Oct 29 Lawrence Taylor had his share of run-ins with his coach, and occasionally pushed the boundaries of Bill Parcells' rule book. But he knew there was a line he was never supposed to cross. And he knows that's something Plaxico Burress still has to learn. "You've got to realize that it's all right to be an individual," Taylor told the Daily News Tuesday. "I'm all for being an individual. You do your thing. But you're still not above the team. When it starts to disrupt the team, then you have to revisit it and look at it and see if you're doing it right."
The Burress situations right now are sideshows. When they start costing the Giants victories, they'll be moved to center stage. And that's when somebody will owe somebody an apology. Burress wasn't the only wide receiver not playing on Sunday. The Steelers' Santonio Holmes was deactivated for the game after he was hit with a marijuana charge earlier in the week. What happened? The Steelers threw four interceptions and lost to the Giants. Would Holmes have helped his team win that game? Even if he's never practiced long-snapping in his life, the answer is almost certainly yes. That's why on Monday night, back on the team's active roster, Holmes addressed the team in a meeting and apologized.

The general consensus two months ago was that Dallas would probably not lose more than three games all season, but here is the league's most loved and despised team staggering to its bye week. It's no wonder safety Ken Hamlin said, "To go into the halfway part of our season at 5-3 is pretty good." What can be viewed as "pretty good" can also be seen as "pretty rotten." The Cowboys can be labeled the NFL's most disappointing and dysfunctional team, ravaged by injuries and controversy, steered by an owner who is too involved and a head coach who isn't.
Jerry Jones trumps or usurps Wade Phillips' authority constantly. When reporters told a surprised Phillips two weeks ago that Jones had just said Romo might start the St. Louis game with his fractured finger after all (Romo didn't), Phillips - not for the first time - tried to recover by cracking, "Whatever Jerry says, I'm going with." Jones also patrols the Dallas bench and gives in-game advice and pep talks to players. He just turned 66, but that didn't stop him from running pass patterns in practice after Romo got hurt to check the velocity on Romo's passes. (Where's the YouTube video when you really need it?)

The Giants haven't needed him, but they may be kicking themselves for their decision. Umenyiora is progressing well and said he could be ready by the end of the season - only he's ineligible to play before 2009. "I got off crutches about a week and half, two weeks ago," Umenyiora said yesterday while at the ESPN Zone in Times Square to promote a video game. "I'm doing some jogging, some light drills. I'm progressing pretty well and I'm a little bit ahead of schedule."

We're at the halfway point of the season and the NFC East is wide open. It looks like the Giants are the class of the division, and they can fortify that claim by beating the Cowboys this week in a huge division game. And that's just the start of the intradivisional intrigue. There will be four games matching NFC East teams in November. As it stands now, they're all among the best teams in football, which is why they're all in the top 10 of the CBSSports.com Power Rankings.

Jordan Shapiro and Sydney Shapiro went to the Town Centre with their baby-sitter, Debi Dalrymple, to pick up some dinner. After all, food is important. Well, food and, of course, the Giants. "We just went to get some veggie burgers at the supermarket," Dalrymple said. "I saw the balloons and I thought they were cute." Those balloons hanging outside the Last Licks ice cream parlor/sports memorabilia store weren't just there for show. The Giants' Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress made a visit to the shop last night to sign autographs, take pictures and talk Giants football with some fans. "As soon as I saw the sign, I slammed on the brakes and pulled into the first spot I saw," said Dalrymple, who resides in Mount Kisco. "We had no plans, so we decided to sit and wait the two hours to meet them."

Oct 28 The Steelers knew what the Giants would do before 264-pound running back Brandon Jacobs was stopped on a key goal-line play early in New York's 21-14 victory Sunday. The tipster? Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Defensive end Brett Keisel figured out Manning's play call and lined up the defense before Jacobs was stopped inches short of the goal line on the fourth-and-1 play early in the second quarter. The goal-line stand - Jacobs failed on three successive plays to get in from the 1 - temporarily preserved Pittsburgh's 7-3 lead.
From a boring blowout over Seattle, a listless loss to Cleveland and a sloppy win against San Francisco, this hadn't quite been the most thrilling month for the Giants. That is, until their come-from-behind, 21-14 victory Sunday against the Steelers provided a well-timed emotional boost for the defending Super Bowl champions -- just when their schedule got really tricky.

For the first five games of the season, the Giants' defense could hardly pry the ball away from opponents. They managed only two of them in that span - one an incredible interception and touchdown return by Justin Tuck against the Rams and the other a pick by Kevin Dockery in the Seattle blowout - and were left having to answer questions about why. In the last two games, however, the turnover tide has returned. After forcing three of them against the 49ers, the Giants made the Steelers cough it up four times in Sunday's 21-14 win.
When they took the field Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Giants trailed the Steelers in the NFL team sack race, 25-21. After the game, the Giants were ahead, 26-25. That statistical nugget goes a long way in explaining why the Giants scored 12 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and prevailed in hostile Heinz Field, 21-14. The game was decided up front, where the Giants were superior on both sides of the ball.

Justin Tuck is running into double teams on a regular basis on the left side of the defensive line. It seems opposing coordinators will now have to find a way to help against Kiwanuka, who is back up to full speed after suffering a sprained ankle in Week 1. After waltzing in untouched and dropping Ben Roethlisberger three times on Sunday, the calculating defensive end almost felt slighted. He didn't even run into token resistance.
Just in time for their big NFC East showdown with the fading Cowboys (5-3), the defending champs' defense re-staked its claim as the best in the NFC, if not the entire NFL, with the way it controlled the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 21-14 win Sunday afternoon. The defense sacked Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger five times and picked off four of his passes.

With 11:27 left in the first quarter Sunday and the Giants trailing 7-3, Fox zoomed in on Plaxico Burress, finally coming onto the field in Pittsburgh. The "enormity" of the moment, and the hypocrisy too, was not lost on analyst Troy Aikman, who noted the Giants had recently been stopped on a fourth-and-short deep in Steelers territory.
Once they're done punishing Plaxico Burress, the real challenge comes next. The Giants must get him ready for the Cowboys. In a perfect world, they wouldn't need him. But as much as nobody wants to admit it, they do. They need him because not many humans are 6-5, with the wingspan of a Gulfstream, who can get into the secondary and draw more attention than Salma Hayek in a frat house.
Post columnist Steve Serby began his column in Monday's editions with "Good for Tom Coughlin. Good for Coughlin for tightening the noose around Plaxico Burress." Rev. Al Sharpton says that in criticizing Burress, Serby used a racially loaded and offensive term, Sharpton told the Daily News, "To make such a blatant racist statement about an African-American football player with a neck injury is completely unacceptable."

For a team coming off the highest of highs after outlasting the rugged Steelers, there's nothing more intoxicating than the chance to finish off the despised Cowboys. That's the next challenge awaiting the surging Giants, who Sunday at Giants Stadium get to pile more misery on a Dallas team bumping along without Tony Romo and sagging under the weight of great expectations.
Justin Tuck wants to beat the Cowboys and he doesn't want to hear any excuses about Dallas not having Jessica Simpson's boyfriend at quarterback. Tony Romo won't play Sunday against the Giants and Tuck is genuinely disappointed. Maybe Romo should give Brett Favre another call for another dose of motivation about playing hurt. The first one didn't work.

With Brad Johnson at quarterback, Dallas took few very risks against the Bucs, finishing a game without a turnover for the first time in 22 games. It was also the Cowboys' first win in 58 games when scoring fewer than 20 points. Usually, the Cowboys rely on their talent to dominate opponents. Against the Bucs, they needed all the intangibles they could muster.
With Johnson (three INTs, three sacks in his debut) under wraps, the Cowboys managed to avoid key turnovers that would have cost them the game against the Bucs. In two starts, Johnson has a 60.3 passer rating with a 5.3-yard average per pass attempt. His longest completion on Sunday was 14 yards to running back Marion Barber. His longest completion to a wide receiver was 13 yards.

