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| Jan 18 The Giants weren't supposed to be here, one win away from the Super Bowl. Not when their marquee offseason acquisition was David Baas. Not when they let Kevin Boss and Steve Smith go in free agency. Not when they released veteran offensive linemen Shaun O'Hara and Rich Seubert. Not when they lost 12 players -- excluding safety Chad Jones -- to season-ending injured reserve. And certainly not when they lost five of six and were 7-7 with games two remaining. Former
Giants How does everybody like Tom Coughlin now? You know who everybody wants the next Giants coach to be? Him. A guy that hard guys couldn't wait to get rid of when the Giants lost five of six in the second half of the season before finding themselves -- maybe finding the kind of greatness in them their quarterback has -- will righteously hear people begging him to stay if he wins another Super Bowl and even hints that he might be ready to ride off into the sunset. When Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning walked off the field after a terrible home loss to the Redskins in December, nobody was comparing them to Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr, or Bill Walsh and Joe Montana. Some still wanted Coughlin fired. Others argued Manning still wasn't "elite." They are two wins away from earning their second Super Bowl title together. And if they do, they might just cement future spots for themselves in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Sometimes in between expressing supreme confidence in the Giants' abilities and declaring his love for head coach Tom Coughlin's ways, Antrel Rolle tended to use the phrase "at the end of the day" a lot. So when he made his weekly appearance on WFAN radio on Tuesday, Rolle had some fun and said he was retiring "at the end of the day" when answering a question about how he has become one of the biggest leaders in the Giants locker room. There is zero percent chance the Giants will be able to operate their high-flying passing attack at peak efficiency Sunday against the 49ers in the NFC Championship. Anyone who thinks they can is all wet. After a rousing 37-20 Divisional beatdown of the defending champion Packers in the cold at Lambeau Field, go figure that a trip to northern California could be fraught with soggy peril for the Giants. The
change in the San Francisco 49ers' attitude this season might be most evident
when the defensive backs gather in a team meeting room each week to watch the
highlight video from the previous game. Secondary coach Ed Donatell counts and
compares the number of "domination hits" in a fierce and friendly competition
among players. David Baas was drafted out of Michigan in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the 49ers, one round after San Francisco, with the No. 1 overall pick, selected Alex Smith, figuring he would be their franchise quarterback for the next decade. In the past six years, Baas played in 92 games for San Francisco, starting 54. He knows quite a bit about Smith and the 49ers. There's no doubt Terrell Thomas would've rather been getting a jump on film study of the 49ers Tuesday instead of running on an AlterG anti-gravity treadmill. However, considering it was the first time he ran since undergoing surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in late September, it was a pretty good day after all. Former Giants Jan 17 Tom Coughlin doesn't agree with two questionable rulings in win over Packers. First there was the apparent fumble by Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings. On 3rd-and-10 with 6:28 remaining in the game and the Giants leading 30-13, Rodgers' pass to Donald Driver fell incomplete setting up an all-or-nothing fourth down. But Rodgers was hit by Osi Umenyiora as he released the pass and an official threw a flag, ruling the hit to be helmet-to-helmet. Once again, replays prove otherwise. Antrel Rolle says Giants 'can't be beat' heading into Sunday's NFC Championship Game against San Francisco 49ers. "It don't matter who we play. You can put an All-Star team in front of us, and we're going to go out there and compete," Rolle said. "We don't fold. No matter what happens, if there's a bad call, or things aren't going our way, we're not going to break." Hakeem
Nicks: 'I'm just scratching the surface'. Nicks answered quarterback Eli Manning's
37-yard prayer as time expired in the second quarter, sprinting downfield, turning
in the left corner of the end zone, elevating, boxing out safety Charlie Peprah
and snagging the Hail Mary pass against his helmet with his red gloves to give
the Giants a commanding 20-10 lead. Head coach Tom Coughlin praised linebacker Michael Boley, who led the Giants with nine tackles, two sacks and knocked down a pass against Green Bay. "He did an awful lot of things," Coughlin said. "He rushed the passer with the two sacks, he had hits on the quarterback, he was very physical in his tackling and he covered well. He displayed a lot of the things that he can do last night, and when he is on the field we have a lot more options then we have when he is not." Giants
to face San Francisco 49ers in rematch with a healther defense. Michael Boley
wasn't the only member of the Giants defense nicked up or out altogether. "We
didn't have a fully healthy (Justin) Tuck, Osi (Umenyiora) wasn't there,"
he said. "We were missing a lot of guys. Not to use that as an excuse. That's
just the reality of it." The Superdome was the one stop the Giants desperately needed to avoid on the road to Indy and thanks to the Niners, they will travel to Candlestick Park instead. Dynamic receiver Victor Cruz, who earlier had a huge game against the Saints with nine catches for 157 yards and two TDs, acknowledged Monday it's to the Giants advantage to be heading to San Francisco -- not New Orleans. Candlestick Park will open again for business Sunday, when the 49ers host the New York Giants in an unlikely pairing for the NFC championship. The defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers lost their bid to host the NFC final when the fell 37-20 at Lambeau Field on Sunday to the surging Giants. Victor
Cruz - If not for that electric 99-yard catch-and-run touchdown against the
Jets on Dec. 24, where would the Giants be today? Home, probably. Whenever sports
teams author the kind of special season the Giants are inking right now there
are always moments that stand out as pivotal turning points -- plays of consequence
that enable the team to continue on, to survive and advance. As they were warming up on stationary bikes prior to Monday's workout, Giants center David Baas and backup quarterback David Carr looked at each other and smiled. Their current team is just one win away from a trip to the Super Bowl, but the only way they're going to get there is if they beat their former one, the 49ers. The 49ers don't have the array of passing-game weapons that recent Giants opponents such as the Packers, Falcons and Cowboys have. They will attack the Giants differently, and the best thing the 49ers have going for them is a defense that looked fast, tough and terrifying for most of the game against the Saints on Saturday night. Jan 16 Giants win over the Packers, 37-20 | Photos | Photos | Photos | Photos
ESPN - Eli Manning brilliant as Giants oust top-seeded Packers to book spot in title game. ESPN - X's and O's: Inside the Giants' victory. ESPN - Rapid Reaction: Giants 37, Packers 20. ESPN - Nicks answers Giants' prayers before half. ESPN - In the punt for a title. Giants.com - Giants advance to NFC Championship. Giants.com - Giants vs. Packers Key Plays. Giants.com - Momemtum shifts before halftime. Giants.com - Giants Postgame Locker Room Quotes. StarLedger - Giants thump Packers, 37-20, to advance to NFC Championship Game. StarLedger - Eli Manning anchors Giants' win over Packers, showing his leadership again. StarLedger - Aaron Rodgers stymied by Giants' pass rush as Packers fall. StarLedger - Giants' secondary frustrates Packers, Aaron Rodgers, making most of second chance. StarLedger - Packers suffer a 'great letdown' to Giants at Lambeau Field. StarLedger - Giants' Chris Canty says his knee is OK but he didn't fake injury. StarLedger - New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers: Quarter by quarter. NYDailyNews - Pack Smack: Giants rout Green Bay. NYDailyNews - Out of the Blue, Giants on a run. NYDailyNews - Replay shows booth rules in Giants-Packers game. NYDailyNews - Giants, Nicks pull off Tyree-peat. NYDailyNews - Giants defense is true to Blue's past. NYDailyNews - Nicks, Cruz are Blue's dynamic duo. NYDailyNews - Eli is the Mann of the hour. NYDailyNews - Disappointed Pack wanted a win for Philbin. NYPost - Masterful Manning keeps Super run going. NYPost - Umenyiora helps strip reigning champs of title shot. NYPost - Coughlin left holding flag on fumble that "wasn't". NYPost - Onsides play proves vital. NYPost - Hail Mary before half lifts Giants over Packers. NYPost - Mara: "We'll see" if it's a special team. NYPost - Packers are own worst enemy. NYPost - Pitiful 'D' sealed Packers' fate. NYPost - Humbled Raji: Big Blue can go all the way. Record - Giants stun Packers, 37-20; next stop San Francisco, Record - Eli Manning took Giants' wheel in 2007 and he's not about to let it go. Record - Giants-Packers instant replay. JSOnline - Killer Giants: Packers' season comes to disappointing end. PackersNews - One and done: Giants eliminate Packers.r Game
18 Preview - Giants (10-7) vs Packers (15-1) Jan 15 Eli Manning can beat Aaron Rodgers -- and beat him to a second title. He can do what his brother has never done, what Phil Simms or Joe Namath or any other New York quarterback ever did. Now Manning heads to Green Bay with another shot at history. No player in NFL history has thrown more fourth-quarter touchdown passes than Manning has this season, a sign that he's at his best under pressure.
