Feb 9 The Manning brothers were the first quarterback brothers in Pro Bowl history. And 44-year-old John Carney, who was a perfect 3 for 3, became the oldest player in the game's history. He booted a 48-yarder with 2:06 remaining to make it 27-21 and sealed the win with a 26-yarder with 32 seconds to go. Sunday's all-star game ended a successful 30-year run at Aloha Stadium, with a sellout every year. The Pro Bowl will be played in Miami next year, a week before the Super Bowl. The NFL, which has been looking to increase the profile of the game, hopes to bring the game back to Hawaii.
Larry Fitzgerald was named Pro Bowl MVP to cap a brilliant postseason. In his last five games, Fitzgerald torched opposing defenses for 37 receptions and nine touchdown catches. With the NFC at the 2-yard line and just under 4-1/2 minutes to play, Fitzgerald was sent back into the game - and everywhere knew where the ball was going. NFC quarterback Eli Manning of the New York Giants lobbed a pass into the left corner of the end zone to the 6-3 Fitzgerald, who easily outjumped Tennessee Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan for the touchdown and a 24-21 lead with 4:03 to play.

The job of a union is to protect the rights of its membership, but one has to wonder if perhaps Plaxico Burress should be attempting to stop the NFL Players Association from going after the Giants. At this point, he needs all the friends he can get. Burress must confront extreme legal issues in relation to the illegal gun charge he's facing and might be looking at jail time. He has a long way to go before convincing the Giants he's worth keeping around as a player, and trying to squeeze lost wages from his employer might not be the best way to go about getting back into the team's good graces of the Giants.
According to a report by FOXsports.com, the Giants are in the process of trying to get back millions of dollars that was either paid to or would have been owed Plaxico Burress. Burress, meanwhile, is trying to keep as much of the money as he can. It's another signal that the door left open for the return of Burress next season may not be as ajar as publicly stated.
The bottom line is this: After the way he embarrassed the organization and torpedoed the season, the Giants don't want to be obligated to pay Burress anything in the future. If they release him, they don't want him to be owed any remaining bonus money. And if they bring him back -- which seems increasingly unlikely -- they don't want to have to pay him anything more than his base salary. The NFLPA, obviously, wants to make sure that all of Burress' future (and past) earnings are protected.

Former Giants
Jim Fassel Ready to Make Head Coaching Return With UFL, Not NFL. Five years after being fired by the New York Giants, Jim Fassel is ready to make his head coaching return. Instead of the National Football League, he'll make his comeback in the upstart United Football League. Fassel, passed over for NFL head coaching vacancies in Washington, Oakland and St. Louis the past two years, will be back on the sidelines when the six-team UFL begins play on Thursday and Friday nights later this year. The league today is scheduled to formally announce plans for its inaugural season.

Feb 8 Pro Bowl week has been anything but routine this year. Kicker John Carney and punter Jeff Feagles. are the only players here born in the 1960s. They are so old that some of their NFC teammates were still in diapers when they entered the league two decades ago. They even added to the fun, providing one of the week's more memorable moments - one that had the entire NFC team laughing. Carney and Feagles came out to the practice field wearing leather helmets, bearing the Giants' symbol and their numbers. "It looked like their rookie year," Giants center Shaun O'Hara said.

Peyton Manning's first Pro Bowl experience came when he was just 3 years old. He watched his father, Archie, from the stands of Aloha Stadium in the NFL's first all-star game in Hawaii. And little brother, Eli, wasn't even born yet. This time, dad is the one proudly cheering on his sons in the final game in Honolulu -- at least for now, as the NFL experiments with moving the game to the mainland.

Everyone was all smiles Friday as they wore purple orchid leis, mingled with hula girls and took team Pro Bowl photos. That included the Arizona Cardinals, who feel as though they're finally getting what they deserve. "It's the first time we're being respected as a team," said receiver Anquan Boldin, making his third trip to Hawaii. "Individually, I've been getting respect for a number of years, but to see our team get the respect is gratifying." Giants quarterback Eli Manning, Warner's backup in the Pro Bowl, said he wasn't that surprised at what the Cardinals did. "We played the Cardinals. We knew they were a tough team," Manning said. "They played great football, especially down the stretch and that's when it matters the most."

The NFLPA is finally ready to fight for Plaxico Burress - or at least for the $27 million he stands to lose. The players' union reportedly filed legal briefs Friday in one of its two "non-injury grievance" claims against the Giants for what it had previously called "excessive" punishment levied after Burress shot himself in the thigh in late November.

Feb 7 Special Report - Look, you can probably take it to the bank that old No. 81, Amani Toomer, has run his last pointless route for the Giants. The veteran receiver, who did his job with nary a complaint all season, was seemingly forgotten down the stretch in favor of Steve Smith, Domenik Hixon and the other kids. Once the season ended, Toomer lashed out during Super Bowl week in Tampa, complaining that he was underused when the team needed him the most and called out the front office for a lack of action regarding his pending free agency. Toomer could still be back, but the odds are dwindling as the Feb. 27 free agency deadline looms closer and Toomer is still without a contract.

I realize this won't be a grand revelation here, given Amani Toomer's comments from last week when he stated "with the current situation, I don't think I can go back" to the Giants. But since we've got one side of the equation, we might as well find out about the other. And apparently, the feelings are mutual. According to someone familiar with the situation, the Giants have notified the 13-year veteran they are not likely to bring him back.

For anyone wondering about the free-agent class of running backs, the Giants are the best place to start. The free agency signing period begins Feb. 27 and the top two running backs set to hit the market both carried the ball for the Giants. Brandon Jacobs (1,089 yards) and Derrick Ward (1,025) became just the fourth set of running back teammates to reach the 1,000-yard mark, and they steered the Giants to a 12-4 record and the top-ranked ground game in the league. Both want to return, and Jacobs has not been shy about it.

Eli Manning told the Daily News Thursday from Hawaii. "Peyton invited me a few times, but I told him I wanted to get there on my own. It's always been a goal of mine to play in this game." That goal will be reached on Sunday afternoon when Eli, the Giants quarterback, plays in the first Pro Bowl of his five-year career. He won't start, but is expected to be the second quarterback in for the NFC so he can share the field for at least a few minutes with Peyton, the AFC starter.

NFL News
Kurt Warner fumble in final minute of Super Bowl warranted review. But Mike Pereira, the NFL's vice president of officiating, speaking from the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, said the call on the field was correct, the review by the replay assistant confirmed it and he is confident McAulay would not have reversed it. The Steelers won the game, 27-23.

Feb 5 Karlos Dansby, the leading tackler and best linebacker on the upstart Cardinals team that nearly pulled off a big upset in Super Bowl XLIII, said yesterday he "wouldn't mind playing in a huge market" when asked about possibly coming to the Giants. The free agency signing period begins on Feb. 27, and the Giants certainly have a need at outside linebacker. "Playing in New York? Who wouldn't want to play in New York?" Dansby said on Sirius NFL Radio.

Braylon Edwards and the Giants are a match made in heaven. Is it feasible that the Giants could bring Burress back? Sure, but that is not what the Giants need. They would have to wait until the end of March just to have the opportunity to even consider him returning and if he escapes with no charges, then the Giants would be faced with having to sell Burress to 52 other players in the locker room - many of whom he let down with his selfishness last year. Why not bring a fresh face? They have three picks in the first day and one of them coupled with a second day pick would obliterate any chance of a media circus in training camp with the return of Burress, and they would get a player of similar quality.

Super Bowl XLIII best ever? Let's not get carried away Super Bowl was grand. But the best? Really? After the Giants' epic upset of the previously unbeaten Patriots in last year's Super Bowl? Not in my world. What's at work here is the curse of immediacy. We're so used to getting everything now that it's no surprise many of us believe the only thing that matters is now. Yesterday is ancient news. An hour ago is old news. Ten minutes ago already has gone from hot to room temperature. So instead of calling a game an Instant Classic, as we used to do, now we call it the Instant Best.

Feb 4 David Tyree had knee surgery last spring and began the season on the physically unable-to-perform list. His knee healed, but when he returned to the practice field, he injured his hamstring and the Giants ended his season. "At the time, they had a crop of receivers, all of them playing well, and it probably made sense," Tyree said. But only a few weeks later Plaxico Burress hurt his hamstring, and eventually his season ended with a self-inflicted accidental gunshot wound. "A couple of weeks later, yeah, there would have been some great opportunities," Tyree said, chuckling.
They could present themselves again. Burress' status won't be known until his legal issues are resolved. Amani Toomer is expected to become a free agent. Tyree said his knee and hamstring are fully recovered. "There's a lot of question marks," Tyree said. " ... I think the majority of the guys in the locker room are going to want both of those receivers back."