Cornerback Kevin Dockery will be out at least two weeks with a fractured transverse process in his back. It's a similar injury to the one that kept rookie linebacker Jonathan Goff out for more than a month, but Goff had more than one fracture. Dockery has a single fracture. Rookie cornerback Terrell Thomas moved in at nickel back when Dockery went out late in the second quarter of the 21-14 victory over the Steelers.

Former Giants
Kerry Collins outplayed Peyton Manning, throwing for 193 yards with no interceptions as the Titans remain the NFL's lone undefeated team with 31-21 win over Colts. "We're trying to get where they've been," Collins said. "It was a big step for us tonight I think. We obviously got off to a good start, and to get one more against a division opponent is again real big at this time of year."
Oct 27 Giants beat the Steelers 21-14  |  GAME PHOTOS      | GAME PHOTOS

---

On The Game: Game 7 Recap Gamegirl... "... Both these teams gave it their all and it was a very exciting matchup. As advertised, the Steelers were tough to run on, even for the Giants. For those of you who always argue about the Eli Manning - Ben Roethlisberger thing, Roethlisberger came out way behind in this matchup. He completed less than half of his passes for 1 touchdown and 4 interceptions. To be sure, he beat the Giants defense a few times, but they gave him a lot of pressure." Mikefan.... "... I'll always go back to saying that as long as Tom Coughlin insists on calling the 'red zone' the 'green zone', the football gods will look down and laugh and have their way with him. By the time Tom Coughlin retires, he may end up with the worse stats on scoring touchdowns when his team is in his dreamworld 'green zone' (Tom come-on now get with it , red zone - proper NFL recognized designation)."

---

ESPN - Game bounces New York's way as Big Ben, Steelers cough up win to Giants.
Giants.com - Postgame Coach Tom Coughlin.
Giants.com - Giants defeat Steelers, 21-14.
NYDailyNews - Eli Manning, Giants show Steelers why they're the champions.
NYDailyNews - Eli Manning, Giants surge to beat Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger, 21-14.
NYDailyNews - Plaxico Burress lands on Giants' bench once again.
NYDailyNews - Safety, late touchdown rally Giants past Steelers 21-14.
StarLedger - New York Giants' Butler not happy with his day.
StarLedger - New York Giants defeat Steelers in a classic game, 21-14.
Newsday - Giants' Manning wins battle with Steelers' Big Ben.
Newsday - Giants defense sparks rally in fourth.
Newsday - Burress punished by Giants for his actions again.
Newsday - Giants somehow find a way to beat Steelers.
Newsday - Grading the Giants.
NYPost - Eli rallies em to victory in brutal battle.
NYPost - Zero tolerance for lax Plax.
NYPost - Jacobs has a challenging day.
PittsPostGazettet - Good or bad, Plax always is center of attraction.
PittsPostGazettet - Bad snap hands Giants 21-14 win.
PittsPostGazettet - Smith's play teaches valuable lesson.
Pittsburghtrib - Giants use boxing match as inspiration.
Pittsburghtrib - Miscue on punt proves costly to Steelers.
Pittsburghtrib - Giants rally past Steelers.

Game 7 Preview - Giants (5-1) vs Pittsburgh (5-1).
Last week the Pittsburgh Steelers took on the winless Cincinnati Bengals and left them still winless. The well rested Steelers were coming off their bye week and even without all their starters returning, they easily moved on to their eighth consecutive win at Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium 38-10. They'll be taking on the Giants on their home field this Sunday. The Giants bounced back from their recent Monday night loss with a 29-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers. That put them at 5-1, but also ends the season long streak of facing teams without a winning record.
Pittsburgh - This team leads the league in total defense (228.3 yards per game) and pass defense (158.7). In five of their six games this season, opponents were held to less than 100 yards rushing. On offense, Ben Roethlisberger has been sacked 18 times, but still has managed to complete 63.2 percent of his passes and has thrown for 9 touchdowns against 3 interceptions. Mewelde Moore, their third-string running back filling in for injured Willie Parker, rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns last week. Overall, this team has been solid for a very long time. They won their 18th division championship since the 1970 merger last year which is more than any other team in the NFL. They are true competition.

Oct 26 There are five levels at which a running back can play, according to Giants running backs coach Jerald Ingram. Level one is "unconsciously incompetent" -- you don't know and you don't know that you don't know. Think any rookie making rookie mistakes. Level three is "unconsciously competent" -- when a player is successful and he doesn't even know why. Think Ahmad Bradshaw running on instinct last year. Level five is when a running back grasps everything that's happening on the field.
Think Tiki Barber late in his career, when he would know if a wide receiver ran an incorrect route. "I'm a four right now," Derrick Ward said (consciously competent). "I can agree with that," Brandon Jacobs said in response. At what level does Jacobs believe he's playing? "I'm a four," he said. They seem to think they're a four, huh? Why not a five? Well, because they know they can't lie to Ingram.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin let out what can best be described as a muffled chuckle when asked this past week what he sees when he studies tape of Brandon Jacobs running with the ball. "This guy is a dangerous man," Tomlin said leading up to today's game against the Giants at Heinz Field. "He gets his pads square and gets downhill on you, you have a problem. We respect the heck out of him, and we are trying to figure out how we are going to get this man on the ground." The Steelers usually have it figured out, because they are second in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game at 69.7. Nevertheless, Tomlin said Jacobs could join the elite power backs in NFL history.

How different would life be for the Giants had they gone with Roethlisberger? Well, Kerry Collins probably would have stuck around for more than a week after the draft. And Roethlisberger probably would have been nursed along in the offense for most of his first season rather than getting thrown into the fire, as he was in Pittsburgh after starter Tommy Maddox was injured in the second game. Would the Giants have won a Super Bowl with Roethlisberger? Could the Steelers have won with Manning? Could either have thrived in the other's fate?

In the beginning, it was Ben Roethlisberger who was looking more like John Unitas, Ernie Accorsi's favorite quarterback, than Eli Manning Eli Manning . Big Ben, 23 at the time, was merely the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl when he beat the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. Manning was Little Eli, Peyton's kid brother. And Giants fans were wondering whether they would carry the same sick feeling in their stomachs that Jet fans have had all these years after watching Ken O'Brien instead of Dan Marino, and then Browning Nagle instead of Brett Favre. And now? Give me 10 over Ben.
"Both Eli and Ben are outstanding quarterbacks and I think they will have great careers," Ernie Accorsi said. "But I would make the same decision all over again." It's still early, of course, but the Quarterback Class of '04 is slowly beginning to shape up as one of the greatest of all time - possibly even one that rivals the great and historic Quarterback Class of 1983. That was the year that six quarterbacks - including three Hall of Famers - were taken in the first round.

Usually when an NFL defense puts a "bounty" out on a wide receiver, it's to knock some Bambi-style pass-catcher out of the game before he scores a bunch of big-play touchdowns. Baltimore pass rusher Terrell Suggs hinted recently that the Ravens will put a "bounty" on a Steelers' wide receiver who hardly fits the gazelle image. "Hines Ward is definitely a dirty player, a cheap-shot artist," Suggs said recently on an Atlanta radio show. "We've got something in store for him." The Giants, who play Pittsburgh on Sunday, will be on the lookout for Hines Ward, who likes to deliver big hits.

The Giants will again go with K John Carney over Lawrence Tynes (don't worry, that information came straight from coach Tom Coughlin, not one of the kickers). Pittsburgh's return game, meanwhile, is unremarkable. The Steelers are averaging just 20.2 yards on kick returns (26th in the league) and 4.5 yards on punt returns (last in the league). If the game becomes a field-position battle, the Giants might be able to take advantage.

Plaxico Burress - It's a homecoming of sorts for the controversial wide receiver, who spent five seasons with Pittsburgh before signing a free-agent deal with the Giants. Burress says both teams have moved on. Even so, he left because the organization felt it could afford to pay only Hines Ward, so there may be some lingering feelings. Burress missed two days of practice this week because of a sore neck and shoulder, but he was back on Friday without any limitations, and is expected to be at full speed.