Four
years ago, the path to Super Bowl XLII traversed through Tampa Bay, Dallas
and finally this football-crazed Wisconsin outpost as the Giants won three straight
postseason road games. "This
game is going to be won by the offensive lines and defensive lines of both
teams," Diehl said. "It will take a collective determination."
It is not a glamorous position, clearly. Few of the Giant linemen grew up as little
boys wanting to block for teammates. The revived Giants defense now heads into a divisional playoff game in Green Bay Sunday having given up an average of just 294.5 yards in the last four games. In the last three games they've given up just four touchdowns, including none against the Falcons last week. In the locker room after that 24-2 win, almost every defender gave the same reason for the performance. The credit, they said, didn't only belong to the players or their health. Almost all of them gave the credit to Perry Fewell. Perry Fewell and the Giants' other much-maligned coordinator -- offensive guru Kevin Gilbride -- may not have the pulse of fans. But they know some around the NFL are praising the job they have done in helping lead the Giants (10-7) to today's rematch with the Packers (15-1), despite devastating injuries and daunting free agent losses. The
Packers torched every defense they faced in 2011 -- except Kansas City's.
The Chiefs' "Two-Man" coverage frustrated Green Bay's offense, Aaron
Rodgers completed just 17 of 35 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown -- well below
the superstar quarterback's season averages -- and Kansas City handed the Packers
their first loss of the season, 19-14, in Week 15. Jan
14 Giants-Packers
game preview: Can Giants pull upset in Green Bay? The Giants defensive line
features defensive ends with varying pass rush styles, including Osi Umenyiora
and Jason Pierre-Paul. Ahmad Bradshaw may be ailing, but until he physically needs to be carried off the field, the running back will be on it tomorrow when the Giants face the Packers in their NFC Divisional playoff game in Green Bay. Bradshaw returned to practice yesterday after missing the previous two after tweaking his back during the Giants' 24-2 Wild Card victory over the Falcons on Sunday. Steve
Tisch, the Giants Chairman and Executive President, admitted that he had "personal
frustrations" when the team was mired in a four-game losing streak and then
lost to the lowly Washington Redskins at home following a huge win at Dallas.
He believes the win over the Jets was the turning point. Packers
defensive back Tramon Williams, says Green Bay's defense, ranked last in the
NFL, is looking at tomorrow's Divisional playoff game against Big Blue as "a
clean slate." Giants safety Deon Grant will play in his 185th consecutive game Sunday against the Packers. "I woke up in Charlotte and the doctors told me I won't play again. We've got to take advantage of every opportunity we get because you never know when you are going to get another one." More than a decade later, Grant approaches everything with the Giants that way. Here's something to think about when the Giants line up against Green Bay: Excluding that first half against the Falcons, Kareem McKenzie has played perhaps his three best games of the season in the past three weeks -- all must-win scenarios. Moreover, for the third straight week, he faces the prospect of suiting up for his home state team for the final time: After four years with the Jets and seven with the Giants, the Willingboro product will be a free agent. "I
learned from Tiki (Barber) to make the most of opportunities," Green
Bay Packers running back Ryan Grant, 29, said. "When they come, just making
sure that you're ready, preparation, because you never know when they're going
to come. He was good with me and Brandon (Jacobs) our rookie year, he would talk
to us a lot about different things on and off the field." Jan 13 2011 NFL Playoff Schedule and Results Defensive
end Osi Umenyiora feels good. He's battled a high ankle sprain and had minor
surgery on his knee at the start of the season. But Umenyiora says he feels like
vintage Osi as the Giants get set to face the Packers for the right to head to
the NFC Championship game. Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell talked Thursday about his unit's improved communication in recent weeks, and singled out one player in particular: Chase Blackburn, the middle linebacker who was cut by the Giants before the season began, but brought back in late November. Giants
offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said as well as his team played Green
Bay the first time around, they can't expect to see the same game plan when they
head to Green Bay for the rematch in an NFC divisional game on Sunday. The
predicted high for Green Bay, Wisc., on Sunday is 27 degrees. The predicted
low is 23. But regardless of the weather forecast, the Giants' receivers have
already made a pact not to wear sleeves under their uniforms. Brandon Jacobs says he's fresher than he ever has been before. In the Giants' Dec. 4 meeting with the Green Bay Packers, Jacobs ran for 59 yards on just eight carries and expects to have more opportunities if the Giants have their way on Sunday. The Giants' star wideouts are workaholics. They're humble. They're generous and engaging and easy to like. In short, they bear absolutely no resemblance to the cliched profile of the diva wide receiver. There is a remarkable lack of ego about these Giants. All Corey Webster still has from the NFC Championship Game four years ago are the memories. After picking off Green Bay's Brett Favre in overtime to set up the winning field goal, the Giants' cornerback got the game ball, but gave it away to the team's inspiration, co-captain Lt. Col. Greg Gadsen. He does not much care for watching video of himself, so he has not viewed the replay of the game-changing interception. Tom Coughlin comes from the Bill Parcells coaching tree, serving as Tuna's wide receivers coach with the Giants from 1988 through 1990. If Parcells possessed the qualities that you would envision for the coach of the New York Football Giants, then there's a lot of Parcells in Coughlin. Packers' B.J. Raji not overly impressed with Giants' offensive line. "I mean, I played them once this year and once last year. I can only judge by my vantage point up front, not necessarily the most physical -- their backs are pretty physical, but not the toughest o-line," said Raji, the Green Bay Packers' defensive tackle. "Not saying they're soft, but not the toughest group I've been against." Jan
12 The
defensive players aren't the only Giants who are confident about Sunday's
game against Green Bay. A couple of offensive players like tight end Travis Beckum
and wide receiver Mario Manningham see plenty of opportunities to make plays against
the Packers' last-ranked defense. The
Packers face an additional challenge this week, after the tragic passing of
Michael Philbin, the 21-year-old son of offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. Packers
head coach Mike McCarthy was asked about how his team is handling this on a conference
call with Giants reporters on Wednesday afternoon. If there's one quarterback that's proven immue to the elements, it's New York's Eli Manning. In the 2007 NFC title game -- unfazed -- he threw for 251 yards. For Green Bay, Brett Favre didn't seem as comfortable in the frigid conditions and ended up throwing a costly interception in overtime. Both Manning and Rodgers have fared well in less-than-ideal conditions in their careers. From afar, Rodgers has admired Manning's development. Come Sunday in Green Bay, Antrel Rolle and the rest of the Giants' secondary will have to thwart Aaron Rodgers and his receiving corps of Nelson, Jennings, Finley, James Jones and Donald Driver. "I understand that they're an awesome opponent. But then again, so are we," Rolle said. On Jan. 20, 2008, with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, the Green Bay Packers lost in overtime to the New York Giants. It was cold. It was Lambeau. It was an opportunity lost. Yeah, yeah. A lot has changed since then. Aaron Rodgers replaced Brett Favre. Dom Capers replaced Bob Sanders. The Packers won - ahem - a Super Bowl. But the frostbite from that day remains. Tom Coughlin was asked if he thinks the Giants have an advantage, having already played must-win games the past three weeks, while the Packers have been sitting pretty. "We've had a lot of games that we've had to win the game or we wouldn't be in the position that we're in," Coughlin said. "I think that's a good thing, and it has built some momentum for us. But to say that a 15-1 team hasn't played pressure games, I don't know if I can totally go along with that one." It's
only natural for fans, and reporters, to think back to the 2007 NFC Championship
Game, with the Giants and Packers facing each other in the playoffs again on Sunday.
