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| Nov 20 The Giants are finally healthy. For the first time all season, the Giants had all 53 players practice on the field Thursday after going long stretches without players such as Aaron Ross, Chris Canty and Michael Boley among others. "It felt pretty good to have everybody out there working," head coach Tom Coughlin said. "That was a good sign. We have enough room on the field to accommodate that." The questions to Terrell Thomas were the obvious ones Thursday and the subtext was basically as follows: with Aaron Ross on his way back from a hamstring injury, how much does it stink that you're about to go back to being a situational cornerback instead of the starter? Thomas' answers were just as expected: he’s happy his teammate is finally healthy and there's plenty of playing time to go around." Giants linebackers Danny Clark (55) and Clint Sintim (97) will continue to split time in the base defense against the Falcons this Sunday. For now, Clark is still the starter, though the rookie Sintim will continue to share time with the veteran. "We'll do that," defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan said Thursday. "We started doing that a little bit last week and we plan on doing the same because we want Clint to be in a position to contribute." Later, when asked if it was difficult to have a young player attempting to take his job, Clark replied, "Take it? You're saying the wrong questions. We've got a good team concept, so he's a kid that's doing well and he'll play well. But again, I'm going to go out there and do the best I can." The
holiday season is probably Brandon Jacobs' favorite time of year. When the
weather starts to get cold, Jacobs likes to run and punish defenders. Now if only
the Giants could be in a giving mood and hand him the ball more. Jacobs thinks
this is the time of year when the Giants' running game can come to life. Like
a kid eagerly awaiting to open his presents on Christmas Eve, Jacobs has been
waiting most of the season for a game in which he can carry the ball early and
often. Against Atlanta on Sunday, the Giants (5-4) will try to stop a four-game
skid and they might want to start by reestablishing the run. Tom
Coughlin had a great feel for his team during the Giants' unexpected Super
Bowl run two years ago. He pushed the button, it worked. No coach in team history
was ever better than Coughlin was for that month as the Giants won three NFC playoff
games on the road and then beat the undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl. But
as the Giants have lost four straight, it doesn't look like Coughlin knows what
to make of this team or how to shock them out of their slump. Nov 19 In the locker room after practice Wednesday the players talked about being refreshed. They said they used the time off to heal and reflect on the good and the bad of going 5-4 before the break. The Giants come back to find that they are still in the thick of things in the NFC East, thanks to the Eagles and the Cowboys stumbling last Sunday while Big Blue took a breather. It's nice, but it doesn't mean anything if the Giants don't take care of business over the last seven games, beginning with the Falcons on Sunday. Michael
Boley remembers the week he lost his starting linebacker job in Atlanta. More
specifically, he remembers how he found out. During a Wednesday practice late
last season, Boley started to line up with the first-team defense. Instead, he
was told to stay back and go in with the reserves. First-year
coach Mike Smith deflected any potential controversy during a conference call
with reporters Wednesday, saying, "Michael Boley, I thought, played very well
for us last year. … He was a free agent and he chose to test the market." Smith
declined to discuss whether the Falcons tried to keep Boley and when addressing
the overall Giants' defense, pointed to the defensive linemen are "really the
guys you have to be concerned about." Two carries. Two measly, little, middle-of-the game carries for only nine yards. Not to Danny Ware, who rushed the ball against the Chargers for the first time this regular season and for the first time since the final preseason game in September. "It was big," said Ware, who dislocated his elbow on the season-opening kickoff and didn't play a down on offense until the loss to San Diego last week. Aaron
Ross jogged into the locker room, got in front of his stall and leaped into
the air a couple of times. Was that his way of showing his injured hamstring is
feeling much better? "Nah," the Giants' cornerback said with a smile
after practicing in a limited capacity Wednesday. "Just happy. Just happy." Nov 18 Last week, Tom Coughlin drew plenty of criticism for saying he didn’t believe the Giants could have thrown a ball into the end zone against the Chargers’ deep coverage. Instead, the Giants settled for a field goal and a six-point lead San Diego would soon erase with the game-winning touchdown. What’s the best weapon to combat a team’s protecting the goal line the way the Chargers did? A target Ramses Barden’s size to go over one of those defensive backs. Brandon Jacobs is a 6-4, 264-pound ball of power. He's not going to dance his way through the line of scrimmage. He's going to knock over defensive lines as if he were a bowling ball. The Giants understand that. They just forgot it earlier in the year. That's the best explanation yet for why Jacobs, the Giants' No. 1 running back, got off to such a slow start this season and why he has rebounded to average 5.1 yards per carry in the last four games. The
Giants today might as well set up folding chairs in front of linebacker Michael
Boley’s locker. He’s the player in the spotlight as he prepares for the first
time to go against his former team, the Falcons, the team that benched him last
season because in the eyes of first-year head coach Mike Smith he wasn’t fitting
into the defensive system. The Giants sent seven players to the Pro Bowl last season. But it doesn’t seem likely they’ll be able to duplicate that feat this year. In fact, in the first round of fan voting released today by the NFL, only one Giants player leads in the balloting at his position — punter Jeff Feagles. Worse, in the 19 separate position categories, only eight Giants players appear in the top five. It’s impossible to tell how big a role the four-game losing streak has played in NFL fans’ opinion of Giants players, but obviously it hasn’t helped. HOT
- Live Chat: Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. » By
Ralph Vacchiano Nov 17 While
the Giants were enjoying their much-needed bye week, there was carnage in
the NFC East on Sunday. The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys were both dragged
back to the pack by disheartening losses. So when the Giants (5-4) returned to
work yesterday they found themselves just one game back in the race for the division
title and in a four-way tie for the NFC's two wild-card spots. Justin
Tuck spent at least part of his bye weekend "in a tree stand" in the mountains
hunting white-tailed deer. He didn't get any. But he did get something much more
important over the break: rest for his left shoulder, which he admitted has been
bothering him since he injured it in Week 2 at Dallas. Asked how much the bye
week rest helped, Tuck said, "a lot." Week
10 in the NFL - Bye Week for the Giants Nov 16 Brandon Jacobs has been more effective over the past couple of games, though that hasn’t mattered much because the Giants have been mostly playing from behind and forced to throw the ball. Running backs coach Jerald Ingram said the Giants wanted to “beef up” their protection with Jacobs, so they had him as the running back in many passing situations early this season. Putting him in for only passing plays would be tipping their plays, so Jacobs was required to run slow-developing draws and sweeps - plays not suited for his powerful, downhill style. NFC