Will the matchup this afternoon at Heinz Field be looked back on in early February when the Giants and Steelers are gearing up for Super Bowl XLIII? It might be too early for such conjecture, because the NFL season is just nearing the midpoint of the season, but at the moment, these 5-1 teams are strong contenders to represent their conferences in Tampa. Even a cursory look at the league rankings shows the Giants and Steelers listed in several categories, and the fact the Giants haven't played in the Steel City in 17 years just adds to the luster of this rare encounter. "The ingredients are all there," coach Tom Coughlin said.

Oct 25 Ben Roethlistberger is a very inviting target. He's big. He's stationary. And he's not very well-protected. So the Giants' sack-happy defense knows it can get to him Sunday. But actually rattling or even bringing down the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback is not as easy as it sounds.

When the Giants face the Steelers Sunday afternoon, running back Brandon Jacobs joked that he'll have his hard hat on. Not that the 264-pound bruiser isn't always physical. But this weekend, when he's playing in a city once dubbed "Blitzburgh," Jacobs knows he'll have a lot of head-to-head contact with blitzing linebackers. "That's what they do," Jacobs said this week. "You've got to go in, and you've got to pick it up."

Turns out Plaxico Burress is fine; the pain he felt in his neck and shoulder earlier in the week won't sideline him Sunday. So now the Giants wideout can turn his attention back to the task at hand: inflicting some pain on the Steelers' secondary. A day after getting tests at the Hospital for Special Surgery to gauge the severity of an injury to his shoulder and neck area, Burress returned to practice Friday. He's prepared to be out there Sunday when the Giants visit the Steelers in a showdown of 5-1 teams.
Plaxico Burress is in another fine mess. The Giants' troublesome wide receiver had his paycheck whacked by $45,000 this week, for three separate incidents in the Giants' win over the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday. He was fined $20,000 each for unsportsmanlike conduct and for his postgame comments about the officials. He was also fined another $5,000 for throwing the ball into the stands.

Oct 24 The hornet's nest awaiting the Giants on Sunday, better known as Heinz Field, has been constructed to this point in the season on the league's No. 1 defense. The Steelers are allowing an average of 228 total yards, but the scariest number might be the league-leading 25 sacks they have amassed while racing to a 5-1 start. The ringleaders are linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley with 8 1/2 and 7 1/2 sacks, respectively.

Getting to Ben Roethlisberger is only half the job. Bringing him down often is the more difficult assignment. Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo showed his troops clip after clip of the Steelers' quarterback escaping other defenders this season. In some plays he shed the would-be tackler like an overcoat; other times, players simply ricocheted off him. Then there was the selection of plays in which Roethlisberger absorbed the hit - or even hits - and still managed to make a throw with near-sackers draped from his shoulders or waist. That happened twice in a Sunday night game against Jacksonville earlier this month. "Big Ben," Antonio Pierce said with a wide smile. "Big Ben, he's tough."

Plaxico Buress' pain in the neck could become just that for the Giants on Sunday. That's why the Giants sent their star wide receiver to the Hosptial for Special Surgery Thursday to undergo a series of tests on his stiff neck, which kept him out of practice for the second straight day. The Giants were concerned about Burress' injury being worse, but the test results were positive news for the Giants.

After reading in the newspaper that Plaxico Buress had refused to talk to the Pittsburgh media by phone, the Steelers concluded that he must be taking this game seriously -- certainly more seriously than any of coach Tom Coughlin's attempts at behavioral modification. Plaxico Burress, the frustrating first-round pick kicked to the curb by the Steelers in 2005 after five seasons of tantalizing promise and unkept promises, is visiting this weekend, and bemusement abounds. Ring and riches aside, the Steelers say, he's the same old Plaxico. "A lot has changed since he left, but a lot hasn't changed, too," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "Plax is still Plax."

LT David Diehl and LB Antonio Pierce were on the practice field Thursday. Diehl, who was held out of practice on Wednesday with a sore back, participated in a limited capacity. He said he was having back spasms and was just held out the day before as a precaution. "I felt great, practiced today and felt good out there, and there's no doubt in my mind I'm playing this weekend," said Diehl, who this past August in training camp missed his first practice since high school. Pierce, who missed Sunday's game with what was listed as a quadriceps injury, practiced fully for the second straight day this week. Pierce said he wanted to play against the 49ers but didn't get the green light.
David Diehl is the only member of the 2003 draft class to start every game since entering the league. He's up to 92 in a row. Diehl missed a series in last January's playoff win in Tampa because of dehydration. He missed a play in Dallas two years ago because of a cut above the eye. "Everybody in the NFL takes care of themselves and eats right and gets the massages and does everything they can," Diehl said. "But a lot of times it is luck, and a lot of times it is not being in a bad place at a bad time." Until he was sidelined for a day of training camp last August because of bruised ribs, Diehl had never even missed a practice with the Giants.

Steve Spagnuolo was asked how has Antonio Pierce looked to him this week. "He looks like he has been missing football because he is enjoying it again. He was out there jumping around pretty good today. He says he is fine. I am going to trust him and believe what he is saying and hope that he is back to full strength and he will be the same Antonio Pierce that we have seen."

After Sunday's victory over the 49ers, the Giants' players went to the locker room expecting Tom Coughlin to praise them for pulling out a tough win six days after losing to the Browns. Instead, they were reamed by their coach for playing one of the sloppiest games of the season. "Yeah, he laid into us," running back Derrick Ward said with a laugh when asked just how irate Coughlin was. "He let us know that we still have a lot of improving to do. He was happy for the victory, but we knew this week would to be a tough week of practice."

Linebacker Danny Clark's Blog - "We are now 5-1, and about to embark on a tough stretch of our schedule. The first team on that stretch is the Steelers. This team boasts an identical 5-1 record and they are as tough as they come... this will be a huge measuring stick for us as a complete football team. We have to play twice as physical in all three phases: offense, defense, and special teams."

In winning five of their first six games with the No. 2 offense in the NFL, the Giants faced teams with defenses that are currently ranked, in order, sixth, 29th, 19th, 27th, 18th and 23rd in the league. This week, the Giants face their sternest test of the season when they visit the 5-1 Pittsburgh Steelers - who will take field with the NFL's best defense.

Oct 23 It sure sounds as if Ben Roethlisberger is glad he's not Eli Manning Eli Manning , content he's doing his thing in Pittsburgh and not New York. "I don't mind where I'm at," Roethlisberger said yesterday. "I don't want to be out there like that. Football is what I do. It is not who I am. That is the mentality I take." Quarterbacks are often at the center of any NFL storm and there's certainly something brewing Sunday at Heinz Field, where a pair of 5-1 teams square off, with Manning and Roethlisberger forever linked by their draft heritage. "Ben and I are not competing against each other," Manning insisted. "I've never tried to compare my career with his just because he came out the same year."

Manning long ago resigned himself to the fact that he and Roethlisberger would forever be in each other's shadows. They not only share a draft class, but they were the first and third players on the Giants' draft board that year. If the Giants hadn't made their big trade with the Chargers for the rights to Manning, they would have picked Roethlisberger instead. And back in mid-December 2004, that was looking like a pretty good idea. Manning was coming off a miserable, 4-for-18, 27-yard, two-interception performance in Baltimore and the Steelers were coming to Giants Stadium with an undefeated rookie quarterback and one of the best defenses in the league. The Manning-Roethlisberger hype was enormous that week.

When the Giants travel to Pittsburgh this weekend, Manning will face another young quarterback who knows what it's like to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory. And a week's worth of relentless comparisons between Manning and Ben Roethlisberger will focus primarily on their statistics. For the record, Roethlisberger has more regular-season victories as a starter (44 to 35), touchdown passes (93 to 85) and yards (12,836 to 12,774)."

