks that night. It was running back Brian Westbrook.
One of the best offensive weapons in the NFL, Westbrook is well recovered from
an abdominal injury that kept him sidelined for the Giants' 16-3 victory on Sept.
30. As long as Westbrook is on the field, the threat of a screen pass is a reality
which all 11 players on a defense must be aware. Tom
Coughlin may bemoan the loss of leading rusher Derrick Ward to a broken leg,
but the Giants coach is probably relieved to have reinforcements. Brandon Jacobs,
who has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury, practiced yesterday
and hopes to play Sunday against the Eagles. The 6-4, 264-pound running back is
cautious about rushing his return, given the sensitivity of hamstring injuries.
If
Donovan McNabb has any say, Sunday will mark the latest chapter in his career-long
rivalry with the Giants. Not the last. The Eagles quarterback is ready to return
from an ankle injury that kept him out the last two weeks, and he can't wait.
He only hopes there will be more Giants-Eagles down the road. Speculation has
been rampant that the Eagles will deal McNabb after the season. At this point,
though, it's just talk. "I expect to be with the Eagles throughout my whole career,"
said McNabb, a first-round pick in 1999. "If that happens, that's great, but I
can't have that floating through my mind right now. The only thing I can prepare
myself for and focus on is trying to win ballgames." NFC East News Dec
5 Every
time Eli Manning has some success in the no-huddle offense, as he did during
the Giants' wild comeback in Chicago on Sunday, there are renewed cries for the
Giants to use it more often. And every time, Tom Coughlin essentially says, "No."
The no-huddle limits their options, and the Giants prefer to switch personnel
frequently and vary their play-calling and approach. Of course, when the quarterback
is out of sync, all the switching and variety doesn't really matter. It might
not be a bad idea to use the no-huddle early if they sense Manning needs a little
jolt. With Sinorice Moss acting as a third receiver, the Giants had kept David Tyree to special teams. A few snaps as a decoy in four-wide sets, maybe, but no receptions. Then he replaced Moss late in Sunday's 21-16 comeback win over the Bears. On that final touchdown drive, his 24-yard catch on a slant set up Eli Manning's 15-yard throw to Plaxico Burress at the 2, which led to Reuben Droughns' winning touchdown run. "We made the move because we thought that with the mixture of run and pass, that's the way we wanted to go," coach Tom Coughlin said. "David obviously stepped up and played well." Tyree might have earned himself more time in the offense with that one, beginning this week against the 5-7 Eagles. Then again, he's been there before, with five starts and 50 catches in his career. The Giants have another big road game on Sunday. They have to head down the New Jersey Turnpike to face the Eagles, who may be 5-7 but always bring out plenty of venom when they host their rivals to the immediate north. Except there's one problem: It's Giants Stadium where the Giants have been more likely to fail in crucial games the last two seasons. They are 5-1 on the road this year and 3-3 at home; they were 5-3 on the road a season ago, 3-5 at home. Throw in their season-ending win at Oakland in 2005, and the Giants have won 11 of their last 15 regular-season games on the road. Three
years ago, the Giants signed Derrick Ward off the Jets' practice squad. Yesterday,
they signed another running back off the Jets' practice squad to replace him.
Ward was officially placed on injured reserve with a broken fibula, suffered in
Sunday's win over the Bears in Chicago. The third-year running back, who currently
leads the Giants with 602 rushing yards, had hoped the team would keep him active
for a possibly playoff run, but the Giants needed the roster spot. The Giants have already locked in a third straight season with at least a .500 record, and they are a virtual lock for their third straight playoff berth. With a little help from the right five places this weekend, they can even clinch an NFC wild-card spot. Yawn. Getting in isn't the goal anymore. The Giants (8-4) have to get out of the first round, something they have not done since 2000. If they lose in the first round again - in what would be their fifth straight playoff loss dating back to Super Bowl XXXV - then they have gone absolutely nowhere. They would be a stagnant franchise with no discernible upward momentum. They would need to reevaluate everything from the top on down. And they probably would. It is growing increasingly likely the Giants will have nothing tangible to play for the night of Dec. 29, when they face the Patriots at Giants Stadium. The Giants at 8-4 are in command for a wild-card position, a full two games ahead of the mediocre pack with four games remaining. A victory this Sunday in Philadelphia goes a long way in clinching the No. 5 seed in the NFC and a trip to either Tampa or Seattle in the first round of the playoffs. The last logical shot at preventing the Patriots from regular-season perfection is this weekend, when the Steelers (9-3) travel to Gillette Stadium seeking to knock off the 12-0 Pats. Yup, it is certainly plausible the only team left standing in the way of New England immortality will be the Giants. Dec
4 Yesterday
was a day to reflect upon the Giants' stunning victory in Chicago and to look
at the NFC wild-card standings and realize it'll take a monumental meltdown in
the season's final four games to blow this two-game lead for a playoff spot. It
was also a day for Coughlin to exhale because quarterback Eli Manning and the
offense snapped out of their recent funk for half a quarter -- the most important
half quarter, that is -- to grab a much-needed win. The way this season is shaping up for the Giants, it appears as if they will be able to count on an NFC wild card playoff game on the road, either in Seattle or Tampa, and, while challenging, will certainly not be viewed as an overly daunting task. The Giants, you see, are at their best away from home. Their most demanding tests have come on the road and the Giants have passed virtually every one of them. Giants
fans, take a deep breath and repeat after me: Mathias Kiwanuka, fractured
leg, done for the year ... Brandon Jacobs, first his knee, now his hamstring,
maybe back this week ... Gibril Wilson, mysterious knee injury, missed Sunday's
game against the Bears ... Aaron Ross, tweaked hammy, missed Sunday's game ...
