Dec 1 Giants beat the Redskins 23-7  |  GAME PHOTOS      GAME PHOTOS

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On The Game: Game 12 Recap Gamegirl... "... Eli used Domenik Hixon like a fine wine throwing to him each time for first downs five different times. Kevin Boss, looking more like Jeremy Shockey each game he plays, caught 3 passes for 45 yards... I should note that in the second half a ground game that was sitting at only 28 yards finished up with 108. Most notably Brandon Jacobs seemed to magically walk slowly in space over everyone for his 1 yard touchdown run..." Mikefan.... "...Trick plays worked here and there, but the Giants defense turned the Redskins into a one trick pony. They tried reverses and receiver Antwaan Randle El successfully tossed one pass for 17 yards. As it turned out, tricks were Washington's best options as their running game was stopped cold, with leading rushing Clinton Portis gaining only 22 yards on 11 caries. Jason Campbell was the Redskins leading rusher scrambling for 38 yards on 5 carries. As they say, when your quarterback is the leading rusher, it wasn't a good game..."

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ESPN - Giants overcome Burress distraction, rip Redskins.
Giants.com - Final: Giants 23, Redskins 7.
Giants.com - Team comments on Burress.
StarLedger - Skins just don't stack up against New York Giants offense.
StarLedger - New York Giants defeat Washington Redskins, 23-7, to improve to 11-1.
StarLedger - In spite of Burress, New York Giants keep eyes on ball.
StarLedger - Burress' lawyer says plan is a 'not guilty' plea Monday.
StarLedger - Giants' Jacobs understands why Burress had weapon.
Newsday - Focused Giants get to 11-1 by beating 'Skins.
Newsday - Last shot with Giants for Burress.
Newsday - Grading the Giants.
Newsday - Pierce maintains focus after Burress incident.
Newsday - Truth or scare: Can't lose Pierce, who must fix mess.
Newsday - Giants don't miss beat without clueless Burress.
NYDailyNews - Plaxico Burress no distraction as Giants roll past Redskins, 23-7.
NYDailyNews - From Super Bowl hero to Super idiot: Plaxico Burress has only himself to blame.
NYDailyNews - Giants are NFL's Big Blue bad boys, just like Bengals and Cowboys.
NYDailyNews - Plaxico Burress jokes with teammates on eve of turning self in to cops.
NYDailyNews - Plaxico Burress, who shot self in leg, will talk to cops, DA on Monday.
Record - Pierce: Mum's the word on Burress.
Record - Giants rise above.
NYPost - All business in swamping Skins.
NYPost - The breakdown of the Giants 23-7 victory.
NYPost - Pierce mum about link to Plax shooting.
NYPost - Toomer eager to get back on field with Burress.
NYPost - Overwhelming win displays Blue focus.
WashingtonPost - Portis Takes a 'Whale' of a Hit.
WashingtonPost - Redskins Struggle With Home Inequity.
WashingtonTimes - Giant disappointment for Redskins.

Nov 30 The Giants' dream season was thrown into turmoil Saturday when Super Bowl star Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg at a Manhattan nightclub and linebacker Antonio Pierce tried to hide the gun, police sources said. Pierce, 30, rushed to his bleeding teammate and applied pressure to the wound as Burress screamed in pain amid the hip-hop beats piping through the club, sources said. As he worked to slow the bleeding, Pierce berated Burress for bringing a loaded handgun into a club.
The Super Bowl hero, who nabbed the game-winning catch in the Giants' monumental win over the Patriots in February, admitted to the guards that he was packing heat, sources said. After moving to a secluded area with a guard, he allegedly took the gun out and started to unload the bullets while drinking a glass of wine. But the sure-handed wideout began to bobble the firearm, accidentally firing a shot that ripped through his leg but missed the bone. A source said a guard came over in the aftermath, emptied the gun's chamber and then gave it back to Burress.
Burress has a concealed weapon permit from the state of Florida that expired in May 2008. It is unclear if the permit was renewed; such a license can be renewed up to six months beyond the expiration date in accordance with section 790.06(11)(a) of Florida Statutes. However, the states of New York and New Jersey do not recognize permits from Florida, so Burress could be charged in the incident. He also will certainly be investigated by the NFL under its Personal Conduct Policy. "We are gathering information, just like everyone else," NFL spokesman Joe Browne said. The Giants said they have been in touch with NFL Security on the matter.

The shooting, which was first reported by FoxSports.com, took place at the Latin Quarter nightclub on Lexington Avenue at 48th Street, blocks from the N.F.L.'s headquarters on Park Avenue. The club reopened Saturday shortly before midnight. The police said that they were still trying to speak to someone in the club who had witnessed the incident, and they added that they had the names of at least two other Giants players who were believed to be at the club, though they did not disclose their names. Pierce is apparently one of those players.
New York and local police went to Burress' New Jersey home Saturday to speak with the receiver and were denied entrance. Giants coach Tom Coughlin told ESPN's Sal Paolantonio: "We have people on the scene trying to gather information, get all the facts, determine exactly what happened. Right now we're concerned about Plaxico and finding out all the details." According to a team official, no determination about Burress' roster status will be made until the facts are gathered. That may not be until sometime next week, or until "the police investigation has been fully realized and completed," Paolantonio reported.
The surging Giants already knew they would be without star receiver Plaxico Burress today when they faced the rival Redskins at FedEx Field, but what they never would have believed is that their most irritating distraction would accidentally shoot himself in a bizarre incident and once again cause angst to the defending Super Bowl champions. Any legal troubles could put Burress in violation of the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy, which explicitly states any gun-related incident - with or without a conviction - is a policy violation. And that could threaten to shut down his season and Giants career.

They won't say it publicly, but head coach Tom Coughlin and general manager Jerry Reese are fed up with Burress. He signs a lucrative contract extension on the first day of the season, and he's been nothing but a distraction ever since. If there's a silver lining (in a self-inflicted gunshot wound to your star receiver), it could create more playing time for rising star Domenik Hixon. More than any coach in football, Coughlin stresses how the team always comes before the individual. Burress has immense talent, but his actions fly in the face of what Coughlin is trying to accomplish.
The Giants should not allow Burress to return to the team this season, and they need to either release him or trade him during the offseason. Burress has been nothing but trouble the last several months, creating needless distractions for a team that is attempting to do what has rarely been done before: repeat as Super Bowl champions. The Giants now need to make that attempt without him. Regardless of when Burress is healthy enough to play football again, the Giants should deactivate him for the remainder of the season and begin the process of recouping a prorated portion of the signing bonus he was given as part of a five-year, $35-million contract extension.
Placating Plax has long been a full-time job for the Giants, anyway. But now, after word comes that a bullet wound up in his right thigh - shot from his apparently unlicensed gun, at that - this is overtime that no one associated with the Giants needs. There's a lot we don't know about what happened early yesterday in the LQ nightclub, but what we do know is troubling enough.

Washington (7-4) is in the thick of the wild-card picture and has an outside shot at taking the NFC East title from the Giants. That chance will vanish, however, if they don’t win today’s rematch of the longtime rivalry at FedEx Field. The Giants (10-1) cannot clinch the NFC East today, but could eliminate the Redskins from title contention with a win. The Redskins have a half-dozen big names who are iffy, including the men who make their rushing offense and their rushing defense click. Running back Clinton Portis has knee and shoulder issues and while he did not practice all week, definitely will play today.

What's most intriguing, 11 games into this magical football season, is that however extensive the weekly list of concerns the Giants may bring into each game - and even at 10-1, that list can be anywhere from significant to substantial - there is one constant. "Eli Manning," Tom Coughlin said last week, "is playing some awfully good football."

From Germany to America, from safety to wide receiver, from Denver Broncos castoff to New York Giant waiver-wire wunderkind, the 6-2, 185-pound Hixon has done nothing but flourish, doing it with a physique as taut as a rope, and maybe the best set of wheels (he has run the 40 in 4.31) on the team. And there Hixon was last Sunday, against the Cardinals, adroitly handling two more transitions, taking over as return man for Ahmad Bradshaw, and going 83 yards and 68 yards in the second quarter alone, then filling in for the injured Plaxico Burress, leading the team with six catches for 57 yards, piling up 269 all-purpose yards overall. He'll be counted on to step in for Burress again Sunday.

