2006 New York Giants Thread

[Baseball Guru]

http://www.giants.com/news/eisen/story.asp?story_id=16182


Giants 2006 Preview
Giants hope offseason acquisitions, veteran experience lead team to Super Bowl berth.
By Michael Eisen, Giants.com


EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. –Michael Strahan has achieved many goals and milestones in a New York Giants career that is entering its 14th season. He has played in seven Pro Bowls, holds the NFL’s single-season sack record with 22.5 in 2001 and has played in a Super Bowl.


But Strahan hasn’t won the big game, and it is that omission that keeps his career from being complete. The Giants lost Super Bowl XXXV to the Baltimore Ravens, and Strahan has since been on a mission to return to the Super Bowl and win it.

“I need this ring,” Strahan said recently. “That’s what keeps me going, is the ring. Because it’s the one thing that, I hate to say is going to define your career, but at the same time it definitely is something that they can never take away from you, something you will always have and can always look back on. I think by winning the ring, especially here in a city like New York, there’s nothing like it.”

Strahan and the Giants believe this is the year they can win that elusive championship. And why not? They won the NFC East last season with an 11-5 record. The Giants added firepower to an offense that was ranked fourth in the NFL. They brought in several proven defensive players. Their special teams are talented, deep and experienced. Yes, the division and the schedule are twin bears that must be dealt with. But the Giants see no reason why they shouldn’t be a good team.

“I do believe that,” head coach Tom Coughlin said. “We have the ingredients. Naturally, people have to perform. It is a performance-rewarding profession. I think that it is great to have high expectations and to be able to visualize good things for your football team. But obviously, an awful lot of good things have to happen. You have to make them happen.”

The Giants believe they have the players to do that. The offense, which scored 422 points last season, is again led by Eli Manning, who is entering his third season and second as the full-time starter. Manning threw for 3,762 yards and 24 touchdowns last season and played several superb games. But he completed only 52.8 percent of his passes and threw 17 interceptions.

“I outlined some different areas for him to focus on in terms of improvement,” Coughlin said. “With Eli it is the completion percentage and reduction of turnovers, of interceptions. Those are the two areas where I think the greatest improvement can be seen.”

“I’m more comfortable, but I have to continue to learn,” Manning said. “I’ve just got to play smart football and try to keep learning within the system, just know how to get completions. That’s what I have to work on, finding completions, being able to read the defenses and go through my progressions quicker.”

Tim Hasselbeck, Rob Johnson and Jared Lorenzen will wage a training camp battle to be Manning’s backups.

Tiki Barber, a player who improves as he ages, will again have the heaviest workload in the backfield. Barber, who turned 31 in April, set a franchise record with 1,860 rushing yards last year, just 20 behind NFL leader Shaun Alexander. In the last six seasons, he has averaged 1,308 yards on the ground. Barber last year set a Giants record with 357 rushing attempts. The annual debate about reducing his touches will be largely answered by the performance of backups Derrick Ward and Brandon Jacobs. If they are productive, Barber may get to rest more often. Jim Finn remains the fullback.

Plaxico Burress (76 catches, 1,214 yards, seven touchdowns) and Amani Toomer (60-684-7) give Manning a pair of tall, talented and experienced starting receivers. Burress is particularly dangerous close to the goal line. The third receiver this year will likely be second-round draft choice Sinorice Moss, a 5-foot-8 speedster from the University of Miami who will provide a different look than Burress and Toomer. Tim Carter, David Tyree and Willie Ponder are also in the early mix.

Tight end Jeremy Shockey, a Pro Bowler in three of his first four seasons, will again be one of Manning’s favorite targets. Shockey was second on the team in 2005 with 65 catches and tied for the team lead with seven touchdowns. He is joined this year by former New Orleans Saint Boo Williams and fourth-year Giant Visanthe Shiancoe.

For the first time in several years, the Giants return the same starting offensive linemen playing the positions they manned the previous season. The center is Shaun O’Hara, a Pro Bowl alternate last year. Rugged third-year pro Chris Snee and David Diehl – one of just four members of the 2003 NFL draft class to start every game the previous three seasons – are the guards. Eight-year veteran Luke Petitgout plays left tackle and Kareem McKenzie is the right tackle. The reserves include Rich Seubert and Bob Whitfield.