East News Nov 15 Just as New York football fans are finishing up their holiday dinner on Thanksgiving night in 11 days, the Giants will be getting ready for kickoff 1,750 miles away from home in Denver. How does the organization feel about it? Not happy. Giants co-owner John Mara told the Daily News it's a competitive disadvantage for his team to play two time zones away in a short week. The advantage is magnified because once the Broncos arrive home tonight from their game in Washington, they don't have to travel before Thanksgiving. They play the Chargers at home next Sunday and then will wait for the Giants to travel halfway across the country. Third-year tight end Kevin Boss is the Giants' figurative Superman, taking vicious hit after vicious hit but continuing to take the field. Though Boss and his various injuries might need this bye week more than any of his teammates, when the Giants get back to action next Sunday against Atlanta, they also will need Boss as much as anyone to help solve their red-zone scoring woes. Neither San Diego's Eric Weddle nor Arizona's Antrel Rolle, who speared Boss two weeks prior, were penalized. But after the Giants' sent tapes to the league for review, both players were fined. To which Boss merely shrugged. "I'm not really bothered by it," Boss said. "It would have been nice to get those 15 yards at the time, but it's part of the game." The envelope landed in Clint Sintim’s locker last Wednesday, three days after he had taken his first 11 NFL snaps on defense. The return address was 280 Park Ave. - the league headquarters. "Congratulations on your first game on first and second downs," the Giants' linebacker jokingly said he was expecting to read. "But all the veterans were like, 'What happened? What happened?' I'm like, 'Hell if I know.'" Sintim soon found out when he opened the envelope and saw a letter informing him his paycheck had been docked $5,000 for a late hit on Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. "Five thousand dollars lighter!" Sintim exclaimed. "They just took it!" Welcome to the NFL, rookie. Two months ago, Jerry Reese said he thought this Giants team had a chance to be better than the 2007 champions. Four straight losses haven't changed his mind. Saying that "the outlook is definitely positive" around his struggling 5-4 team, the Giants' general manager told the Daily News this week that he still thinks he has the making of a championship contender despite a difficult month that has sunk the Giants to third place in the NFC East. He expects a quick turnaround when the Giants come off their much-needed bye week. And, Reese added, "I believe this is a playoff team." Hakeem Nicks has smashed the perception that rookie wide receivers can’t contribute. Lately, Nicks has been the Giants’ most reliable receiver; he has 21 catches for 389 yards and 4 TDs in the past six games. Nicks is benefiting from all the attention focused on Steve Smith. The only way Smith will be able to get away from double-teams will be if Nicks can produce even more down the stretch.e Nov
14 Upbeat
article on the Giants. How about this quote: Three Giants players were each fined $5,000 by the NFL for plays dating back to Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers, though the biggest fine that resulted from the game was handed down to Chargers safety Eric Weddle. They are running back Ahmad Bradshaw, cornerback Kevin Dockery and linebacker Clint Sintim. Nov 13 At age 43, Jeff Feagles is still in the NFL because of his directional punting and a precise mastery of how to angle his kicks out of bounds. But in recent weeks, those angles have betrayed the veteran punter. Notably in the Cardinals and Chargers losses, Feagles delivered a series of short punts that gave the opponent the ball back at midfield. As the Giants try to right their season coming out of this week’s bye, after four straight losses, Feagles is personally trying to get back on track as well. Once
every season the Giants' assistant coaches come up out of their offices and
check to see whether they can see their shadows ... and they get to talk to the
media while they're out. It’s always the most informative day of the year, because
the most honest and detailed assessment of a team and its parts always comes from
them. The Eagles apparently aren't as good as they looked against the Giants. The Cowboys can't really be as good as they've looked over the last few games, and does anyone believe the Giants are as bad as they've looked over this skid? The division is there for the taking - let's please not let the Cowboys have it. Nov
12 Giants
head coach Tom Coughlin says he's to blame for the Giants' 21-20 loss to the
Chargers Sunday that pushes Big Blue into the bye week on a four-game losing streak.
Tom Coughlin came out firing Wednesday afternoon, warning the media and fans to
get off his players' backs and get off his coaches' backs. If you want to blame
someone, blame him. The Giants have lost their leading special teams tackler for the season and replaced him with a rookie cornerback. Gerris Wilkinson, who leads the team with 12 special teams tackles (seven solo) was placed on injured reserve. He dislocated in right wrist in the Giants' 21-20 loss to the San Diego Chargers and underwent surgery yesterday. To take his place on the roster, the Giants signed cornerback D.J. Johnson off the Denver Broncos' practice squad. CB Aaron Ross got to work on the grass fields outside the Giants' Timex Center for the first time Wednesday. He participated in the team's lone bye week practice, his first practice since the last day of training camp in late August. He had been sidelined with a torn hamstring. "It felt good," Ross said after the workout. "I'm very excited. I'm a little rusty, but that's expected." Jeff Feagles said he did mishandle the hold on the botched field goal attempt in the first quarter vs. the Chargers. "I caught it and when I went to put it down it slipped out of my hand, and by the time I got it down on the ground, Lawrence [Tynes] saw the ball at an angle and didn't think I was going to get it back up," Feagles said. If the 5-4 Giants are going to turn things around in their final seven games they will have to do a better job inside the 20-yard-line, both on offense and defense. Coughlin dedicated two periods of this week’s lone practice to those specific problems, indicating he thinks that’s where his team needs to improve the most. The Giants' offense is 28th in the NFL scoring touchdowns from inside the 20-yard line. They've had 36 opportunities, second in the league to New Orleans' 41, but have crossed the goal line 15 times, a 41.7 percent success rate. The defensive numbers are worse. The Giants have allowed 22 touchdowns in 29 opponent red zone possessions. That's 75.9 percent, which is last in the NFL. Nov 11 Blame the defense, special teams or play-calling, but Eli Manning's struggles have been an enormous part of the Giants' four-game losing streak. His six interceptions in the first three losses put the Giants' undermanned defense in terrible field position. And Manning gets plenty of blame, too, for the Giants becoming one of the worst red-zone teams in the league - a fact that haunted them in their 21-20 loss to San Diego on Sunday. It starts at the top. Tom Coughlin is as solid as they come, but now he's in the select head coach club reserved for Super Bowl winners. No one is calling for his job or calling him out of touch or a grouch. If two years ago he acted fatherly in shepherding the Giants, he sounds grandfatherly right now, supportive where a little old-fashioned threatening might be the ticket. Each year, the Giants have a big workout during the bye week to help set their "short list" and give them more information on players they might sign down the line - in most cases, not until the off-season. According to ProFootballTalk.com, they brought in 13 players for a workout on Monday. Nov 10 Questioning NY Giants' coverage call on San Diego Chargers' game-winning touchdown. Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson had plenty of room - too much room, in fact - between Giants cornerback Corey Webster and safety Michael Johnson on his game-winning touchdown catch Sunday. Tom Coughlin often bristles when challenged in his day-after chats with reporters about certain calls or decisions made during the previous day’s game. But there are also plenty of times when he concedes things could have been handled differently. Did Brandon Jacobs get the ball enough in Sunday's 21-20 loss to the Chargers? Despite getting out of the gate quickly, gaining 31 yards on four rushing attempts on the opening drive, Jacobs got the ball only seven more times the entire game. He was effective most of the way, finishing with 67 yards on 11 carries, an average of 6.1 yards per attempt. Was he hurt? Not really. "You saw him come out once when he was limping a little bit," Coughlin said. "The rotation is going to take place. I think the distribution was OK." Ahmad Bradshaw got 14 carries but gained only 39 yards. The evidence is mounting, not only in the most recent debacle and the current four-game losing streak, but over a longer and more damning sample, that these Giants are simply not that good. Snatching defeat from what should have been victory in a 21-20 loss to the Chargers leaves the Giants as a desperate and confused team searching for answers. Yet, Antonio Pierce yesterday said he still believes the Giants are "capable of winning the championship." In the final minutes Sunday, the Giants did not play to win; they played not to lose. And that’s the easiest way to lose. So, the 21-20 defeat wiped out much of the