Sunday, Kenny Phillips says it will feel like he's on the same field with his football hero when he will play in Taylor's old home on Taylor's day. The Giants play the Redskins in what promises to be an emotional afternoon when Taylor is honored a year after his shocking death with a stirring tribute and induction into the Redskins Ring of Fame a half-hour before the game. Taylor died Nov. 27, 2007 one day after being shot in his home during an attempted burglary.

Game 12 Preview - Giants (10-1) vs Washington (7-4)
Last week the Redskins came away with a 20-17 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Running back Clinton Portis stole the show with 143 yards on 29 carries, and the defense pulled in two Matt Hasselbeck interceptions to break their 2 game losing streak. Playing at the same time, Eli Manning was hot in the desert, completing 26 of 33 passes for 240 yards and no interceptions as he led the Giants to a 37-29 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
The state of the Redskins Their problem? Scoring points. Washington has scored only 201 points which is 128 less than the Giants, and a hundred or so less than Dallas (299) and Philly (319) - who yes, have played 1 additional game. They have only 20 touchdowns, and that's just one more than the Cleveland Browns (4-7), and the Redskins lead in that poor 'class of teams with minimal touchdowns'. The St. Louis Rams (1-9) have 13, Oakland Raiders (3-8) have 14, Cincinnati Bengals (1-9) have 15.
Now, directly over the Redskins in scoring touchdowns, you'll actually find the winless Detroit Lions (0-12) with 22 and the Seattle Seahawks (2-10) with 23. You get the point. It's a tribute to the Redskins defense that the team actually has a 7-4 record. In their last three games, 2 losses and 1 win, they scored only 36 points or an average of 12 per game.

Nov 29 - UPDATE Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg Friday, according to multiple media reports. Burress was hospitalized with gunshot injuries Friday night that were not believed to be life-threatening, FOX Sports.com reported Saturday.
The Giants confirmed Burress was wounded in his right thigh, but declined to say anything more because of possible legal implications. "This incident could become a matter for law enforcement officials," the Giants acknowledged. It was unclear if Burress was licensed to carry a weapon, or whether the gun was registered.

Nov 29 The Giants won last week without two of their most valuable offensive pieces. They might have to try and do it again Sunday. Plaxico Burress will not play against the Redskins and running back Brandon Jacobs has been deemed "questionable" for the NFC East game. "He's progressing, no doubt," Tom Coughlin said of Burress on Friday before the official announcement that he will sit out.
It will be the first game Burress has missed a game because of injury since Nov. 5, 2006, when he did not play against Houston due to a back injury. Burress did not practice yesterday, but coach Tom Coughlin seemed upbeat about Burress' prognosis. Coughlin said. "He is getting better."

The last time the Giants played the Redskins, Plaxico Burress had far and away his best game of the season, with 133 receiving yards in the Giants' Week 1 win. But the wide receiver won't have the chance for a repeat performance Sunday in Washington. He has already been ruled out for the game. After Friday's practice, coach Tom Coughlin told reporters he couldn't remember the specifics of the injury report. But Burress was listed as out for the game when the team released the report a couple hours later.

Brandon Jacobs, who missed last week's game in Arizona with a sprained knee, participated fully in practice for the second straight day, but he still was listed as questionable for Sunday. Defensive end Justin Tuck, who missed practice on Thursday with what was described as a lower-leg injury, returned to full practice Friday and was listed as probable. The Redskins (7-4) have their own injury issues, with league-leading rusher Clinton Portis listed as questionable with knee and rib problems. Coach Jim Zorn said Portis is 50-50 to play Sunday.

Mathias Kiwanuka's 2007 season ended when he fractured his left fibula, and Redskins left tackle Chris Samuels landed on the same leg. So the initial impact jolted Kiwanuka. He didn't miss any time from the injury, but he also said he didn't fully recover until he was able to rest his ankle during the Giants' Week 4 bye. Even so, Kiwanuka said he won't be apprehensive going up against a player who took what he considered to be a cheap shot against him.

Emotions will be running high for several Redskins and Giants Sunday, but it will have little to do with their NFC East rivalry. "The Redskins and that whole stadium are going to be pumped up," said Giants linebacker and former Redskin Antonio Pierce. "The first 15 minutes are going to be so fast-paced, energetic and exciting that it is going to be fun to watch." That's largely because a half-hour before kickoff, the Redskins and more than 90,000 fans will pay tribute to Sean Taylor, the Redskins' safety who was murdered on Nov.27, 2007. Taylor will be inducted into the Redskins' Ring of Fame and there will be a stirring video tribute with messages from teammates. Members of Taylor's family are expected to attend the ceremony.

The Redskins' NFC East title hopes took a nosedive with successive losses to Pittsburgh and Dallas earlier this month, but Washington has an MVP candidate in running back Clinton Portis, and quarterback Jason Campbell has thrown 10 touchdowns and only three interceptions. The Redskins beat Seattle 20-17 last Sunday. "If you're sitting in Washington, you've got to say, 'We've got a shot at [the NFC East],' '' Carl Banks said. "If you're sitting in New York, you just say, 'Let's continue to do what we do and take every opponent seriously.' ''

Nov 28 Four prominent Giant players did not participate in any part of yesterday's Thanksgiving practice, including a new name on the injury report. Defensive end Justin Tuck sat out with what is being described as a lower-leg injury. It's not considered to be alarming news, as Tuck has soreness and was given the day off to rest. Three players who did not practice on Wednesday also sat out again: receiver Plaxico Burress (hamstring), defensive tackle Fred Robbins Fred Robbins (shoulder) and running back Ahmad Bradshaw (neck).

Brandon Jacobs didn't want to speculate about his Sunday availability earlier this week. "The last time I did that, we had an investigation," he said Wednesday, "so I'm not going to say I'm definitely playing." If Jacobs is unable to play against the Redskins, the Giants could be extremely shorthanded in the backfield. Ahmad Bradshaw has missed the last two practices with a stiff neck, leaving Derrick Ward as the only running back on the team who has not been listed on the injury report this week.

When the NFC East rivals first squared off this season, the Giants held Portis to 84 yards on 23 carries - one of only three times this season that Portis has been held both under 100 yards and without a touchdown. The Redskins are 0-3 in those games, including the 16-7 opener at the Meadowlands. Since then, though, Portis and the Redskins have become more accustomed to first-year head coach Jim Zorn and his offense, and the Giants will have to respect Jason Campbell's passing threat more than they did back in September.
The improvement of quarterback Jason Campbell has turned the Redskins into a more balanced offense. But the aim of the Giants' defense each week is to stop the run, so Portis, the NFL's leading rusher with 1,206 yards, remains a major concern. "They do a good job of getting him some lanes to run in," said defensive end Justin Tuck, "and he knows what to do with the ball when he gets those."
In that Week 1 win over the Redskins, the Giants contained Portis well, holding him to 84 yards, no touchdowns and 3.7 yards per carry, his next-to-lowest average of the season. But since then, the running back has found his groove, topping 100 yards six times and now leading the league with 1,206 rushing yards. The Redskins are 5-1 when Portis has a triple-digit rushing tally and 2-3 otherwise, so this Sunday in Washington, the Giants defense is again counting on that wall to thwart Portis early in each down -- before he gets rolling downhill.

As the starting strong-side linebacker, Danny Clark starts every game, but as soon as the opponent spreads the field with three or four receivers, Clark trots off and on come extra defensive backs to bolster the defense. It's the same with Chase Blackburn, the starting weak-side linebacker, and Barry Cofield, a starting defensive tackle. Blackburn last week played 13 snaps on defense, Cofield 15. "You just root for your teammates, just play your role," Cofield said with a shrug. Those three players are salivating at the promise of a much larger role this week, as the aerial attack of the Cardinals is in the rear-view mirror, and coming up on Sunday is a completely different offensive system.
Two weeks ago against the run-happy Ravens, Chase Blackburn played 41 snaps on defense. Last week against the air-it-out Cardinals, he was on the field for only 13 plays, as nickel and dime packages relegated him to the sideline. "Up, down, up, down," he said. "That's how it is when you're playing these different offenses, but that's part of it." Blackburn and Danny Clark expect to be on the field a lot more Sunday against the Redskins. They have the NFL's top running back, Clinton Portis, as their primary weapon.

Madison Hedgecock, who is playing with a fractured right pinkie that is so disfigured it looks like an onion-stuffed tube sock, dropped the previous four passes thrown his way this season. So when he made this catch - and scored this touchdown - he understandably was excited. That's when he squatted in the end zone and started rowing. "Rowing to the Pro Bowl," he said after the game. Merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.