While the Giants’ offense returns largely intact, the defense has been revamped at several positions. But the heart of the unit remains the Pro Bowl ends, Strahan (ninth on the NFL career sack list with 129.5) and Osi Umenyiora (NFC-best 14.5 sacks last season). Second-year pro Justin Tuck and first-round draft choice Mathias Kiwanuka give the team a pair of reserves with great potential. William Joseph and Fred Robbins will vie for one tackle spot. On the other side, Kendrick Clancy left via free agency, opening the door of opportunity for rookie Barry Cofield and young veterans Damane Duckett and Jonas Seawright.


Injuries decimated the linebacker corps late last season, making it the team’s weakest unit when the Giants lost to Carolina in an NFC Wild Card Game. But the return to health of some players, as well as key acquisitions, have made the linebackers a strength. The most important newcomer could be three-time Pro Bowl linebacker LaVar Arrington, who will join Strahan and Umenyiora to give the Giants a trio of outstanding pass rushers. Arrington will play on the strong side. Antonio Pierce, a Pro Bowl alternate and perhaps the team’s most valuable defensive player a year ago, and weakside backer Carlos Emmons are healthy after missing the end of the 2005 season. Brandon Short, who has returned after two seasons with the Panthers, and rookie Gerris Wilkinson will provide the depth that was lacking last year.

The secondary also has a new look. Gone are Will Allen, William Peterson, Brent Alexander and Shaun Williams. The new faces include cornerbacks Sam Madison and R.W. McQuarters and safeties Will Demps and Quentin Harris. In addition, second-year corner Corey Webster will be a starter from day one.

The special teams are loaded with several outstanding performers. Kicker Jay Feely led all NFL kickers with 148 points last season. Jeff Feagles, the most prolific punter in NFL history (1,437 punts), has returned for his 19th season. He has played in an NFL record 288 consecutive games. Tyree, who has a knack for downing Feagles’ punts inside the five-yard line, was the NFC Special Teams Pro Bowl player. Chad Morton is a reliable punt and kickoff returner with big-play ability.

With all of these components, the confidence generated by last year’s division title and the work ethic and meticulous preparation demanded by Coughlin, it’s understandable that the Giants have high expectations this season.

“We have the talent and the experience,” Strahan said. “All we have to do is play to our potential. Anything less than that is not acceptable. This could be the year that we win it all.”

[Baseball Guru]

http://www.giants.com/news/eisen/story.asp?story_id=18415

Colts will test Big Blue in Week One.
By Michael Eisen, Giants.com
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – An argument can be made that the Giants’ 2006 opener against the Indianapolis Colts is actually the least important of their three-game stretch before this year’s bye. Yes, the Colts are one of the NFL’s strongest teams. But it is still an interconference game. The next two weeks, when the Giants travel to Philadelphia and Seattle, feature games that will be far more important in terms of potential division and conference tiebreakers late in the season.

Of course, no one associated with the Giants, Colts, the NFL, NBC and most of the pro football public wants to minimize the drama of Sunday night’s game in Giants Stadium. Too many good storylines exists for this to be just another game.

“It’s an important football game. With the sour taste from the last game that these guys played in this stadium, we can erase that with a big victory. And this will be a big victory, because this is one of the best teams in the league. It’s going to test us to see where we are.”
- CB Sam Madison
It’s a prime time opener. It’s Eli Manning vs. Peyton Manning in the first game in history in which brothers are the starting quarterbacks. It’s a pair of 2005 division champions hoping to start the new season on the right foot after bitter postseason defeats. It’s an astounding collection of offensive talent aside from the quarterbacks, including the Giants’ Tiki Barber, Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer and Jeremy Shockey, and the Colts’ Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne.

For the Giants, it’s an opportunity to take out their measuring stick and see how they stack up against a team many prognosticators have winning the Super Bowl.

“It’s an outstanding Indianapolis team,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “They’re very talented, they’re a veteran football team, they’ve been there. They had an outstanding season last year, with the exception of getting beat in the playoffs, so there’s no doubt that it’s exciting for us to be in this position to be playing against this type of team, and for us to really go out and play and see what kind of team we have.”

“It’s two playoff teams going against each other,” said Eli Manning, who is certainly looking forward to playing the game and not answering questions about facing his older brother. “We have to play against a team that’s made the playoffs the last couple of years and started off the season 13-0 last year. It’s a tough challenge for us, so we’re going to have to go out there and play good football to try to get a win.”

The Giants players are excited about the game. They believe it’s critical, because it can set the tone for the long season ahead. A strong showing Sunday night could give them momentum for many weeks. But if they stumble out of the gate, it could take time to recover, an unpleasant proposition with the Eagles and Seahawks waiting in their homes the next two weeks.