Eli Manning is entering the final year of his contract with the Giants. Some media speculation said a new deal was imminent, but that doesn't appear to be the case. "I don't know what's going to happen, whether they're going to (extend) it or wait until next year," Eli said. "I'm not all that concerned. I'm just trying to get ready to play next year and try to improve my skills and get better prepared to (help the Giants) have a great season next year."

Even though the season didn't end quite like Giants fans would have liked, there were plenty of bright spots for New York in 2008. When a team self destructs as the Giants did, however, you can't help but mention the low-lights, as well. With that said, here my end of the season awards (the good and the bad) for the 2008 New York football Giants.

Former Giants
Lawrence Taylor made his career waltzing over quarterbacks, and now he'll be "Dancing with the Stars. A source close to Taylor yesterday confirmed LT's "Dancing" plans".

* Taylor tells of his life from a small town in Virginia to becoming the most dominant defensive player of all time	* Through a record ten straight All-Pro seasons, LT led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl victories	* Never before seen photos * Includes LT, a 60-minute NFL Film highlighting his greatest hits and interviews

Feb 3 The last two Super Bowls produced arguably the greatest offensive and defensive plays of all 43 games. If anyone needed any proof of why James Harrison was the Defensive Player of the Year, it was his 100-yard interception return for a 14-point swing on the final play of the first half on Sunday. Great players make great plays in the biggest games, and Harrison's instincts and sheer will were on full display in the amazing sequence. Last year, the David Tyree catch was the most spectacular offensive play to date.
Which quarterback had the more impressive and memorable Super Bowl game-winning two-minute drive: Eli or Ben? This must be put in the perspective of the circumstances and the opponent. The Giants' 12-play, 83-yard drive came against the undefeated Patriots, going for the first-ever 19-0 season. New England would have been crowned the greatest single-season team in NFL history if it could have protected the lead. There will never be a more intense two minutes in the Super Bowl than Manning taking the Giants down the field trying to win the title and prevent history from being made against them.
Lynn Swann juggles merits of Santonio Holmes, David Tyree in Super history. Swann is the godfather of great Super Bowl catches, the man who left everybody buzzing 33 years ago with a juggling, tumbling reception in Super Bowl X in the Orange Bowl. He was at the game Sunday night, waving his Terrible Towel when Holmes made his 6-yard reception with 35 seconds left in the game. "People in the past have described my catch as ballet, as artistry," he said. "Tyree's catch (was) athletic, unique. The pressure. The hit. Hanging on to it. Santonio's catch was extremely precise - everything. There was the catch, the extension. It was getting up to the ball, having your toes touch."

Former Giants
Lawrence Taylor is about to become the latest former National Football League legend to show off his moves on "Dancing With the Stars." The internet is abuzz with the rumor, fueled by a Twitter comment from actor Ashton Kutcher on Saturday night that read, "Just met LT, the old school, Lawrence Taylor. Expect to see him in prime time soon. Can't say where, but he better work on his foot work." The show's new season begins next month.

Feb 2 David Tyree watched the play unfold from his living room in Wayne, and instead of trying to fasten a football to his helmet, he had to deal with two young boys climbing on his lap. He was polishing off a plate of hot wings when he saw Steelers linebacker James Harrison pick off a Kurt Warner pass in his own end zone, and his first thought was shared by everyone in Raymond James Stadium. "No way he scores," Tyree said to his family.
In one momentum-turning play, Harrison showed exactly why he was the NFL's Defensive Player of Year, coming up with longest touchdown play in Super Bowl history to give Pittsburgh a 10-point lead on its way to a 27-23 victory. "Harrison's run was crazy," Steelers running back Willie Parker said. "I'm speechless. That run was a big blow for the Cardinals." Arizona looked poised to close out the first half with the lead.

Once Joe Montana had brought his team from behind in the Super Bowl with a touchdown pass in the last minute. Then Eli had done it in Arizona. Now Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes. The Steelers seemed to have won this game at the end of the first half, when James Harrison intercepted Kurt Warner on the goal line and ran 100 yards for one of the greatest plays, on offense or defense, any Super Bowl had ever seen. Harrison had been cut three times by the Steelers and once by the Ravens and had talked this past week about maybe going home to Akron and driving a bus. Now he rumbled 100 yards like a bus to end the first half, finally landed on his head to make it 17-7, Pittsburgh, and the Cardinals should have been gone.
Down 20-7 entering the fourth quarter, the Cardinals nearly wrote the perfect ending to a storybook playoff run. They scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, almost pulling off the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. Using a no-huddle offense, the Cardinals scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the last one giving them a 23-20 lead with 2:37 remaining. "There was too much time on the clock," Whisenhunt said, when asked what he was thinking when Fitzgerald scored on the 64-yard pass from Warner. "I felt maybe we could at least hold them to a field goal and maybe go to overtime." A pass landed in the hands of Pittsburgh receiver Santonio Holmes for a 6-yard touchdown with 35 seconds left, giving the Steelers a 27-23 victory in Super Bowl XLIII on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

Giants vs. Patriots will make Super return in Miami. Tom Coughlin should hire Phil Simms as a consultant and teach Eli Manning how to throw in the wind in the final year at Giants Stadium. And they need to do a study to find out what the wind patterns are going to be in the new stadium next door. The Patriots nearly won the division after losing Brady, Laurence Maroney, Adalius Thomas and Rodney Harrison at various points during the season. Next season will be the return of the Belichick Empire. Super Bowl XLIV prediction: Patriots 27, Giants 20.

Former Giants
Kurt Warner, who may have played the final game of his NFL career Sunday night, was trying to calm everybody around him on the Cardinals' sidelines. They were already making plans to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy as the winners of Super Bowl XLIII.

Feb 1 One year after David Tyree pinned a ball to the side of his helmet for the signature moment of Super XLII, he knows the stage is set for him to be supplanted by another hero in Sunday's championship game. But he has to wonder if it's possible for there to be as much mystique in the way this year's Super Bowl between Pittsburgh and Arizona unfolds. "With guys like (Anquan) Boldin and (Larry) Fitzgerald, they've been successful through the year. I only had four catches" during the 2007 regular season. Which is why when Tyree -- known better as a special-teams player -- came up with the against-all-odds, third-down, 32-yard grab that set up the winning touchdown in the Giants' 17-14 victory over the Patriots, it seemed to be another omen that the team was destined to become champions.
"There was a possibility that I could get the ball if the safety bites up, then the ball would very likely come to me over the top on the post, and all that really didn't matter because by the time I looked back, Eli (Manning is) already under duress. So you just break off the route, try to find an open zone, and obviously by the time I did that, he split the defenders and we pretty much locked eyes and he put the ball up." Was he aware Rodney Harrison was near him? "I knew I was open, but I knew it wouldn't last long, so I was kinda bracing myself for impact. I didn't know that the ball (was) on my helmet. The only thing I know is I felt both hands on the ball for a second, and after that it was like,'"I'm not letting this sucker go.'"

The buzz has been sorely lacking. Ask 10 writers who have been to a bunch of Super Bowls if they can remember a host city with less excitement than this one, and nine will answer no. The economy no doubt is partly to blame, but so is the matchup. Steelers fans travel, of course, but while having Arizona here is a nice new story for TV, nobody is ever going to celebrate its fan base as "Cards Nation." Steelers-Giants would have been one for the ages. Steelers-Cards ... wake us at halftime for Bruce.
The Giants players certainly share that sentiment. They spent the week wandering around the city like ghosts, haunting Super Bowl XLIII with their regrets. They were everywhere. One day it was Amani Toomer, turning a press event for a playground-building project into a bridge-burning exercise. The next it was Brandon Jacobs, insisting the Giants would be one victory away from an 18-1 season if you-know-who hadn't shot himself in the leg.

Yes, there is Super Bowl envy among the New York football fans who stuffed Flight 1618 and others this weekend, who had to settle for a weekend in the sun instead of a weekend of Super anticipation, who have to now see other fans walking the walk they both so desperately wanted to walk. They see Steelers fans with a confident swagger of a team that's been here plenty, not unlike Giants fans. They see Cardinals fans with the wide-eyed looks of seeing something they never thought they'd ever see, not unlike Jets fans.