NFC East News
Cowboys Tony Romo, DeMarcus Ware and the Cowboys guaranteed they will be a team to watch in the final month by crushing the Seattle Seahawks 34-9 Thursday for their third straight victory. Romo got it rolling with touchdowns on the first three drives and points on the first four, then the defense took care of the rest.
Eagles Donovan McNabb got pulled for Kevin Kolb again. This time, he earned a seat on the bench with a superb performance instead of a stinker. McNabb threw four touchdown passes, Brian Westbrook tied a team record with four scores and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Arizona Cardinals 48-20 on Thursday night.

Nov 27 There's so much to be thankful for here in New York, even in these trying times, and we can begin with the obvious: family, health, life, friendship, faith, two superb quarterbacks. You should never take the first five for granted, and in the football sense, the last one is a stroke of good fortune as well. Most cities go years without one top-flight quarterback falling into their lap. We have two. Eli Manning and Brett Favre haven't been as good as advertised. They've been better.

The Giants, back in their season opener, were the defending Super Bowl champs but no one's choice to emerge as the favorite to do it again. The Redskins came in to visit Giants Stadium in Jim Zorn's first game as a head coach, and he looked as if he was in charge of a challenged and disjoined offense, barely avoiding a shutout in a 16-7 Giants victory. Eleven weeks later, both teams have belied those early evaluations.
A lot has changed in Washington in the past 11 weeks. Americans elected Barack Obama as president, bailout became a buzzword as the financial markets plunged, and, my friends, John McCain retreated from the spotlight. And the most popular team in town, the Redskins, has turned its season around.
Giants think Redskins have improved since Week 1. Back then, the 'Skins were just trying to get their bearings in their first game under new coach Jim Zorn. The running game was simplified and the rhythm of the passing attack -- an important part of the West Coast offense -- was off. The defense? Well, that actually wasn't too bad, as new coordinator Greg Blache was playing a style similar to the departed Gregg Williams' scheme. But now, as Clark noted, the unit is more aggressive and creative, as they've been moving end Jason Taylor, who had an injured knee in the opener, all over the field. Add to the X's and O's a desire to show the Giants they're much-improved, and Sunday's game in Landover, Md., looks a lot tougher for the Giants.

So far the Giants have done pretty well without Plaxico Burress in the lineup. That's why they don't seem particularly worried that they might be without him again. The status of the team's No. 1 receiver remained unknown Wednesday, after an MRI on his injured hamstring showed nothing but a strain. That should've been good news, but a strain was enough to keep him out for most of the Giants' 37-29 win in Arizona. And since he wasn't able to practice Wednesday, his status for Sunday's game in Washington is in doubt.
"He is resilient, a very tough guy," Tom Coughlin said. "We're just going to have to wait and see. Hopefully this is something he can overcome in a short time. But let's face it, it's a hamstring." Translation: There are no guarantees at all that Burress will be able to play in Sunday's game against the Redskins at FedEx Field. Burress lasted only three plays in last week's victory in Arizona before he took himself out of the game because he could not run anywhere close to full speed.

A year ago Wednesday, Kenny Phillips received a text message from his mother telling him Sean Taylor had been shot. At first the outlook was promising for the Redskins player and former Miami Hurricanes safety Phillips idolized. The next day, Taylor passed away. This Sunday, the Redskins will honor the late Taylor with a pregame ceremony that will certainly be emotional for the home team. But it will also be inspiring for several Giants players who knew Taylor and played with him to see him inducted into the Redskins' Ring of Fame.
There's Sinorice Moss, the wide receiver and University of Miami teammate of Taylor's, who wears a rubber band around his wrist every day with the words "R.I.P. Sean T." There's Antonio Pierce, the linebacker who was a teammate of Taylor's in Washington for a year, who has a red and yellow towel in his locker with the number 21 on it as a small memorial. And there's Kenny Phillips, the Giants' first-round draft pick who, like Taylor, was a safety at Miami and took his number - 21 - when he arrived with the Giants.

Lawrence Tynes is still hoping for a Christmas miracle from President Bush. The Daily News reported Wednesday in an exclusive front page story that the Giants kicker is trying to get his brother Mark Tynes, a convicted felon, out of jail with a presidential commutation. "It's kind of like the Hail Mary pass - it's worth a shot," Tynes said Wednesday at a team practice, acknowledging that his brother has exhausted his other legal options. "It's part of the process, so why not use it?"
Tynes is hoping that as Bush leaves office and orders the traditional list of pardons and commutations, his brother's case will find its way to the president. He's not looking for a pardon, Tynes stressed. "He deserves to be spending some time," he said. "The 27 years is something that we think is a little steep."

Thanksgivings when Jerry Reese was young were mostly spent at the home of his grandparents, Ray and Earlene Taylor, on Mooring St. in Tiptonville, the town in Tennessee where he grew up. "Every day of my life feels like Thanksgiving," Reese says. "I really don't have enough words to express how blessed I am." His mother sewed jeans for a company called Henry I. Siegel, and his stepfather was a maintenance man and handyman, and sometimes Reese would earn extra money working in his great-grandfather's slaughterhouse.

NFC East News
Eagles Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid may have patched things up in time for the Thanksgiving Day game, and they'll be together for another month or so in Philadelphia after that. But then it's off to Splitsville - and even money which one of them gets back on his feet first. When someone asked McNabb who told him he was starting Thursday against Arizona, he quipped, "I was told by the janitor.
Cowboys Terrell Owens was on pace for his worst season since 1999 before the 49ers game. Owens says things are better for everyone when he is involved. He says it makes things happen around him as well. The bottom line is Owens said he would not be satisfied until the Cowboys win the Super Bowl.
Redskins sacks? - The Redskins aren't in the back of the league in any defensive stat except sacks. They're third overall, fourth against the pass, fifth in scoring defense and seventh against the run. But with the Redskins having just 17 sacks, coach Jim Zorn could only note that his defense has managed to keep opposing quarterbacks in the pocket, if not actually get to them.

Nov 26 If the Cowboys lose to the Seahawks Thursday, the Giants will be able to clinch the NFC East title with a victory against the Redskins on Sunday. With a win over Washington, the Giants would be 4 1/2 games against the Redskins (because of the head-to-head tie-breaker) with four to play.

Tom Coughlin was the winner of a Sports Illustrated poll two weeks ago when 16% of NFL players named him the coach they'd least like to play for. And that was actually an improvement from a similar poll four years ago when 29% of players named him "Worst Coach in the NFL."

His first instinct was to worry about the logistics, leading to the predictable concerns of a high-ranking executive. "That in a sense would be a nightmare, to have a Giants-Jets Super Bowl," John Mara yesterday said to The Post. "You know how many angry ticket holders there would be, thinking, and probably rightfully so, that they were entitled to go to the game and you wouldn't be able to have them at the game?"

Slowly it's been emerging, but Sunday in Arizona, it became evident that the young players who were selected by the team in April, particularly first- and second-round picks Kenny Phillips and Terrell Thomas, have finished their probationary period and are now full-fledged contributors. Each played a solid game in the secondary but each also came up with a clip for their highlight reels.

Lawrence Tynes became an instant celebrity in January after kicking the Giants into the Super Bowl in the NFC Championship Game. He has actively campaigned get his brother moved to a prison in upstate Otisville, about 90 minutes from Giants Stadium, and foots most of his brother's legal bills. There was a glimmer of hope when Bush pardoned 14 people and commuted the sentences of two others Monday. Lawrence Tynes' lawyer acknowledges their campaign is a long shot, but anything seems possible in the year of the Giants' long-shot title.

Nov 25 Plaxico Burress knew his hamstring wasn't 100% when he decided to try to play Sunday in Arizona, and Tom Coughlin knew it, too. They were just hoping he'd be able to fight through the injury without making it worse. Unfortunately for the Giants, that's what might have happened.
Asked if he thought Burress made the injury worse by playing, Coughlin said, "I don't know. I don't think so. But we are going to have to wait and see based on today." The results were not available during Coughlin's afternoon conference call with reporters.
As for Brandon Jacobs, Coughlin said he is optimistic that Jacobs will be able to play against the Redskins after he was not activated in Arizona, even though he was listed as probable going into the game. Jacobs has swelling in his knee and told the coaching staff he did not think he could give the team his best performance.