But Giants players who remain from that Super Bowl-winning team don't sound too
interested in reliving their epic 23-20 overtime victory at Lambeau Field four
years ago. Lawrence Tynes knows how much his game-winning kick against the Packers in the 2008 NFC Championship Game has meant for his career. "I wouldn't be talking to you right now," the Giants kicker said yesterday with a laugh. "If you miss three kicks in the fourth quarter of a championship game, I assume that I probably wouldn't be here, and I was on a one-year deal at the time anyway. Former
Giants Jan 11 Chase Blackburn was ready to move on with his life and take a job as a substitute middle school math teacher, he told reporters Monday. But on Nov. 29, the Giants called. They wanted him back. Blackburn had just watched his former team -- the same team that elected to go in a different direction in the offseason -- get massacred by the Saints on Monday Night Football. Cornerback Aaron Ross, forced out of the 24-2 playoff rout of the Falcons with some sort of head injury, is going to be fine. "He should be good for this week, probably be practicing [today]," a source with knowledge of Ross' condition said. Ross went down early in the third quarter last Sunday under friendly fire after Chris Canty deflected a Matt Ryan pass up into the air. The How To Beat the Packers Big Blueprint is right there for Tom Coughlin, Kevin Gilbride, Eli Manning and Perry Fewell to see on the Kansas City game tape from Dec. 18. The Chiefs and their interim head coach at the time, Romeo Crennel, shocked the Perfect Packers 19-14 at Arrowhead Stadium that day. A day after watching the Giants dominate the Atlanta Falcons 24-2 in a wild-card game, Packers coach Mike McCarthy gave a succinct analysis of what made the Giants so tough. "I though their defensive line controlled the game," McCarthy said during a somber news conference, the only media availability for the day. The Giants can stop Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers with a steady diet of Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora, and Justin Tuck. In the year of the quarterback, the Giants have to stop perhaps the quarterback of the year. Aaron Rodgers set an NFL record this season with a quarterback rating of 122.5 with 45 touchdowns against six interceptions. Jason
Pierre-Paul backed off his guarantee just a tad on Tuesday in an appearance
on WFAN radio. When asked about his Sunday guarantee about the Giants going into
Lambeau and winning, Pierre-Paul said, "If the defense, offense and special
teams, if we all do our job and go out and executed like we did on Sunday, we
should win." Whatever
list you make of the most important days in all of Giants history, one of
them will always be April 24, 2004, when Ernie Accorsi made his draft-day trade
for Eli Manning. Now he is one of three Giants quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl.
It all started in April of '04 because Accorsi went all in on Eli Manning for
the best possible reason: "I believed he had greatness in him." Former
Giants Jan
10 Special
Report - Can we talk for a minute about the officiating crew on the field
Sunday when the Giants squashed the Atlanta Falcons? 2011 NFL Playoff Schedule - Super Bowl Games through the years - MVPs and NFC East Teams are Highlighted. There's loads of information at these Links - Playoffs, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl. The
24-2 victory Sunday over the Atlanta Falcons placed the Giants in a familiar
situation: A frigid matchup with the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. The Giants
have experienced both success and failure in recent years when visiting the Packers. Aaron
Rodgers is playing better than Brett Favre did at any point in his career
and can't be counted on to throw a gift interception in the playoffs - a Favre
speciality - when the Giants try to shut him down at Lambeau Field. It's been
a magical season for Rodgers. By an unofficial count, the Giants pressured Aaron Rodgers only 14 times (plus their pair of sacks) in 50 designed passes the first time around. Tuck had a good rush to get in Rodgers' face on the Packers' final drive, but the potential MVP got rid of it quickly enough to deliver a 27-yard completion that set up the game-winning field goal. Earlier in the fourth quarter, Rodgers had all day (well, 5.4 seconds, to be exact) to throw a 7-yard touchdown to Donald Driver. Michael Boley wasn't himself when the Giants last played the Packers, a 38-35 loss at MetLife Stadium. The Giants linebacker and one of the organizing principles of the New York defense, was still nursing a hamstring injury that had kept him out of two games. Prince Amukamara was thrust into action in Sunday's 24-2 NFC wild-card win over Atlanta after Aaron Ross went down with a concussion, and played well. "As soon as I got in, Corey [Webster] told me. 'You know they're coming at you, so just play like the ball's coming to your side every time,'" Amukamara said. The Giants say they were helped by the NFL's installation of video monitors on the sideline in treating injuries to cornerback Aaron Ross and running back D.J. Ware. Both Ross and Ware sustained concussions in Sunday's victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Giants vice president of medical services Ronnie Barnes says the team's medical staff was unsure what happened with Ware and "the video replay provided us with evidence that a concussive event had occurred." Steve Weatherford, 29, was with the Jets the last two seasons, when they reached the AFC Championships in back-to-back seasons for six playoff games. Before that he played for the Saints in 2006, as they reached the NFC Championship. Including yesterday, Weatherford has played in 10 playoff games, with No. 11 on deck this weekend when the Giants head to Green Bay for a Sunday divisional playoff game. The promise was kept. Antrel Rolle declared that the Giants would face the Packers again this season "one way or another" after losing to them last month; that they would get another opportunity against the best team in the NFL. "We're a better team. We're a more confident team," compared with the Giants' play last month, Rolle said. On Sunday, Jason Pierre-Paul guaranteed that the Giants will beat the Packers in Sunday's NFC divisional playoff matchup. "We gonna win, 100 percent," JPP said after the Giants took care of the Falcons, 24-2, in their wild-card clash at MetLife Stadium. Coach Tom Coughlin would've preferred it if his All-Pro defensive end hadn't done that. You
ask Eli Manning if he ever guaranteed a victory in his life, and he looks
at you as if he's being asked to run a quarterback draw against the Ravens, up
20 points with a minute left. "No, I don't think so," Manning said Monday.