Scrape off the glitter and cocktail parties, and the Super Bowl is the land of opportunity. Sunday brings Plan A and Plan B. For purposes of drama and legacy, either one works. Plan A is the Pittsburgh Steelers standing alone in Super Bowl glory. Six Lombardi Trophies this would make, as many as the AFC South, NFC South and NFC Central combined. Plan B is the Arizona Cardinals completing a Cinderella journey that would almost be unparalleled in modern professional sport. Better even than the Tampa Bay Rays, who so memorably reached the past World Series across the water from here, but could not win it.

Former Giants
Kurt Warner's resume is unique, to say the least. If he wins the Super Bowl today and becomes the only quarterback to do it with two different teams, he is a guaranteed Hall of Famer, probably on the first ballot. Craig Morton, who lost Super Bowls with Dallas and Denver, had been the only quarterback to get there with two teams. That second victory is crucial. I believe Phil Simms would be in the Hall of Fame if he didn't get injured late in the 1990 season and was the quarterback instead of Jeff Hostetler when the Giants beat the Bills.

NFL Game of the Week: Super Bowl XLII - 18 minute video.
THE PLAY lives on, sprinkling its magic over the weeks and months.

Complete network broadcast - of Super Bowl XLII with playoff victories.

The Road to Super Bowl XLII
List Price: $39.98 Price: $28.99 - Check on Free Shipping

Super Bowl XLII is won and done, but the images live on.

Jan 31 Goodell: Giants' Burress not a "repeat offender"; unclear on possible suspension. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league has not yet taken action against Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress after his self-shooting because Burress is not quite in the category of former Titans and Cowboys cornerback Adam Jones and ex-Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry. Goodell said. "You can have a false accusation once, maybe twice. When you start getting into multiple accusations, you're putting yourself in the wrong position, you're making the wrong decisions, you're in the wrong places. At that point in time, you're reflecting poorly on the NFL, yourself, your teammates. That does damage for all of us."
If Goodell does choose to suspend Burress before next season, it is not clear if the Giants' suspension will affect what the league does. Goodell did not answer that question at his annual Super Bowl news conference yesterday. Goodell also said the competition committee needs to look at the way the league handles overtime and consider measures to make it tougher to win the game on a field goal off the opening drive like moving the location of the kickoff or giving the ball to the team on its own 20- or 25-yard line.

Former Giants
Bill Parcells remembers the plane flight to Tampa as the ride of his life. Parcells didn't have Phil Simms, out with a broken foot, and he didn't have a Lawrence Taylor in his prime. He did have steady backfield hands in Jeff Hostetler and Ottis Anderson, a reliable offensive line, just enough of the old LT, and a defense that rose to the moment on muscle memory.
Kurt Warner's wife Brenda suffered two miscarriages that jolted her family and weighed heavily on her husband's mind during his seven months as quarterback of the Giants. In an exclusive interview with the Daily News Friday, she recalled how difficult it was for them to deal with the miscarriages, while her husband was pondering the possible end to his NFL career. In an exclusive interview with the Daily News Friday, she recalled how difficult it was for them to deal with the miscarriages, while her husband was pondering the possible end to his NFL career.

NFC East News
Eagles defensive coordinator diagnosed with cancer. Jim Johnson was suffering from a devastating form of cancer and lied about it so he wouldn't create a distraction as his team played for the chance to go to Super Bowl XLIII. He coached from the press box in the Eagles' win over the Giants and subsequent loss to the Cardinals, telling reporters that his use of a cane was due to an injury he received while swinging a golf club.
Cowboys receiver Roy Williams went public with his displeasure about the offense on Friday in a series of radio interviews. He said the Cowboys had "the easiest offense to figure out" and that his former team, the 0-16 Detroit Lions, practiced harder than the Cowboys.
Redskins with the free-agency period beginning in just under a month, and the NFL Draft just shy of three, they have some big decisions coming up. Currently, the Redskins have quite a few notable free agents set to hit the market Feb. 27.

NFL News
The Pro Bowl will be in Miami next year. At least two players headed to this year's game in Hawaii have mixed feelings about the all-star event being held in South Florida the weekend before the 2010 Super Bowl.
Low pension payments are a problem for the retired players, getting disability benefits has become a hopeless exercise in cutting through red tape and the old-timers believe the NFL and the NFL Players Association have forgotten about them, despite some recent improvements to their benefits.

Jan 30 Brandon Jacobs wants to come back to the Giants. But he wants Plaxico Burress back in blue with him. The big, free-agent-to-be running back endorsed that package deal Thursday during a promotional appearance at Super Bowl XLIII hype week. Jacobs promised that his friend, Burress, is a changed man after his recent brush with death, and he insisted that the Giants should give him a second chance. "Oh, no question," Jacobs said. "If I'm here, I need 17 back on that roster."
"If we had Plax on our team we go 15-1 and we win the Super Bowl," Jacobs stated. "I'm not afraid to say that and I'll say it to anybody on any team. We had a different identity with him and we didn't have enough time to try to change our identity to be effective at what we wanted to do, try to play teams differently. Teams I'm not going to say stopped the run but they did a little bit better each week because they were able to have that eighth guy in the box."
Giants general manager Jerry Reese has said Burress could return if his legal situation works out. Reese also suggested Burress needs to have a different mind-set. Jacobs, who speaks to Burress almost daily, said the team will see a changed man. "Different guy," Jacobs said. "He knows what happened to him. And he knows, No. 1, he's lucky to be living today because of how close he came. He realizes that and he realizes the golden opportunity he has in front of him to be able to take care of his wife and his kid."

Eli Manning was right there with the coaches when the game plans were being installed, so if they were trying to phase out Amani Toomer, he would've known it. But as far as the Giants quarterback knew, there was no anti-Toomer "agenda" taking place. "No, it wasn't phasing him out," Manning said Thursday. "We just had other guys in there also. Everybody can't get playing time. We put him in certain situations and had to rotate a lot of guys in." Toomer, of course, disagrees and said so on Wednesday when he accused the Giants coaches of having an "agenda" to phase him out of the offense right from the beginning of this past season.

The only Giants player at Super Bowl Media Day Tuesday was Antonio Pierce, and he was asking questions this time, not answering them. Instead of playing in the game, he was covering it for TV. He wasn't bitter, though. Just disappointed. "I think it's just a missed opportunity," Pierce said. "You can't whine and gripe. We didn't take care of our business and they did. Those guys are deserving of it. They played good in the month of January. Like I always tell you guys, you've got to play well in the right month. We played well all regular season and didn't play well in the postseason."

Former Giants
Jeff Rutledge is the first man in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl with four different teams. He went as a player with the 1979 Rams, the 1986 Giants and the 1991 Redskins and he is now the quarterbacks coach of the Arizona Cardinals, who will meet the Pittsburgh Steelers in Sunday's Super Bowl XLIII.
Ralph Brown was the Giants' fifth-round draft choice in 2000. Spend a few minutes with him and it's hard to tell what he's more excited about: The four years he played for the Giants (2000-2003) or the opportunity to join his Arizona Cardinals teammates on the field for Super Bowl XLIII Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jan 29 Amani Toomer takes shots at New York Giants' coaching staff, says "I don't think I can go back." If this is the end of Toomer's tenure with the Giants, the free-agent-to-be said exactly who he thinks is at fault. Just as Tiki Barber and Jeremy Shockey once did, the 34-year-old Toomer faulted the offensive coaching staff for the Giants' late-season skid. "The last couple of games I wasn't a big part of the offense and we lost ... a big percentage of the games," Toomer said. "I feel like you can't tell me (that) didn't play a big role in it. I think it did."
In his first public remarks since the Giants' season ended 2 1/2 weeks ago - and most likely Toomer's career with the team with which he spent the past 13 seasons - the 34-year-old receiver acknowledged his frustration with the way the season ended. And he suggested in no uncertain terms that he is done in New York.
When Amani Toomer left Giants Stadium for the final time three weeks ago, he did it quietly, without saying a word. Wednesday he made sure to slam the door. The 34-year-old receiver, who will become an unrestricted free agent on Feb.27, said he doesn't expect to be back with the Giants - and that he might not come back even if he was wanted..
Toomer in his typical calm manner, expressed bitterness about this forced exit and extreme frustration about getting phased out of the offense at a time when he believes his team needed him most of all - an "agenda" he insists is a big reason why the Giants aren't here preparing for Super Bowl XLIII. "They didn't think Kurt Warner had much left," Toomer said. "See him now. They didn't think Kerry Collins had much left. See him now. Ike Hilliard. I can go down the list. Ultimately, there's other teams and hopefully I'll get another chance to play.