“It’s a test for us, a test to see where we are, how tough we are, how mentally focused we are and to see how we match up with those good football teams,” said cornerback Sam Madison, a 10-year veteran and first-year Giant. “Indianapolis has been one of the best teams in the league over the last three, four, five years. I haven’t been here with the Giants, but last year these guys won the NFC East championship. It’s one good football team against another. Now we’re just going to see who comes out on top. Preseason is over. This is for all the marbles. This is where your season can be made or broken.”

Pressed about whether he really believed the opener carries that much weight, Madison didn’t retreat.

“It’s an important football game,” he said. “With the sour taste from the last game that these guys played in this stadium, we can erase that with a big victory. And this will be a big victory, because this is one of the best teams in the league. It’s going to test us to see where we are.”

The media spotlight has understandably been on the Manning brothers, but it’s possible they won’t have as much influence on the final outcome as the running backs. The Giants will give the ball to two-time Pro Bowler Tiki Barber, who rushed for a franchise-record 1,860 last season. Indianapolis will counter with Dominick Rhodes, who has run for 1,633 yards – in his five-year career. Behind him is rookie Joseph Addai.

“Their defense is designed to play from the lead,” Barber said. “They’re small, but they’re very quick and agile and aggressive. It’s hard to throw the ball on them consistently, so it’s important for us to stay ahead and stay regular, so we don’t get caught into their game. That’s going to make our running game and our short passing game very important.”

Somebody remarked that it sounds like the kind of game in which Barber will get plenty of carries.

“Let’s hope so,” he said. “Let’s hope we run the ball 40 times, control the clock and not get caught up in a little bit of the hype that’s surrounding this game as far as it being a Peyton vs. Eli matchup with who’s going to throw for the most yards and the most touchdowns. Obviously, we’re very good in the passing game, but it’s not necessarily our M.O. We run the ball well and we run it effectively. And if we control the clock, I think we’ll be better served.”

The Colts have a well-deserved reputation for employing a prolific offense. Last year, they were second in the NFL in points scored and third in yards gained. The Giants can believe they can be just as productive. And while football is a team game, the offensive players will surely use that measuring stick to see how they compare with their counterparts in the white uniforms.

“They have an explosive offense and I think we have an explosive offense,” Burress said. “We’re going to have to slow them down and they’re going to have to slow us down. We definitely want to try to control the tempo of the game, control the ball and keep our defense off the field as much as possible. As long as we don’t hurt ourselves, we can do it.”

The Giants’ defense must deal with Peyton Manning, who is the reigning two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, a great passer and an expert at exploiting mismatches. Manning often stands at the line of scrimmage, gesturing wildly and yelling to his teammates. When he does that, he looks for holes in the defense that he can take advantage of. The Giants will try to counter by confusing Manning.

“You don’t want to go out there and be statues,” defensive end Osi Umenyiora said. “If he’s giving us different looks us and giving us different gyrations, I think we need to do the same thing. It’s like cat and dog or like cat and mouse, whatever you call it. If he wants to show something, he wants to play with our line, then we’ll do that. That’s just football. You want them to think one thing and you do the opposite. We just want to go out there and make sure that we don’t give anything away defensively to where he can pick up on it real quick and get something cheap.”

“You just have to be disciplined,” said Madison, who faced Manning many times when he was with the Miami Dolphins. “Everybody has to be focused, ready to go. I think we’ve done a good job over this last week. Guys have been very focused. I think we’ve been executing the game plan very well. Guys have been moving around fast. We have to go out and execute and not give up very many big plays. We can’t worry about what they do, we have to worry about what we do.”

If the Giants follow their plan, by late Sunday night they’ll be 1-0 and heading to Philadelphia in a good frame of mind. They intend to improve on last year’s 11-5 record and advance further than a Wild Card playoff loss. And the journey starts against the Colts.

“Everybody got a glimpse of how good we can be,” Burress said. “But for us right now it’s just trying to get to the next level, whatever that is and wherever that may be. We have the same guys back. Why not work hard to take the next step and see where it gets us?”

Notes

*Shockey was added to the injury report today with a sore ankle. He did not participate in the team portion of practice but is listed as probable for the game. Wide receiver Sinorice Moss (quad) and offensive lineman Rich Seubert (toe) were upgraded from questionable to probable.

Indianapolis made several changes to its injury report. Twelve players were upgraded from questionable to probable, including four starters: linebacker Gary Brackett (knee) and Gilbert Gardner (hand), tight end Dallas Clark (concussion) and cornerback Jason David (groin). Punter Hunter Smith (groin) was also updated to probable. Running back Kory Chapman (hamstring) was added to the list as probable. Defensive tackle Corey Simon (knee) was downgraded to doubtful. Eleven other players remain questionable.