The Giants and Steelers are now owned by sons and grandsons who must adjust to the times while trying to cling to the past. That's not easy, and some might say it will soon be impossible. For the Giants, the sign of the apocalypse came in the form of personal seat licenses. Just about every other NFL team facing a huge stadium construction bill wouldn't think twice about not issuing PSLs, which charge fans just for the right to buy season tickets. These fees are common, and they're another form of team revenue that fans reluctantly pony up and pay. But for team president John Mara, when the Giants announced they, too, were getting into the act, he knew what the reaction would be: Wellington Mara would never agree to PSLs. And that's probably right.

After sitting out against the 49ers with a strained quadriceps muscle, middle linebacker Antonio Pierce is making strides to get back on the field. "Kind of ease his way in," was the way coach Tom Coughlin put it. It turned out there was no easing Pierce back into action. Coughlin figured Pierce would try to some of the individual work, but he wasn't held back, and he participated fully in all aspects of yesterday's practice.

NFC East News
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo said he doesn't expect to play again until mid-November, meaning he would miss at least two more games -- Sunday at Tampa Bay and the following week at the Giants.

Oct 22 Rich Seubert wouldn't bite on the idea that the season starts this Sunday. "Deer season? No, that started a few weeks ago," said the Giants' left guard and hunting enthusiast from Wisconsin. "Football season? No, that started six weeks ago, actually seven -- we've already had our bye." The Giants have played six games, and won five. They have 10 games left, starting with Sunday's contest in Pittsburgh. So why is the season just starting? The combined record of the six teams the Giants have played is 12-27, a winning percentage of .308. The winning percentage of the teams the Giants have left is .600, a record of 39-26. That's about twice as good.

Dave Tollefson knows the Giants play the Steelers on Sunday. "Who do we have after that?" he asked the other day with sincerity. Um, some team from Dallas, Dave. And then these guys from Philly after them. I could go on, but he's not paying attention. Few of the Giants are. While those of us outside the locker room see a clear line of demarcation in the schedule this week, one that separates the first six games against lightweight foes (sorry, Redskins, but at the time you were) with 10 upcoming games against the heavyweights, it's clear that no such delineation exists among many of the players. For them, there is no 16-game schedule in the NFL. There are 16 one-game schedules.

Now the fun starts. The Giants always knew it, too. As much as they swear they never look ahead, or overlook any opponent, the truth is they always knew what was coming, that the real story of their season would be told in what guard Chris Snee called a "brutal" last 10 games. This is where the Super Bowl champions will find out if they're really good enough to defend their title. "And why not?" said defensive end Justin Tuck. "You know, to be the best you've got to beat the best. Obviously we're going to have an opportunity to do that. And we're looking forward to it."

David Tyree wasn't activated for Sunday's win over the 49ers, but there wasn't a player happier to be at practice. The defending champs (5-1) will be back on the field today to prep for their game in Pittsburgh, and Tyree is hopeful that Sunday will mark his real return. The Giants still have a couple of weeks to activate him or place him on season-ending injured reserve after taking him off the physically-unable-to-perform list last Tuesday. "It's been a lot of fun," Tyree said. "The knee has been feeling great." The question now is: Where does he fit into this mix? Because the receiving corps has become even deeper since "the catch." "It's a good issue to have," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said.

While putting together their 5-1 record, the Giants have allowed only 42 points after halftime (including an overtime), an average of seven a game. That ties them with this week's opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers, for the second-lowest figure in the NFL. The 6-0 Tennessee Titans have given up just 27 second half points. The defense has been particularly stingy in the third quarter, when the Giants have allowed a total of 10 points, tying them with Jacksonville for third in the league. That quarter could be particularly low-scoring this week, because the Steelers have given up an NFL-best six third-quarter points. Tennessee has allowed seven.

Oct 21 Plaxico Burress had been answering questions for more than seven minutes and all Eli Manning wanted was to get to his locker, which is next to Burress'. But the overflow of the media around Burress was blocking Manning's stall. "This is the longest interview ever," Manning grumbled. That's what happens when the beleaguered Burress yells a profanity in the direction of coach Tom Coughlin a few weeks after the coach and the front office suspended him.
Burress described it as a "heat of the moment" thing, and Coughlin dismissed it as merely the actions of "a major competitor who was upset." The run-in came after Burress was called for a questionable offensive pass interference penalty, and a subsequent unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for mouthing off to the refs.

Coughlin said he wouldn't judge the officiating because he didn't see a good enough angle on the offensive pass-interference call that sparked the unsportsmanlike-conduct flag against Burress. "I'm going to give my player the benefit of the doubt in that situation," he said of the play. But Coughlin also said he was not happy with Burress' reaction to the call on the field or when he came to the sideline.
Maybe Coughlin and Burress have not reached the level of the Billy Martin-Reggie Jackson confrontations of the "Bronx Is Burning" days. But in the past few weeks, it's been obvious the two aren't always on the same page of the Tom Coughlin Proper Code of Conduct book.

Tom Coughlin and the Giants made the bed they now sleep in with Burress when they rewarded him for his 2007 championship season with that five-year, $35 million deal at the start of this season, all the better to pay all the latest fines he deserves to draw from the league for criticizing its officials, and from the team for showing up its head coach.
On Sunday, Burress returns to Pittsburgh to play at Heinz Field for the first time as a member of the Giants. It figures to be an emotional afternoon for Burress as his team, the defending Super Bowl champion, is 5-1, as are the Steelers, the team that won the Super Bowl the season after allowing Burress to leave without any offer to make him stay.

Can a cornerback have a slump? That was the question posed to Aaron Ross yesterday, a day after he allowed the only offensive touchdown by San Francisco in the Giants' 29-17 win over the 49ers and a week after he allowed Braylon Edwards to gather 154 yards in the loss to the Browns. "I don't know," he said, smiling. "I've never been in a slump."
Aaron Ross said Monday he doesn't know yet if he or Kevin Dockery will be the second starting cornerback in this week's game against Pittsburgh. Sunday against the 49ers, Ross was pulled from the base defense for a few series in the second half in favor of Dockery. "It was a decision that Coach made," Ross said. "You have to live by it. We won the game by that decision. So it worked out."

The NFL released its 2008 regular season schedule on April 15. On that date, if someone had said the Giants would not have Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Jeremy Shockey and would play without Plaxico Burress and Antonio Pierce for one game apiece - and start 5-1 - anyone with an interest in the team probably would have signed up for that record in a heartbeat. Well, that's exactly where the Giants are.

Stadium News
While the economy remains sacked, Jets fans are blitzing an online auction for elite home-game seats as if it were Wall Street's heyday. The first batch of so-called "personal seat licenses," or PSLs, went on sale Sunday, fetching bids of up to $65,100.

Oct 20 Giants beat San Francisco 29-17   |  GAME PHOTOS     | GAME PHOTOS

---

On The Game: Game 6 Recap Gamegirl... "... It was great to see the Giants win their fourth straight at home. They didn't have that many here the whole last season. Still, I was hoping for more of a buffer....The defense held their top rusher Frank Gore to 11 yards rushing on 11 carries, but what happens when they go up against a tougher team like our NFC East competition or the Steelers next week?" Mikefan.... "..Yes, great that the Giants won this game, but to me it seems they still have a few things to straighten out. The biggest issue I see is the Manning to Burress connection. Is there one, or does it just come and go?....Maybe he'll be more into it when he faces Ben Roethlisberger and his old Pittsburgh team next week"