Big Blue bling is back. The stolen Super Bowl rings, were found in the heart of Patriot territory.

Jan 28 How Tom Coughlin Was Wrong, and Right, About Kurt Warner. On November 14, 2004, the general consensus was that the Arizona Cardinals had ended Kurt Warner's career as a starting NFL quarterback. Warner was playing for the Giants then, and the Cardinals sacked him six times en route to a 17-14 victory at the old Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. It was the second loss in a row for Tom Coughlin's team, dropping them to 5-4. They would lose their next six, but Warner couldn't be blamed for that. Coughlin benched him for rookie Eli Manning right after the game.

The sight of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII can't be a pleasant one for the still defending champion Giants. They beat both teams this year, on the road. In fact they beat all four teams in the two conference championship games. Yet the only Giants player at Super Bowl Media Day Tuesday was Antonio Pierce, and he was asking questions this time, not answering them. Instead of playing in the game, he was covering it for TV.
Pierce is here working as a correspondent for "The Best Damn Sports Show, Period." "Luckily, Strahan got hired for Fox, he can't do everything so I get his leftovers," Pierce said. He was wearing his Super Bowl XLII ring and promised to flash it at as many players as possible. His responsibility for media day was to come up with interesting questions to ask the Cardinals and Steelers.

Justin Tuck says he will make some appearances in Tampa this week then leave before they play the Super Bowl without him. He was asked what he thinks when he sees all the pictures and interviews and all the rest of it a year later.

There's a distinctive Pittsburgh flavor to the Arizona coaching staff, but there's some Giants mixed in as well. Maurice Carthon is the running backs coach and Jeff Rutledge - Phil Simms' backup for seven years - is the quarterbacks coach. "We always reminisce," Carthon said. "Both of us have some fond memories of playing with the Giants and winning a Super Bowl together." They are together again, offensive assistants hoping to find a way to solve the ferocious Pittsburgh defense in Super Bowl XLIII.
Unlike so many youngsters who never get to meet the players they idolized, Terrelle Smith has had the good fortune of becoming Maurice Carthon's close friend and protege. Carthon has been his coach the last four seasons - the first two when Carthon was the offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns and in 2007 and 2008 as the running backs coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

Authorities say they have found 27 Giants Super Bowl rings, valued at more than $170,000, stolen last June from a Massachusetts jewelry manufacturer. The Essex District Attorney's office said investigators found the rings yesterday in a bank safe deposit box in Saugus, Mass.

Former Giants
Brad Benson was an All-Pro performer for the 1986 Giants who won Super Bowl XXI. He played with the team from 1976 through 1988. Each year, Benson said, he receives free Super Bowl tickets from the Giants organization. Frequently, he donates the tickets to charity, he said. .

Jan 27 Anquan Boldin was poised, polished, polite and professional when he met the media late yesterday and primed for a monster Super Sunday, when his Cardinals meet the Steelers. Boldin - they call him Q - has Giants fans salivating for him the way Mets New York Mets fans are salivating now for Manny Ramirez, and with good reason. Let's make a deal, Jerry Reese. Plaxico or no Plaxico, your quarterback needs help. Boldin won't allow himself to think about the Giants looking for a new Go Q Guy. "That doesn't help me," Boldin said. "My only goal is to win a Super Bowl, and thinking about what somebody else needs or what somebody else wants doesn't help me at all."
Boldin and the Cardinals arrived at the Super Bowl site Monday and the closest Boldin came to talking about the Giants was revealing that Burress called him last week to wish him luck and they spoke. They've been working out in the offseason together in Fort Lauderdale the last couple of years, and he's sure the Giants would have gone deeper in the playoffs if Burress hadn't put a bullet in his thigh in late November. "We're good friends," he said.

NBC announced today that Patriots safety Rodney Harrison will be part of its pregame show before Super Bowl XLIII Sunday -- but he'll be talking about one topic New England fans might not want to relive. Harrison, who has won two championships with the Patriots in his 15-year career, will be discussing his role in Super Bowl lore -- including his ill-fated attempt to prevent Giants receiver David Tyree's miracle reception in the Patriots' 17-14 loss in Super Bowl XLII. NBC plans a feature story on Tyree's catch.

Jan 25 General manager Jerry Reese must find Eli Manning another go-to receiver like Plaxico Burress. It is the No. 1 offseason priority.One year ago at this time, the Giants were preparing to leave for the Arizona desert and Plaxico Burress was in the middle of the greatest two weeks of his football career, maybe the two greatest weeks any receiver has ever had in NFL playoff history. The previous week, he caught 11 passes for 151 yards in the minus-23 degree wind chill at Green Bay's Lambeau Field in the NFC Championship Game.

Former Giants
Scott Brunner took over for an injured Phil Simms in 1981 and led the Giants to the playoffs for the first time in 23 seasons by beating Dallas in the final game of the regular season. Brunner and the Giants beat rival Philly at the Vet before losing to to eventual Super Bowl champ San Francisco in the divisional round. That playoff run is his proudest moment in his five-year career. he's stayed so close to the team he has season tickets in the front row of section 328. But after more than 20 years sitting in the upper bowl, the former Giant QB says he'll give up his seats when the Giants move into their new stadium in 2010, saying N-O to the team's PSL plan.

Jan 24 Tom Coughlin announced the hiring of Jack Bicknell, Jr. as the team's new assistant offensive line coach. Bicknell comes to the Giants after two seasons as the assistant head coach/offensive line coach at Boston College. But Bicknell and Coughlin have a much older connection with the school. "He was the center when I was there (as the quarterbacks coach from 1981-83) and Doug Flutie was there," Coughlin said. "He was a tough, totally unselfish player." Bicknell's career highlight was snapping the ball to Flutie when the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback threw the famous Hail Mary pass to beat the University of Miami in 1984.

Former Giants
David Jason Stinson, a Kentucky high-school football coach who briefly played for the New York Giants is facing charges of reckless homicide after one of his players died during a tough, hot-weather practice.

Jan 23 Zak DeOssie was going to attend the Pro Bowl as a spectator, courtesy of Jeff Feagles. Now he's going to play in the game, courtesy of Andy Reid. The Philadelphia Eagles coach - who will coach the NFC squad in the Feb. 8 Pro Bowl in Honolulu - selected DeOssie as his "need" player for the game. The Pro Bowl coaches are permitted to pick one player at a position where they think the need is greatest. The NFC team had no long snapper. Since Feagles, the Giants' punter and holder, and John Carney, the team's kicker, were previously selected for the team, Reid figured he might as well send a snapper who is used to working for them.
DeOssie's addition means seven Giants will be at the Pro Bowl: the three specialists plus Eli Manning, Justin Tuck, Shaun O'Hara and Chris Snee. "He's been riding a very blessed cloud lately," Carney said of DeOssie. "In his rookie year, he goes to the Super Bowl and wins it. And in his second year, he's headed out to the Pro Bowl to snap around with a bunch of all-pros from across the league. He's living a charmed life. He should go out and buy some lottery tickets."

Giants practice squad wide receiver Taye Biddle, who was promoted to the active roster when Plaxico Burress was suspended for a game in September, was shot outside his home in Decatur, Ala., on Tuesday night and suffered wounds to his hand and leg. Biddle, 25, was walking to his car when he was shot. He was treated at a local hospital and released.
Calls to the home of Biddle's mother, Angela, were not answered Thursday. "He had surgery on his hand (Thursday)," Biddle's friend, Bruce Jones, told The Decatur Daily. "He told me his leg is OK, and he ought to be fine." After graduating from Decatur in 2002, Biddle played four years at Ole Miss. He finished with 90 career receptions for 1,512 yards and eight touchdowns. According to police, "There is no evidence to indicate Biddle did anything to contribute, cause or provoke the shooting."
A report on an Alabama television station said the 25-year-old was simply going to his car to retrieve something when he was hit by gunfire. In November, Giants receiver Steve Smith was robbed at gunpoint outside of his Clifton, N.J., home, but escaped without shots being fired. Three days later, Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a Manhattan nightclub - he was suspended for the rest of the season and faces up to 15 years in prison on firearms charges.