good that might have occurred, and left them with a four-game losing streak to chew on during their bye week. At 5-4, they are not out of the postseason picture. With five playoff-bound teams left on their seven-game schedule, however, they certainly may look back on the Charger loss as the crucial one in their drop from a high-hopes 5-0 start. A four-game losing streak has not only hurt the New York Giants' chances of repeating in the NFC East, it has put their playoff hopes in serious doubt. Heading into their bye week, the Giants (5-4) are a half-game behind Atlanta (5-3) for the NFC's second wild-card playoff spot with the teams scheduled to meet at the Meadowlands on Nov. 22. Tom Coughlin's team faces the tough part of its schedule in the final seven weeks. Five of the teams remaining on the schedule would be in the playoffs if the season had ended Sunday and three are division leaders: Minnesota, Dallas and Denver. Look at the way the Bad News Giants have played for the past month. Now look at the schedule. The new slogan for the Bad News Giants must now be "Win Five To Survive." Their magic number for the playoffs is 10: as in, 10-6. Osi Umenyiora: "This is a situation the Giants are comfortable in right here. We have our backs against the wall, we always come out swinging." Shaun O'Hara: "We've proven we can be champions with this group. We’ll get through this. We've been through tough times before." Linebacker Gerris Wilkinson dislocated his right wrist during the Giants' 21-20 loss to the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, and his season may be over. According to the Giants, Wilkinson underwent surgery this morning to repair the dislocation at the Hopsital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. According to the team, the "normal recovery time for the surgery is 6-8 weeks."Nov 9 Giants lose to the Chargers, 21-20 | PHOTOS
ESPN - Rivers caps 80-yard drive with touchdown as Chargers stun Giants. Giants.com - Giants fall to Chargers, 21-20. NYDailyNews - Giants lose to San Diego Chargers, 21-20, in final minute of 'Super Bowl' at Meadowlands. NYDailyNews - Giants need to clean up defensive flaws during bye week with playoffs looming. NYDailyNews - Chris Snee's holding penalty a backbreaker in Giants loss to Chargers. NYDailyNews - After emotionally draining loss to Chargers, New York Giants' season is on life support. NYDailyNews - Giants' Antonio Pierce, Danny Clark get signals crossed in loss to Chargers. NYDailyNews - Corey Webster in middle of Giants' tangled defensive web. NYPost - Big Blue blows it in final minute; lose to Chargers, 21-20. StarLedger - Early botched field goal attempt haunts NY Giants following 21-20 loss to San Diego Chargers. StarLedger - Tough breaks for Giants cornerback Corey Webster add up in 21-20 loss to San Diego Chargers. StarLedger - Giants lose fourth in a row, fall to San Diego Chargers, 21-20. TheRecord. - Season’s demise drowned in silence. TheRecord - Rivers late TD stuns Giants, 21-20. Signonsandiego - Chargers win their own NY marathon. NFC
East News Game
9 Preview - Giants (5-3) vs San Diego (4-3) Nov
8 Tom
Coughlin didn't need to say anything to his battered team this week. He didn't
need to challenge his leaders or declare this "a one-game season." They already
knew how dire the situation is heading into their game against the San Diego Chargers
Sunday afternoon. They understand they're on the brink of letting a season of
promise slip away. Nov
7 The
Giants have lost three straight heading into tomorrow's game against the Chargers,
surrendering at least 40 points in two of them, so something was bound to change
on defense. That turned out to be good news for safety Aaron Rouse, who will replace
C.C. Brown in the starting lineup. The Giants will find out soon whether it's
good news for them. Brown seemed to agree with the decision. "There's nothing
for me to get mad about," Brown said after practice yesterday. "I can't try to
blame anybody but myself. It's my own fault." The Chargers haven't played in Giants Stadium in nearly 14 years, but their last trip was a memorable -- and ugly -- one. San Diego beat the Giants, 27-17, in the regular-season finale on Dec. 23, 1995, but the outcome was nearly overshadowed by the behavior of the Giants' fans in what came to be known as the "Snowball Game." Chargers players and personnel were pelted with snow and ice from the stands throughout the game. Nov 6 As the Giants try to get back on track after three straight losses, running back Brandon Jacobs knows one thing that would help boost morale: A 100-yard outing. "Yeah, I tell you what, if anyone is due for one, it’s definitely me," Jacobs said after practice Thursday. The battered and beaten Giants defense plans to welcome back two key performers this week, as expectations are that linebacker Michael Boley and defensive tackle Chris Canty will be on the field Sunday against the Chargers. Both injured players were able to practice for most or all of yesterday's practice. "I think this is a big step forward," said Boley, who was in for half the snaps. "In my mind, seeing how things go throughout the week, I could play, it's possible." In
Pop Warner, it's common to see a simple dive play go the distance. For it
to happen in an NFL game without any trickery or lead blocking is ...… well, Kiwanuka
summed it up best. "It was very surprising, very strange, very frustrating
and very difficult to deal with," the Giants' defensive end said. "But
that’s the position we put ourselves in." Former
Giants
Nov
5 It's
now or never. With the Giants reeling after a three-game losing streak, Tom
Coughlin told his players Wednesday that their game against the San Diego Chargers
on Sunday "is a one-game season for us." And judging by their response, that's
a reality they already faced. With losses mounting, Tom Coughlin can see New York
Giants are running out of time in NFC East. The Giants have been outscored 112-61 in the last three games, have turned the ball over nine times in the three losses and have been gashed for big plays on the ground and in the air. Pierce said the difference in the team's defensive attitude is obvious on tape. "When you watched us the first five weeks on defense, guys were flying around," Pierce said. "Now it's individual tackles, one-on-one tackles. We talk about seeing a swarm of blue, of seeing 11 guys in the final picture of the play. That's not even close now." Michael Boley stepped onto the practice field Wednesday with a clear conscience and not one thought about his injured knee. “You can’t worry about it,” the Giants’ linebacker said. “As athletes, if we came in here worried about every little injury we had, we’d get nothing done.” Boley and fellow free-agent addition Chris Canty are finally getting something done on the practice field. Both practiced in a limited capacity and have their sights set on Sunday’s game against the Chargers as their return to the field. Former NFL quarterback Trent Green analyzed Eli Manning's three-game slide on the NFL Network recently and, using video as evidence, suggested that the Giants quarterback's mechanics are not what they once were. Green said Manning has been adversely affected by pressure in the pocket, leading to poor footwork, a flattening of his shoulders along the line of scrimmage and vision that "sometimes gets locked in," causing "some blind throws." Manning didn't see it that way. Tom
Coughlin talked about fundamentals, which he identified as a major issue after
Sunday's loss to the Eagles. He said the first part of practice each day (about
10 minutes) is always what he calls "core groupings" and includes work