*The Giants’ .605 winning percentage on opening day is the fourth-highest among the 32 NFL teams. They are 46-30-5 in Week 1.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have the best opening day winning percentage at .727. The Jaguars are 8-3, including 6-2 in Tom Coughlin’s eight years as head coach. Dallas is second at .689 (31-14-1), followed by Denver at .644 (29-16-1) and the Giants. No other franchise has a winning percentage of at least .600 on opening day.

The Colts have a .508 winning percentage on opening day (31-30-1).

*The Giants’ regular season series with the Colts is tied at 6-6. The Colts won both postseason games, the 1958 and '59 NFL Championship Games, when the franchise was in Baltimore. The teams last met on Dec, 22, 2002 in the RCA Dome, a 44-27 Giants victory. They last faced each other in Giants Stadium on Nov. 14, 1999, a 27-19 Indianapolis victory. The Giants last defeated the Colts at home on Dec. 12, 1993, 20-6.

*Jim Hall will debut Sunday as the Giants’ full-time public address announcer. But Hall is no stranger to Giants Stadium. He did three or four games a year while serving as Bob Sheppard’s backup since 1977, the year after the stadium opened. Hall would fill in when Sheppard was busy doing New York Yankees games. Sheppard chose to end his 50-year association with the Giants following the 2005 season.

Hall, who was the public address announcer for the 2000 NFC Championship Game vs. Minnesota, has also been Sheppard’s Yankee Stadium backup for more than 40 years.

“I’ve been a bridesmaid all these years,” Hall said. “I’m looking forward to working with the Giants. I’m a Giants fan and I love public address work.”

Hall was born in Manhattan, raised in Queens and lives on Long Island. He attended S. John’s University and earned a graduate degree from NYU. Hall was a tenured professor who taught public speaking and debating at St. John’s for 45 years before his retirement two years ago. He was the coach of the intercollegiate speech and debate teams. Hall was also the public address announcer at the school’s football, basketball, baseball and lacrosse games.

Hall and his wife, Patricia, recently celebrated their 50th anniversary.

*The Giants will host their second annual Stuff the Bus school supply drive in conjunction with the New Jersey Kids In Need Resource Center at Giants Stadium when they play the Colts this Sunday. Fans attending the game are encouraged to drop off new, unused school supplies at any one of the four school buses that will be parked at each of the stadium entrance gates prior to the start of the game. The Resource Center is a program of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey and provides brand new school and office supplies to teachers in New Jersey schools and after-school programs with 70 percent or greater participation in the Free & Reduced Price lunch program.

Some of the most-needed items are: pens, pencils, glue & gluesticks, notebooks (single & multi-subject), composition books, crayons, markers (including dry erase), filler paper, copy paper, staplers & staples, rulers and backpacks.

[Baseball Guru]

http://www.giants.com/news/eisen/story.asp?story_id=18375

Giants head coach talks about preparing for the season opener versus the Colts, Manning vs. Manning and a tough schedule.

Each week during the season, Giants.com's Michael Eisen will sit down with head coach Tom Coughlin for an exclusive Q & A session, which you can find only at Giants.com.

New York Giants
Coach Tom Coughlin

Q: I imagine in some ways you have been waiting for Sunday’s season opener against Indianapolis since Jan. 8, when you lost the playoff game to Carolina. Everything you’ve done for the last nine months has been geared toward this night and this season. What are your thoughts as the 2006 Giants prepare for their debut?

Coughlin: “Well, I think it is, obviously, a very exciting time. You have gone through all of these workouts and you have had an opportunity in game situations to cover a lot of things, but certainly not everything. No team in the league has had an opportunity to watch its starting group play four quarters. Consequently, it is something you really look forward to. Just the idea of the start of the National Football League season is exciting to everyone. But you have to really make sure everyone understands that it is a marathon, it is not a sprint. There will be a tremendous amount of emotion in the first game – a Sunday night game – in addition to the recognition once again of 9/ll and the fact that this year is the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attack. And in many ways you look at a team such as the Indianapolis Colts, who have had great success for any number of years, and you really have a team that was an eyelash away from being in the big game a year ago. So you have a great chance with this game and with the schedule that we will play to find out just how good a team we are.”

Q: One of the important parts of your job is judging football talent. When you look at the players on this team, do you think it has enough outstanding players to have a good season?