Next question. Jan 9 Giants win over the Falcons, 24-2 | Photos | Photos | Photos | Photos
ESPN - Eli Manning shreds Falcons, powers Giants to rematch with Packers. ESPN - Rapid Reaction: Giants 24, Falcons 2. ESPN - Giants' O-Line rises to occasion. ESPN - Nicks does 'The Dirty Bird'. ESPN - Giants' D fuels Brandon Jacobs. ESPN - Can they salsa in Green Bay? Giants.com - Giants advance, defeat Falcons, 24-2. Giants.com - Giants D pitches shutout. Giants.com - WR Manningham returns to form. Giants.com - Prince fills in for injured Ross. Giants.com - Postgame Giants Locker Room Quotes. StarLedger - Giants' belief in each other displayed in 24-2 victory over Atlanta Falcons. StarLedger - Falcons' fourth-down gambles can't sneak by Giants' stout defensive line. StarLedger - Offensive line paves way for big day by Giants' backs. StarLedger - Eli Manning makes unlikey key play with his feet in Giants' victory. StarLedger - After victory, renewed Giants will face Packers in rematch. StarLedger - Brandon Jacobs and running game set tone in Giants' victory. StarLedger - Giants feel confident in Perry Fewell after victory over Falcons. NYDailyNews - Giants smother Falcons in wild card rout, 24-2. NYDailyNews - Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs grind out rush job. NYDailyNews - Giants bring house to life. NYDailyNews - Falcons go for it twice on 4th down. NYDailyNews - Giants show off Big Blueprint for playoff success against Falcons. NYPost - Nicks, defense lead Giants to wild-card win over Falcons. NYPost - Giants crush Falcons; Pierre-Paul guarantees win over Packers. NYPost - Giants are peaking at right time. NYPost - Pierre-Paul leads Giants defense. NYPost - Close loss to Packers gave Giants momentum. NYPost - Giants put old-school bruising on Splatlanta. AJC.com - Falcons get outmuscled by the Giants, 24-2. AJC.com - Falcons' defense faces likely makeover. AJC.com - Grimes-less secondary no match for Giants. AJC.com - Falcons come up short in multiple ways. AJC.com - Falcons owner Arthur Blank disappointed with loss. Game
17 Preview - Giants (9-7) vs Falcons (10-6) Jan 8 2011 NFL Playoff Schedule and Results Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks combined for 2,728 receiving yards this season, the highest total of any WR pairing in the NFL, and they racked up 16 TDs. Contain one, says Atlanta coach Mike Smith, and the other will destroy you. The Falcons plan to mix up their defenses in hopes of keeping both guys off-balance. Eli Manning delivered a Super Bowl championship four years ago when no one thought he could, and today it is time for him to put his stamp on a special delivery postmarked New York, N.Y. It is time for Manning to show New York, show Giants fans inside MetLife Stadium, how an elite quarterback gets things done in the playoffs. The late-night preparation no doubt centered on how to best deal with Matt Ryan and a well-balanced Falcons offense and how to find some yards on the ground against one of the league's top defenses at stopping the run. Private
moments are rare for Victor Cruz these days. His salsa dance in the end zone
to celebrate his touchdowns has caused quite a stir. Reporters with television
cameras have flocked to his locker in droves for interviews. His journey to the
Giants was far from easy, which is likely the greatest reason his story is so
appealing to so many. As a Queens native who grew up following every move the Giants made in the 1950s and '60s, Arthur Blank is now owner of the Falcons. "I was a diehard Giants fan," Blank said in an exclusive interview yesterday. "I spent many a Sunday watching Sam Huff go at it with Jim Brown and the other great players of the day. If I wasn't in front of a TV when the Giants were playing, then you can be sure I had my ear glued to a radio." Former
Giants Jan 7 Cruz owns the fourth quarter. Here's something you may not know about the 25-year-old wide receiver, who has risen from anonymity to superstardom this season: he led the league in all major receiving categories in the fourth quarter, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Receptions: 39 Receiving yards: 692 Receiving touchdowns: 6 First downs: 24. Former Giants Jan
6 Coming
off perhaps their best two-week defensive stretch of the season, the Giants
defensive coordinator Perry Fewell acknowledged that he has seen more confidence
from his team in practice and much more communication. Osi Umenyiora is smiling. Laughing, actually. Talking about "really cherishing this opportunity, probably more than anybody." He did not say it and did not have to: Umenyiora thinks this is his last season with the Giants and is looking to go out in style, starting in Sunday's NFL wild-card game against the Falcons at MetLife Stadium. He goes by the name of Jason Pierre-Paul, and there isn't a Giants fan who isn't thrilled he is attacking the other quarterback, and there isn't an opposing quarterback (Matt Ryan this time), left tackle (Will Svitek) or offensive coordinator (Mike Mularkey) who sleeps peacefully in the nights before they have to confront this 6-foot-5, 290-pound destroyer. The
Giants finished the regular season with the worst rushing offense in the NFL,
averaging just 89.2 yards per game on the ground. But running backs Brandon Jacobs
and Ahmad Bradshaw both feel confident they can have success against the Falcons
on Sunday. It
may have taken until the final two weeks of the season, but the Giants finally
think they're playing their best football. And as recent history tells us -- see
the 2010 Green Bay Packers -- there's no better time to play your best football
than when entering the playoffs. The
Giants have not played a postseason game in almost three years -- since Jan.
11, 2008, a 23-11 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Several key players from that
season are still with Big Blue, but many others are new, some of whom have never
played in a playoff game before. Jan
5 Special
Report - Defensive end Justin Tuck, you'll remember, referred to the Atlanta
Falcon's offensive linemen as "dirt bags" the other day. Wednesday head coach
Tom Coughlin was asked if he heard and did he think it was going to be damaging
or beneficial to the Giants on Sunday, when they attempt to get past the Falcons
and into the next round of the post-season playoffs. "I have no idea what that's
all about," he said, trying hard to restrain a small smile from visiting his mouth.
"I'm not even going to comment on that one. I'm not going there." Falcons'
offensive linemen say they aren't a group of 'dirtbags'. "I know we definitely
don't do things after the whistle because it's illegal, you'll get a 15-yard penalty,
A, and you'll get a fine from the league office, B," starting left tackle, Will
Svitek, said. "We don't want either of those, like I said, I think we play to
the whistle. The
days of watching are nearing an end, Jake Ballard hopes. The Giants tight
end yesterday was able to practice on a limited basis, taking part in individual
drills and even taking a few reps in the team periods. In
just his second year out of South Florida, Pierre-Paul posted a total of 16.5
sacks, becoming only the third Giant in history with at least 16 in a season.
The other two? Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor and Michael Strahan. There
was more to the Giants in 2007 than Manning's golden arm. They had a relentless
defense and a powerful running game. The Giants didn't need the quarterback to
carry them through the postseason. Now they do. The 31-year-old quarterback may
disagree, but the truth is the Giants' playoff hopes rest on him beginning Sunday
in their wild-card playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Meadowlands. The Giants began the postseason by repeating a refrain we often heard in the regular season: they believe they can and will run the ball better. The difference now is it might be imperative to keeping their season alive. They did improve down the stretch, running for at least 100 yards in four of their last five games to match their total for the first 11 games. The long-standing cliche is teams must run the ball well to succeed at this time of year. That is particularly true of teams that play outdoors in the Northeast, where precipitation and wind can be huge factors in postseason games. The Giants will be doing everything they can to shut down Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan on Sunday. But Ryan does have a few friends on Big Blue. Linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka, guard Chris Snee, cornerback Will Blackmon and linebacker Mark Herzlich all were teammates of Ryan's at Boston College. It
was personal for Michael Boley the first time he faced the Atlanta Falcons.