Sunday, for the first time since Week 6, the Giants ran more passing plays than running plays -- and beat the Cardinals in the air. "We do obviously want to run the ball," Coughlin said. "We run the ball very well. But we also have the capability of throwing the ball well. And I think that we have with our quarterback ... (someone) who understands the game, understands what is needed within the game, and then seems to do whatever is necessary."

The Giants win with such ease these days, with such care and consistency, it sometimes feels as if things were always this way. It seems they emerged from the primordial ooze of prehistoric earth, clambered from the ocean and immediately began steamrolling opponents with flawless power football. Not quite. One measly year ago today, the Giants were part of a very different scene.

Derrick Ward clearly didn't care to get into the big picture after the Giants finished off the Arizona Cardinals. He was enjoying the blissful ignorance. "There's really no concern about who's the best team right now," the running back said. "I have no idea what happened with the other teams. I just know that we got this victory, and we're 10-1 and we have to go visit a division rival in Washington." It's called staying in the moment.
There is so much out there for the Giants that their eyes could be darting to and fro, looking this way at the NFC East title and that way at the playoffs and the other way at the top seed in the NFC and another way within their own surroundings at the rapid ascension of the Jets. Anyone having the slightest trouble focusing on the small picture could be excused for getting captivated by the very big things nearly in their grasp.

The Super Bowl is only 68 days away and the Giants and Jets are the two best teams in the NFL. Giants first. Jets second. Each week they move closer to the ultimate New York football fantasy: Big Blue vs. Gang Green in the Super Bowl in Tampa. And so the debate rages - who is better, the upstart Jets or the red-hot Giants?
With the Jets cruising at 8-3 off a stunning road victory over the previously unbeaten Titans, and the Giants improving to 10-1 with a 37-point outburst against the Cardinals, New York football is all the rage. A Jets-Giants Super Bowl? It's not out of the question.
How would the league and NBC feel about a Jets-Giants Super Bowl? Fine. The real intrigue is what will happen in the conference finals if the Giants (probable) and Jets (possible) both host championship games. Giants Stadium cannot stage two games Jan. 18, so one must move to Saturday or Monday. The NFL has not announced what it would do, but a logical solution would be to leave the AFC game in its scheduled evening slot Sunday and move the NFC to Monday night.

Before the Giants kick off their 1 p.m. game against the Redskins at FedEx Field, the Redskins will honor the late Sean Taylor by inducting him into the Redskins' Ring of Fame. The ceremony will include tributes and messages from teammates along with a presentation of a commemorative plaque to Taylor's family. It figures to be an emotional event for fans and the Redskins' players. Taylor, a Pro Bowl cornerback, died at age 24 on Nov. 27 of last year after being shot by an intruder at his home in Miami.

Nov 24 Giants beat the Cardinals 37-29  |  GAME PHOTOS      GAME PHOTOS

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On The Game: Game 11 Recap Gamegirl... "... I shouldn't have worried, because even though they played us tight, the Giants offense kept things going in the second half with Eli Manning completing almost every pass. By the end of the game, Derrick Ward showed he was a real workhorse, and Domenik Hixon was the top receiver and special teams player with his two runbacks for a total of 269 yards.." Mikefan.... "...The Giants defense didn't have to work hard at stopping the run today. The Cards had only 23 yards total on 15 carries. Now when you hear something like that you figure it must have been an easy one-sided affair, but the pass-happy Arizona Cardinals lived up to their reputation. The Giants couldn't stop Kurt Warner from throwing for 351 yards, and their passing attack kept them in this game.."

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ESPN - Manning, Giants go to the air to knock off Cardinals.
Giants.com - Giants defeat Cardinals, 37-29.
Giants.com - Postgame Notes, Anecdotes and Statistics.
StarLedger - New York Giants beat Cards in their second home.
StarLedger - Giants' Hixon makes most of chance to return kickoffs against Cardinals.
StarLedger - Cardinals complain to NFL after Giants declare Jacobs inactive 90 minutes before game.
Newsday - Giants' Jacobs goes from 'probable' to 'out'.
Newsday - Elite team, ELIte quarterback.
Newsday - Grading the Giants.
Newsday - Giants' Hixon piles up 269 all-purpose yards.
Newsday - Giants beat Cardinals without Burress, Jacobs.
NYDailyNews - Giants beat Cardinals 37-29 to clear way for first-round bye in NFC.
NYDailyNews - Backup plan gives Tom Coughlin plenty in reserve.
NYDailyNews - Giants' Brandon Jacobs & Plaxico Burress play it safe vs. Cardinals.
Record - Giants' reserves deliver in Arizona.
Record - Doesn't matter who plays for Giants.
Record - Stage has been set for Jets-Giants hype.
NYPost - Jints cruise in Ariz. encore.
NYPost - Giants defeat Cardinals 37-26.
NYPost - Quick exit for Plax: Jacobs sits.
NYPost - Between the hashmarks.
NYPost - Giants making it look easy.
NYPost - Who's gonna stop this Blue Streak?
AzCentral - Giants too much for Cardinals.
AzCentral - Cards go for, miss rarely-tried FG.

NFC East News
Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb discovered what it feels like to be benched. Pulled after an awful first half, McNabb watched from the sideline as the Baltimore Ravens beat the Eagles 36-7, presenting first-year coach John Harbaugh with a lopsided victory over the team he served as an assistant for 10 years.
Dallas Cowboys' Owens 'unleashed' by 49ers' inane defense. The Cowboys took advantage of the 49ers' stupid game plan, in part, because Tony Romo used his elusiveness to keep plays alive until T.O. could get open.
Washington used a strong ground game, efficient passing and opportunistic defense to defeat the Seattle Seahawks 20-17 on Sunday. It wasn't the magnitude of a playoff game, like the Redskins' last two visits to Qwest Field, but it was still a hard-earned win.

Game 11 Preview - Giants (9-1) vs Cardinals (7-3).
The Cardinals did much better at Seattle in their game last Sunday than they did last year when Kurt Warner was sacked five times and five of his passes became interceptions in a 42-21 loss. In fact, the Cardinals were up 26-7 entering the fourth quarter but then they committed two turnovers that led to Seahawk touchdowns. Suddenly the score was 26-20 with nearly 10 minutes remaining at noise deafening Qwest Field. They held on to win when Matt Hasselbeck threw his second interception with 2 minutes left.
Last week the Giants showed they could run on any team, including the Baltimore Ravens who came into the game with the league's best rushing defense. The Giants 30-10 win over the Ravens at Giants Stadium gave them a 6-0 home record and an NFC conference-best record of 9-1.
Kurt Warner - With the Giants.
With the Giants in 2004, Kurt was known for hanging onto the ball a bit too long while trying to be completely certain of his targets. That led to Warner being sacked 39 times even though he started in just 9 games and had only 277 passing attempts in the season. You have to go back to 1999 where Kent Graham and Kerry Collins shared the season totals. They combined for 42 sacks, but together they worked at throwing over 300 more passes than Kurt (602). Overall Kurt Warner was 5-4 as a starter with the Giants, and his last start ended in a 17-14 loss to Arizona where he was sacked 6 times. Eli Manning became the starter for the rest of the season and he won only his last game for a 1-6 record.

Nov 23 In a few months, Amani Toomer could be history. For the first time in his 13 NFL seasons, Toomer is in a contract year. General manager Jerry Reese and one of Toomer's agents, Justin Schulman, declined comment when asked about the progress of negotiations. Toomer said he hasn't been keeping close tabs on the situation, as he has been focused more on football. But he said he doesn't believe a deal will be reached before the end of the season.

The easiest way to keep the Cardinals from scoring is to keep their offense on the sideline, and that challenge goes to the Giants' offense. "That would certainly make things easier," defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said when asked if this is a game in which he'd like to see as much of Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward on the field as he can. The Giants have the highest time of possession in the league, 33:25. But the Cardinals, despite their propensity for the pass, are second in time of possession at 32:44. That means Warner will be dropping back to pass. A lot. And the Giants will be trying to get him. A lot.

Kurt Warner caught on with Phoenix in 2005, and he was supposed to be tutoring another quarterback at this point in his career. Instead, he's playing ahead of Leinart. So what happened? "Again, I don't think anything has happened," Warner said. "I think I am the same guy I have always been. I just think people forgot that for a minute."