Coughlin: “I think we will be a good team. And I say this, as I have said it to you many times before, I think that this division is going to be the toughest division in football, and I think every team in our division has improved. So I think that at this point in time you are not going to have to spend an awful lot more time speculating and talking about expectations. You are going to have an opportunity now to go on the field. And everything that we do is about production. It is about accomplishment, it is about achievement. It is not about talking. So we have to go on the field as a football team that prepared itself, has had a good opportunity to improve over the course of a preseason that has provided us with many opportunities to set specific goals for our team from one week to the next, which by and large they have answered. We may have left a few out that didn’t get answered, that had to be refocused on the following week. I think that we are in a position now where we are going to play against a very, very good football team and we are going to have an opportunity to be in position where we can determine winning or losing and we look forward to that.”

Q: Is preparing for an opening game, in general, different because teams show very little of their true offense and defense in the preseason? And is that mitigated this year because Peyton Manning is in his ninth season as the Colts’ quarterback and Tony Dungy is in his fifth year as the team’s coach? Does that remove some of the mystery of the opening game?

Coughlin: “You go back to the 2005 season for most of your work in terms of preparation, anyway. And you match up against teams that are similar to your team. And you certainly take into consideration the very, very important games that were played – the playoff game, etc. And that is how you determine what the face of that team is, because, as you say, with Peyton, you have many opportunities to look at tape going way back. And we did.”

Q: Your opening week is different than a normal week. You bring the players in on Monday and work straight through to the game, without a day off. Why do you do that? Did you start doing that in Jacksonville?

Coughlin: “Yes, I did. There are a number of reasons. We play our final preseason game on a Thursday night. Our starters only get six, eight, 10 plays. We come back the next morning and we condition and then we give our team basically the weekend off. Our coaches go to work on solidifying the game plan. We have done a lot of research, but we obviously need to pull that together and take whatever influence there is from preseason and put our thoughts together. Then we bring our team back and we condition and lift on Monday and get some of the administrative details of the week out of the way - player programs has a meeting and the benefit program is explained to the players, etc. And then we come back and basically what I like to do is, we have a day which is not a normal day in the National Football League and we introduce the opponent and we go to work. And the next day we find the media and everyone else is there. Not that it has anything to do with your schedule - it doesn’t. But I like to then take the opportunity to have what I call two Fridays. We have special work attached to situational football which takes place on Fridays, when you have short yardage, you have goal line, two-minute, you have your red zone and your green zone. It gives us a chance to touch on different situations that arise in a game – another is the four-minute stuff. And then we still have 55 hours before kickoff. So I think we have plenty of time to recover.”

Q: Those last 55 hours, what are they like for you? Do you get anxious? Do you have trouble sleeping the night before an opening game?

Coughlin: “No, I don’t usually have trouble sleeping. The one night that I usually do sleep is that night – the night before the game. The other nights sometimes it isn’t so easy, but it is just like for everybody else. If you were to ask me if I am looking forward to waiting until Sunday night to play, no. But we have just done that through the whole preseason, so we will have the schedule down.”

Q: Players always talk about getting butterflies before a game. As a coach, do you get butterflies?

Coughlin: “Absolutely. You are really anxious for the game to begin and for the opportunity to have your team and your staff work as one against the opponent. So you are real excited about that.”

Q: You mentioned that when this game was announced, you talked to Eli about what to expect this week. Were you concerned about his focus?

Coughlin: “No, I just wanted to make him aware of what was coming because of the media blitz and because there has been so much attention, and rightfully so, focused on these two quarterbacks, because it is such an extremely rare experience. I told him that the two individuals who, without a doubt, deserve the most credit and the most recognition and the most appreciation are their mother and father. What a magnificent job they have done, not only because of the talent level of these two but the way they conduct themselves as young men.”

Q: You said that you learned a lot about Eli last year watching him before and during the San Diego game, when he was subjected to many pointed questions and a hostile crowd. What did that experience teach you about Eli?

Coughlin: “He recognizes, for a very young guy, what he is going into, but he continues to be able to focus on the job at hand. Despite the fact that he was in an extremely hostile environment, he handled it extremely well with poise and professionalism. I think he has a way, even as a young man, to sort these things out. Because I think he has basically done it all his life in one way, shape, or form.”

Q: Do you specifically talk to the rookies this week to try to explain to them that the speed and intensity in the game picks up significantly in the regular season?