on fundamentals. They break down as follows: Nov 4 They have lost three in a row for the first time since 2006, and the defense has given up more points in the last three games (112) than in any three-game stretch since 1973. "This team, just three weeks ago, was not playing like this," Pierce said. "We’re talking about 21 days." It’s a shame to throw CB Corey Webster into this group, because before the Philly game he was off to a Pro Bowl-caliber start. CB Terrell Thomas has had good moments, too, in place of Aaron Ross. The safeties, though ... ugh, the safeties. Get well soon, Kenny Phillips. C.C. Brown has been terrible the last three games, and the confusion on deep passes is just hard to believe. There’s cornerback Corey Webster on Sunday, pounding his fists together in the direction of safety C.C. Brown in a signal that must have indicated Brown has the half-field coverage on that side. The ball is snapped and Brown drifts toward the middle of the field, 5 yards away from fellow safety Michael Johnson, who clearly got the message the Giants were in a Cover-2 scheme, not a Cover-3 or Cover-1 or whatever Brown was playing. "Oh, you saw that?" Webster said with a smirk in the postgame locker room when asked about his hand signal. Bless his heart, Webster did everything in his power not to throw Brown under the team bus when asked repeatedly about the blown assignment. But it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happened there. Eight games into the season, there’s only one thing anyone can say about the Giants with any conviction: They desperately need the bye week. I’ve been around losing teams before, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a group less sure exactly why they’re losing. They haven’t experienced a slide like this since 2006, before most of them were even here, and they certainly haven’t experienced a stretch where so many different things have gone wrong. The Giants have been outscored 112-61 the past three games and been blown out at New Orleans (48-27) and in Philadelphia (40-17). There's one game before the bye -- Sunday against the Chargers at Giants Stadium -- and even though it's a non-conference affair, it shapes up as close to a must-win for the Giants as they've encountered since the third game of the 2007 season in Washington. The Giants are 5-3 and more tellingly 1-3 against opponents who are competitive on a weekly basis. Games at Washington and home versus the Panthers are the only possible soft touches in the final eight games. If the Giants don't improve significantly in everything they're doing, they will lose the majority of their remaining games. Nov 3 In the last three weeks, even the Rams have won more games than the Giants. So have the Raiders and Titans. It's about as bad around the Giants right now as at any time since Tom Coughlin nearly was fired following the tumultuous 2006 season. After a 5-0 start, the Giants have lost their way and dropped behind the Eagles and Cowboys in the NFC East. Like everyone in the Giants' locker room Monday, Justin Tuck was in a desperate search for the reason why this once-promising season has gone from 5-0 to 5-3 so quickly. Not everyone agreed with his "confidence" theory, but one look at the sidelines in the second half Monday showed the Giants were lacking their usual fire. Even Tom Coughlin saw that. "I'm not real happy about our response to things," Coughlin said. The Giants' losing streak has included breakdowns on offense, defense and special teams. All three came up short against the Eagles. Eli Manning threw two interceptions that led to Philadelphia touchdowns, the defense surrendered three touchdowns of at least 40 yards and was plagued by "shoddy tackling," according to Coughlin. And the special teams...well, let the coach talk about that phase of the game. "I was very disappointed in our special teams play," Coughlin said. Coach Tom Coughlin didn't have much fun watching videotapes of the Eagles game early Monday. Some of the mistakes were obvious, especially the ones on defense. Safety C.C. Brown missed a two-deep coverage call on DeSean Jackson's 54-yard TD catch after New York got within 16-7 late in the first half. Not staying in the right defensive gaps allowed Leonard Weaver and LeSean McCoy to score on long runs.. What worked for them in the Super Bowl run of 2007 and hummed along in last year's 11-1 start isn't necessarily going to get it done this season, with young receivers and a depleted defense that seems to be playing a waiting game until linebacker Michael Boley, cornerback Aaron Ross and defensive tackle Chris Canty return from injury. Help is on the way to aid the ailing Giants defense. Linebacker Michael Boley and defensive tackle Chris Canty are both scheduled to take part in practice tomorrow when the Giants begin their on-field preparation for Sunday's game against the Chargers. Last week, the injured duo took part in some individual drills, but this week they will be pushed even further. They certainly are needed, with the Giants riding a three-game losing streak. NFC
East News
ESPN - Eagles explode to send Giants to 3rd straight loss. Giants.com - Giants fall to Eagles, 40-17. NYDailyNews - Eli Manning, Giants embarrassed in blowout loss to Philadelphia Eagles. NYDailyNews - Giants defense lays egg against Philadelphia Eagles as Big Blue spirals to 5-3. NYDailyNews - Giants WR Steve Smith's boasts get Philadelphia Eagles defense fired up. NYDailyNews - Despite lack of production, Giants QB Eli Manning insists he's putting best foot forward. NYPost - Eagles deliver Giant pounding, 40-17. StarLedger - Giants drop third in a row with 40-17 loss to Philadelphia Eagles. StarLedger - Giants TE Kevin Boss finally gets chance to contribute to offense. StarLedger - Giants' implosion provokes many questions; Coughlin offers few answers. StarLedger - Eagles stockpile confidence with third straight win over NY Giants. Courant - Giants Helpless Against Eagles. Record - McNabb throws 3 TDs in Eagles' 40-17 win. Record - Giants not worthy of the Yanks’ stage . Philly.com - Eagles hold up their end. Game
8 Preview - Giants (5-2) vs Philadelphia (4-2) Nov 1 There is no finger on the panic button - at least not yet. That's what Tom Coughlin has stressed to his team all week: that the Giants are still in pretty good position at the top of the NFC East standings, as they join the Yankees in invading Philadelphia Sunday. There's no reason to be worried, even after two straight crushing defeats. "We have a half-game lead in the division and we have absolutely nothing to be moping around about," Coughlin said. "A loss is a loss. Move on. You have to bounce back." It’s a huge swing game in the early race in the NFC East. The winner gets control of the division (no offense to the Cowboys, who are right there, too). The loser could drop all the way to third place. And in the Giants’ case, a loss would be their third straight and they could be in for an ugly week in New York, especially if the World Series is over. Coughlin's team has not lost more than two games in a row since late in the 2006 season, when it dropped four straight. It barely made the playoffs as a wild card team that season, but was promptly dispatched from the postseason by a 23-20 Eagles' win at the Linc. Philadelphia also did the bouncing honors last year at Giants Stadium with a 23-11 win that capped a 1-4 Giants' finish initiated by an Eagles' 20-14 regular-season win in the Meadowlands. Hakeem
Nicks, with his 315 yards and four touchdowns is off to the best start of
the rookies, though today at Lincoln Financial Field, there will be another impressive
rookie receiver on the other sideline: the Eagles’ Jeremy Maclin. The touchdown
against Arizona certainly helped his standing with Manning, as did his 54-yard
touchdown on a screen pass against the Chiefs. Again, that helped Manning’s stats
but also allowed him to get off the field quickly after suffering a foot injury
on the previous play. Familiarity breeds contempt in the NFL, so there will be plenty of animosity on the field Sunday between the Jets and Dolphins in the Meadowlands and the Giants and Eagles down in Philly to make these compelling games a must-watch. there is no hiding the severe dislike the Giants and Eagles have for each other, which went up a level after Philly knocked the Giants out of the playoffs in January. Do you think the Giants were ticked off that Donovan McNabb grabbed their sideline phone after he ran out of bounds and pretended to make a call? They hung a picture of it up in the locker room. The Giants will be dialing up the intensity today. Oct 31 With all the talk of their success sacking McNabb in 2007, the Giants would like to get back to that in their pair of games against the Eagles this year. After the 12-sack outing, the Giants added three more in their December 2007 game against the Eagles. But that was also their last sack against McNabb, who came up clean in three meetings with the Giants last year. As familiar as the Giants are with the Eagles, they haven't seen them with Michael Vick. Antonio Pierce (listed as probable with an ankle injury) said he isn't sure what to expect from the versatile quarterback. When asked to compare Vick's play now with what it had been before he was forced from the league for his role in a dogfighting ring, the linebacker said, "That is tough. I don't think that is fair to Vick." Pierce also said he hasn't seen enough of Vick in his return to form a judgment, but knows he remains a threat. The
Giants have seen enough of Brian Westbrook over the years to know one thing
for sure: They're much better off if he's not on the field. They might get their
wish tomorrow, too, since Westbrook, the Eagles' running back and one of the biggest
Giant-killers of them all, has been sidelined all week with the after-effects
of a concussion. Even though the Eagles list him as "questionable," Westbrook
hadn't even been cleared to work out as of Friday.