---

ESPN - Giants rebound from first loss, send 49ers to fourth straight defeat.
Giants.com - Giants defeat 49ers, 29-17.
NYDailyNews - Brandon Jacobs scores twice as sloppy Giants beat error-prone 49ers
NYDailyNews - Giants quiet San Francisco in 29-17 win, but not Plaxico Burress.
NYDailyNews - Plaxico Burress runs mouth, Tom Coughlin turns cheek.
NYDailyNews - Turnovers against 49ers erase memories of Cleveland game.
StarLedger - Giants/49ers: Did You Notice?
StarLedger - Burress appears to swear at Coughlin during 29-17 victory over 49ers.
StarLedger - Giants' linebacking corps doesn't miss a beat with Blackburn, Kehl filling in.
StarLedger - Giants' defense carries day in 29-17 victory over San Francisco 49ers.
Newsday - Giants defense returns to dominant form.
Newsday - Burress, Coughlin: Another heated exchange.
Newsday - Sputtering Giants must snap out of their funk.
Newsday - The Giants' at-odds couple.
Newsday - Giants 29, 49ers 17: They really must clean up this slop.
Record - Burress gets treated with kid gloves.
Record - Johnson quite a pick for Giants.
Record - Giants taketh away.
NYPost - Carney gets start; day up & down.
NYPost - Giants get needed turnovers.
NYPost - Eli rebounds after loss, but Ross' woes continue.
NYPost - Homemade victory a Big Blue specialty.
NYPost - Plax Coughlin exchange unpleasantries.
OakTribune - Latest 49ers loss puts J.T. on hot seat with Nolan.
OakTribune - Ode to 49ers' O'Sullivan: O' the growin' pains with no growth

NFC East News
Dallas Cowboys lost after 34-14 loss. Once strong title contenders, Cowboys are now trying to avoid complete meltdown. More: Something is seriously wrong with Dallas Cowboys' defense.
Washington, a week ago yesterday, saw a victory over the St. Louis Rams disappear when a field goal whistled over the crossbar as the game ended. This time the field goal that would have brought overtime sailed just inches to the right of the goal post. Both were games the Redskins probably should have won easily. More: Walking the Tightrope.

Game 6 Preview - Giants (4-1) vs San Francisco (2-4)
At Candlestick Park last week San Francisco looked to be headed to a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. They were going into the fourth quarter with a 26-17 lead after scoring 20 straight points. The Eagles came back with 23 unanswered points to secure a 40-26 win, handing the 49ers their third straight loss. Last Monday night, the Giants saw their 12 game winning road streak end on national TV when they couldn't stop the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns were perceived to be a pushover, and in actuality Cleveland's offense committed a slew of false start or procedural fouls (8) that kept pushing the first down maker 5 yards further away. It didn't matter, the Giants left town with a 35-14 loss.
Eli Manning and the offense. Up until last Monday, Eli was doing a great job with the offense. He had thrown just one interception until then. Even with that game, the Giants are fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 28.2 points per game and they are first in the league in total yards from scrimmage.
San Francisco - Offense. Last year they finished a 5-11 season with a decent defense and terrible offense that was ranked last in just about every significant statistic. Well they addressed that by hiring their sixth offensive coordinator in six seasons. Mike Martz has the offense running overall better, but they are inconsistent like last week when they failed to pick up even one first down in the fourth quarter.
Like Eli Manning, quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan was good with interceptions early on, throwing only one in the first three games. However, he has now thrown seven during their current three game losing streak. O'Sullivan has also been sacked a league-high 23 times.

Oct 19 This is the game that's set up to be the classic trap, a game against an unfamiliar and mediocre opponent just before a difficult eight-week stretch. It was the calm before the proverbial storm. The game most likely to be overlooked. But that was before the Giants slumped home from Cleveland last Monday night, having been embarrassed on national television with a stadium full of Browns fans serenading them with a loud, "over-rated" chant. It was like an alarm going off in their ears. Some Giants even said it was just the wake-up call they needed.
The 35-14 upset loss to the Browns was just one game, but for the Giants, it was their first defeat in more than 10 months. This afternoon, they try to avoid what they haven't experienced in more than 13 months - losing consecutive games - when they face the slumping 49ers at Giants Stadium. It was an aberration, the Giants insist. "How do I know? I am not a psychic, so I don't know," Justin Tuck Justin Tuck said, before offering a prediction. "I am willing to say that you will see a different Giants team out there at home.
For whatever reason - human nature, complacency, whatever you want to call it - the Giants were shameful no-shows. They were stripped of their manhood, especially on defense, for America to see, by a desperate team they would have beaten in their sleep on their way to Super Bowl XLII. It is Coughlin's job to get his Giants motivated again, to remind them of the importance of the will to prepare, to push the right buttons so the defiant edge that has fueled them returns with a vengeance.

The fact Eli Manning has a habit of rebounding from bad performances (three or more interceptions) with good ones (he's 4-0) is part of his legacy. What is less obvious is the reason this is the case. On the surface, Manning appears unflappable whether the Giants win or lose and shows little or no outward intensity after a particularly galling outing. Behind closed doors, though, there's something that clicks in. "Not that he isn't preparing all the time with great determination," offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said. "But sometimes I think he even digs a little bit deeper to make sure that you have a game that settles the score, so to speak."

The Giants have the fewest takeaways in the NFL this season: two. The 49ers have the most turnovers in the NFL this season: 15. If turnovers are the most important stat in determining the outcome of a game, as so many claim, the team that bucks its trend could well gain the victory today at Giants Stadium. "Where the hell are our turnovers [on defense]?" asked a perplexed Tom Coughlin. "We have none. And that is as big a factor as any." San Francisco coach Mike Nolan has a different question. Can his quarterback, J.T. O'Sullivan stay away from the turnover bug. He has accounted for all but three of the 49ers' turnovers, with eight interceptions and four lost fumbles.

Before the 2008 NFL Draft, Brandon Kehl bought 32 baseball caps -- one for every NFL team -- from Fanzz sporting goods in Salt Lake City. His younger brother, Bryan Kehl, a talented linebacker from BYU, was sure to be drafted that weekend. So as the Kehl family watched the draft on TV, Brandon slipped a different hat on Bryan's head each time a team went on the clock in anticipation of him getting the call. Early in the fourth round, 123 wardrobe changes later, Bryan Kehl was finally wearing the right hat. Coach Tom Coughlin phoned Kehl to tell him the Giants had traded up to select him -- and the next day, Brandon Kehl returned the other 31 hats. "If I wouldn't have been able to return them, I would have made Bryan pay for them with his rookie contract," Brandon joked this week.
Playing against the Bengals last month, linebacker Bryan Kehl ran off the field because he thought the Giants were switching to a package in which he does not play. But he was wrong. He was supposed to be on the field. As he scampered for the sideline, leaving the Giants with only 10 defensive players, middle linebacker Antonio Pierce realized the situation. He pushed into the offensive line and took a 5-yard penalty. "They gave me a hard time," Kehl said of the error, grinning at the memory.

The Post's Steve Serby sat down with the Giants' 27-year-old starting fullback Madison Hedgecock - How did you deal with the cold in Green Bay last January? "That was unbearable. I think it was David Diehl David Diehl, he was sick or something. He was sweatin' real bad in the locker room. When he got out to the field, I looked at his hair, and it was frozen icicles from his sweat, on his hair."

Former Giants
Kerry Collins’ tenure with the Giants was billed as his second chance. His early years in Carolina were filled with off-the-field issues, but the mature version of Collins who landed in New York was a huge success. He took the Giants to the Super Bowl in 2000, rewarding the faith that GM Ernie Accorsi put in him. The 35-year-old leads the last remaining undefeated team in the league into Kansas City today.

NFC East News
The Cowboys are so out of control it appears 2008 is destined to become the 12th straight year they don't win a playoff game. It is the longest drought in their history and unless they get it together in the next two months, they won't even make the playoffs. Cowboys at Rams 1:ooPM.
Redskins Santana Moss has accounted for 22 yards in two games. The explosive start to Moss's season -27 catches and 421 yards in the first four games - has petered out. Two weeks ago against Philadelphia, Moss went without a reception for just the second time in his past 85 regular-season games. Browns (2-3) at Redskins (4-2) at 4:15PM.