Coughlin: "Yes, and they get the picture in the first team meeting, basically. I go into great detail about the scout squad and how we have to practice now. I try to introduce some of that the week of the last preseason game, because it is such a short week that we do end up spending a lot of time on scout squad work. But the thing that you really have to make people understand – and I don’t know that there is any way of doing it except to play the game – is how fast the game is played and how intensely the game is played. And that is something that you don’t always see in preseason. Because if I am a backup and I am playing against backups I don’t see it - maybe you do in one or two guys. And sometimes as a starter you don’t always see it out of the other team, because you don’t know what their focus is. You don’t know what their goals are, you don’t know what their purpose is. So all you can do is take care of your own team and try to understand what your focus and your goals are and how you want to play. But the difference is definitely the speed and intensity.”

Q: Peyton Manning is well known for coming to the line of scrimmage and pointing, motioning and yelling before the ball is snapped. He’s looking for a weakness or a matchup he can exploit before he calls a play. Is it more important for your defense to be patient or aggressive?

Coughlin: “Ready. It has to be alert and ready. You have to present a picture which is sound, which does not speak to any type of vulnerability and you have to play a guessing game in terms of how much of the clock he is going to use. It is not a hurry-up offense. He pretty much uses a lot of the clock because he really wants the last word.”

Q: The Colts’ defense is very quick and very fast. How do you deal with that?

Coughlin: “You have to practice against it all week and you have to really make your players realize their style of play and what they attempt to do and why they do it and how it fits their whole team and how their whole team tries to play – from a special teams standpoint to an offense to a defense. They are all playing in a coordinated fashion, supportive of each other, and that is something you have to recognize. You have to understand what they are trying to do.”

Q: When the schedule was released, the focus was on not only this game, but the Giants’ difficult start in three- and seven-game segments. Have you addressed the broader picture this week?

Coughlin: “We talked about the phases of our season and broke it down. As we do always, we approach it one game at a time. And the focus right now is this one game. The team has been exposed to my thoughts on the entire season and how I look at the phases and how I described the various phases and why I broke it down the way I did. But when we finish it is all about team and it all comes back to the idea of establishing who we are, of recognizing what we do want to accomplish this year, of building on what we did last year, being motivated by our playoff game, our loss. It is a room full of people who are committed to winning, so committed that they are willing to pay the price. And by that I mean it is team above self. And it is leadership, it is professionalism, it is accountability. It is a theme of ‘Don’t let the other guys down’ kind of thing. In all that you say and do, be smart about it so that you are constantly reflecting positively about your team and about your teammates. You are not causing a distraction at any point in time that would take away from our ability to focus on the next opponent so that everyone, in fact, can do their job to the best of their ability.”

[Baseball Guru]

http://www.giants.com/news/eisen/story.asp?story_id=18326

Giants All Pro defensive end wary of potential and expectations.
By Michael Eisen, Giants.com


EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Michael Strahan believes the Giants are scary good.

DE Michael Strahan is anxious about the potential of the Giants this season.
But the finest defensive end of his era is not predicting an undefeated season or guaranteeing a second straight NFC East championship. Actually, Strahan is avoiding bold statements, because it is the apparent strength of the Giants that makes him so anxious.

“I feel great about the team, but I’m also scared, too, because I feel great about the team,” Strahan said. “I know we have so much potential and expectations are so high. That scares you at the same time. Hopefully, it scares everyone into preparing more to working harder to doing better. If that’s the case, we’ll be just fine. There’s no reason to be scared. But until we go out and prove ourselves in a real game, I’m always a little nervous about it.

“It’s less scary than when you’re coming off an awful season and you’re looking around and you don’t think you have the personnel in the right positions to get things done. But that’s not the case this year. We have personnel everywhere we need to get it done. Now it’s just a matter of doing that and staying healthy.”

Strahan today stood at his locker and spoke at length in front of a group of reporters for the first time since his charity golf tournament on July 10. He is optimistic about the 2006 Giants, who open their season Sunday night at home against the Indianapolis Colts. Strahan believes the defense is better than it was in 2005. He said this is the best pass-rushing team he’s ever played on, a weighty statement from a player with 129.5 career sacks. But with Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, LaVar Arrington and top draft choice Mathias Kiwanuka, the Giants have enough lethal pass rushers to give opposing quarterbacks nightmares.

“When you get a first-round pick you wonder how he’s going to work out,” Strahan said. “But watching Kiwanuka, he can pass rush, he can play. He makes plays – Osi and I look at each other and say, ‘One of us is gone next year.’ Probably me. The guy can play. He’s a great player. LaVa, myself, Osi and Antonio (Pierce) and the guys that can blitz, we potentially have the best pass rush I’ve been around.”

The additions of Arrington and Kiwanuka, as well as those of Sam Madison, Will Demps and R.W. McQuarters in the secondary, as well as the expected improvement of several incumbent players, has convinced Strahan that the Giants defense will be significantly improved. In 2005, the unit ranked 24th in the NFL, including 27th against the pass.