Kevin
Boss caught plenty of passes in the end zone yesterday, as the Giants practiced
their red-zone (or "green-zone" in coach Tom Coughlin-speak) offense. But the
tight end still is waiting to actually score a touchdown in a game this season
after hauling in six a year ago, which is at least partly why the Giants haven't
been very effective in that area. Mario
Manningham sat out yesterday's practice after landing on his left shoulder
trying to catch a pass on Thursday. But the wide receiver, who is emerging as
a prime target for Eli Manning, said he would be on the field when the Giants
visit the Eagles tomorrow. "I'll be out there, no question," said Manningham,
who rode the stationary bike yesterday and was listed as questionable. Oct 30 The Eagles' corners often cover based on the time they believe the quarterback will have to throw. So if they know a zero blitz (no deep safety) is coming, they won't bother to respect the deep ball because they believe there’s no chance the quarterback will have time to throw it. It’s a gamble that allows them to grab extra interceptions. And it must be working because Brown and Asante Samuel have combined for seven INTs (four for Samuel, three for Brown), which is the most among a starting duo of corners in the NFL this season. Giants
running back Ahmad Bradshaw will be in uniform against the Eagles on Sunday,
but he remains one bad step away from needing surgery to repair a cracked bone
in his right foot. "I had to go get a second opinion to see if I should be
playing now," Bradshaw told reporters afterward. "I'm very relieved
to hear I’ll be on the field." Bradshaw's
revelation came on a somewhat historic day for the Giants: the first practice
in which both defensive lineman Chris Canty and linebacker Michael Boley wore
pads. The Giants' two biggest off-season signings were limited in practice and
still remain a ways from returning to the field. "It is a good sign," said Coughlin. Oct
29 If
Steve Smith wants to act like a No. 1 wide receiver, he’s going to be treated
like one. That’s exactly what’s happened over the past two weeks, as the former
NFL leader in receptions has been facing more double coverage than he had seen
through college and his first two NFL seasons. That could change on Sunday against
the Eagles, whose aggressive blitz often leaves their cornerbacks isolated in
1-on-1 matchups with wide receivers - matchups Smith expects to win. Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb says he has no regrets for his sideline antics in the closing minutes of last year's playoff victory over the Giants. McNabb after scrambling out of bounds picked up the coaches phone on the Giants sideline and pretended to be talking to someone for a few seconds before running back onto the field. The Giants put a picture of that incident up in their training facility as motivation. Tempo, tempo, tempo. The Giants' offense did not have it Sunday night. They often took far too much time getting off a snap, giving the Cardinals' defense plenty of time to regroup. At times the bleeding of the clock down to :01 gave the Arizona linemen a good chance to take off, knowing the snap must come before :00 or the Giants would get flagged for a delay. NFL
News Oct 28 This isn't a power-running team anymore. Never mind that they still have a terrific 1-2 punch in their backfield and a rushing attack that ranks fifth in the NFL with 141.9 yards per game. In big situations, with defenses stacking the line of scrimmage, the Giants are choosing to put the ball in Manning's hands. He's played only five games, but Hakeem Nicks could put together the most productive season by a rookie wide receiver in Giants history. But that frankly is no great accomplishment, given the team's history of first-year players at that position. Nicks' four touchdowns tie him for the team lead with Steve Smith and Mario Manningham. Nicks' four touchdowns tie him for the team lead with Steve Smith and Mario Manningham. It's not easy for a good defense to be the absolute worst in something, but there are the Giants, ranked dead last in the NFL in red-zone defense. It's not easy for a good offense to be so rotten at something that it sits down near the bottom of the pack, but there are the Giants, ranked 27th in the league in red-zone offense. Oct 27 So
what’s wrong with the Giants passing game? Well, some poor throws, a few questionable
play calls, a couple of bad protections and some dropped balls. Basically, a little
bit of everything. "You can pick and poke," coach Tom Coughlin said
Monday, one day after the Giants' 24-17 loss to the Cardinals. "I don’t think
there’s necessarily any great answer." The fact that the Giants have lost back-to-back games isn’t as concerning as this is: I don’t know what the Giants are supposed to be anymore. And I’m not sure they know either. Are they a power running team? A passing team? A team led by a blitzing defense? What’s their true identity? And why does it seem to change week to week? One week is an aberration, two weeks is a slump, three weeks is a collapse. The Giants have pushed right past step two and they desperately need to beat the Eagles in Philly on Sunday to avoid step three and restore order to their season. Kevin Boss' grandmother was in the stands Sunday night and she wasn't too happy with the head-to-head hit Arizona safety Antrell Rolle laid on the Giants' tight end in the fourth quarter. Boss, though, was much more forgiving. Boss said he was very briefly knocked out by the hit that came as he made a full-extension, 25-yard catch with about 4-1/2 minutes remaining in the Giants' 24-17 loss to the Cardinals. There was no penalty called, though Rolle probably will be fined. It's
been 10 months since the Eagles became the first team to beat the Giants twice
at Giants Stadium in the same season, winning 20-14 in early December and again,
23-11, in the divisional round of the playoffs. And the Eagles reveled in it.