Despite paltry numbers, coach Tom Coughlin is sticking with Ahmad Bradshaw as his kickoff-return man. Bradshaw is 36th in the league, averaging just 21 yards on 30 returns, but Coughlin is pinning the blame on the blocking up front. "We have got a pretty darn good return man," Coughlin said. "You give him a chance and I know he will get yardage."

The Cards have a storied past. Almost all the stories, however, are of the horror variety. Now things finally may be ready to change. The transplanted Chicago-St. Louis Cardinals rest at 7-3 and actually can clinch a divisional title today if they can defeat the reigning champion Giants, returning to the scene of their great upset. It would put coach Ken Whisenhunt's team into the postseason for the first time since 1998 and just the fifth time since 1970.

There will be nothing but wonderful memories for the Giants as they take the field this afternoon at the University of Phoenix Stadium, where 10 months ago they staged one of the great Super Bowl upsets of all time.
That game was exactly 42 weeks ago. It was exactly 294 days ago. If you are a Giants fan, they are the 294 greatest days in the history of your life as a fan. Because across every one of them you have not only been able to savor the reality of rooting for a defending Super Bowl champion, you have the added benefit over the past 11 weeks to root for the team that is an odds-on favorite to get back to The Big Game.
The Giants walked into University of Phoenix Stadium last winter as a genuine feel-good story, as a zillion-to-one shot that had emerged from the brink of disaster to reach the Super Bowl on the other side of the mighty 18-0 Patriots. The Giants walked out of University of Phoenix Stadium that night as the makers of an indelible moment in sports history.

Former Giants
Kerry Collins and Tiki Barber were reminiscing over lunch, two old teammates enjoying a summer day in New York a few months ago. It wasn't long before the conversation turned serious and the quarterback told Barber he was thinking of calling it a career, frustrated with being a backup to Vince Young.

Nov 22 All week the focus has been on Giants running back Brandon Jacobs and his sore knee. Would he be ready to play Sunday in Arizona? Jacobs is listed as probable and almost assuredly will participate. Plaxico Burress is the one who might not make it. He is listed as questionable because of a hamstring injury he suffered in Wednesday's practice. Coughlin said decisions on both of his offensive stalwarts will be made by the medical staff. "If the medical people say they can play, and if they are in the right frame of mind, then they will play," he said.
Asked to explain what he meant by "the right frame of mind," Coughlin said: "They are anxious and obviously excited about the opportunity and all that goes into playing a game - playing with your heart. The medical people will make the call." Pressed further, Coughlin added: "Don't make a big deal out of that. I'm not commenting on that. All I'm saying is if the medical people say that the guys can play, then there will be strong consideration that they would play."

Brandon Jacobs was one of three Giants returning to practice yesterday. Jacobs (knee) and CB Aaron Ross (hamstring) were limited, while LB Chase Blackburn (neck) practiced fully. "I feel good, no pain," said Jacobs, looking ahead to Sunday's game at Arizona. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm on track to go out and get it done."

It must be something about playing in the desert that does it to Plaxico Burress. Last February, before Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Ariz., he slipped in the shower and hurt his knee. Now, a few days before his return trip, he pulls his right hamstring.
Trips to the Valley of the Sun have brought the Giants receiver a lot of medical lows. "I think that place has a hex on me a little bit when it comes to game week," Burress said after practice Friday.

During three seasons spent watching far more than playing, Derrick Ward rarely took his eyes off Tiki Barber. Ward desperately wanted to develop into an all-around running back and knew he could not have a better example than the player breaking all sorts of records for the Giants. Barber has been off the scene for two years, but his impact resurfaces whenever Ward takes the field.

When Giants tight end Kevin Boss was a rookie last fall, he would run into some of the Red Bulls players in the Giants Stadium tunnel, or see the field being prepared for a soccer game, and think to himself, "Terry should play here." Terry Boss, his older brother, had been a goalkeeper for pro soccer teams in Puerto Rico and Charlotte, N.C. But of all the turfs in the country, the two brothers from a small town in Oregon figured they'd likely never play on the same one. Until Sept. 15, that is, when Terry signed a senior contract with Major League Soccer's Red Bulls.

Nov 21 Four years ago this month, Tom Coughlin was publicly pleading with Kurt Warner to keep his non-throwing hand on the ball while he's in the pocket. On Sunday, Coughlin wouldn't care if Warner spins it on his finger, Harlem Globetrotters style. A fumble-prone quarterback since his days with the Rams and Giants, Warner is still showing a tendency to lose the ball. In 10 games this season with the Arizona Cardinals, he has fumbled seven times. Warner's five fumbles lost are tied with the Raiders' JaMarcus Russell for second-most in the league behind San Francisco's J.T. O'Sullivan.

The rhythm of the Cardinals' offense has been that of a well-oiled machine. Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald are arguably the NFL's best receiver tandem, and Warner has passed for 3,155 yards, 20 TDs and a league-best 105.5 passer rating. That yardage total is the third-best in history through 10 games. The best way to slow him is to sack him, a tough task since he gets rid of the ball so quickly. But the Giants - who have just one sack combined the past two games - must hit Warner or at least force him to move in the pocket.

Kurt Warner has a chance to throw for 300 yards in his fifth consecutive game Sunday, which would leave him one shy of the NFL record held by three quarterbacks - one of whom is Warner (with St. Louis in 2000). The Cardinals are more than just a passing fancy. One-dimensional teams usually don't get far in the NFL and Arizona is 7-3 and running away with the NFC West, owning a four-game lead with six to play.

Injuries could do to the Giants what opponents have, for the most part, been unable to do this season: slow them down. Plaxico Burress became the latest starter to miss a practice because of injury, sitting out yesterday with a sore hamstring. He stretched his legs and rode the exercise bicycle. Tom Coughlin said the injury occurred overnight and into yesterday morning. He would not say whether the injury would hamper Burress' availability for Sunday at Arizona. "We'll see," the coach said. Domenik Hixon was taking Burress' snaps in early drills.
Unlike last year, when he was bothered by a nagging ankle injury all season, WR Plaxico Burress has been a fixture on the practice field this fall -- save for his two-week suspension. But Thursday, when the team began individual drills, Burress was in the rehab area getting stretched. Coach Tom Coughlin said Burress didn't participate in the workout at all because of a hamstring injury that popped up "overnight and into today." "We will see," Coughlin said, when asked if Burress would be okay. Burress didn't speak to the media Thursday.

Brandon Jacobs yesterday was declared all but good to go Sunday following a good sweat, which is more than the Giants had reason to do about his unavailability. Had they lost 88 yards per game from one running back, they had another 80 ready to go between Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw. If Earth got swallowed, they still had Wind and Fire. Rain, snow, the dark side of Plaxico Burress' personality, or even the sore hamstring with which he showed up for work yesterday, will not keep this team from its appointed rounds.
Brandon Jacobs says he'll be ready to play Sunday. Too bad it's not his decision. Tom Coughlin is the one who will determine whether the Giants' leading rusher gets the green light to play with his knee injury. Jacobs was listed as limited in yesterday's practice - which means only that he did not participate in every bit of the 11-on-11 portion of the workout - but he looked spry in the beginning of the session and was anxiously jumping around the locker room after it. He even sparred in a hallway with cornerback Sam Madison, showing some nifty footwork.

Stadium News
New football stadium worth price of admission? Giants co-owner John Mara and Jets owner Woody Johnson helped unveil the New Meadowlands Stadium - now 60 percent complete - in a special tour with local media yesterday.

Nov 20 Special Report - Brandon Jacobs will join the ranks of the Unrestricted Free Agents next February, when the free agency period starts, and he is sure to be one of the hot buttons that will be pushed by several teams. But not so fast, New England, and not so quick, Philadelphia -- Brandon said something that should warm the cockles (whatever they are) of every Giant fan's heart. "I am confident that I'll be right here in this same locker room next year, and for five or six more years," he said. "I'll be here answering questions from you guys, but I don't think any of them will be about my contract. I'll have one."