“They’ve been great,” Strahan said of the newcomers. “LaVar is fast, strong, athletic. He brings an intimidation factor to the linebacker corps. Antonio Pierce is a phenomenal player, a Pro Bowl caliber player. He just got injured last year. Just seeing how Osi has evolved, even from last year, it’s such a big jump for him to come back this year. I think he’s actually faster and more competitive. Kiwanuka is a big addition. I think our defense has evolved and come full circle. And our defensive backs, I think we’re in a lot better situation in that case, too. If we can generate a pass rush and get those guys to cover in the back end, it should be pretty good."

Strahan has no qualms about playing with a rookie nose tackle in Barry Cofield, the Giants’ fourth-round draft choice this year.

“Sometimes you put a guy in there who doesn’t understand it and doesn’t know what to expect and he ends up doing a lot better,” Strahan said. “Sometimes you get an old dog and he’s so used to his old tricks, he says forget about playing this technique, because I’m going to go out here and ball out, as guys like to say. And sometimes that doesn’t work. Within this defense you have to be disciplined, you have to do exactly what these coaches tell you. He’s earned it. And the reason he’s earned it is because he’s done that. I’m happy. I’m proud to be out there with a young buck. I love looking at a young guy on the line. It energizes me and makes me realize that I was once that guy, too. I’m looking forward to playing with him.”

Their first job will be to stop Peyton Manning and the potent Colts, who started last season 13-0 and finished the year with the NFL’s third-ranked offense. Indianapolis’ running game has changed, because of the free agency departure of Edgerrin James to Arizona. But the Colts still have Manning and his prolific wide receivers, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne.

Indianapolis was the heavy favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl last season until suffering a stunning upset to sixth-seeded Pittsburgh. The Colts scored 18 points – 15 in the fourth quarter – which was nine points less than their regular season average. Manning was sacked five times.

The Giants and everyone else playing the Colts this year have studied the tape of that game to see why Pittsburgh’s defense played so well. But being copycats will not guarantee the Giants the same success.

“We watched a little bit of that game, but I expect the Peyton that shows up will be the one that was undefeated going into the latter part of the season,” Strahan said. “That’s the team that we’re expecting to see. I’m pretty sure they know that everyone in the league has watched that game and are going to run the things that they ran to beat Indianapolis. They’re going to correct those things. So for us, it’s going to be a totally different team.”

Although Manning exudes cool and calm under fire, he’s like everyone else in his position: he doesn’t want to see the Strahans of the NFL charging at him.

“Any quarterback can get rattled,” Strahan said. “No quarterback likes to get hit – nobody, period. We played some great teams over my years. I don’t care if it was (Troy) Aikman or Steve Young, no quarterback likes to be hit. I think that’s the best way to disrupt him, knock a guy from his comfort zone. It’s easier said than done. They do a very good job disguising their passes and play actions and all that different stuff.

“The only way to stop Peyton Manning is probably to make sure he doesn't show up. Peyton Manning is tough. You can't really stop him. He's probably the most accurate quarterback I've seen. He was the MVP two years in a row for a reason. He has great receivers. The only thing now they're having trouble with is their running game. Outside of that, he has everything he needs. But it's going to be tough.”

Like the rest of the Giants players, Strahan dismissed the Eli Manning-Peyton Manning storyline as so much media hype. He made it clear his friendship with Eli will not prevent him from pummeling Peyton if he gets the chance.

“That’s Eli’s brother, not my brother,” Strahan said. “I want to take him out – aw, I’m just joking. I like Peyton. Peyton is a good friend of mine, too. But it’s football. If I get a chance to really hit him, I’m going to really hit him. Eli understands that, because they’re going to really try to hit Eli, too. Nobody’s going to take it easy on anybody, as long as it’s not cheap or illegal. We’re going to have some fun.”

With 191 regular season games under his belt – the third-highest total in franchise history – Strahan is still enjoying himself. As always, he is in great condition. And Strahan remains at the top of his game; he started all 17 games in 2005 and finished with 11.5 regular season sacks.

Strahan will turn 35 in November, but retirement is not yet part of his thought process.

“I feel great,” he said. “I feel like I’m 25. As long as I can still go out there and make it happen on Sundays, and come in and not feel too bad for the rest of the week, I’m fine. I love playing. I love being in here. Once that becomes a burden, then it’s time to move on. Right now, I don’t feel that. It’s great to be around the young guys and see a Kiwanuka come in and play the way he’s played and think, ‘Man, I could be watching the guy who takes my job and he’s probably a better player than I am.’ That’s like a privilege to be around so long.”