The Giants (5-2) haven't forgotten the image of Donovan McNabb, late in the playoff
game, scrambling onto the Giants' sideline at the end of a run and picking up
the phone to their coaches' booth in a showboating move. Defensively, the Giants held Arizona to 288 yards and just three successes on 14 third down conversion opportunities. The Cardinals punted eight times, the most by a Giants opponent since Seattle had eight on Oct. 5, 2007. But Arizona took advantage of the good field position Coughlin alluded to and had three touchdown drives of 55 yards or less - two after short punts and the third following one of Manning's three interceptions. NFC East News Grading the Giants | The Record | NY Post | Star Ledger Oct 26 Giants lose to Arizona , 24-17 | PHOTOS
ESPN - Cardinals force four turnovers, harass Manning in road victory. Giants.com - Giants fall to Cardinals, 24-17. StarLedger - Hakeem Nicks stands out in defeat. StarLedger - Giants lose second straight, fall to Arizona Cardinals, 24-17. StarLedger - Giants' offensive line games streak ends at NFL-record 38 games. Newsday - Mistakes doom Giants in 24-17 loss to Arizona. NYDailyNews - Turnovers and interceptions are costly in Giants 24-17 loss to Arizona. NYDailyNews - Giants show shades of 2008 season in tough loss to Arizona Cardinals. NYDailyNews - Giants coach Tom Coughlin forgives Ahmad Bradshaw's fumble against Cardinals. NYPost - Late fumble, pick hurt in Giants' home defeat. NYPost - Run game abandoned in defeat. NYPost - Big boo for Manning, offense. NYPost - Off night for Feagles. TheRecord - Giants hear the boo-birds as Cards win, 24-17. ArizonaRepublic - Cardinals defeat Giants on the road. ArizonaRepublic - Defense lifts Cards to legitimacy. Game
7 Preview - Giants (5-1) vs Arizona (3-2) Oct
25 These
Giants, who play host to Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald tonight, betrayed
their ancestors in New Orleans. Tonight, they will be asked to remember how to
play with New York Giants Pride. In truth, it is a demand. There is a standard
to live up to, and nothing less is acceptable. The “defense wins championships”
credo took a shot to the solar plexus from Drew Brees. It is time to prove to
New York that a championship defense does indeed live here. Corey Webster said he thinks the only thing worse than having a defensive performance like the one the Giants did a week ago in New Orleans would be to let it happen again. "We don't want to be repeat offenders," the cornerback said of the Giants' desire to put the 48-27 rout by the Saints behind them and redeem themselves tomorrow when they play host to the Cardinals. "You hate to have a game like that, but if you do, you at least want to get better from it." Former
Giants Oct
24 Last
Sunday Domenik Hixon nearly jumpstarted the Giants' offense himself with two
huge kickoff returns that led to 10 of the Giants' first 17 points. And on each
of those returns - of 45 and 68 yards - he was "real close" to breaking them for
touchdowns, before Saints kicker Thomas Morstead dragged him down. Heading into the NFL Draft, the player Hakeem Nicks was likened to most often was Anquan Boldin, the explosive, powerful Cardinals receiver who is not the biggest or fastest but usually one of the most productive. Sometimes young players wave off such comparisons, but this one makes sense to Nicks. "I've got that a lot," Nicks said. "You can see some similarities in the physicality of our games. In college I watched tapes of him. I wouldn't say emulate him, but I've seen areas in my game that are similar to his, just the way he plays physical and runs after the catch." When
coach Tom Coughlin promoted Bill Sheridan to follow Steve Spagnuolo as defensive
coordinator, he was certain this would not be Ray Handley following Bill Parcells,
Rod Rust following Bill Belichick, Barry Switzer following Jimmy Johnson, Phil
Bengston following Vince Lombardi. The rookie defensive coordinator of Big Blue
is on the spot Sunday night against Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald because his
unit was unceremoniously stripped of its pride, if not its swagger, by the prolific
Saints. Giants center Shaun O'Hara said the holding penalty that negated a touchdown in Sunday's loss to the Saints was a "terrible call." Well, I'm sure he thinks the fine he received was terrible as well. O'Hara was fined $5,000 for his actions on the play. But the league changed the illegal act from holding to clipping. Oct
23 Bill
Sheridan hasn’t been more vocal this week. He said he hasn’t had to boost
the morale of the Giants’ defense, and he hasn’t gotten angry. But in the days
after the Giants’ 48-27 loss to the Saints, in which New Orleans picked up 493
yards of total offense, the first-year defensive coordinator has had to be reflective.
And, in hindsight, he thinks the Giants would have been more effective if they
blitzed more often. The
Saints' play-action passes out of run formations didn't just confuse the Giants’
secondary this past Sunday. They also helped slow down the pass rushers up front.
But Osi Umenyiora said he’s not going to fall for those tricks anymore. Brandon Jacobs ran for 33 yards on seven carries against New Orleans. His 4.7-yards-per-carry average was his highest of the season. Oh, and he believes his rushing total could have been the highest of his career if the Saints hadn’t built such a big lead. Oct 22 The Giants linemen say they have three seconds to get to the quarterback. After that, they blame themselves for not pressuring or sacking him. On Sunday, Brees averaged 2.7 seconds from snap to delivery, with only six of his 30 passes coming three seconds or more after the snap. Plus, five of those passes came after play-action fakes, which slow down both the quarterback and the pass rushers. Without fake hand-offs, at least three of those passes might have been delivered sooner. The tone was set in the first defensive meeting Wednesday, and it carried over to practice. There was more of an edge, players said, faster tempo and a higher intensity. "This was different than a normal practice," said linebacker Danny Clark. "This was definitely up-tempo. After coming off the game we had a week ago, everything was a bit more precise." "Why wouldn't it be?" added defensive end Justin Tuck. "You just got your butt kicked. You definitely want to come out and do something about it." If
the Giants’ defensive backs are serious about correcting the mistakes they
made against New Orleans, preparing for an offense that was in the Super Bowl
last season would be a good place to start. At the start of practice Wednesday,
the Giants’ safeties went right to work on an interception drill under the watchful
eye of their head coach. While an assistant played quarterback, Coughlin watched
to see which defenders could make the pick." Giants coach Tom Coughlin said he didn't think quarterback Eli Manning was upset with running back Ahmad Bradshaw, in particular, during Sunday's loss to the Saints. "I wouldn't make a big deal out of it," the Giants' coach said during his morning press conference. Coughlin said he could sense Manning's frustration, though he understood it. "He was (frustrated) about it, I think," Coughlin said. "But hey, there was good reason to be frustrated on Sunday. Not just him." Linebacker Antonio Pierce left practice early with a "stiff back," according to a team spokesman. He will be listed as limited on the team's injury report. Pierce didn't address reporters Wednesday and Tom Coughlin wasn't available to the media after practice, so the full extent of Pierce's injury was unknown. Better news was that RT Kareem McKenzie, who left Sunday's game on a cart after injuring his groin, did limited work. McKenzie usually keeps his lips sealed about injuries, so it's no surprise that he played down its severity. But the fact that he was on the practice field Wednesday is a good sign for him playing this weekend. Kareem McKenzie practiced Wednesday, fueling hopes he will be able to start Sunday night when the Giants host the Arizona Cardinals. And if he does, the Giants will have started the same five offensive linemen for the 39th consecutive game. McKenzie, who playfully refused to even acknowledge his injury Wednesday, said he was feeling "spectacular" and he was walking with no trace of a limp. He will be splitting practice time this week with rookie William Beatty, who will start at RT if McKenzie can't go. Oct 21
The
Giants are facing another very good offense on Sunday night in the Arizona
Cardinals’ pass-heavy scheme. That will be a challenge for the defense, but for
the offense as well. Last Sunday, while the Saints scored touchdowns on seven
of their first nine drives, the Giants were able to find the end zone only twice
on their first nine possessions. If Arizona’s sixth-ranked passing game turns
this matchup into another race, the Giants know they’ll have to keep up this time. Oct
20 Tucked
into their 5-0 start, the Giants played one credible offense and allowed 31
points in a victory at Dallas. When they faced a true passing powerhouse, the
Giants were devastated. Four of the seven touchdowns scored by the Saints were
thrown iby Brees to four different receivers. Up next are the Cardinals, with
Kurt Warner firing to Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston. Arizona
coach Ken Whisenhunt might want to consider not showing the tape of the Giants-Saints
game to his team, lest the Cardinals become overconfident. In
its biggest test of the season, the Giants defense couldn’t mount a pass rush
and looked like it couldn’t hang with a dynamic and speedy receiving corps. Cornerback
Corey Webster acknowledged New Orleans threw looks at the Giants they hadn’t seen
all season, taking advantage of a discipline level - in both technique and coverage
assignments - that had perhaps slipped. Maybe
this was exactly what the Giants needed. It sure sounded that way, one day
after the Giants were embarrassed by the New Orleans Saints, 48-27, in what was
supposed to be a battle of the two best teams in the NFC. The Saints looked the
part, while the Giants looked dazed and confused, especially on defense. And as
it turns out, some members of that Giants defense weren't exactly surprised. "We
pretty much got on our high horses, you know?" safety C.C. Brown said. "We thought
it was going to be another brush-through game and it was an eye-opener for us."