But the New York Giants linebacker said there won't be any added emotions on Sunday
when he faces his old team again in the playoffs. "I am in a better situation,"
Boley said. "Looking back, I couldn't even think of a place I would rather
be right now.". Jan
4 2011
NFL Playoff Schedule - Super Bowl Games through the years - MVPs and NFC East
Teams are Highlighted. There's loads of information at these Links - Playoffs,
Super Bowl and Pro Bowl. Justin Tuck finally looks healthy. Osi Umenyiora finally has returned. And Jason Pierre-Paul continues to be a monster. The Giants' intimidating pass rush is whole again, tying a season high with six sacks against Dallas. And it's as talented as any in team history, according to some of the franchise's best at getting after the quarterback. Retired Giants great Michael Strahan called them the "Trifecta." Mathias Kiwanuka was one of the first players on the field Sunday, warming up in a steady rain at MetLife Stadium. He was going through his run "fits," imagining himself coming downhill and meeting a lead blocker and/or the ball carrier. About three hours later, on the first play from scrimmage in the Giants' game against the Cowboys, Kiwanuka flew into the backfield where he wrapped up Felix Jones and brought him down for a loss of 1 yard. When you take the Falcons out of a dome, you take a lot out of the Falcons. Take them out of Atlanta, for that matter, and they're not the same team. MetLife Stadium is expected to be cold and rainy Sunday afternoon, which is good news for the Giants in light of Atlanta's struggles in the relatively few open-air games it played this season. In the heart of New England, Victor Cruz remembers watching the Giants make their magical run to the Super Bowl back in 2008. Four years later, the wide receiver is going to try to help the team orchestrate another run to the Super Bowl. Cruz is entering the playoffs for the first time in his career after finishing the season third in the NFL with 1,536 receiving yards. On Sunday, MetLife Stadium gets a splendid, sonorous introduction to playoff football, the Giants welcoming the Falcons, first playoff game in the new house. It's perfect. After listening to the other guys in town drone on about how necessary home games in the playoffs are, the Jets will spend their weekend watching the Giants illustrate their point. The Giants are 20-1 shots to win Super Bowl XLVI and 10-1 shots to get there, according to odds posted at Bovada.lv. They are the seventh choice of the 12 teams in the playoffs to win the title, behind the Green Bay Packers (9-5), New England Patriots (4-1), New Orleans Saints (9-2), Baltimore Ravens (8-1), Pittsburgh Steelers (11-1) and San Francisco 49ers (11-1). During the 2007 regular season, Eli Manning threw for 3,336 yards and 23 touchdowns. This season, he totaled 4,933 yards and 29 TDs. That's nearly a 50% increase in passing yards, an astounding leap. Meanwhile, the rushing numbers have deteriorated dramatically. The Giants are one of seven teams since 2002 that have made the playoffs despite being outscored in the regular season. Of the three teams that won their first-round game, none won in the divisional round. So that means none of the teams that advanced made it to the conference championship game. None of this means the Giants can't get that far. It's just some historical perspective. They were a fingertip away from beating the 49ers and they took the then-undefeated Packers all the way down to the final seconds. Those are the top two seeds in the NFC playoffs. No wonder the Giants will open in the postseason Sunday thinking: Why not us? "When we play like we played in those games? Yeah," said Giants defensive end Justin Tuck. Sunday night's battle for the NFC East title between the Giants and Cowboys was the type of game every football player dreams of playing in: a high-stakes affair under the spotlight on national television. Ramses Barden expected to be a part of it. The 6-foot-6 wide receiver had been active in each of the eight games since he was activated off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list before Week 9. But he was one of the seven players ruled inactive by the team against the Cowboys. Jan
3 Giants'
Justin Tuck: 'Most people' would call the Falcons' offensive line 'dirt bags'.
To say the Atlanta Falcons offensive line doesn't have have the best reputation
around the league would be an understatement. Earlier this season, several Green
Bay Packers players including nose tackle B.J. Raji and linebacker A.J. Hawk were
unhappy with what Raji called "cheap stuff, " such as hitting players
after the whistle, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Mathias
Kiwanuka and Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan played together at Boston College
in 2004-05, with Ryan leading the team for two more seasons after Kiwanuka finished
up his eligibility. In that short time together, Ryan left a favorable impression
on Kiwanuka. "He had no fear," Kiwanuka said. Last
January, Antrel Rolle expressed his desire to play for a coach like the Jets
have with fun-loving Rex Ryan. Now, the second-year Giants safety says he couldn't
be happier with the hand he was dealt. "It more had to do with me as opposed
to him," Rolle said. "I'm not an easy cookie all the time. I understand
that, but he knows I mean well...I was a little stubborn. He's the boss man and
we're his soldiers. So we got to get with his program. And it works." The
thought won't go away that much of this Giants season was fueled by a miracle.
Victor Cruz's emergence was not something one could predict, and this is something
we may never see again. So now this 25-year-old kid -- who in August was on the
preseason bubble, who couldn't run a decent route, who couldn't hold onto the
ball -- is a household name. No one believed the Giants could make a Super Bowl run four years ago, and no one believes they can make one now. But as the Road to Indianapolis begins Sunday against the Falcons in East Rutherford, suddenly there are more than a few reasons why fans can believe in the Giants again, not the least of which is they believe in themselves. Tight
end Jake Ballard and linebacker Mark Herzlich are both going to run on Tuesday
as they try to return for the playoffs, according to head coach Tom Coughlin.