Kurt Warner admits he is a bit surprised that the kid he tutored for a season became a Super Bowl MVP so quickly. As he prepares to face his former team on Sunday, Warner said that there was no way to know Eli Manning would be this good, this fast. While Manning is entering the prime of his career, Warner is experiencing a revival and posting MVP-type numbers. At a healthy 37, Warner has passed for 3,155 yards and 20 touchdowns while posting a league-best 105.5 quarterback rating. "I never wavered in my belief on what I could do," Warner said. But Warner is also a big believer in Manning.
For any other defense, it might be a headache knowing that Warner, the former Giants quarterback, has completed 72.7% of his passes in the last seven weeks, or that he's averaged 361.2 passing yards in the last four games. And the fact that he has thrown just three interceptions in the last six games shouldn't be very encouraging either. But the Giants aren't just any other defense. "We always see those opportunities," said defensive tackle Barry Cofield. "All quarterbacks, if they get hit hard enough from behind they'll probably drop the ball. They're going to give us opportunities. They're going to throw the ball a lot. That's what they like to do. So we've got to try and harass him."

Kurt Warner had three outstanding receivers on the Super Bowl XXXIV champion St. Louis Rams in Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt and Az Hakim. He may have an even better trio with the current Arizona Cardinals. Larry Fitzgerald has 67 catches, six for touchdowns, while Anquan Boldin has 62 catches and 10 TDs despite missing two games with a head injury suffered against the Jets. They rank 1-2 in the NFC. Steve Breaston has become a viable third target in his second season, having caught 48 passes. He's tied for eight in the conference.

Trying to simulate the size and strength of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin is almost as difficult a task as it will be for the cornerbacks to cover them on Sunday. But the Giants are trying just about everything. Taye Biddle is pretending to be Fitzgerald; rookie Mario Manningham is playing the part of Boldin. And even veteran R.W. McQuarters was asked to jump in, run a few routes and spar with his fellow defensive backs. "They've been doing their job," cornerback Aaron Ross -- who was named the NFC defensive player of the week for his work against the Ravens -- said. "R.W.'s been doing a little bit, being physical with us just like we know Boldin and Fitzgerald is going to do when we get there. We've been preparing for them."
What awaits the Giants out in the desert this weekend might tempt Sam Madison to add a new combo to his list. Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin will be prancing around the lush grass of University of Phoenix Stadium, and the Giants are next in line to try to slow down this terrific twosome. Fitzgerald has 67 receptions for 939 yards and six touchdowns. Boldin has 62 receptions for 792 yards and 10 touchdowns. Either one would be the featured No. 1 target on any team. Some offenses look to run first and pass second. Not the Cardinals. They are the league's second-ranked passing attack and the rejuvenated Kurt Warner is the top-rated quarterback in the NFL with 20 touchdown passes, only seven interceptions and an outrageous 70.9 completion percentage, leading the Cardinals to a 7-3 record and command of the NFC West.

Before he spoke to reporters after Wednesday's practice, Brandon Jacobs rearranged his stack of 11 touchdown balls from this season and marveled, aloud, at how many there were. Then, he turned to Ahmad Bradshaw and reassured him that if he is voted to the Pro Bowl, he'll take all the other running backs to Hawaii with him. Not quite the mind-set of a guy worried about missing time due to injury. Three days after injuring his knee in the first quarter of the Ravens game, Jacobs said he expects to play Sunday against Arizona. "It's just a little nagging thing that is just there," Jacobs said. "But I don't think it will hold me out."

Plaxico Burress went AWOL from the Giants when he dropped his son off at school two months ago and it's like he never returned. The Giants are rolling along at 9-1, have a three-game lead in the NFC East and plan to bounce around their old buddy Kurt Warner a little bit on Sunday to slow down the Greatest Show on Retractable Turf. But there is one continuing mystery to an otherwise problem-free season: Who stole Burress? Where is he? Who made him disappear? On one leg last year, Burress was more productive than he's been on two this year, unless the Giants are content paying him $11 million this season to catch three passes for 30 yards per game, as he's done for the last six games, be the NFL's best blocking receiver and open up the field because he's doubled-teamed so much.

Nov 19 The decision about Brandon Jacobs' availability for Sunday's game against the Cardinals is either his or the team's. It depends on whom you talk to. Actually, Tuesday it depended on when you talked to Jacobs. Chances are, it'll be a combination of Jacobs, the coaches and the medical staff making the decision. And right now, it's too early to make it.
Brandon Jacobs said that he got "good news" from the MRI on his left knee, but he still might not play Sunday in Arizona. The Giants' top running back, who injured his knee in the second quarter of this past Sunday's 30-10 win over the Ravens, confirmed that the MRI showed "no major damage." However, in one of several media interviews Tuesday morning, he indicated the Giants might keep him out of the game anyway, just to be safe.
The MRI test taken of Jacobs' knee revealed no structural damage, but there is swelling and there is an injury. Jacobs following the 30-10 victory over the Ravens did not sound concerned about his knee - he was hit in the first quarter, played through the second quarter and then took a seat early in the third quarter - but yesterday spoke with several media outlets and did not dismiss the possibility of missing time.
Brandon Jacobs wants to be practicing today. He wants to play on Sunday. And when the NFL's free agency period begins this winter, he wants to still be a Giant. "I'll be at my house relaxing," he said of tentative plans for Feb. 27, 2009, the day players can hit the open market. "Hopefully I'm taken care of by then. I don't want it to get to [that day]. It's going to be a tough time in my household if it comes and I don't have a contract."

No one could thwart Eli Manning's inevitable ownership of the Giants huddle. Not even with the intense loyalty to Kerry Collins or the heartfelt respect for Kurt Warner. Once Manning came aboard in 2004, Collins knew he was a spare part and was far too proud to stay and watch his beloved team taken over by some skinny kid with a royal last name. Once Manning was deemed to possess half a clue, Warner knew his time was up and, despite his frustration, gracefully moved aside as the rookie took his lumps as part of the learning process. Take a look at where all three quarterbacks landed and shake your head in amazement.

When the Giants take the field Sunday afternoon, they won't find a monument on the 24-yard line where David Tyree made his famous helmet catch. Nor will they see a statue of Plaxico Burress grabbing the game-deciding pass in the corner of the end zone. They will be returning to University of Phoenix Stadium for the first time since they shocked the football world with their Super Bowl XLII upset of the New England Patriots. There won't be a lot of time for nostalgia, however, or any signs of their historic victory there some nine months earlier.

The Giants are running toward the greatest rushing season in franchise history. Through 10 games, the Giants have rushed for 1,727 yards. If they maintain their average of 172.7 yards a game on the ground, they will finish with 2,763 yards. That would shatter the team record of 2,451 rushing yards, set in 1985. They have a ways to go to set the mark for yards per game. The 1950 Giants ran for 2,336 yards in 12 games, an average of 194.7 a game.

Nov 18 Almost all season long, defensive schemes have been telling the Giants, "We're not going to let Plaxico Burress beat us." At some point, with the running game averaging 200 yards or more every other week, that's bound to change. At some point, the message will become, "We're not going to let you beat us on the ground." And at some point, it'll be up to Eli Manning to start slinging it again.
Some might think Eli Manning plays quarterback in a rocking chair these days, turning around to hand off to Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward or Ahmad Bradshaw, then sitting back to watch the results. Manning's passing has not been the key factor in the Giants' recent success, as the running game has chewed up everyone, including the vaunted Ravens' rush defense. He has not thrown for 200 yards in the past six games, five of them wins.
Can Manning pick up the pace when needed? In the past five games, Manning has been mostly about ball-control. His leading receiver in that span is running back Derrick Ward, whose 17 catches are more than those of wide receivers Steve Smith (15), Toomer (15) and Burress (13). "I think there isn't any question Eli will be ready if and when that situation comes up," coach Tom Coughlin said.

You would think a running back bigger than most linebackers and faster than most cornerbacks would be a difficult guy for the NFL to overlook, especially considering what they always seem to be looking for. Yet in April 2005, when it came time for the NFL to draft football players, the general managers and scouting staffs of 31 professional teams managed to overlook Brandon Jacobs, all 76 inches and 264 pounds of him. Three full rounds plus eight more picks - 110 players in all, including 10 running backs - went by before the Giants chose Jacobs, and three years and a Super Bowl ring later, you wonder how in hell so many highly trained and paid professionals could manage to miss out on this guy.
They are barreling through the NFC like a freight train, and the Giants are confident it would take more than one bad wheel to knock them off their Super Bowl track. Of course, they would rather not put that theory to the test, which is why they had their fingers crossed Monday as running back Brandon Jacobs was sent for an MRI on his injured left knee. He appeared to hurt it Sunday on his second touchdown run in the first quarter of the Giants' 30-10 win over the Ravens.
The Giants lead the NFL in rushes of 20 or more yards with 18. The Redskins and Vikings are tied for second place with 13. Only six teams in the NFL have 10 or more. And think about this: Bradshaw has only 68 carries since entering the NFL at the beginning of last season but since that time, he's broken off two of the five longest rushes in the league, including the longest, his 88-yarder against the Bills last year. If Jacobs is limited at all this week by his knee injury, Bradshaw will likely become an even bigger part of the offensive game plan against the Cardinals.