Oct 18 All anyone needs to know about the pain Antonio Pierce is in was evident on the second series of the Giants' loss in Cleveland on Monday night. The defense was on the field, but he was on the sidelines with his hands on his hips and no helmet on his head. Worse, it was his decision. He pulled himself out of the game - something the middle linebacker said he had never done before. "Never," he said Friday. "First time ever. Pop Warner and all."
When asked if playing in Cleveland made Antonio Pierce's injury worse, coach Tom Coughlin said, "it didn't help, obviously." Pierce, who's listed as questionable, diffused all questions about his injury and his status for Sunday by deferring to Coughlin. Perhaps Barry Cofield gave it away by accident. "A.P.'s not going to be out there," the defensive tackle said, "but he's been working with (backup linebacker) Chase (Blackburn) all week."
Pierce suffered the injury late in the 44-6 win over Seattle two weeks ago. He practiced once last week on a limited basis but started the 35-14 loss to Cleveland. He came out for the second Browns' offensive series, but returned and finished the game. "I didn't feel good," said Pierce, who added he didn't feel any better after sitting out the 11-play series.
In his fourth season with the Giants, Blackburn has played in 52 games, almost exclusively on special teams, where he's excelled. His only two NFL starts came as a rookie down the stretch in 2005, when Pierce was out with a high ankle sprain. "It's been a long time ... too long," Blackburn said. "It's a whole different ballgame now compared to what it was then. Now I feel mentally I'm there."

Eli Manning believes it is important to prove that what occurred Monday was merely an aberration and not the beginning of a slump. "Yes, exactly," he said in response to a question. "It is part of football, you are going to go through rough games and everybody has them and it is just a matter of learning from it and going on to the next game and game plan well and go out there and try to execute and play as well as you can."

Bergen County Clerk Kathleen Donovan said Thursday she will lobby the state to deduct a fee from the Jets and Giants' personal seat license sales to pay for infrastructure improvements in neighboring towns. "Sometimes, it's great to have the stadium there, but sometimes it's difficult," she said. "I think surrounding towns could use some help."

Oct 17 Last year, the Giants pass rush led the NFL in sacks and led them to their stunning Super Bowl win. But this season that once-feared push rush has been solid but unspectacular - and Monday Night against Cleveland, it was missing in action on national TV.
The clock starts ticking at the snap. At some point, if the quarterback is still standing with the football and looking downfield, the pass rush will have some explaining to do in the film room. "They normally say if he holds the ball for three seconds and doesn't get hit," Giants defensive end Justin Tuck said Thursday, "then it becomes our fault."
There were only four plays in which Anderson kept the ball that long. Two were designed bootlegs; on the third, he rolled right after sensing phantom pressure up the middle. There really isn't much a lineman can do to stop those quick throws, though. It's like giving the quarterback a 3-yard head start in a 7-yard race.
Anderson threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns by getting the ball out quickly. Oftentimes he would take quick drops and release the ball before a Giant came close to him. And when Giants defenders tried to counter by getting their hands up, the 6-6 Anderson still was able to see over the rush and complete passes.

Tom Coughlin was asked where Lawrence Tynes would have gotten the idea that he will be kicking in Sunday's game. "I have no idea," the coach said yesterday, a day after Tynes told reporters he was about to return from a knee injury that has sidelined him since training camp.
"While I appreciate Lawrence's enthusiasm to get back on the field, I haven't decided yet who will kick this week," said Coughlin, who did not answer any more inquiries about the kicking situation after practice. "When I do, I will make that announcement."

Shaun O'Hara was released from Manhattan's Hospital for Special Surgery Thursday morning, in time for team meetings and practice, at which he was able to take every snap with the offense, coach Tom Coughlin said. The infection, which was actually between the last two toes on his left foot, had been bothering him for a few weeks but flared up the day before the Browns game.
It's not the first time he's been idled by nasty bacteria. Four years ago, O'Hara spent five days at the Hospital for Special Surgery when a cellulitis infection took up residence in his leg. That stay wasn't so bad. O'Hara met a registered nurse, Amy Wilbur, who eventually became his fiancee.

The last catch David Tyree made for the Giants will never be forgotten. Now he's just waiting to see if he'll ever make another. Tyree is finally healthy after having surgery on his left knee only a few months after making arguably the greatest catch in Super Bowl history. The wide receiver and special teams player extraordinaire was removed from the physically unable to perform list and joined his team for a full practice for the first time this season on Thursday. If he had his way, he'd be on the field for Sunday's game against San Francisco. But he's not even on the active roster yet, with the Giants still possessing 20 days to decide his fate.

Oct 16 First of all, Eli Manning and his bruised chest are doing just fine. "Just a little soreness that didn't affect practice or throwing or keep me from doing what I need to do," Manning said Wednesday after participating fully in a walk-through practice. He wasn't even on the injury report. "I don't think we need to put him on there, no," coach Tom Coughlin said.
Manning went to the Hospital for Special Surgery for tests Tuesday and left with what has been diagnosed as a bruise. He did not complain of any lingering issues. "Nothing, just a little soreness," Manning said. "It didn't affect the practice or throwing, or keep me from doing anything I need to do." It was a violent shot by the 350-pound ShaunRogers.
The way Rogers drove Manning into the ground could have warranted a penalty. "He's a big man, had a good hit, I wouldn't have minded a flag on the call, didn't get it, so you go on," Manning said. "It feels like 400 pounds falling on you. It's not something you want to happen too often."

Eli Manning returned to the practice field Wednesday afternoon, calming frayed nerves throughout the Tri-State Area. He's healthy and says he'll be fine for this Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers. Now all he has to do is prove that his three-interception nightmare Monday night in Cleveland was an aberration, not the start of a downward trend.
Monday night's 35-14 loss to the Browns was the fifth time Manning has thrown three or more interceptions in a game. But in the previous four he has come back the following week with a win. Not only a win, but a solid performance.

Lawrence Tynes got his old kicking job back Wednesday. After spending the last two months out of action with an injured knee in his plant (left) leg, Tynes said Wednesday that he will be the Giants' kicker Sunday against San Francisco. He'll be taking over for his replacement, the 44-year-old John Carney, who has made all 12 of his field goals in five games so far.

An infected little toe has kept Shaun O'Hara in the Hospital for Special Surgery for two nights and the Giants are expecting their center will be released this morning. Eli Manning went for tests at the same hospital on Tuesday and saw O'Hara. "I think he'll be ready to play," Manning said. "If he doesn't Grey will do fine. Grey's been here, he knows what he's doing, he played in a playoff game for us last year."

David Tyree (knee), off the PUP list, practiced for the first time since he became a legend in Super Bowl XLII. "It was good to see him out there," said coach Tom Coughlin. "I showed him how to put his helmet on." "A couple of guys saw me walking out to practice with an ear-to-ear [grin]," Tyree said. "And I'll probably have an ear-to-ear tomorrow. I've always said the only thing worse than practicing is not practicing, and I've done that for too long now."

So a weekend of rumors that they were interested in acquiring Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez turned out to be a weekend of rumors and nothing more. The lack of a trade is an indication the Giants are pleased with Kevin Boss, who has only six catches for 84 yards and a touchdown this season but has been valuable as a blocker in the running game.

The Giants went through something Wednesday they had not experienced since December - practicing after a loss. The workout was not a very physical one considering that they played - although not very well - Monday night in Cleveland. The 35-14 setback was the first defeat since last season’s final regular-season game against New England, a game where they actually played well despite the loss. Such was not the case Monday night.
By most measures the 4-1 Giants are still the team to beat in the NFC and certainly have the advantage - for the moment - in the NFC East. The trick for the Giants now is to play each game with the intensity of a playoff game, because all of their opponents are going to treat each game that way.

The Giants have only two takeaways in their first five games - interceptions by Justin Tuck at St. Louis and Kevin Dockery vs. Seattle. That is the lowest figure in the NFL. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the two takeaways are the team's lowest figure through the first five games of a season since turnovers became an official statistic in the mid-1930s.

Stadium News
Maybe the Giants and Jets really do need a new stadium after all. But it doesn't look like it'll solve fans' main complaint. In fact, it might make it worse.