ESPN - Brees throws for 369 yards, 4 TDs against Giants as Saints stay unbeaten. Giants.com - Giant fall to Saints, 48-27. StarLedger - Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey has fun beating former team. Newsday - Domination by Saints' offense stuns Giants. NYDailyNews - Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints march all over New York Giants in 48-27 rout. NYDailyNews - Eli Manning loses cool as Giants get blown away by New Orleans Saints. NYDaily News - Ex-Big Blue tight end Jeremy Shockey rides over New York Giants. NYPost - Big Blue battered by New Orleans, 48-27. NYPost - First loss ugly as Brees burns Big Blue. NYPost - Big Easy homecoming Big Ugly for Eli. NYPost - Brees-y does it. NYPost - Mac's injury may hurt OL streak. Record - Brees torches Giants as Saints win 48-27. NOTimes - Saints beat the New York Giants 48-27 at the Superdome. NFC
East News Game
6 Preview - Giants (5-0) vs New Orleans (4-0) Oct 18 Eli Manning will lead the Giants (5-0) against the Saints (4-0) in the first major NFC showdown of the season. He is the second-rated NFL quarterback while the Saints' Drew Brees is No. 3, both behind Peyton Manning. He directs the second most efficient offense in the league, while Brees runs the third best, both behind Dallas. Yet what separates this New Orleans team from the one that went 8-8 last year is a more aggressive defense under the direction of coordinator Gregg Williams, whom the Giants know well from his days in Washington. Watching
the New Orleans Saints on film can be a frightening experience. They're so
quick, so dangerous, and have so many weapons, even Tom Coughlin found it hard
to believe some of the things they've been able to do. "They went into Philadelphia
and I don't think I would have ever imagined anyone scoring that number of points
(48)," Coughlin said. "But they did. They have outstanding firepower." The Saints
have a quarterback in Drew Brees who the Giants say has been getting rid of the
football in less than two seconds, spreading the ball around equally to his top
four targets, which include tight end Jeremy Shockey (18-162 2 TDs) and running
back Reggie Bush (14-121-0 TDs). Sunday,
when the Giants (5-0) play the Saints (4-0), Corey Webster is coming home.
It’s taken five NFL seasons for Webster to return to the Superdome for the first
time since his college days at LSU; the Giants’ last scheduled visit was moved
to the Meadowlands in the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s destruction. Now, he’ll
play in front of a large contingent of family and friends, at the top of his game
and one of the best cornerbacks in the league -- though some believe he doesn’t
receive enough recognition from those around the NFL. That’s nothing new for Webster,
who once had trouble being appreciated, let alone respected, by his own coach. The
Giants invade the Superdome for what most experts are calling an early showdown
for supremacy in the NFC. The winner seizes the early lead in the race for home-field
advantage in the conference. No more questioning New Orleans' resurgent running
game for authenticity. No more wondering if the Saints' defense is really a force
or just a product of a user-friendly early schedule. It's gauge time -- Big Apple
vs. Big Easy in the biggest game of the young NFL season." Oct 17 Drew Brees and Eli Manning have a lot in common lately. Both went to the Pro Bowl last winter and now lead undefeated teams. This Sunday they'll meet in Big Easy, where Manning grew up and Brees now lives. Their teams will clash in the Louisiana Superdome, where Manning has seen countless games as a fan, and where the fans now pull for Brees. For Manning, the experience will border on surreal. He used to be one of those screaming fans in the dome trying to make it tough on opposing quarterbacks. Now he'll be one of those quarterbacks trying to overcome the crowd noise. Drew
Brees and the Saints offense get a lot of credit for the team’s 4-0 start,
but it’s the defense that was the difference when they handed the Jets their first
loss at the Superdome two weeks ago. Now Eli Manning and the 5-0 Giants will try
to avoid a similar fate when they head down to New Orleans on Sunday to take on
defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and his blitz-heavy, ball-hawking group While former Giant Jeremy Shockey was on his best behavior this week, taking pains to show everyone he's turned over a new leaf to become a "team-first" guy for the Saints, his replacement, Kevin Boss, has been flying under the radar, working to recover from an ankle injury so he can line up against New Orleans Sunday in the Superdome. No one needs to remind New Orleans Saints fullback Heath Evans about the New York Giants' stellar defense. The Giants wrecked havoc on Evans and his former New England teammates in Super Bowl XLII, winning 17-14 and ending the Patriots' dreams of an undefeated 2007 season. The Saints can expect a similar defensive approach from the Giants on Sunday when the two undefeated teams square off at noon at the Superdome. Two
Giants have played quarterback in the Louisiana Superdome, and neither is
named Eli Manning, who grew up 10 minutes from the stadium. David Carr quarterbacked
Houston and Carolina in the Dome. Corey Webster quarterbacked his high school,
St. James of Vacherie, La., twice inside the Superdome. Domenik Hixon is healthy and ready to return. And it looks like this week he may get a chance. It appears that Tom Coughlin is ready to make a switch and use Hixon as his primary kick and put returner - - a move which would send Sinorice Moss to the bench. Asked about that today, Coughlin said only "We’ll see." But he also gave heavy praise to Hixon's returner skills. "He's fast. He reads schemes well. His timing is good," Coughlin said. "He's courageous - - all the things you're looking for." Oct 16 Special Report Troy Aikman (remember him?) likes defense but thinks Saints will win this one (surprise). It's a good thing Troy Aikman played quarterback, because if he was counting on being remembered as a television announcer, he would have a long, long trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio - and he'd probably have to take a bus. But he was a better than good quarterback, and the fact that he played his entire career for the Dallas Cowboys cannot be considered his fault. Everyone
agrees that Brandon Jacobs is a tone-setter for the Giants. They just aren't
following his tone of frustration. Jacobs showed his growing displeasure with
not only his rushing stats for this season but the questions about them and perhaps
his role in the offense once again yesterday. "I'm going out, and I'm just running
into people with my 6-4, 265-pound frame," he said, "doing what I'm supposed to
be doing, running into people for two-yard losses. Happy?" Corey
Webster's stats are awful. Only 14 tackles (ninth on the team), one interception
and two passes defensed. Come on! Justin Tuck has two passes defensed for crying
out loud, and he's a defensive tackle! Well, that's just the way the Giants like
it. It's gotten so that teams aren't even trying to test Webster. They're not
really testing any of the secondary - the opposing teams' leading pass receiver
in each of the first five games has been a tight end - but when they do go downfield