Jim Herrmann, 48, replaces Bill Sheridan, who Monday was named the Giants' defensive coordinator after Steve Spagnuolo left to become the head coach of the St. Louis Rams. Coughlin hired Sheridan in 2005 from ... Michigan, where the new coordinator worked on Herrmann's defensive staff for three seasons. "I've always been very much aware of Jim Herrmann and the job that he has done," Coughlin said. "He was the defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan for a lot of years and did an outstanding job."

When an opening developed on former BC coach Tom Coughlin's staff with the Giants, Jack Bicknell Jr. seized the opportunity. According to sources close to BC, Bicknell was disappointed when defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani was promoted to replace Jagodzinski. When Bicknell asked school officials if Spaziani would retain him, he received assurances, but no guarantees.

Jan 22 Steve Smith, a second-round draft choice in 2007, was limited to five games and eight receptions in his first season because of injuries to his shoulder and hamstring. This past year, Smith finished the season with 57 receptions and recorded the first touchdown reception of his career. One of the biggest plays of the SBXLII was when he picked up a first down just before the game-winning touchdown. Smith, "It was just a routine play where I went to the flat. I am like the third read on the progression and I got a pick from (Amani) Toomer. He was going up field and he picked my man a little bit, so that created some space and Eli hit me and I just took a couple steps up field once I caught the ball."

NFC East News
Cowboys Tony Romo is 0-2 in the playoffs and struggled in the team's 44-6 season-finale loss to the Eagles. A win would have put Dallas into the this postseason. Troy Aikman won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys, but he doesn't sound too confident that Dallas' current quarterback has the right attitude to lead his former team back to the Promised Land.
Cowboys - According to five sources, several offensive players lost respect for Garrett for his failure to corral quarterback Tony Romo in practice. Romo, sources said, often forced throws in practice and often did not treat practice work consistently.
Cowboys Tony Romo, "If I'm never going to win the Super Bowl, I'll be content in life. I'll be disappointed because that's what I wanted to do. At that same point, it's not going to be something that makes me a better human being. I think I'm going to work very hard to try to obtain those goals. But I'm not going to pretend to say that that's what life's all about either."
Redskins desperately need pass rushers, particularly young, relatively cheap talents. That's no secret, and with just four draft picks in April and many holes to fill, you'd expect them to be exploring any and every possible option. Cameron (Derek) Wake, posted 39 sacks in two CFL seasons after going un-drafted in 2005, and was drawing massive interest around the league. But none, it seems, came from his hometown team.
Eagles - An educated guess as to how they will work it out: Brian Dawkins will come back on a one-year deal with some guaranteed money, but also with some reasonably obtainable performance clauses based on participation and production. Donovan McNabb will agree to lower his $9.2 million and $10 million salary figures in exchange for at least a third guaranteed season. So much of the same old gang could be back for another run..
Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb recently had to play defense at his offseason home in Chandler. Two Arizona Cardinals fans hung their team's flag in a tree and burned "Go Cards," "Go Kurt," and "I heart AZ" in McNabb's yard with diesel, Chandler police Sgt. Joe Favazzo said on Tuesday.

Jan 21 Special Report - How would you fix the team? Linebacker, tackle, wideout - what should the Giants get first? Before we get to the "tease" headline, let's update the Jeremy Shockey-New Orleans Saints situation. The Giants are expecting to receive the Saints' second round pick in April (along with their fifth) for the tight end who turned out to be a bargain only for them -- after they traded him.
That business about them getting the Saints' first-round pick, tied to what they owed the Jets for middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma, must be viewed with a ton of suspicion, because the deal was that if Vilma played 85 percent of the defensive snaps AND was re-signed prior to the start of the free agency period (Feb. 27), then the Jets would receive their second instead of their third pick.
This would conflict with the Giants' deal, which called for a second and a fifth, so the NFL ruled that if the Saints had to pay off the Jets with the higher choice, the Giants would receive the first. From all indications, you can forget that.

Of the final four games of the regular season-the ones played without Plaxico Burress-three were losses, and most of the teams involved agreed that without Burress on the field, there was no need to double-cover any of the other Giants' receivers. That left more defenders assigned to the run. It was a handicap the Giants had not become familiar with, and there was not enough time to properly adjust.

Former Giants
Steve Spagnuolo - Now that he's no longer an employee of the Giants, new St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo found time to chat with Boomer & Carton. - See above audio links.

Former Giants
Kerry Collins rescued the Titans after Vince Young's injury/meltdown in Week 1. Collins threw 12 touchdown passes and had just seven interceptions and moved the ball well in the playoff loss to Baltimore by completing 26 of 42 passes for 281 yards and an interception. As a free agent, Collins said he would like to return to the team, but reiterated his stance that he has no intentions of being a backup in Tennessee or anywhere else. He said he would sooner retire than spend life as a second-string quarterback again.
Kerry Collins in for Pro Bowl. Both the Jets' Brett Favre and the Chargers' Philip Rivers are not going to play in the game because of injuries. Tennessee's Kerry Collins has been named to the roster.

NFL Championships Game Day. Recent stories on the quarterbacks

Kurt Warner: It took Big Blue stop in 2004 to get game going again.
Donovan McNabb: America's darling - except in Philly.
Joe Flacco: Takes 'em to school - Big hit from 'small' university.
Ben Roethlisberger: Drama queen? No, Big Ben is royally tough.
Final 4 QBs: Each a Super Story.

Jan 20 Bill Sheridan traveled to the Senior Bowl in Alabama yesterday to scout college players. He'll need new business cards for the trip. Tom Coughlin has chosen the Giants' linebackers coach for the last four seasons as his next defensive coordinator. Sheridan replaces Steve Spagnuolo, who was introduced yesterday as Rams coach.
Sheridan, who turns 50 a week from today, has been the Giants' linebacker coach for the past four seasons. Coughlin's decision came down to Sheridan or defensive backfield coach Peter Giunta, who had coordinating experience in St. Louis. He made his decision Monday morning before the coaches left for scouting duty at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
If Sheridan did not get this promotion, he might have headed to St. Louis to serve as Spagnuolo's defensive coordinator. Coughlin on Sunday interviewed Sheridan and Peter Giunta, the secondary coach/cornerbacks, who was the defensive coordinator for the Rams when they won Super Bowl XXXIV following the 1999 season.

Sheridan's first big decision centers on what to do with Mathias Kiwanuka. The natural defensive end moved back up front to fill the gap after spending the previous season hovering around Sheridan learning to play linebacker. Justin Tuck wants Kiwanuka to stay up. "Michael and Osi were able to continue to do this all year long and get to the quarterbacks because we were rested up in the fourth quarter," he said. "Osi and Stray were starting and the next possession I would be in. We just had that rotation going. That's big when you think about only playing 40 plays a game instead of 70. That's a big momentum swing as far as our team. When the O-line was tired, we still had fresh legs to run right by them." The pass rush did slow down as the season progressed.
Sheridan said he learned much from Spagnuolo in their two years together. "Not just the scheme itself - the fundamentals of the scheme itself and the pressure package," Sheridan said. "I think Steve did a great job of looking at our defense as our opponents did, with a self-scout mentality. He was always trying to be one step ahead with regard to how we were being viewed by our opponents."

Early indications are that Spagnuolo will bring with him Giants quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer and secondary coach Peter Giunta as offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively. Giunta is no stranger to St. Louis: He was a Rams assistant from 1997-2000, and was assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for his last three seasons before being fired by Mike Martz after the 2000 season.

Spags' recipe for success in St. Louis? A dash of Giants and a pinch of Eagles. Introduced as the new coach of the Rams yesterday, former Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo seemed to speak more about his two previous employers than his current one. "I was very, very fortunate in this league to work for two outstanding organizations," he said after being introduced by Rams general manager Billy Devaney. "It's because of the experiences in those organizations and the people that I worked with that I'm able to be here today."

Jan 19 - UPDATE Giants promote linebackers coach Bill Sheridan to replace Steve Spagnuolo. Steve Spagnuolo built a championship-caliber defense in his two seasons with the Giants. So when he left, there was no reason for the Giants to look outside for help. Instead, the Giants promoted from within, giving linebackers coach Bill Sheridan the chance to replace Spagnuolo as the team's new defensive coordinator. The 49-year-old, who has been with the Giants since 2005, will continue running Spagnuolo's successful, blitz-happy defensive scheme.