Oct 15 In his weekly interview on the Michael Kay Show on 1050 ESPN Radio moments ago, Giants QB Eli Manning downplayed the severity of his chest injury and said he won't miss any time. "Just a little sore and kind of on the left side, left shoulder/chest area. Just some soreness,' Manning said. "Shaun Rogers is a big man. He gave me a good hit and kind of pile-drove me into the ground. I don't think it affected my play." Manning said he underwent tests at the hospital today, including an MRI and X-rays.

First came the insult, now comes the injury: Eli Manning is hurt. Although he insists it's "nothing major" and that he won't miss any time, Manning did suffer an apparent injury to the upper left side of his body during the Giants' embarrassing 35-14 loss in Cleveland Monday night. He suffered it on a hit with about 10 minutes left in the second quarter. And although Manning never came out, Tom Coughlin said Tuesday that his quarterback "was in some pain."

The Giants did get some good news from that embarrassing Monday night loss in Cleveland: Quarterback Eli Manning's chest was not crushed when 350-pound Shaun Rogers landed on him in the second quarter. Manning said there was no structural damage found Tuesday in tests to determine the source of the soreness he suffered in the 35-14 loss to the Browns. Manning had a poor game, but he also had the darn luck of not being able to throw against his own defense. Derek Anderson did, and the Cleveland quarterback, who was close to being benched, threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns while not being sacked or even harassed by the Giants' vaunted pass rush.

Tom Coughlin said Eli Manning was injured in the game, but did not offer a prognosis. Manning did not mention an injury in his postgame news conference. "He got hit and then he was driven into the ground," Coughlin said. "His chest was bothering him after the game, so he was in some pain there. But I don't have any information other than that today. He was in the training room and we will see."

When the Giants played the Browns in the second game of the preseason, their pass rush picked up right where it left off after last year's Super Bowl run. Defensive ends Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck were constantly in QB Derek Anderson's face, and Umenyiora knocked Anderson out of the game with a concussion on an 8-yard sack. Fast forward eight weeks, and the Giants are wondering where that pressure went. In Monday's 35-14 loss to the Browns, Anderson had ample time in the pocket and wasn't sacked once.

Before this season, there was definitely a Good Eli and a Bad Eli that surfaced in Manning. This year, he's been playing so well and following the list to near-perfection, Monday's game seemed to come out of nowhere. Those wild and uncatchable high throws that crept back in. The temptation to force a big play. A few times, ESPN showed Manning telegraphing some throws by locking his eyes on to a receiver. It happens.
Eli's crash-and-burn in Cleveland is viewed as one lousy game. Watch him shake off some pain in his chest muscles and light up the Niners this weekend. There's absolutely no need to worry about the offense. If there is anything to sweat, it's a defense that is starting to feel the after-effects of losing its most gifted lineman, Osi Umenyiora. Now it's Justin Tuck getting the star pass-rusher treatment and that's no picnic. Mathias Kiwanuka, who can turn invisible when matched against a stud left tackle, was no factor against Browns youngster Joe Thomas. The Giants haven't hit the opposing quarterback in two games.

Oct 14 Giants lose to the Browns 35-14   |  GAME PHOTOS     |   GAME PHOTOS

---

On The Game: Game 5 Recap Gamegirl... "... So the Browns went off singing "Monday Monday, so good to me, Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be.", and the Giants head back home to the same tune, "Monday Monday, can't trust that day, Monday Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way." Luckily the Giants don't have any more Monday night games this season...." Mikefan.... "..Well you can't win them all. Just ask the 2007 New England Patriots, and now the 2008 NY Giants. It sure would have been nice to be 5-0, but for that you need some offense or some defense, and the Giants had very little tonight. The Browns made lots of mistakes, but they recovered well, almost as if they knew what the Giants were coming at them with......."

---

ESPN - Browns click on offense, frustrate Eli, Giants for 1st MNF win since 1993.
Giants.com - Giants fall to Browns, 35-14.
StarLedger - Jacobs says Browns talk upset him.
StarLedger - Moss a healthy scratch - is a trade in the works?
StarLedger - Tyree ready to be more 'active'.
NYDailyNews - Browns take apart Giants, 35-14, on Monday Night Football.
NYDailyNews - Giants show its any given Monday in NFL.
NYDailyNews - Chiefs' TE Tony Gonzalez says: Make me a Giant.
Newsday - Giants blew the game - and their image.
Newsday - Jacobs walks the walk after touchdown run.
Newsday - Giants are pulled back into the pack.
Newsday - Giants battered by Browns for first loss.
Newsday - Browns 35, Giants 14: Got chewed up and spit out.
NYPost - Eli & Co. Blue it big in Cleveland.
NYPost - Jacobs has to 'Tiptoe' in defeat.
NYPost - Blunder-ful defeat ends pursuit of perfection.
Cleveland.com - Explosive Browns overwhelm Super Bowl champ Giants, 35-14.
Cleveland.com - Frustrated Giants praise Browns, lament mistakes.

NFC East News
Dallas who rallied from 10 points down to force overtime against the Cardinals Sunday, not only lost the game but Tony Romo as well. The Pro Bowl quarterback broke his right pinkie on the first play from scrimmage of overtime and is expected to miss at least four weeks as the Cowboys (4-2) try to pick up ground on the division-leading Giants. Included in that stretch is the first meeting between the NFC powers at Texas Stadium on Nov. 2.

Game 5 Preview - Giants (4-0) vs Cleveland (1-3)
The Browns were on their bye last week so they've had a good long time to study the Giants. They got to see how explosive the Giants offense can be even without their number one receiver on the field and it couldn't have made them happy. The last game Cleveland played was at Cincinnati where both teams were trying for their first win of the season. The Browns got it (20-12) and ironically the Giants may have played a part in that. The Giants had played Cincinnati the week prior and as a result, Carson Palmer was too banged up to play against the Browns. His backup, Ryan Fitzpatrick, threw three interceptions and sadly, was their leading rusher in the game, gaining 41 yards with his four scrambles.
Cleveland - Offense. The Browns finished last season at 10-6 which was six games better than the year before. The offense was really hot, scoring 402 points and the Browns were scheduled for three Monday night games this season. So far they have been less than inspiring. The Browns have scored just 46 points in 4 games and their offense is ranked last in the league.
Cleveland - Defense. They are ranked 22nd against the run (126) and 10th vs. the pass (187). That defense faces a Giants team that leads the NFL in total offense (431 yards per game), rushing yards (181.3), yards per carry (5.8), first downs (24.2) and points (31.7). They've added Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams to improve their run defense. Dallas hit them good in the season opener but the Browns have improved since then. They held the next three teams to less than 300 yards of total offense. Still they have their work cut out for them, and for some strange reason decided to call out Brandon Jacobs this week.

Oct 13 It's fairly common for a team to derive some measure of inspiration from the last time it faced an opponent. It happens all the time - especially in division games - and can be a useful motivational tool. But maybe the Browns are taking things a little too far this week. They have a lot of troubles: a 1-3 record, an underachieving defense, a suddenly shaky quarterback and a cadre of injured receivers. But while preparing for tonight's Giants game, they chose to rally around the last time they played the Giants. That would be Aug. 18. Yes. The Browns are using a preseason game to get themselves fired up. A preseason game.

Cleveland defensive end Corey Williams added to the mix this week when he claimed there is nothing physical about the Giants. "It's always good when somebody takes a shot at somebody, at least you know we're being looked at," Pierce said. "They're taking notice of us. Hats off to them. What else would you do when you're 1-3? You've got to do something to fire up your team." It has been a disappointing season for the Browns, who expected a lot more in the opening weeks after finishing 10-6 last season.
If Corey Williams succeeds in his intention to knock Brandon Jacobs' head off tonight, it will roll around Cleveland Browns Stadium with its mouth sealed. Meanwhile, Ahmad Bradshaw and Derrick Ward will continue to carry the Giants to victory. "Not me anymore," said Jacobs, no longer taking the verbal bait, instead accepting cues from Shaun O'Hara. "The best statement you can make is walking off the field a winner," said the center, the final stop on our locker room tour late last week of the "soft" Giants offensive linemen, so-called by Williams, the Browns' defensive end.

