The secret to success - and lack thereof - for receivers within the Giants' offense is found inside the mind of Eli Manning. Preparation and communication matter as much as talent in unlocking those clues, often revealing nuances that can be the difference between game-saving touchdowns in victory and game-breaking takeaways that result in defeat.
Turnovers have been a glaring problem for the Giants -- on both sides of the ball. Their ridiculously wanton ways on offense are well-documented, as the Giants entered this weekend leading the NFL in turnovers, with a hard-to-believe 23 committed, an average of nearly four per game.

NFC East News
Cowboys 17 - Eagles 3. If this was the class of the NFC East, then the NFC East has no class. The Eagles played for first place in their division and lost, to a sloppy, depleted Cowboys team that showed up without bullets. Then again, the Eagles brought knives to this gunfight. Dull knives.
Redskins 45 - Bears 41. The Redskins remain in rough shape at 2-4 with a trip to powerhouse Denver looming next week. But more positive signs from their quarterback on Sunday infused a new level of optimism for a team that began the season 0-3.

OCT 20 A season ago, a 6-6, 265-pound Martellus Bennett arrived from Dallas and instantly morphed from blocking tight end into popular Manning target, catching 55 passes. Myers hasn't made that same transition. At 6-3, he's the shortest starting tight end Manning has ever played with, and he's had trouble being a downfield threat. He's gone without a catch in two of his last three games. He was thrown to once last Thursday, resulting in the interception.

At some point the Giants know they will have to think about a Manning heir apparent, but that moment may still be three, four or even five years away. There's also some merit to the argument that a team should grab a franchise quarterback whenever that chance comes. Accorsi believed that, which is why he made the bold trade for Manning despite having a solid, strong-armed quarterback in Kerry Collins on the roster.

The Giants hoped and expected to get a few rushing attempts Monday night for newly-signed veteran Peyton Hillis, but were not planning on giving him too much of a workload, considering he had been with the team for only a few days. That plan might have to change, depending on the availability of Brandon Jacobs.

In the Giants locker room, Kiwanuka has served as the resident medical expert for any player dealing with a significant neck injury. His latest patient is David Wilson, the second-year running back who was recently diagnosed with a herniated disc and a case of spinal stenosis. According to multiple people briefed on the matter who requested anonymity to speak freely, Wilson's case is comparable to Kiwanuka's in many aspects. Wilson might sit for the remainder of the season, as Kiwanuka once did. He will officially be re-evaluated in a month.

OCT 19 The worst 'Monday Night Football' game ever. Perhaps the Giants, in an effort to spice up what shapes up to be a bland "Monday Night Football" clash against the Vikings, teams with a combined record of 1-10, should tap into what the people want and declare the evening Zombie Night.

Tom Coughlin has lived with Manning and celebrated two Super Bowl titles with him and, even if Manning somehow never recovers from this inexplicable slump he is in this year, Coughlin's coaching career will end with Manning.
This is not a playoff team, clearly, and it's a team that's going to need a lot of significant roster work in the offseason. But in the meantime, it's a team whose leadership won't allow it to quit on the season and a team whose rebuild won't have to include a hunt for a franchise quarterback.

The Giants rank last in the NFL with their five sacks, and have struggled to consistently pressure opposing passers. Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell acknowledged playing with leads and forcing opponents into third-and-long situations could help. The Giants have only led in two of their six games thus far.
Perry Fewell said he expected the Giants to win more one-on-one battles than they have, though he declined to offer his opinion on why. The Giants have managed just five sacks, a game's worth in past years, good for dead last in the NFL.
The lack of production raises uncomfortable questions. Is Tuck, 30, finished after nine seasons? Will Jason Pierre-Paul, 24, return to his 2011 standards? Why isn't Mathias Kiwanuka - who leads the team with 1 1/2 sacks - getting more snaps? Maybe the biggest concern is the once-dominant Pierre-Paul.

OCT 18 The Giants may be winless, but the presence of Manning is the one thing that stands out as the greatest difference between the 0-6 Giants and the 1-4 Vikings. Freeman will be the third starting quarterback for the Vikings in four games, so despite Manning's league-high 15 interceptions and inconsistent play, he represents stability at the position.

The best way for the Giants to help struggling quarterback Eli Manning is with a little more Brandon Jacobs, circa last Thursday night in Chicago. The question now is whether Jacobs can duplicate his Thursday night performance when the Giants take on the Vikings Monday night.

It's hard to believe Peyton Hillis expected the Giants to call. When he was sitting around earlier this year wondering who'd give him his next shot, the veteran running back wasn't thinking about a team that had a 2012 first-round pick, David Wilson, as its starter and a guy it liked in Andre Brown listed as Wilson's co-starter. But Hillis says he makes it a point not to be surprised.
Peyton Hillis believes the Giants prevented what could have been a premature end to his NFL career. "I feel like if this opportunity didn't along, I probably wouldn't have another opportunity," Hillis said. The Giants return to action Monday night at home against the 1-4 Minnesota Vikings. Hillis will have participated in four practices but believes that's enough for him to contribute as the Giants try to win for the first time this season.