The Cardinals can clinch the NFC West as early as this weekend - and they haven't won a division title since they were the St. Louis Cardinals in 1975. They also haven't been 7-3, like they are now, since 1977. Kurt Warner was 6 years old that season, but he hasn't be acting 37 this season. The two-time league MVP, who had to hand off his Giants job to a rookie named Eli Manning with seven games to go in the 2004 season, is riding a franchise-record streak of four straight 300-yard passing games. Overall he has hit on 70.9 percent of his throws, firing for 3,155 yards and 20 scores, with just seven interceptions.

When the Giants fly to Arizona Saturday, there won't be a need for black suits to signal the death of the Patriots' perfect season nor the potential of a massive "10-table" ring on the other side. But there will be the rare pleasure of returning to play -- 294 days later -- at the site where most of the Giants reached the apex of their professional careers, a 17-14 victory in Super Bowl XLII.
The Giants are the best team in the NFL after 10 games, but with the standards they have set for themselves and the level they are playing at right now, this season will be judged a failure if they don't become the ninth team to win back-to-back Super Bowls. This week, the Giants return to the desert in Arizona, where they put together the greatest victory in their history in Super Bowl XLII just over nine months ago. It will be a reminder that nobody is unbeatable, not even when they appear as unbeatable as the Giants do at the moment.

Nov 17 Giants beat the Ravens 30-10  |  GAME PHOTOS      GAME PHOTOS

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On The Game: Game 10 Recap Gamegirl... "... Both teams had put four-game win streaks on the line, but the Giants showed that beyond a doubt they are the one to beat. It's been exciting to watch this team this year at the stadium, because they continue to deliver for their fans at home. This was their sixth win at home in six games, and I'll take all that I can get." Mikefan.... "...One of the Ravens worst nightmare has to be Brandon Jacobs. He single handedly destroyed their running defense, racking up 73 yards and 2 touchdowns, and that was against a defense that has given up only 65.4 rushing yards per game this year. Jacobs might also be Jerry Reese's worst nightmare as the Giants General Manager might regret not agreeing to sign him to a long term contract."

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ESPN - Jacobs scores twice as Giants pass 200 yards rushing again.
Giants.com - Giants defeat Ravens, 30-10.
Giants.com - Postgame Notes.
StarLedger - Audubon's Flacco learns Giant lesson in Ravens' loss.
StarLedger - Giants' Ross makes up for shaky start against Ravens.
StarLedger - Giants prove they can run the ball in victory over Ravens.
StarLedger - Giants' Tynes dresses as only kicker in 30-10 victory over Ravens
NYDailyNews - Giants improve to 9-1 after running all over the Ravens, 30-10.
NYDailyNews - Brandon Jacobs cooks Ravens' goose.
NYDailyNews - Reputation of Ray Lewis, Ravens defense lose ground.
NYDailyNews - Aaron Ross turns corner with two picks against Ravens.
NYDailyNews - Tom Coughlin benches John Carney for Lawrence Tynes at kicker.
NYDailyNews - High-powered Giants showing boys of summer what a winner looks like.
Newsday - Running wasn't the plan.
Newsday - Consistently excellent Giants looking like champs.
Newsday - Ross gets 2 INTs, one for a touchdown.
Newsday - Jacobs gets Giants' ground game going early.
Record - Giants school Ravens with the run.
Record - Free-agent-to-be Jacobs must stay.
NYPost - Big Blue gains 207 yards vs.top D.
NYPost - Giants ground down Ravens' run defense.
NYPost - Earth, Wind & Fire climbing up charts.
NYPost - Ross' pair of interceptions big for Giants.
BaltimoreSun - Ravens left feeling Blue.

NFC East News
The Cowboys beat the Redskins 14-10 at FedEx Field Sunday night. With the win, the 6-4 Cowboys tied the Falcons and Redskins for the second wild card spot; Washington lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. They are all a game behind the Bucs. A loss would have been devastating, considering the Cowboys end the season against the Steelers, Giants, Ravens and Eagles.
The Eagles and Bengals played to 13-13 tie, the first in 6 yrs. Given the way Donovan McNabb played, the Philadelphia Eagles were lucky to get the tie. McNabb fumbled and threw three interceptions in regulation, and nearly had another pass picked off in overtime.

Game 10 Preview - Giants (8-1) vs Baltimore (6-3).
The Ravens won their fourth straight game last week with a 41-13 win over the Houston Texans. Their rookie quarterback, Joe Flacco, threw two touchdown passes and their defense pulled in four interceptions.
The Giants beat the Eagles last week 36-31. They had the ball for almost 40 minutes in a game that was much closer than it should have been. One early interception on Eli Manning put Philly at the Giants 9 yard line to set up a touchdown and an Eagles 7-0 lead. Later a fumble by Brandon Jacobs gave the Eagles another shot in Giants territory, which they also converted to a touchdown. The Giants went ahead and the Eagles had one last shot to pull this game out close to midfield with 2 minutes left, but Brian Westbrook was stopped on a 3rd and 3 and then a 4th and 1.
Ravens Ray Lewis. Fans certainly remember Ray Lewis, the Super Bowl XXXV MVP, who led an inspired Baltimore defense to a crushing 34-7 win over the Giants. He was quick to point out after that game, "You go down against our defense, you're in a whole lot of trouble. We've dominated people like that all year. And they didn't score on us. Make sure you quote that. They didn't score on our defense."
You may be thinking the 13 year veteran should be appearing on 'Dancing With The Stars' by now, but think again. He's still very actively playing football and just last week 'twinkle toes' pulled in two interceptions. His next appearance will be on Sunday when he'll be looking to tango with the Giants offensive unit.

Nov 16 The final game against an AFC opponent comes today for the 8-1 Giants, as the rest of the way they do battle with teams in their own conference. It promises to be quite a sendoff, considering the 6-3 Ravens have the league's top run defense and, like the Giants, are rolling along with a four-game winning streak. "They play good defense, we play good defense," Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce said. "They have three great running backs, we have three great running backs. So this game is going to come down to who is more physical, who is tough, who can stop the run and who can create more opportunities for our offense."

The Giants have played the Baltimore Ravens three times and are winless. Not only have they never beaten the Ravens, they've more often come away from those contests humbled, humiliated and hollering for mercy. The most recent clash came in December 2004, when the host Ravens beat the Giants, 37-14. That was the game in which rookie quarterback Eli Manning completed 4 of 18 passes for 27 yards, threw two interceptions and exited with a passer rating of 0.0. Yes. Zero. Point. Zero. He couldn't even muster 0.1. "It's a long time ago and was one of my early starts," Manning said this past week when asked if he still gets nightmares from that performance. "This team has come a long way and I have come a long way since '04."
Eli to Ravens: Nevermore! Eli Manning is not the same bewildered rookie he was when he last faced the Ravens in 2004. Ray Lewis is facing a different Manning, the Super Bowl MVP and team leader. Perhaps the most important change is the 66 games of experience he's had since then, and the hundreds of different defenses and formations he's seen. The Ravens, under the on-field direction of Lewis, are masters at showing one look, then running another defense entirely. Lewis in particular enjoys messing with a quarterback's head. Four years ago, this is what he said he saw in Manning's eyes: "A lot of confusion. You could tell we were really getting to him."

The Giants had just been pounded by the Ravens, 37-14, in Baltimore, a game in which Eli Manning produced a Blutarsky-esque rating of 0.00. It was late in his rookie season of 2004, and Manning was so disconsolate on the train ride home that he took the unprecedented step of telling his coaches something had to change. Manning told coach Tom Coughlin, offensive coordinator John Hufnagel and then-quarterbacks coach Kevin Gilbride that he'd do his part to try to get better. But he also issued an urgent request of all three men to change their approach as well. "Let's just run some stuff that we did in training camp, things I feel comfortable with, so I know exactly what I'm doing. Here are the plays I feel good about." It turned out to be a significant moment in Manning's career.
There can be some awkward moments when a rookie quarterback stares down a high-intensity defense. It's a situation Eli Manning knows all too well. Four years ago, he stood opposite the Baltimore Ravens and failed miserably. Manning completed just 4 of 18 passes for 27 yards. The next-generation quarterback was intercepted twice before Kurt Warner came on in relief to pick up the pieces. "I've come a long way since '04," Manning said. Joe Flacco is up next, and will be looking across the line into the eyes of a motivated defense that certainly wouldn't mind giving the Ravens' rookie something to worry about Sunday at Giants Stadium.