NFL Network's Adam Schefter reported Sunday morning that Browns Pro Bowl tight end Kellen Winslow definitely will not play Monday night, but the Browns would say only that he's doubtful. Winslow was admitted to Cleveland Clinic on Thursday after waking up Wednesday morning feeling ill. He spent three nights in the hospital and was downgraded from questionable to doubtful on Sunday afternoon. With only a 25% chance of playing, Winslow will most likely be replaced by tight end Steve Heiden.

Shaun O'Hara ducked behind the wall outside the Giants' locker room, trying to make his 303 pounds small enough to hide in a little cubby hole long enough to scare his fellow offensive linemen. "Rrrraaaaahhhh!" O'Hara growled when Rich Seubert, Chris Snee and Kareem McKenzie came around the corner on their way to practice. "Rrrraaaaahhhh!" Snee and Seubert yelled back, neither of them having flinched. McKenzie, a few days removed from suffering a concussion, never broke stride and kept looking straight ahead.

Can the Browns keep millions of "Monday Night Football" fans from reaching for the remote tonight and NFL broadcasting executives from slapping their foreheads and saying, "What were we thinking?" Tonight's game against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants marks the second of a whopping five prime-time games for the Browns this season and the first of three on "Monday Night Football."
It's been 15 years since the Browns won on Monday night and five years since they appeared there. That's a long drought in this football-obsessed city where MNF made its debut on Sept. 21, 1970, with a game between Cleveland and the Jets. "Five years?" Browns safety Mike Adams said. "Whew." "Wow," said kick return specialist Joshua Cribbs, also unaware of Cleveland's dry spell. "Five years? Wow."
The sweat was not even dry on the brow of Amani Toomer as a 44-6 demolition of the Seahawks was barely 30 minutes old, but the veteran receiver was already looking ahead. "This is a good feeling," Toomer exclaimed. "We got a big game next Monday night, everybody's looking forward to that, take our show national."

NFC East News.
Dallas (4-2) scored 10 points in the final two minutes of regulation, sending the game into overtime when Nick Folk's 52-yard field goal barely cleared the crossbar as the fourth quarter ended. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, no game in NFL history had ended with a blocked punt being returned for a touchdown in overtime. It gave the Arizona Cardinals a crazy 30-24 overtime victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
Eagles (3-3) rally past 49ers. The defense did most of the second-half work, holding San Francisco to minus-2 yards in the fourth quarter, but McNabb ran the show while moving past Ron Jaworski on the Eagles' career list for yards passing and pass attempts in a 40-26 victory.
Washington (4-2) overcame a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit and appeared set to win their fifth straight game when Clinton Portis' two-yard run with 3:47 left gave Washington a 17-16 lead. But the Rams had enough time to mount a comeback, and Marc Bulger found Donnie Avery down the right sideline for a 43-yard gain on third-and-13 play to move into field-goal territory.It was Rams 19, Redskins 17.

Oct 12 They have spent most of the last year relishing their role as the most overlooked, disrespected and underappreciated team in professional sports, and their desire to prove their critics wrong even powered them to a Super Bowl championship. But now the Giants find themselves in an unfamiliar spot. They are suddenly everybody's darling. They're the unanimous No. 1 team in the land.
Here in a new season, there's a new image and stigma they must deal with. How do they cope with the burden of being a favorite? How do they handle the enviable position of being the team that's supposed to win most games against most teams, especially tomorrow night against the bungling Browns? What a difference a year makes.

The Giants put such a pounding on the Browns in a nationally-televised "Monday Night Football" preseason game that it was fair to wonder if it was too much of a good thing for the Giants, considering they had to play in Cleveland later in the season. That the Browns came back to make the exhibition game close in a 37-34 loss did nothing to disguise the fact that when the starters were on the field, the Giants led 30-3 less than a minute into the second quarter.

Thought it might stand to reason that the reigning Super Bowl champion would make the most appearances on the showcase game on Monday night, that hasn't been the case, not only for the Giants but in recent memory overall. In the last three seasons, the reigning champion has made just one Monday night appearance. Perhaps not coincidentally, those three years happen to intersect with the league's change in its Sunday night schedule and current flex format.
For most of its 36-year run on ABC, Monday Night Football was the NFL's exclusive prime time showcase, the one game every player wanted to be a part of. Now that the league plays games on Sunday, Thursday and Saturday nights, has MNF, which is now televised by ESPN, lost its luster?

David Tyree will be eligible to begin practicing with the team Wednesday, the start of a three-week window for his reintroduction. Tom Coughlin was ambiguous about whether that actually will occur - "We'll see about that," he said. "We just have to make sure that whenever it occurs, he is ready" - but Tyree left no doubt about his expectations. "I'm ready to roll," he said this past week. "You can put that in ink." He may be ready to rejoin the Giants, but the Giants might not be ready for him.

When the Giants measure the improvement of a stifling defense, they do not go by the numbers. All of the lofty rankings are ignored. "I put them in the trash when they come around," defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said. "You can't take them with you on the field. And the only time they are really going to mean anything is when it is all over with. I think the guys are kind of buying into the same thing. Every once in a while, I'm sure guys cheat. We all do that, but we have tried to just put the blinders on and worry about the team we are playing." Cleveland is undoubtedly aware of the statistical data.

On a play late in the second quarter against the Seahawks last week, three Giants defensive backs handled a crossing route perfectly. Kevin Dockery jammed Keary Colbert off the line, which allowed Corey Webster to get excellent position when Colbert crossed with Billy McMullen and ran a flag pattern to the end zone. Safety James Butler, positioned behind the two cornerbacks, was ready to come up and make the tackle if Matt Hasselbeck threw to McMullen underneath. As the pass to Colbert fell incomplete, it looked like the Giants' defenders knew exactly what they were doing and had worked together to get it done. "Funny you say that," Dockery said the other day, "because we all did the wrong thing on that play."

The Giants, who head into this weekend with the NFL's No. 1-ranked offense, are interested in trading for Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez, according to reports. Gonzalez, 32, has asked the Chiefs to explore trades. The deadline is Tuesday. According to reports, the Giants have offered a sixth-round draft pick, but the Chiefs want a third-rounder.
Gonzalez has always said he would like to end his career with the Chiefs, who drafted him in the first round out of California in 1997. But the Chiefs (1-4) are rebuilding from the bottom up and not likely to contend for the Super Bowl any time soon. In spite of all his personal accomplishments, Gonzalez, 32, has never even won a postseason game. He would like an opportunity to play in a Super Bowl and the rebuilding Chiefs would like to acquire extra draft picks.

Giants and Jets owners say they had no choice with pricey PSLs. Though the Giants and Jets began construction on their $1.6 billion new stadium and decided to sell costly personal seat licenses before the economic downtown became a crisis, neither team's owner regrets those decisions.

Former Giants
Joe Morris works for NFL as a uniform code and pro-line inspector. The NFL had a uniform code back in the mid-1980s when Joe Morris was powering the Giants' rushing attack, but he didn't really care much about it. And he certainly didn't worry about following it. "When I played, I was the worst offender on my team," Morris said. "George Young used to get letters about me all the time. So when he got a job over at the league (in the late 1990s), he said, 'Joe, I have the perfect job for you.'"
Ernie Accorsi wasn't about to give up on Eli Manning, not after he drafted John Elway for Baltimore and then watched in horror as Colts owner Bob Irsay dealt the quarterback to Denver. Elway would haunt Accorsi's Browns and keep them from ever reaching the Super Bowl. Sometimes Accorsi would meet his son in Hoboken for dinner, and he'd look toward the building where Manning lived and tell himself, "That poor guy, he probably can't even go out. And I'm the one who put him here."

---