The Giants have the worst pass rush in the NFL this season, and defensive end Justin Tuck in particular has come under fire, with some people saying the 30-year-old is washed up. Tuck took issue with that assessment Thursday. "If I was the only one having a bad year numbers-wise, then that would be easy to say, 'Justin doesn't have it anymore," Tuck said.
Justin Tuck sees quarterbacks releasing the ball in 2.5 seconds or faster and bemoans the fact the Giants have almost never held a lead - they've been ahead for only 2:42 in the second half all season. Mathias Kiwanuka has 1 1/2 sacks, linebacker Spencer Paysinger and Jason Pierre-Paul have one sack each and Linval Joseph and Cullen Jenkins join Tuck with a half-sack apiece.
Jason Pierre-Paul is conducting a media blackout these days. With reporters swirling around him in the locker room, he gets dressed in silence, turning down repeated requests to talk. "I honestly think it's more mental than it is physical with JPP at this point," said defensive end Justin Tuck, who is close friends with Pierre-Paul and has a locker stall adjacent to him.

Adrian Peterson rejoined the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday after missing practice to attend the funeral for his 2-year-old son, describing the situation as "devastating."
Adrian Peterson is after another MVP -- Most Virile Parent. The Minnesota Vikings running back had at least five children out of wedlock and could have had as many as seven, according to one of his ex-girlfriends.

OCT 17 Five reasons the Giants will beat the Vikings on Monday night - Josh Freeman will make his first start for the Vikes. Adrian Peterson missed practice on Wednesday. The Vikings haven't been prime-time players recently. Eli Manning will have a big night against the Vikes' D. There's a long list of Giants who have something to prove.

Vikings switch to Josh Freeman, but Tom Coughlin will stick with his QB. Tom Coughlin was asked the question nobody in New York (except for maybe backup quarterbacks Curtis Painter and Ryan Nassib) has even considered while on a conference call with the Minnesota media yesterday, and it was such a shock to him that he had to make sure he understood it properly.

Eli Manning has 15 interceptions already this season and is on track to join an infamous crew if he keeps working on this pace. But does he ever worry about being benched? "No," Manning said on a conference call with Minnesota beat reporters today. "My goal is just to keep competing and try to put us in a situation to win."

That Tom Coughlin keeps giving Rueben Randle chances despite the repeated mistakes shows just how talented the Giants believe he can be. The team has depth at receiver, and Randle could easily have been replaced.

The Giants filled the vacancy on their roster and in their offensive backfield by signing former 1,000-yard rusher Peyton Hillis. Hillis, a 6-1, 245-pound six-year veteran, has played for Denver, Cleveland and Kansas City. He was also in training camp this summer with Tampa Bay.
It's unclear how much Hillis will be able to do because he hasn't done much since his impressive, 1,177-yard season for the Cleveland Browns in 2010 -- a season that helped win him the fan vote for the cover of the Madden NFL '12 game.
Hillis hasn't been a good NFL running back since 2010 (when he was admittedly a great one) and when you get to Week 7 before anyone calls to offer you a tryout, you've probably been wondering whether the NFL Network is still hiring.

OCT 16 The Giants are starving for a victory and Antrel Rolle wants to pig out on the Vikings on Monday night. "Go out there and you blow their [butt] out early. Put them in a panic mode. Put their backs up against the wall." This may be the Giants' best chance at doing that.

The Giants waived running back Da'Rel Scott for the second time in two weeks and are likely to add at least one new running back Wednesday from a group of candidates that includes former "Madden" cover player Peyton Hillis, as well as former Giants Ryan Torain and D.J. Ware.

Six of Eli Manning's 15 interceptions this year have come on throws targeted for Rueben Randle. He is a work in progress, and he looks like a young player getting his feet wet in the NFL. Yet Manning and the Giants continue to go back to Randle, in spite of the errors.

OCT 15 Do the Giants have a great shot at their first win vs. the Vikings this week? After Week 6, the Giants have now faced teams that are a combined 24-11 on the season, just one of the reasons why they're winless so far. But now Big Blue gets a matchup against the 1-4 Minnesota Vikings at home on national television.
Despite the winless start, the Giants limited three feature backs to 67 yards or fewer, including holding LeSean McCoy, the NFL's leading rusher, to 46 yards on 20 carries. A major emphasis this offseason, the run defense has been a positive in a year of negatives. But New York will face its toughest test yet when they host Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings a week from tonight. .

Hakeem Nicks does not allow much of what goes on outside the Giants locker room to affect him. But when asked Monday about the trade rumors circulating about him, he admitted, "I mean, I ain't gonna lie and say I haven't heard it."
But Nicks wasn't exactly strong on whether he wanted to remain a Giant for the rest of this season. He said "At the end of the day, business is business. But I haven't been given any whiffs of anything my way. So as far as outside talk, I can't control that. But I'm a Giant. I'm a Giant right now, I'm going to enjoy it."
Brandon Jacobs said letting go of a veteran would be tough for the locker room to digest. Antrel Rolle took another avenue, chastising any trade talks at all. He has maintained that the Giants will go after their final 10 games with an "attack" mentality.