Drafted with the 17th overall selection last spring from the University of Delaware, Joe Flacco found himself the starting quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens by default when the season began in September. After he began the season with limited responsibilities, the Ravens took the handcuffs off him and allowed him to actually lead the offense. In the last four games, the Ravens have averaged 33.5 points. Baltimore (6-3) will try to keep that going against the 8-1 Giants today. "Joe has handled the bigness of the NFL and he has proven that it is not too big for him," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. Even the Giants have been impressed.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is about to play the biggest game of his young career this afternoon, against one of the NFL's hottest teams. It's his chance to make his mark against a fearsome defense. The rookie will aim to accomplish that just 90 miles from his hometown of Audubon, N.J., at Giants Stadium, where winds swirl and fans love Big Blue. But to Flacco, Ravens-Giants is pretty much an ordinary game. "I guess I'm too dumb, from what I hear," Flacco said. "But it's really just a football game. It's fun to go on the road and quiet everybody up."

Antonio Pierce was chatting with Harry Carson on the field last week during the Giants' "fantasy football" event in which sponsors play against a few of the organization's retired players. It was a conversation between middle linebackers from different eras, but there was a mutual understanding. "You never want to get outperformed by a visiting linebacker in your own place," Pierce recently recalled Carson telling him. Pierce often sarcastically suggests that he's bringing more than is the opposing middle linebacker, such as when he questioned the reputations of the Bears' Brian Urlacher and of former Eagle Jeremiah Trotter. Pierce said both players were products of their defensive systems and weren't asked to do nearly as much as he is. But when it comes to Lewis and the reputation he has earned over 13 seasons, Pierce shows nothing but respect.

Jim Brown wore the bull's-eye when Sam Huff journeyed through his violent world, and today at Giants Stadium, Brandon Jacobs is Brown and Ray Lewis is Huff. Call it The Collision Heard 'Round the NFL. No one can predict how many times the power back and the mean middle linebacker will meet. Jacobs has his escorts and Lewis has mountainous Haloti Ngata as his bodyguard/shield. But when they do, there will be thunder in the air at Giants Stadium, the 264-pound raging bull Giant and the ferocious, indomitable, fearless, 245-pound heart of the Ravens.

OK, here's the elementary truth about the Giants' trio of running backs who call themselves Earth, Wind and Fire. Off the top of their heads, not one of the three can name a single song by the Seventies funk band that inspired their nickname. They never nursed a broken heart by listening to "After the Love is Gone." They never dressed in sequined jump suits and partied to "Boogie Wonderland." They can't remember the 21st night of "September." "Well, I do remember my mom and dad used to listen to them around the house," offered Derrick Ward, the "Wind" of the Giants' backfield. Brandon Jacobs (Earth), Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw (Fire) all were born in the Eighties, and by the time they became interested in music, funk bands no longer were on the radar.

The Post's Steve Serby sat down with the Giants' 31-year-old outside linebacker, who is with his fifth team in a career that began in 2000. He asks about Tom Coughlin now? "He's a different guy. He's assimilated to becoming a player's coach. He cares about what's happening to his players on and off the field, and I think that weighs heavily on our success now." Does he crack any jokes? "His wife actually let my wife borrow a blanket at the game a couple of weeks ago, and I brought it back to him, and he said, 'You know I made that, right?' I'm like, 'Is that a joke?"

Former Giants
Kerry Collins spent five sweet years with the Giants, started 67 straight games and rehabbed a reputation tattered by a drinking problem, losing the "Vodka Collins" moniker. Collins led the Giants to the 2000 Super Bowl but stunk out Tampa Stadium with four interceptions in a 34-7 rout vs. the Ravens. "If I ever get back there again, the only thing I'll be thinking about is trying to redeem myself from the last one," Collins said in the Titans locker room Friday. "I didn't play very well." All these years later, the hurt is still in Collins' voice when he discusses his Giants departure after the 2003 season. He still feels former GM Ernie Accorsi couldn't wait to get rid of him, selecting Manning and asking Collins to restructure his contract. Collins refused and asked to be waived.

NFC East News
These are desperate times for several teams in the NFL, but never is it more do-or-die than within the NFC East. All four teams in the division are potential playoff contenders and yet three of them are barely hanging on. Two of them square off tonight when the Cowboys (5-4) meet the Redskins (6-3) in Washington in a game that could decide each team's fate.

Nov 15 The Giants made it through the playoffs last season with a secondary worn thin from injuries, so having a handful of banged-up defensive backs in Week 11 doesn't faze them too much. "It doesn't create a crisis," safety James Butler said this week. "Injuries are part of the game, so the next guy can step up." For the most part, the Giants have been enviously healthy, but the secondary has been the one unit bitten by the injury bug. Nickel back Kevin Dockery fractured a transverse process in his back against the Steelers, starting strong safety Butler sprained his knee against Dallas and cornerback Corey Webster injured his groin last week in Philadelphia

There only is one member of the Giants organization who has lined up against Joe Flacco, the rookie quarterback who has breathed life into the formerly moribund Ravens offense. "I don't think anyone knows," practice squad cornerback Rashad Barksdale said. "I tried to tell 'em a few times, but I don't think they believe what happened. If they ask me I'll let them know."

Finding Jeff Feagles and John Carney in the Giants' locker room isn't hard. The first hint might be the contents of their lockers. Look for the ones with the bottles of Geritol, the packages of Depend undergarments and the occasional AARP memberships offers, all courtesy of their young teammates. If that isn't enough, ask linebacker and long snapper Zak DeOssie where to find them. "You mean "Pops' and "Grandpa?"' DeOssie said. And if that doesn't lead to Carney and Feagles, just look for the two bald guys who look more like assistant coaches than football players. They are defying Mother Nature as the oldest active players in the NFL, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Carney, 44, is the placekicker. The 42-year-old Feagles is the punter and the holder on extra points and field goals.

Two games into the Giants' season, Kevin Boss was still looking for his first catch. The second-year tight end was peppered with questions about his frustration. Head coach Tom Coughlin and offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride were grilled about getting Boss into the game plan. It seemed the long shadow of Jeremy Shockey was threatening to cover Boss forever. Shockey, traded to New Orleans in the off-season, was jettisoned because of a poisonous personality, not because of a lack of skills. As Boss fought for his place on the team, Shockey's Pro Bowl mix of blocking and receiving was making fans nostalgic.

Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa could feature Broadway Brett against Eli and the defending champs. When Favre finally distinguished himself from Chad Pennington Thursday night in Foxboro, converting one clutch third-down conversion after another in Gang Green's dramatic win, he also converted the possibility of a Jets Super Bowl appearance from faint hope to solid possibility. Eli Manning and the Giants, of course, are dominating the NFC in their own title defense.

Kareem McKenzie has been a fixture on the right side of the Giants' offensive line since 2005, and that won't change Sunday - even though he was arrested for driving under the influence earlier this week. The 29-year-old McKenzie, a former Jet and a New Jersey product, was arrested in Little Falls, N.J., around 9:30 on Thursday night after he was spotted cutting through a gas station. He was pulled over, and the arresting officer gave him a Breathalyzer test, which reportedly showed the blood-alcohol level for the 6-6, 327-pounder to be above the legal limit of .08.
Kareem McKenzie seemed like one of the least likely Giants to see his name on a police blotter and this is believed to be his first offense of any kind. He was at practice today and the Giants have stated he will start on Sunday against the Ravens. A conviction would be a violation of the NFL's Personal Conduct policy and McKenzie would be subject to league-mandated penalties, including a substance abuse treatment program. "We are aware of the situation with Kareem," coach Tom Coughlin said. "I spoke to him this morning. He is extremely remorseful. The legal process will take its course, and the league will handle this matter. Nobody will be harder on Kareem than Kareem himself."

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