Beginning to sound familiar? Here they are, halfway through the second half of
the season, and the injury bug is rearing its ugly head in the Giants' locker
room once more. Now it's running back Derrick Ward, who is out for the year with
a broken leg sustained in the fourth quarter of Sunday's dramatic 21-16 comeback
win over the Bears.
ESPN - Bears squander lead as Chicago's playoff hopes take hit. Chicagobears.com - Bears blow late nine-point lead in falling to Giants Suntimes - Bears reach new low. Suntimes - Bears fall apart in the end. ChicagoTribune - Bears' offense stagnates in loss. Giants.com - Giants defeat Bears, 21-16. StarLedger - Twist and shout . StarLedger - Broken leg ends Ward's fine day . Newsday - In the end, Eli wins them over. Newsday - Injuries don't hurt Giants in secondary. Newsday - Skittish? Not when it counts. Newsday - Comeback cures all ills. Newsday - Ward goes out with a bang. NYDailyNews - Call Manning comeback kid. NYDailyNews - When Eli wins, can't be picky. NYDailyNews - Ward runs into trouble, NYDailyNews - Giant defense saves its best for last. NYPost - Giants Bear-ly awaken in time. NYPost - Giants stop Devin. NYPost - Eli finally shows some four-titude. TheRecord - Eli a hero in crucial win for Giants. TheRecord - Rough day for Bears' Hester. JournalNews - Eli has finishing touch. JournalNews - Giants' secondary hangs tough. NFC
East News Game
12 Giants(7-4)
vs Chicago (5-6) What
can you do except keep it light - after last week's 41-17 loss to Minnesota. Dec 2 The panic button hasn't been pushed, but the alarms were certainly sounded all over Giants Stadium this week. One blowout loss at home to a mediocre team was all it took to get Tom Coughlin to admit to "real concern." So never mind the two-game cushion the Giants have in the NFC wild-card chase with just five games remaining. Never mind the fact that at 7-4 the Giants still have the third-best record in the NFC. Their swagger and confidence are teetering on the brink after their 41-17 loss to the Vikings last Sunday. Starting Sunday, Coughlin wants to see what his team does to pull itself back from the edge. Eli
Manning will never be what we thought he would be, what we expected him to
be. If you are deemed a franchise quarterback around here, and you are the first
pick of the NFL Draft, you are expected to get off the bus throwing, all the way
from Broadway to East Rutherford. So the natives are getting restless, and with
good reason. Manning needs a big game, a big bounce-back game, and soon, and today
at Soldier Field against the Bears would be a good place to start, before New
York becomes an unbearable place for him to play. Fifty
starts into an NFL career that began with the promise - and demand - of greatness,
it's clear to everyone that Eli Manning is no Roethlisberger or Brady, nor is
he the second coming of his older brother, Peyton. Yet determining exactly what
he is hasn't been easy for a city that has turned the over-analysis of Eli into
a brand new sport. He's too laid-back and doesn't show enough fire. ... Then sometimes,
he's calm and cool in tough situations. He's "skittish", as GM Jerry Reese said
last week. ... Then sometimes, he has his best games under pressure. Giants
quarterback Eli Manning and general manager Jerry Reese have met a handful
of times since Tuesday to make sure there are no issues over Reese's use of the
word "skittish" to describe Manning's play in recent weeks. According to sources
familiar with the team's situation, Reese and Manning met privately Tuesday -
at Reese's request - to discuss the situation, and both men came away from the
meeting satisfied that there were no lingering effects from Reese's comments.
It
took Brian Mitchell 202 games in 13 NFL seasons to set a league record with
13 touchdowns on punt and kickoff returns. By then he was 34 years old. At his
current pace, Devin Hester will catch Mitchell before he turns 25. "It's not that
easy," Mitchell said the other day by phone. "But he's making it look that easy." The
Bears aren't dumb. They know they have a rare gem in return ace Devin Hester,
and they do some unusual things with their special teams packages to highlight
his skills. One such wrinkle: They at times drop back with a three-player wedge,
forming a protective wall in front of Hester on punt returns. The wedge always
is used on kickoffs but rarely on punts. It's another situation for the 7-4 Giants
to consider today when they face the 5-6 Bears at Soldier Field. "They have been
toying around with it," Giants special teams coach Tom Quinn said. "It's a little
bit different seeing three guys back there." Dropping players back means the punting
team could be tempted to try a fake, as there are fewer defenders up near the
line of scrimmage. Post
Steve Serby chatted with Shaun O'Hara, the Giants center. Washington - The Redskins have two home games in five days with Sean Taylor's funeral in between. How can they possibly handle that?
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