Jan 19 Two years ago, Tom Coughlin considered hiring one of his former assistants, Dom Capers, as the Giants' new defensive coordinator. Coughlin, though, decided to steer away from the familiar, and brought in Eagle assistant Steve Spagnuolo, with whom he had never worked. That move was an overwhelming success, so much so that after a Super Bowl title and a first-place finish in the NFC East, Spagnuolo is gone, earning himself the head-coaching job with the Rams.
Now that Steve Spagnuolo is the coach of the Rams, he reportedly is interested in bringing the linebackers coach from his former team with him to be the defensive coordinator. That could force Tom Coughlin to block the move, but in a different way. According to a source familiar with the team's thinking, linebackers coach Bill Sheridan is the front-runner to replace Spagnuolo as Giants defensive coordinator. Sheridan has coached the Giants' linebackers the last four years and is believed to have been in line for the job last year if Spagnuolo had bolted for the Redskins after only one season.
The Players believe there are several qualified candidates on the staff - including linebacker coach Bill Sheridan, secondary coach Peter Giunta and defensive line coach Mike Waufle. Better to give the job to one of them, they said, than to bring in someone else with a new system and scheme. According to a team source, all three of those assistants will get "strong consideration" to replace Spagnuolo, who will be introduced today as the new coach of the St. Louis Rams. Coughlin also is expected to speak with current Patriots secondary coach Dom Capers, who was his defensive coordinator in Jacksonville from 1999-2000.

NFL News
Cardinals 32 Eagles 25 - If this was Donovan McNabb's last game as an Eagle, it summed up his career perfectly. Just short. McNabb sparked a second-half rally that got the Eagles 19 unanswered points and a one-point lead Sunday, then watched from the sidelines as the Cardinals took it back with a time-consuming drive. Philadelphia's last real possession ended with an incompletion on fourth-and-10. It was McNabb's fourth loss in five NFC Championship Games and it denied him perhaps his last chance at winning a Super Bowl.
Steelers 23 Ravens 14 - With their Super Bowl hopes teetering in a taut game Sunday night against the Ravens, the Steelers responded in trademark fashion, the way they've done it for generations. They turned to their defense, and the defense forced three turnovers in the final 4:24 of the AFC Championship Game, including a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown by Troy Polamalu - the biggest play in a 23-14 victory at Heinz Field.

Jan 18 The Giants' defense was strong enough to survive the loss of Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. Now it's going to have to survive without the man who built it, too. Steve Spagnuolo, the man who came out of nowhere in 2007 and quickly turned the Giants' defense into a championship unit, left Saturday to become the new head coach of the St. Louis Rams. It was inevitable the way the defense played in his two years as the team's defensive coordinator.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Spagnuolo would be paid just under $12 million over four years. General manager Billy Devaney would not comment on the contract amount, and calls to Spagnuolo's agent, Bob LaMonte, were not returned. Spagnuolo replaces Jim Haslett and takes over a team that finished 2-14. Haslett went 2-10 as interim coach after his promotion from defensive coordinator when Scott Linehan was fired following an 0-4 start.

Steve Spagnuolo could have played it safe and stayed beneath the Big Blue Blanket of stability and chased another Super Bowl with Eli Manning and Osi Umenyiora back to help Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka get after the quarterback. But if you've watched his Giants defense over the last two years, you know it isn't his style.
The hiring of Spagnuolo as the new head coach of the Rams hardly was shocking, but nevertheless reverberated throughout the Giants organization, officially making it a rough start to the offseason.
Tom Coughlin would not say Saturday how he plans to fill the vacanacy. In-house candidates are cornerbacks coach Peter Giunta, who has experience as a coordinator with ironically, the Rams; linebacker coach Bill Sheridan and defensive line coach Mike Waufle. Giunta's defense was part of the Rams' Super Bowl XXXIV title team and scored nine touchdowns on interception and fumble returns that season.

The Giants lost one coordinator Saturday and might be on the verge of losing another. Kevin Gilbride, the team's offensive coordinator since late in the 2006 season, impressed the Raiders during the interview process last week, according to someone informed of the progress of Oakland's search for a head coach.

Jan 17 Special Report - The day before the Giants might have been playing for the right to return to the Super Bowl for a second year in a row, they took another body blow. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who helped get them to Super Bowl 42 and certainly aided in their stunning upset of the New England Patriots, accepted an offer to become head coach of the St. Louis Rams.
Spagnuolo, who has been a target for teams seeking a head coach for the last two seasons, reportedly signed a four-year, $11.5 million agreement with the Rams, a team in turmoil far more seriously than he found the Giants at the start of the 2007 season. In fact, those Giants put together a memorable playoff run and won three straight road games in order to arrive at Super Bowl 42 in Glendale, Ariz., where they proceeded to humble the previously undefeated Patriots -- whose head coach, Bill Belichick, is yet another former Giant defensive coordinator.

Spagnuolo interviewed for at least four head coaching jobs since the conclusion of the regular season, so the players and coaches knew he would likely leave to run his own program. "Obviously, it's a great opportunity for him," said All-Pro defensive end Justin Tuck. "We are happy for him. He has done a lot for this organization in his short time here. Winning a Super Bowl in your first year as defensive coordinator is pretty impressive. I really think he has the skills necessary to be a successful head coach. He's a hard worker and he quickly gained the respect of all his players. We wish him all the best."

Jan 17 Giants must bite the bullet and keep Plaxico Burress. By now it clearly has sunk in that the Giants have squandered one of the best opportunities they will have to win back-to-back Super Bowls with the loss to the Eagles in the divisional playoffs last week. Any of the Giants who watch the NFC Championship Game between the Eagles and Cardinals Sunday will get sick to their stomach because they know they should be at Giants Stadium fighting to defend the title.

Jan 16 Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo seemed like a sure bet to land one of the NFL's head-coaching jobs this winter. Now it appears his best chance may be with a team that doesn't even have an opening yet.
The Detroit Lions, one of four teams that interviewed the Giants defensive coordinator during the bye week, hired Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz as their new coach Thursday. That means the Lions, Broncos and Browns have passed over the 49-year-old Spagnuolo.
Though the odds of Steve Spagnuolo remaining with the Giants improve as each job opening around the NFL gets filled, it turns out the Jets did meet with the Big Blue defensive coordinator this week.
What's curious is that the Johnson-Spagnuolo meeting was kept hush-hush for two days, especially since it made Johnson look like he was dragging his feet. It was kept quiet because Spagnuolo's agent, Bob LaMonte, preferred it that way, the person familiar with the search said.
Spagnuolo, Schottenheimer and Baltimore defensive coordinator Rex Ryan are widely believed to be at the top of the Jets' list, although the team has not decided on finalists. The Jets appear to be in no rush to hire a coach, and perhaps delaying the team's decision is the fact that Ryan and Arizona assistant head coach/offensive line coach Russ Grimm are still coaching teams in the playoffs.

Giants should wave goodbye to Burress. The Giants can't trust Burress anymore, and neither can his teammates. They can't trust that he's going to give them full effort or full commitment or full dedication. They can't trust that he's going to give them a full season. He sure didn't this year. This year, he gave them a lot of aggravation, some relatively solid play and then, just as the weather was getting cold and the games were starting to matter the most, he gave them the most ridiculous off-field story you'll ever see.

The Giants desperately need a big playmaking wide receiver to replace Plaxico Burress. The Jets need a No. 1 receiver to go along with Lavernaues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery. Is it advisable that either team pursue Owens if Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is willing to admit that signing T.O. to a second contract last year was even more of a mistake than signing him to his first contract in 2006? Just Say No To T.O.

Already casting an eye toward the 2009 season, the Giants this week signed nine players to their roster. Seven of them were on the Giants' practice squad this season - Mike Fladell and Cliff Louis, tight end Martrez Milner and defensive back Travonti Johnson. Also signed were running back Dwayne Wright and offensive lineman Orrin Thompson.

Jan 15 The players want him back. The general manager left the door open for his return. The coach? Not so fast. Asked if Plaxico Burress would be welcomed back to the team, Tom Coughlin has apparently neither forgiven nor forgotten. "I'm not ready to say that," Coughlin said during an interview on WFAN. "We need to sit down and think about it and talk about that and to see what the circumstance might be. And I told everyone, I told the world, that Plaxico is a member of our team and I am concerned about him, for his well-being and that of his family. But the issues that I have to think about are that there are 52 other guys in that locker room as well."
              - TG NOTE - Click on the WFAN TC link above for the audio.
That was a slight change of tune from Monday when Coughlin declined to answer the question. "I'm not talking about that issue," he said then. "I haven't even thought about that one." Given two days to think about it, Coughlin didn't sound excited about the idea of reinstating Burress, who missed one game after shooting himself in the thigh at a Manhattan nightclub in late November and then spent the next four weeks of the regular season on the suspended list.