Ballard has missed the past two games after spraining his PCL against Washington
on Dec. 18. Herzlich missed the final five games of the regular season after suffering
a high ankle sprain against the Saints on Nov. 28. Jan 2 Giants win over the Cowboys, 31-14 | Photos | Photos | Photos | Photos
ESPN - Eli Manning, Giants finish off Cowboys, surge to NFC East title. ESPN - Rapid Reaction: Giants 31, Cowboys 14. ESPN - Playoff-bound Giants: Anything's possible. ESPN - Giants validate GM's claim from August. ESPN - Victor Cruz-es into the record books. ESPN - Eli Manning: 'Elite' NFL QB indeed. ESPN - Bradshaw makes it count against Dallas. ESPN - Big Blue's D dominates with 'all in' effort. ESPN - Osi returns with a pair of sacks. Giants.com - Giants Crowned NFC East Champions! Giants.com - A Giant Coin Toss for Defense. Giants.com - Giants "Hurdle" their way to victory. Giants.com - Giants vs. Cowboys Postgame Notes. Giants.com - Quotes from the Giants Locker Room. Giants.com - DE Justin Tuck on overall play of D. Giants.com - RB Brandon Jacobs on defeating Cowboys. Giants.com - QB Eli Manning on win over Dallas. Giants.com - WR Victor Cruz on his Big Plays. StarLedger - Giants trump Cowboys, 31-14, to win NFC East, return to playoffs. StarLedger - Giants beat the Cowboys, 31-14, to win NFC East title. StarLedger - Victor Cruz torches Dallas Cowboys' secondary. StarLedger - Tony Romo pummeled in Osi Umenyiora's return. StarLedger - Giants get big breaks in win over Dallas Cowboys. StarLedger - Giants are storming into the playoffs after beating Dallas Cowboys. StarLedger - Giants vs. Atlanta Falcons: A look ahead at the playoff matchup. NYDailyNews - Victors! Giants top 'Boys, win NFC East. NYDailyNews - Giants defense roughs up Romo, who gets no help from his teammates. NYDailyNews - Cruz makes big plays to help Big Blue beat Cowboys for NFC East title. NYDailyNews - Osi Umenyiora makes big impact in return from ankle injury. NYDailyNews - Justin Tuck says Big Blue can win Super Bowl XLVI. NYPost - Cowboys QB Romo won't blame injured hand for loss. NYPost - Jones watches his Cowboys blow it. NYPost - Umenyiora returns to help Giants sack Cowboys. NYPost - Manning proves he is an elite QB. NYPost - Giants coach Coughlin refuses to look back. NYPost - Giants GM says schedule 'battle-tested' team for postseason. NYPost - Falcons offense big test for Giants. NYPost - Giants win NFC East after routing Cowboys. Record - Big Blue's late run was Cruz-controlled. Record - Giants win NFC East with 31-14 victory over Cowboys. Record - Giants' reaction to Sunday night's victory. DallasNews - Cowboys didn't deserve playoff bid; don't blame Romo. DallasNews - Cowboys' late-season collapse is complete with 4th loss in 5 games. ExpressNews - Eli again does what Romo may never do . NFC
East News Game
16 Preview - Giants (8-7) vs Cowboys (8-7) -- Happy New Year from Everyone at TeamGiants.com -- Jan 1 Justin Tuck and Brandon Jacobs represent so much than can be different in a football-playing personality. One plays defense, the other offense. One is relatively quiet and dignified, the other loud and brash. One is assured of his Giants' future, the other might be playing his last game in a Giants uniform. By rediscovering the old, dominant football versions of themselves, they helped the Giants rediscover a path to the postseason. Brandon Jacobs sums up what it's been like being a New York Giant. "It's been one of the most exciting highlights of my life. It gave me an opportunity to do what I love to do, and it's a great organization. I can't say enough good stuff about the Mara family and the Tisch family. I got a chance to be close to both families." The Cowboys have maintained that Romo suffered only a bruised right hand when it nailed Jason Babin's helmet on his second throw in the loss a week ago yesteray against the Eagles. But the hand was badly swollen, and Romo didn't return to the game - though it turned out to be meaningless anyway - and it could very well be worse than the Cowboys are letting on. What more could you ask for in the final game of the season? The Giants vs. the Cowboys in a winner-take-all for the NFC East championship. Eli Manning vs. Tony Romo. Tom Coughlin vs. Jerry Jones, oops, Jason Garrett. The Giants' three Super Bowl trophies vs. the Cowboys' five Lombardis. New York strip steak and pizza vs. chicken fried steak and nachos. This always seemed inevitable, right from the moment the NFL released the schedule in April. When they put the Giants and the Cowboys together on the final day of the regular season, somehow, some way, it was destined to come down to this. Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware had 12 sacks in the first seven games for the Cowboys, putting him on pace for 27 sacks, which would have easily broken Michael Strahan's single-season NFL record of 22 1/2 sacks. Ware has six sacks in his last eight games and he didn't drop Eli Manning even once three weeks ago, thanks mainly to the work of David Diehl at left tackle. As the Giants' offense came to the line late in the game against the Dallas Cowboys three weeks ago, Kevin Gilbride noticed it: Two Dallas defensive backs lined up over Victor Cruz in the slot. Gilbride said we'd know Cruz had arrived when he faced his first double team. There it was, 12 weeks after his two-touchdown performance against the Philadelphia Eagles proved he was more than a preseason sensation. If Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks can duplicate his previous effort against Dallas on Sunday - the one in which he exploded for a season-high 163 yards on eight receptions in the Dec. 11 Giants win - Big Blue could catch a playoff berth. Of course, the Nicks who appeared on the field in Big D earlier this month wasn't nursing a sore hamstring like the one Nicks is dealing with right now. Best-case scenario for Jake Ballard? The Giants beat the Cowboys on Sunday night and he returns to the field for their playoff game next week. Worst-case? He is forced to watch the Giants' season end from the sidelines on Sunday night. Either way, sitting out at such a critical juncture in the season has been "killing" Ballard. There
are Coughlin slogans sprinkled all over the Timex Performance Center: If You
Can Not Find It In Yourself, Where Will You Go For It? | A Goal Is Only As Worthy
As The Effort That Is Required To Achieve It. | Big Blue Warrior Creed: Keep Your
Eye On The Prize, No Challenge Is Too Difficult, No Sacrifice Or Self-Denial Too
Great, Team First! | "I Am A Fighter, I Fight Where I Am Told, And I Win
Where I Fight." - George Patton They
make it too easy to hate them (1). This, in itself, is a reason to hate the
Dallas Cowboys. It can be a challenge for fans to muster venom for some teams.
The Cowboys? Hating the Cowboys is like hating beets or telemarketers. Former
Giants Dec 31 Tony Romo may have a bruised hand, but he runs the NFL's eighth-ranked passing attack (263.3 yards per game) with a number of weapons that include Jason Witten, Miles Austin, Bryant and Laurent Robinson. The Cowboys compiled 321 passing yards and four touchdowns earlier this month against the overmatched Giants' secondary. But the defensive backs said that won't happen again. Mike Garafolo-The Star-Ledger: "I'm already on record as saying I smell an easy Giants victory here. Though I dropped that on SNY on Tuesday before I knew the extent of Hakeem Nicks' hamstring issue, I'm going to stick with it. Folks have been asking if I sense the same pep in the Giants' step this week as I did a week ago. I've been telling them it's not as noticeable as it was a week ago but that doesn't mean it's not there. Tom Coughlin was pleased with what he saw." Cowboys beat writer Brandon George: "Why I'm picking Giants over Cowboys in NFC East title showdown - The injuries certainly haven't helped, but the fact of the matter is the Cowboys aren't as talented as they think they are. The proof is in the pudding. Look at the records and lack of success. The Cowboys should have a better record considering the easy schedule they've had this year. It makes you wonder what their record will be next year when they face a much tougher schedule." Although Eli Manning comes off his two worst statistical performances (51.9 passer rating) of the season, he has lit up the Cowboys throughout his entire career. Manning delights in beating the Cowboys with big plays and, next to Aaron Rodgers, he is the most accurate deep passer in the league. He's fearless, and that puts Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan in a dilemma. Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said Jake Ballard's absence is critical, pointing to his performance at the end of the first Cowboys meeting. "In the game in Dallas he was huge...they started using a technique that I hadn't seen until I happened to be watching television and saw Romeo Crennel do it in Kansas City and all of a sudden they were doing it," Gilbride said. "They were putting two guys in like a punt coverage against Victor and we couldn't win with Victor, so we had to win somewhere else." Receiver Hakeem Nicks is looking forward to Sunday night's game against Dallas after testing out his hamstring on Friday and not experiencing any setbacks. Nicks had a fantastic game against Dallas in the first meeting, catching eight passes for a season-high 163 yards. "When we run the ball we win, man," Ahmad Bradshaw said yesterday as the Giants prepared for tomorrow's NFC East-deciding clash at MetLife Stadium. "When we're successful with it, we have a good time out there." "An animal," Deon Grant said. "Because he's quick, he's got good speed, and his vision is amazing so you have to deal with a complete back, and that's a full load. A healthy Ahmad is something I'll take on my team any day." It shouldn't be forgotten that a significant portion of the roster hasn't been able to experience what the playoffs feel like firsthand. The revved-up intensity; the spotlight; the emotion. That group includes 21 players who have entered the league over the past three years -- and the entire wide receiving corps. Not bad for an "old" guy. Giants running back D.J. Ware crashed into head coach Tom Coughlin's leg during Saturday's game and Coughlin held his ground, earning compliments from his running back for his toughness on Friday. "He's old so you hit an old guy like that and he stands up, that's pretty good," Ware said. As
a rookie, Sunday night will mark the biggest game of Prince Amukamara's career
to date. "This is huge," the cornerback said. The rookie isn't approaching this
game any differently despite not knowing how much he may or may not be involved
in the defensive gameplan. Dec
30 Justin
Tuck was trying to explain how long it feels like since the Giants last made
the playoffs, and this is what he came up with before he realized he wasn't exactly
driving home his point: "It seems like years," he said. Of course, it
is years -- two years, 11 months and 19 days since the Giants last played in the
postseason, to be exact. After
pushing himself just a bit on Wednesday, Osi Umenyiora yesterday did even
more in practice to test out his ankle. The pass-rushing defensive end would not
say if he will play in Sunday's game against the Cowboys but made it clear what
is going to happen this weekend. "My gut feeling? We're really not allowed
to answer questions like that," Umenyiora said. "I have to defer to
Coach [Tom] Coughlin about that." Umenyiora then smiled and whispered: "Yes." Emmitt
Smith knows a thing or two about the type of "mental toughness"
it takes to march into the Meadowlands and help beat the Giants with the NFC East
title hanging in the balance. The former Dallas great just isn't sure if Tony
Romo and the current Cowboys have what it takes. Brandon
Jacobs doesn't "hate" the Dallas Cowboys the way that Justin Tuck
does. But he sure does hate their "loud, obnoxious" fans. Now, Jacobs
expects unconditional support from the Giants' faithful on Sunday night. He predicted
"the stadium should be crazy" given everything that's at stake for everyone
involved. The fact that the game is against the Cowboys - and their annoying fans
- makes it even better. Dec
29 The
Giants keep insisting that they are "all in" for their winner-take-all
finale against the Cowboys, and apparently they're not kidding. Even Osi Umenyiora
looks like he's "in" this week. The return of the two-time Pro Bowler
couldnrt have come at a better time. The
Cowboys were evasive about quarterback Tony Romo's status yesterday, but he
made it clear he plans to play Sunday night against the Giants. Local media members
normally are allowed to view the first 25 minutes of practice, but yesterday they
were kept from seeing the first 15 minutes when Romo usually has a throwing session. With the biggest game of the season on tap for Sunday, three of the Giants' top targets were on the injury report. Receiver Mario Manningham was limited in practice while receiver Hakeem Nicks and tight end Jake Ballard did not practice. The only receiver to not be on the injury report was Victor Cruz. Hakeem
Nicks believes his ability to get deep was zapped after he reinjured his hamstring
in the first quarter Saturday against the Jets. But the receiver expects to be
ready when the Giants face Dallas for the NFC East title Sunday night. Nicks has
had multiple drops in his past two games, and he was limited to just one catch
for 20 yards while covered often by Darrelle Revis in the Giants'' 29-14 win on
Christmas Eve. Victor
Cruz isn't going to lie. The receiver was a little surprised he wasn't named
to the NFL Pro Bowl roster, instead being nominated as a second alternative. "You
always want to come in and be optimistic and understand that all those guys [who]
made it deserve it, and they all had a heck of a year," Cruz said. Dec
28 Jason
Pierre-Paul and Eli Manning named to the Pro Bowl; Victor Cruz snubbed. After
recording 4 1/2 sacks his rookie season, Pierre-Paul ranks fourth in the NFL in
sacks with 15 1/2 this year and has started 11 of the 15 games. After weeks of confused defensive backs allowing receivers to run free through the secondary, the Giants' cornerbacks and safeties knew what they were doing against the Jets, and it showed. They got their hands on eight passes (six knocked away and two intercepted), held Mark Sanchez to only 258 yards passing (a small number considering he threw the ball 59 times for an average of only 4.4 yards per attempt) and forced Sanchez to hold the ball on a few sacks. It is impossible to even remotely consider John Mara or GM Jerry Reese high-tailing it down to the sideline - in full view of everyone, showing who really runs the show - to "suggest" to Tom Coughlin how to properly deploy his personnel. Ownership style is merely one glaring difference between these franchises. Jerry Jones will make sure his presence is seen and heard Sunday at MetLife Stadium on a night when the Giants seek to clinch a division title, claim a playoff berth and once again attempt to see arrogance humbled. It's easy to remember what nearly went so wrong for the Giants in Dallas on Dec. 11, when they had to furiously rally for a 37-34 win that kept their season alive. As a result, the Giants got a great example of what to do and what not to do on Sunday night in the most important game this rivalry has seen since the 2007 division playoffs. The keys to a Giants victory should be fresh in their mind, and abundantly clear. Eli Manning has won a Super Bowl. Tony Romo has not. Manning has the big-game reputation. Romo does not. Romo has a bruised throwing hand. Manning does not. Come Sunday night, this could mean everything ... or nothing. Because this is winner-take-all, where anything, and everything, can happen. The Post takes a look at Manning versus Romo through the years (Romo missed a game in 2008 and another last year with injuries). When it comes to inconclusive video replays that have gone against his team, Giants coach Tom Coughlin has seen it all in 2011. "It's incredible, really. I guess someone else would argue from the other side, 'What do you mean it's inconclusive? The information is there for us. We make the call,' said Coughlin who has lost his last seven challenges. "A lot of times I make a challenge simply because I don't want to live with 'what if?'" Cris
Collinsworth won't avoid Antrel Rolle at the Meadowlands this week when he
arrives with NBC's Sunday Night Football crew. He's even willing to apologize
for saying the Giants safety was "barbecued" on a fourth-quarter touchdown
pass in Dallas three weeks ago. But only if someone proves that he was wrong. Dec 27 Hobbling on his injured left leg, Coughlin arrived at the Giants' facility Monday still hurting from the hit. He said he did not seek medical attention for the injury, and did not expect to in the near future. He also has no plans to coach from the press box Sunday. Cruz
should be Pro Bowler, but will he? Cruz may not make it, though, because his
name wasn't on the fan ballot, which accounts for one-third of the vote. The NFC
and AFC rosters will be unveiled on Tuesday night. The Giants and Ahmad Bradshaw will look to maintain their intensity Sunday night against the Cowboys. "There have been times we played teams we knew we were better than and we just came out and didn't show it," linebacker Michael Boley said Monday. The
stage is set for the Giants to get everything they've fought for all season.