on occasion as the Raiders did once last week, it's nowhere near Webster. Chris Canty, the free-agent acquisition who has played only one game this season, underwent a medical procedure to stop bleeding in his calf that was preventing his strain from healing, according to someone briefed on the treatment. The person, who requested anonymity because the Giants haven’t mentioned the procedure publicly, said the bleeding was causing an inordinate amount of swelling. Dave Diehl - "Everybody is talking about the Saints offense putting up a league-best 36 points per game and controlling time of possession. Nobody is really talking about their defense, which has given up only 16 points per game and an average of only 83 on the ground. It’s going to be a great test for our offense. We have to play our game, do what we need to do to become successful and come away from New Orleans with a win." Not much can rile a Giants’ fan these days, considering the team has cruised to a 5-0 start. But here’s an image to get the blue blood boiling: Jeremy Shockey celebrating in the end zone Sunday afternoon in New Orleans, leading the undefeated home team in the most anticipated NFL matchup of the weekend. Shockey has 18 receptions and two of the team’s nine receiving touchdowns this season. Former
Giants Oct
15 Eli
Manning knows how loud the fans in the Superdome can get. He used to be one
of those 'Nawlins noisemakers. "I've been a part of the screaming and yelling
and trying to make it hard on other quarterbacks," he said Wednesday, "so I know
how the fans think and they're going to be loud." Brandon Jacobs admitted to being frustrated with his performance so far this year, but Tom Coughlin came to the defense of his running back from criticism both outside the organization and from the player himself. "The guy had some outstanding runs the other day," Coughlin said Wednesday. "He had the numbers in terms of rushes. He had the usual number of power runs that he has. I don't think there is anything for Brandon to be down on." The
Saints on Sunday in New Orleans might represent the finest offense in the
NFL and ushers in the varsity portion of the schedule. The combined record of
the next six opponents is 19-6. The Saints might be the best of the bunch, considering
they cleaned up on the Eagles 48-22 in Week 2. Jemery
Shockey's conflict with the front office, which spilled over into a shouting
match with general manager Jerry Reese, punched his ticket out of town. "If
the team trades me, I promise you I’m going to make them pay. If I ever get a
chance to play against a team that trades me, it’s not going to be a pretty site."
- Tight end Jeremy Shockey to a group of journalists about a month before the
Giants traded him to New Orleans on July 21, 2008. Oct
14 The
Giants and Jets hadn't played at the same time - other than against each other
- for 25 years before it happened Sept. 27 to accommodate fans observing Yom Kippur.
Now it's going to happen for the second time in five weeks. Ahmad Bradshaw technically is the team's backup runner even though he leads the squad in rushing yardage and has half of the team's four rushing touchdowns. The amazing part is that Bradshaw is getting all of this production with so few carries. Bradshaw is sixth in the NFL with 375 rushing yards despite having at least 20 fewer carries than any of the names above him. His 6.5 yards per carry are the most by any NFL player with more than 40 attempts. Since being traded to the Saints from the Giants, Sunday's opponent at the Superdome, Jeremy Shockey has gradually become one of the centerpieces of the Saints' juggernaut offense. He has become a threat down the seams of the defense and the perfect check-down receiver for Brees, who has connected with Shockey for a team-leading 18 receptions for 162 yards and two touchdowns, both in Week 1 vs. the Lions. Former
Giants. NFC
East News. Oct 13 If there is one place to draw a line and split the Giants' schedule into two differing segments, it's right here heading into Week 6. After three weeks of facing perhaps the three worst teams in the NFL and five games against teams that have a combined record of 6-19, things get much more difficult from here on out. And it starts Sunday in New Orleans, the first of three currently unbeaten teams that the Giants must face on the road (Denver in Week 12 and the Vikings in Week 17 are the others). Bradshaw deserves more carries for Giants. There is an instant energy when Ahmad Bradshaw is in the game. It's one of those things you sense more than see. The rhythm quickens, the excitement level rises and the anticipation grows. If anything became clear during the Giants' 44-7 beat-down of the Raiders yesterday, it's that Bradshaw is clearly the best the Giants have to offer at running back. The Giants have running back Ahmad Bradshaw, who turned 12 touches of the football into 165 yards of offense and two touchdowns in the Giants' ridiculously easy 44-7 rout of the Raiders on Sunday. That doesn't mean that Jacobs shouldn't start. He's a battering ram, the meat tenderizer who can pound the Saints' defense and soften them up. But maybe Coughlin mixes Bradshaw in earlier for a change of pace. What's expected of Brandon Jacobs is about as clear as what's expected of a wrecking ball. So when Jacobs tries to do more than just barrel into the line of scrimmage and push piles 4 or 5 yards at a clip, it can frustrate fans and onlookers. And that is beginning to frustrate Jacobs. He is being criticized by some for being patient and waiting for holes to open, but there are others who believe he isn't patient enough. And the comparisons with Ahmad Bradshaw (375 yards on 58 carries) certainly aren't helping with Jacobs' identity crisis. One day after he played the statistical equivalent of a perfect game, Eli Manning today said he came out of the 44-7 thrashing of the Raiders having experienced no setback to the injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot. "I feel like it's getting better every day,'' Manning said. Manning feels so good, in fact, that he's confident he'll be able to practice Wednesday, something he wasn't able to do last week, when he missed Wednesday and Thursday's practices because of discomfort in his right heel. Jeremy
Shockey will likely celebrate his first catch against the Giants this weekend
with fist-pumping, finger-pointing and all the assorted trash-talking and showboating
that became his trademark in the six years he played here. Shockey was a cult
hero when he arrived in 2002 with the long blond hair, the big plays and runaway
mouth.
ESPN - Manning plays for less than a half as Giants romp. Giants.com - Giants defeat Raiders, 44-7. StarLedger - Giants rout Oakland Raiders, 44-7, to improve to 5-0. NYDailyNews - Eli Manning starts, stars as New York Giants crush Oakland Raiders, 44-7 NYDailyNews - Heel of a statement from Eli. NYDailyNews - Minus boot, Bradshaw runs wild. NYPost - Eli's heel no problem in Oakland rout. NYPost - Carr runs smoothly off bench. Giants.com - Transcript: Postgame Giants Quotes. Giants.com - Transcript: Postgame Raiders Quotes. SFChronicle - Raiders 1-4 and sinking fast. OaklandTribune - Raiders report card. Game
5 Preview - Giants (4-0) vs Oakland (1-3)
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