The Giants released Ahmad Bradshaw, the best pass-protection back in the league, in the offseason for cap reasons, and they believed Andre Brown could fill that role until he broke his leg in a preseason game. They've struggled to fill the role ever since,.
Tom Coughlin hinted Michael Cox is not ready to assume a big load at running back. "He's young,” Coughlin said. "It's sophisticated and complex, the things that are thrown at him, particularly in the protection area, so you've got to be careful.

OCT 14 If the season ended right now, obviously, the Giants would hold the No. 1 pick in the draft. And while they're playing like a team that can contend for that pick all year, we have to ponder several possibilities in addition to that. It's hard to imagine at this point that the Giants won't have a very high pick. They haven't picked in the top 10 since 2004, when they had the No. 4 pick and traded with San Diego to get No. 1 pick Eli Manning.

Giants find sparks and misfires in each game this season. This season, the Giants have struggled to "pass the torch," as Justin Tuck says, from unit to unit. Have a look at some of the Giants big plays, and the disapointing aftermath .

NFC East News
Eagles top Buccaneers 31-20. - Following the Eagles win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and three-touchdowns by Nick Foles, the head coach was far less committal to Vick
Cowboys 31 - Redskins 16. - Dallas gets huge win, but loses two key starters, DeMarco Murray (ankle) and DeMarcus Ware (quad). If their injuries keep them out for an extended period of time the Cowboys are obviously in trouble.
Redskins - If the Washington Redskins thought their bye week would cure what ailed them in the season's early stages, they were mistaken. They emerged from their time off resembling the same struggling team they'd been beforehand.

OCT 13 In a season that has had few bright spots, there were a few against the Bears. One of them was the play of Jon Beason less than a week into his tenure with the team. He led the defense with 12 tackles, making the kind of sideline-to-sideline plays that a middle linebacker in a Giants uniform hasn't made in several years.

Any young player that Reese and Coughlin think has a future should get his shot now, no matter what it does to the rest of the Giants' season. Because it's over, so why waste time with players who won't be on the roster in 2014?

Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning have fallen and fallen hard now. You saw it again on Thursday night at Soldier Field when the Giants went to 0-6 against the Bears, would be called the worst team in the sport right now if it weren't for the Jaguars. Oh, of course there have been dramatic and disappointing collapses like this for the Giants of Coughlin and Eli before, at the ends of seasons. Just never like this to start a season.
Quick turnarounds happen so frequently in the cap era that a team going from 2-14 to division champion in one year now prompts little more than a shrug. Until the 2013 Giants came along, that is. Now 0-6 after Thursday night's 27-21 loss to the Bears, Big Blue has seemingly done the impossible - caused jaws around the league to drop at the spectacle of their complete implosion.

Tom Coughlin knows the season very easily can devolve into finger-pointing and players quitting on the team. It might be his biggest challenge during the final 10 games. Changes are coming, although how significant remains to be seen. Coughlin ticked off the Giants' biggest issues: No pass rush. No forced turnovers. But plenty of their own turnovers.
A teamwide breakdown leaves them desperate for answers during a respite in the schedule: they will not play again until a Monday night home game Oct. 21 against the Minnesota Vikings. "We've got to win out," safety Antrel Rolle said. "Whether that can be done and will be done is to be determined." Given how far the Giants have fallen, the mere mention of winning out seems preposterous.

OCT 12 He has fallen from the ranks of the elite, dragged down in a way Mark Sanchez was dragged down by the deterioration of the team around him. Eli Manning will one day get up, because quarterback is his calling, because he is still in his prime, because he is strong of character, because the Giants will move heaven and earth to build an offensive line that does not betray him.
Eli Manning may look like a quarterback who could use a hug, but Antrel Rolle said he needs something else from his teammates. Tough love. "We have to be hard on Eli," the defensive captain said. Rolle explained that as the face of the franchise endures the worst stretch of play of his career, the best thing the Giants players can do right now is demand the best from him. That's not always easy to do. Every Giants player but one arrived on the team after Manning in 2004.

David Wilson says neck injury could be season-ending, but hoping he'll be cleared following second opinion. That's why Wilson will fly to Los Angeles Sunday and receive a second opinion Monday.
Although the Giants have not announced an official diagnosis, when a reporter mentioned the word "stenosis" to Wilson, he said, "That's what it is. That's what they think it is." Spinal stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal..
Asked if the Giants' 0-6 mark makes him more apt to take his time recovering, Wilson replied: "No, never. I like playing football and I like being out there with my teammates.

The Giants team facility will be a lonely brick building this weekend as the bulk of the NFL gears up for another slate of games and the team with the worst record in the league tries to forget how it got into this sorry mess. "It's very much needed right now," Antrel Rolle said of the respite.

Tom Coughlin wonders where pass rush went. "The quarterback pretty much stands back there and does what he wants to do without a lot of pressure," Coughlin said after a day spent reviewing the game film of the loss to the Bears with his players and coaches.

Tom Coughlin has done none of the things that usually get coaches fired, beginning with losing the respect of the locker room (usually the first stage of a coach's exit). There does not appear to be any evidence Giants players are not playing hard for Coughlin. They're simply not playing very well.