Is Eli Manning really worth $120 million? Giants fans were sharply divided Wednesday - as they often are about their quarterback - on paying a fortune to last season's Super Bowl MVP/this season's playoff loser once his current deal expires. "You see $120 million and it just seems like too much money," said Nizam Abdul, 40, of Ozone Park, holding a copy of the Daily News with Manning on the front page.
Eli Manning might have to choose between big cash and a big target. If, as has been speculated, Manning becomes the highest- paid player in the NFL, would it handcuff the team's possible pursuit of a top-shelf wide receiver? If the season's final month showed anything, it's that the Giants need a game-breaking receiver. With Plaxico Burress' future with the team, the NFL and freedom up in the air, general manager Jerry Reese said he would like to have someone for Manning to rely on in tight spots. "Everybody would like a big Spider-Man out there that you can throw balls up to and he can bring them down," Reese said.

Both of Tom Coughlin's top assistant coaches will interview for head coaching jobs Thursday. Steve Spagnuolo, the Giants defensive coordinator, will be in Los Angeles to interview with the St. Louis Rams, while offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride will be in Oakland to meet with the Raiders. It's Spagnuolo's fifth job interview of the offseason. For Gilbride, it's his first.
Spagnuolo has already met with the Jets, Browns, Lions and Broncos. It's unclear if the Chiefs, who have yet to fire Herm Edwards, will also meet with Spagnuolo. Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride is scheduled to interview with Oakland Raiders managing general partner Al Davis Thursday. Davis and Gilbride spoke by phone recently for about 90 minutes. However, that wasn't considered a formal interview, senior executive John Herrera said.

After an onslaught of off-the field problems for Plaxico Burress in recent months, the embattled Giants wide receiver scored his first legal victory in Lebanon County court yesterday. Burress appeared as the defendant in a civil suit relating to a vehicle he was given back in 2005 by car dealer Frederick Laurenzo, who alleged that he gave Burress a 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche in exchange for Burress' promise to provide promotional merchandise and publicity to his company.
Plaxico Burress is not the only member of his family who does dumb things with guns. One of his cousins was busted for firing off a few rounds while joyriding through the Bronx in Burress' borrowed truck, police said Wednesday. Burress was at a New Jersey hotel with the team and preparing for a preseason game when the cousin, whose name police did not reveal, and two of his friends took the truck out for a spin through the city. The three were seen firing off shots as they barreled through the Bronx. They did not appear to be shooting at anyone - or anything - in particular, police said.
The driver and a passenger fled on foot when a cop car arrived, but officers nabbed the two other passengers. Cops also recovered at least one handgun that was tossed from the vehicle when the patrol car rolled up. Burress - who later that day played his first home pre-season game for the Giants - weeks afterward told cops he was not in the truck during the shooting. Burress said he had loaned the vehicle to his cousin and was never charged.

Former Giants
David Meggett, several months after he was charged with raping a South Carolina woman, was in jail Wednesday on allegations of another sexual assault.

Jan 14 The Super Bowl championship the Giants won last year was priceless. The man who led them to it is not. The Giants will have to pay a hefty price to keep last year's Super Bowl MVP. Eli Manning's contract is due to expire after next season, and sometime in the next year - probably the next few months - the Giants will take the first steps toward making him the next member of the $100 million quarterback club.
Is Manning worth a deal that could reach as much as $120 million over eight years with close to $40 million guaranteed? If you watched him play down the stretch in December and against the Eagles and were not aware he won the Super Bowl last year, you might wonder why the Giants would sign him at all or how he made his first Pro Bowl this year. But he's won big games for them. He won the biggest game for them. And the magical $100 million figure has become market value for a quarterback who has won the Super Bowl, and even for some who haven't.

Giants know Spagnuolo could be next loss. After the personal belongings were collected in relative silence, a number of teammates paused in the locker room to wish each other well, knowing the Giants will not be the same team next season. General manager Jerry Reese and his staff have already begun mapping out the future of an organization stung by an unexpected playoff loss. "It's the NFL," Mathias Kiwanuka said. "Changes always happen." Popular defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo might be the first to go. He's considered among the leading candidates by three teams still looking for a head coach - the Jets, Rams and Lions.

For the first time in franchise history, the Giants qualified for the playoffs in four consecutive seasons - only the Colts can match that in the NFL - and coach Tom Coughlin's stance that "the nucleus is in place" echoes the opinion of GM Jerry Reese. That won't stop Reese from making the multiple moves he's poised to make after the legitimate shot at a repeat title devolved into an abrupt postseason ouster.
James Butler makes his living as an NFL safety by looking at a situation on the field and figuring out where the ball is going to wind up. But even he can't do anything with the few tea leaves the Giants have provided him regarding his upcoming free agency. The signals have been mixed. Last year, when he was a restricted free agent, they put a second-round tender on him. Then a few months later, they drafted Kenny Phillips, also a safety, in the first round. Then, after Phillips looked like a high-impact player in training camp and destined to crack the starting lineup, Butler held on to his starting job throughout the season.

The Giants consider a season a complete success only when they win the Super Bowl, as they did last year. But the fact that they fell short this year doesn't mean the 2008 season was a total failure. "Twelve and five is not a bad season," general manager Jerry Reese said. "When you set the bar high like that and then all of sudden you get eliminated in the second round it stings. Overall, we had a real good season."

Cops in 2005 seized a pickup truck a car dealer had lent to Plaxico Burress, after one of its impatient occupants fired shots out a window while stuck behind a garbage truck, The Post has learned. The shooting came just 13 hours before the star receiver played his first home preseason game with the team. The driver of the 2004 Chevy Avalanche - described by a cop witness as a "really tall black guy, fast" - fled on foot with a passenger when a passing police car rolled up, said a source familiar with the Aug. 20, 2005, incident in The Bronx.

Plaxico Burress will begin his first - but not his last - offseason court battle Wednesday, when a trial is scheduled to begin over damages he allegedly caused to a leased car. The complaint, filed by car dealer Frederick Laurenzo, accuses Burress of not returning the car and never appearing at the autograph signing. Burress allegedly let someone else use the car, and it was eventually seized by New York City police.
Although The Associated Press reported that the complaint did not specify the extent of the damages or why it was impounded, the Lebanon (Pa.) Daily News reported yesterday that court papers showed Burress loaned the vehicle to friends who drove it to New York City and were then involved in a criminal incident involving gunfire.

Two videos of "fans" vandalizing vehicles in the Giants Stadium parking lot after Sunday's playoff loss became a YouTube sensation yesterday, and left authorities vowing to try to identify those involved.

Jan 13 Defensive captain Antonio Pierce left Giants Stadium for the second straight day yesterday without talking to reporters, but later gave his thoughts on the Giants' season-ending loss and the aftermath of his role in the Plaxico Burress shooting in his weekly paid appearance on WFAN. Speaking on Mike Francesa's afternoon show, Pierce said he was proud of the Giants' regular season but said they "screwed it all up" with Sunday's 23-11 loss to the Eagles. He said he didn't think the loss of Burress was the deciding factor in the Giants' lackluster end to the season.
                - TG NOTE - Click on the WFAN AP link above for the audio.
Antonio Pierce may have been an eyewitness to the moment that doomed the Giants' season, but he's not willing to take any blame for the way things fell apart. Speaking vaguely about the Plaxico Burress shooting in an interview with Mike Francesa on WFAN Monday, Pierce claimed his actions that night were noble - that he was only trying to help a teammate in distress.

Giants GM Jerry Reese said Monday the team would consider making Spagnuolo a "head coach-in-waiting" if it would keep him from leaving for another team. It would be an unprecedented move by the Giants, but since Tom Coughlin's current contract expires in 2011 when he will be 65, they could promise Spagnuolo the job would be his then. "We consider everything here," Reese said. "We try to consider everything."
Justin Tuck has invited his defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, to go to the Pro Bowl in Honolulu as his guest, but so far there has been no commitment. The only way Spagnuolo can accept that magnanimous offer is if he remains with the Giants and isn't hired elsewhere as a head coach.