They couldn't ask for much more than a winner-take-all game against the Dallas
Cowboys on Sunday night for the NFC East title. The
defensive players considered their recent performances unacceptable and vowed
to improve against the Jets. After a strong outing Saturday they're certain they
can carry that kind of strong performance forward against the Cowboys and beyond. Dec
26 Giants
will face Cowboys in regular-season finale with a lot on the line, but their
playoffs have already started. Sunday's matchup will be the second time the teams
face each other in less than a month, and having such a high-stakes divisional
game for the last weekend of the season is exactly what the NFL was aiming for
when it decided to group divisional games at the end of the regular season. The
2011 Giants have played 900 minutes of football, alternately inspiring and
indefensible football, and only these next 60 minutes, these last 60 minutes against
the Cowboys Sunday night, will truly define who they are, and what they are made
of. It will not be a referendum on who Coughlin is, or what he is made of. It
should be on which Giants players go, and which Giants players stay. It is no coincidence that Eli Manning struggled to locate open receivers in the 29-14 victory over the Jets, as he had to make do without two targets, Mario Manningham and tight end Jake Ballard, who have combined for 77 receptions and eight touchdowns this season. The Giants are hoping both of those players will mend in time for Sunday night's first-place NFC East showdown with the Cowboys. The Giants' running game was nonexistent at the beginning of Saturday's game -- but rebounded to finish strong. For the third time in their past four games, the Giants rushed for more than 100 yards as they tallied 115 on the ground in their 29-14 win over the Jets. The Giants had a measly six yards on seven carries at the half before exploding in the second half. Giants defensive end Justin Tuck has always had respect for Tom Coughlin, the only coach he's ever known in his seven-year NFL career. But this week, Tuck gained an even greater appreciation for Coughlin. Prior to Saturday's game against the Jets, Coughlin met with Tuck and spoke to him. Dec 25 Giants win over the Jets, 29-14 | Photos | Photos
ESPN - Giants silence tumbling Jets to move 1 win from NFC East title. ESPN - Rapid Reaction: Giants 29, Jets 14. ESPN - Giants watch as big calls go the other way. ESPN - Revis wins battle against Giants receivers. ESPN - Giants' defense lets its play do the talking. ESPN - Cruz changes game with 99-yard touchdown. ESPN - Captain Plaxico lackluster. Giants.com - Giants Defeat Jets, 29-14. Giants.com - Giants vs. Dallas Game Moved to 8:20 p.m. Giants.com - Secondary shuts down Jets WR's. Giants.com - Coughlin takes hit, enjoys victory. Giants.com - Postgame Giants Player Reaction. Giants.com - Postgame DE Justin Tuck. Giants.com - Postgame QB Eli Manning on Jets Win. Giants.com - Postgame Coach Coughlin Q/A. StarLedger - Giants show Jets they're still unrivaled with 29-14 victory on Christmas Eve. StarLedger - Plaxico Burress bottled up by his former team. StarLedger - Jets know all about Giants' Victor Cruz after loss. StarLedger - Mark Sanchez has a rough, busy day in Jets' loss to Giants. StarLedger - Giants proudly display Super Bowl logos after Jets cover them up. StarLedger - Jets' Rex Ryan may have caused more trouble against Giants with his big talk. StarLedger - Giants' Tom Coughlin beats Jets' Rex Ryan, but doesn't need to say so. NYDailyNews - Giants make sure Jets have Blue X-Mas. NYDailyNews - Rex, Jacobs trade curses after game. NYDailyNews - Jacobs, Rex profane run-in is lowlight of rivalry. NYDailyNews - Giants fans crow, Jets fans stew. NYDailyNews - Ailing Tuck puts hurt on Jets. NYDailyNews - Jets get caught up in the pass. NYDailyNews - Win dulls Coughlin's pain. NYDailyNews - Plaxico fires blanks against Giants . NYDailyNews - Rex owns nothing. NYPost - Giants crush Jets 29-14. NYPost - Cruz makes like Dasher on 99-yard TD. NYPost - After Giants' big win, Jacobs calls Ryan 'disrespectful bastard'. NYPost - Big Blue's 'D' finally steps up when called upon. NYPost - Stagnant Giants' ground game comes alive in second half. NYPost - Giants' secondary grounds Jets. NYPost - Banner day for Giants. NYPost - Coughlin's OK after taking hit to the knee. Record - Giants notes: Record day for Paterson's Victor Cruz. Record - Giants-Jets replay. NFC East
News Game
15 Preview - Giants (7-7) vs Jets (8-6) Dec
24 It
is finally here. The talking is done. The boasting is finished. It is time
to play the game. Depending on what colors you're wearing today: it's Jets-Giants
or Giants-Jets. When 1 p.m. hits at MetLife Stadium, the words of this week disappear,
and the "Fight Before Christmas" gets settled on the field. "Gentlemen,"
Tom Coughlin told them, "You've created the greatest opportunity in the
world for yourselves if we win two games. Win the division and we're in the playoffs.
"And that's exactly what the goal was at the beginning of the year." Perry
Fewell has a game plan that's getting the Giants defense riled up to face
the Jets. "We've got our playmakers on the field. We're putting guys in position
to make plays. It's going to show. You'll see what happens." Phillips wasn't
alone in his optimism. Justin Tuck said "there is kind of bad blood between" the Jets and Giants. The Jets put a picture of Eli Manning being crushed from behind by Calvin Pace on the cover of the Jets' defensive playbook. This week's photo is of Manning being pummeled by Pace on a hit from behind with his helmet jarred loose. The photo comes moments before he was slammed forward into Jim Leonhard's helmet, which opened a bloody gash on the quarterback's forehead in the Giants-Jets 2010 preseason game. One
Super Bowl trumps two AFC title games, and until Sanchez gets on a run like
the one that carried Manning past Tom Brady and Co. in Super Bowl XLII, he's forced
to play the one part his coach Rex Ryan can't stomach: little brother. When the Giants look at Mark Sanchez, they see a quarterback who can be forced into making mistakes. All they have to do is get to him. Unfortunately, getting to the quarterback hasn't been easy for the Giants over the past eight weeks. Even if the Giants' offensive line can keep the Jets away from quarterback Eli Manning, Manning will need his receivers to catch the ball. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Giants receivers have 28 dropped passes this season, second-most in the league behind the Cleveland Browns. David Baas revealed that his migraines are a symptom of previous neck injury. They were so intense his wife, Elizabeth, pleaded with the Giants' center earlier this season to tell the team's medical staff. "I said, 'You got to say something. Something isn't right,'" she said in a phone interview Friday. Prince Amukamara's benching did not sit too well with the rookie. Then again, Amukamara did not even know he had been benched at the time. "My coach didn't tell me 'Prince, we're sitting you, we're benching you because you're not playing well.' They just told me they were going with a different package." NFC
East News Dec
23 Jets'
playbook cover features Calvin Pace's hit on Giants' Eli Manning in 2010.
Coach Rex Ryan said it was the perfect cover to encapsulate how intense the last
two preseason games have been between the Jets and Giants, and what the Jets can
expect Saturday. If ever there was a team that needed a good, swift kick, it's this current group of Giants, who looked lifeless against the Redskins on Sunday and now face a do-or-die game against the remarkably arrogant Jets. They need something to get their attention, someone to shake them out of their slump. But their biggest problem is they have no one capable of doing the job. Giants
safety Kenny Phillips, fresh off his interception against the Redskins, likes
the Giants' chances on Saturday against the Redskins. Santonio Holmes said the
Giants' secondary misses a lot of tackles and can be beat over the top. A
trio of Giants receivers made clear this week they are not afraid of Darrelle
Revis or his eponymous island. The response from the Jets cornerback? While Travis Beckum is on his way back, Jake Ballard is on his way out. The Giants' starting tight end, a pleasant surprise this season for a team in desperate need of a pass catcher after the loss of Kevin Boss, will miss his first game because of a knee injury suffered Sunday. The Giants have a problem getting off the field. For the first time since the 1970 merger, five straight opponents have converted at least 50 percent of third downs against the Giants, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. "We just have to execute better," Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said. Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara isn't sure if he was benched or not in Sunday's loss to the Redskins. Either way, the rookie has vowed to bounce back. After
undergoing a series of tests and receiving effective medication, David Baas
is set to start Saturday against the Jets. And usually having your starting center
and prized free-agent signing return from injury is unquestionably a boost for
a team. Yet, the statistics may prove otherwise. |
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