Even though the initial outcry from the Giants was that they were ready to wash their hands of Burress, several teammates and Reese yesterday said they'd be happy to have Burress as a productive member of the 2009 Giants. "Well, he's a New York Giant, and right now he's under contract with us, and that really makes sense if everything works out," Reese said. "The legal process can veto everything, so it doesn't make a lot of sense to make a lot of decisions prior to the legal process running its course."
Giants should not welcome Plaxico Burress back next season. Plaxico Burress just destroyed one season. But he is still 6-foot-5 and one of the best wide receivers in pro football, so the Giants say they are ready to welcome him back with open arms. So he can destroy another one. This is a bad idea, and before it turns into reality, the Giants should put an end to it now. They cannot take Burress back, not after his reckless behavior in that Manhattan nightclub was the single biggest factor in this shot at greatness wasted.
Immediately after Sunday's 23-11 loss to the Eagles in the NFC divisional playoffs, a game that underscored the on-field absence of the Giants' best receiver, Reese welcomed the possibility of a Burress return next season. Yesterday, albeit in more muted tones, Reese reiterated that stance.

Eli Manning could not lift his game, could not lift his team, without Plaxico Burress . If the judicial system does not interfere with Burress, and he is lucky enough to escape the wrath of Mayor Bloomberg, if somehow he has been scared straight by the prospect of jail time for his latest and greatest mindless, irresponsible stunt that crossed over into recklessness, then some of his prominent Giant teammates would welcome him back to chase another Super Bowl next season.
The most critical moment of the Giants' championship defense, the one that signaled the beginning of the downward spiral, may have occurred when most of the players and coaches were home and asleep. It was about 36 hours before what would become their 11th victory. That's when Plaxico Burress shot himself in the thigh.
Eli Manning has attempted to keep in touch with Plaxico Burress, but his cell phone voice mail is always full and Burress never returns any of his text messages. He's had no contact with him since the night Burress shot himself in the thigh in late November. But Manning sent a message to Burress and Giants management Monday: He wants his No. 1 receiver back next season. "Hopefully, he's back," Manning said one day after his meltdown in the Giants playoff loss to the Eagles.

Justin Tuck said last week that he was playing through seven injuries. Monday, despite the fact the Giants' season is over, Tuck still wouldn't reveal any of them. But someone informed of Tuck's injuries said the fourth-year defensive end was bothered by bone spurs in one of his feet over the past few months. The person, who requested anonymity because of Tuck's refusal to talk specifics, said the spurs are related to a Lisfranc sprain that cut his 2006 season short after only six games.

David Tyree, who used his head and helmet to give the Giants their last chance, spent this entire season on the injury list. He came by Monday to clear out his locker, say goodbye. He wasn't on the sideline for this one. Watched most of the first half on TV, he said, and didn't like seeing "the amount of opportunities we didn't capitalize on, especially in the red zone. And when (John) Carney missed that kick, you kind of have an eerie feeling. You start thinking about things, like destiny, and it wasn't positive."
David Tyree, who has 54 receptions for 650 yards and four touchdowns in 73 regular-season games for the Giants, was optimistic about his chances at returning to the only team he has played for in his six-year career. But whether the 29-year-old makes the roster or not, he doesn't plan on going down without a fight. "I think so," he said when asked if he thought he'd be a Giant next season. "Obviously that's yet to be seen, but it all goes to competition, and I'll be ready for that. I'll guarantee that."

Sunday capped a season-ending slump when Manning was unable to get the Giants into the end zone. After starting the season 11-1, as Manning completed 62% of his passes, threw for 19 touchdowns and was intercepted eight times, he and the Giants hit a wall. In the last five games, Manning threw for just two scores, his completions fell to 54% and he threw four interceptions - the Giants went 1-4.

Brandon Jacobs lifted a trash bag full of his belongings and put it over his shoulder like Santa Claus holding his sack of gifts. This, though, was not a joyous occasion for Jacobs, who was dealing with the harsh reality of the Giants' playoff loss and what looks like the impending loss of Derrick Ward to free agency. Jacobs said he has been mentally preparing himself for the breakup of "Earth, Wind and Fire" - the nickname for Jacobs, Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw, respectively.
Although the Giants presumably would like to keep their current running back trio of Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw intact for next season, the feat may be difficult. Two of the members of "Earth, Wind and Fire" - a self-anointed nickname that describes their different yet complementary running styles - can become free agents. Jacobs and Ward each rushed for more than 1,000 yards this season, and both have the power to command big money in free agency, decreasing the likelihood that the Giants can afford to bring both back next season.
Nothing symbolizes the inevitability of the Giants moving on, moving forward - and, in some sectors, moving apart - than the Giants' two 1,000-yard rushers, both of whom will be free agents this March. Only one of them will be a Giant next year, unless something extraordinary happens between now and then. Said Ward: "It's one of those days where you don't know what's going to happen. This could have been my last game (as a Giant) yesterday, so I'm just going to have to wait and see, take a couple weeks off and get my body back right and whatever happens, happens after that." A few seconds later he added, "I've really loved this organization."
"I'll miss (Jacobs and Bradshaw) a lot. Those are like my brothers. To be on a different team from them would hurt. But it's a business." That is the big catch, isn't it? Ward's average of 5.6 yards on 182 carries was tied for fourth-best of any back with that many attempts since the 1970 merger of the NFL and AFL. Not surprisingly, he expects some team to come in with a big offer. "Yeah, I'd expect that because I feel I'm a starter. I think I proved to everybody that I'm a legit starter and I could get the job done," Ward said. "Who knows? The Giants could offer me big money." If so, Jacobs acknowledged the cap might force the team to choose one or the other of its top two backs.

A year after winning the Super Bowl, Reese said, falling short "stings." He's got plenty of big decisions ahead. The Giants have a dozen unrestricted free agents, including running backs Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward, longtime starting receiver Amani Toomer and two-year starting safety James Butler. Reese also has to deal with the hovering cloud of the Plaxico Burress mess. Reese said he does not expect "wholesale changes," but knows there will be plenty of movement.

A number of Giants players spent yesterday morning walking around the locker room with silver pens, collecting autographs. Helmets, footballs, photographs, they were all being signed as mementos from the season. All-Pro guard Chris Snee was one of the players who gathered no souvenirs. "Not this year," he said. Not this year, indeed. For the first time in 24 months, the tradition of cleaning out the lockers was a somber experience for the Giants. The day after their 23-11 loss to the Eagles in an NFC divisional playoff game, the shock of elimination still could be seen on many faces. So could the pain.

The Giants go home, left to wonder what became of them after their 11-1 start. Was it the loss of Plaxico Burress to a self-inflicted gunshot wound, robbing them of their top receiver? The evidence is overwhelming that the offense in general and quarterback Eli Manning in particular never fully recovered from that talent drain. Did the brutal nature of their schedule wear them down and force them to peak too soon? Was last season's maniacal postseason fervor simply missing as the Giants felt too comfortable as the No. 1 seed and owners of home-field advantage? "I don't know," said a reflective coach Tom Coughlin. "That is something I told the team I am going to be thinking long and hard about myself. One of our axioms is you have to be playing your best in December into January, and quite frankly, we didn't."

For two years in a row, the Giants hit their peak in Arizona. Last season, that came on Super Bowl Sunday. This season, unfortunately for them, it came in Week 12. And that is the difference between a magical season and a disappointing mess. Yesterday, while picking through the wreckage of their 23-11 loss to the Eagles in the NFC divisional playoffs Sunday at Giants Stadium, the players kept finding solace in the same thought: We're still the best team in football.

Have you missed this one? - Pigskin Princesses
They're Kate and Rooney Mara, and their pigskin bloodline is impeccable. Both sisters are currently actors in LA. Kate appeared in "Shooter," "We Are Marshall" and last summer's thriller "Transsiberian," while Rooney (who's two years younger) will next be seen in February's "Youth in Revolt" with Michael Cera. In anticipation of the Giants first playoff game this weekend, the two submitted to a list of sometimes relevant, occasionally dumb, football questions. Strangest thing you've seen in the locker room?
Rooney - I guess seeing grown men walk around naked is quite alarming when you're 5-foot-2 and they're towering over you.
Kate - I've only been in one twice in my whole life: last year at the Green Bay game and at the Super Bowl. All the players were going crazy, champagne bottles being opened. Then you look around and they're attempting to change, and at that point, my dad was like, "I think it's time for you girls to leave." It was surreal.

---