He rejects the notion that this season represents the last best – perhaps final, period – opportunity for him, Tiki Barber and Amani Toomer to win a Super Bowl.

“I don’t think of it like that,” Strahan said. “I’ve read that Tiki said, ‘It’s our one last chance for myself and Strahan.’ Don’t throw me in there. In a way you go, ‘Every year counts,’ which is definitely does, and you think about your mortality and what you’d like to accomplish, which is a Super Bowl. At the same time, I don’t look at it that this is our only chance. I look at it as a very good opportunity that we better take advantage of. And I guarantee, if we are fortunate enough to make the Super Bowl and win the Super Bowl, (number) twenty-one will be sitting right there in that locker, I’ll probably be sitting right here in this locker, and we’ll be talking about trying to win the second one.”

NOTES

• Eli and Peyton continue to do their best to minimize their personal matchup in Sunday’s game. They will, of course, be the first brothers to ever start at quarterback in an NFL game. On a conference call today with Indianapolis reporters, Eli said his relationship with his older brother has not changed at all as the game has gotten closer.

“I actually talked to him last night for about 20 minutes or so,” Eli said. “The game doesn’t come up. We don’t talk about practice or what’s happening, really, at all. We just kind of talk about what we did over the weekend and things like that. We’ve been able to talk during training camp and two-a-days. It’s less football talk and more personal stuff and what’s going on in each other's lives. Whenever we talked anyway, that stuff always came up and now it’s the majority of our conversation. But I guess during training camp, football and some things would come up whereas now, they’re not.”

• Left tackle Luke Petitgout missed the final two preseason games after suffering back spasms against Kansas City on Aug. 17. On Sunday, he’ll face speedy defensive end Dwight Freeney, a three-time Pro Bowler who has four consecutive double-digit sack seasons.

“He worked some last week and obviously he is working this week,” coach Tom Coughlin said of Petitgout. “He feels good about it. Anyone who has had a back problem knows that those things can be an issue. He’s not sore or anything of that nature. He has to continuously maintain that with his core exercises. So while it is a concern - obviously, any injury is a concern - he has worked hard and he is eager and yesterday was a productive practice for Luke. He seems to be in the same mode this morning.”

• The Colts are one of three teams which have kept Strahan without a sack in his career. The others are Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

• The Giants have four players listed on their injury report. Running back Derrick Ward is out with a broken foot. Offensive lineman Rich Seubert (toe) and wide receiver Sinorice Moss (quad) are questionable. Linebacker LaVar Arrington (knee) is probable. As was the case throughout training camp, Arrington was puposely held out of practice today so as not to overwork his knee.

Indianapolis listed 20 players on its injury report. Rookie running back DeDe Dorsey is out with an ankle injury. The other 19 players are listed as questionable, including eight starters: linebackers Gary Brackett (knee) and Gilbert Gardner (hand), tight end Dallas Clark (concussion), cornerbacks Jason David (groin) and Nicholas Harper (ankle), safety Mike Doss (lower leg), guard Ryan Lilja (knee) and defensive tackle Montae Reagor (knee). Also on the list are kicker Adam Vinatieri (foot) and punter Hunter Smith (groin).

[Baseball Guru]

http://www.giants.com/news/eisen/story.asp?story_id=18289

Giants All Pro running back wants team to raise expectations.
By Michael Eisen, Giants.com


EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Giants’ annual kickoff luncheon last week was similar to many such affairs the team has had in recent years.

RB Tiki Barber has his sights set on Miami, home of this year's Super Bowl.
Coach Tom Coughlin delivered an inspirational speech that included passages about the excitement of the season opening and the importance of placing team above self. Edward Cardinal Egan had his sights set typically high and asked, “Could see to it, Lord, that we do something big in Miami this year.” Miami happens to be the site of Super Bowl XLI. The entire roster was introduced and the players of the year for the 2005 season received their awards.

Tiki Barber was honored as the Offensive Player of the Year and the team’s Most Valuable Player. Once again, Barber was the only Giants player to speak to the crowd of fans in a packed ballroom at the Sheraton New York Hotel.

Barber told the gathering that he and his teammates have lofty goals for the 2006 season, which begins Sunday night at home against the Indianapolis Colts.

“Last year was very memorable for a lot of reasons,” Barber said. “Obviously, with the passing of Wellington (Mara) and Bob (Tisch) it was emotional, especially for those of us who knew them. It was a great season for us on the field. We were 11-5, we were NFC East Division champions. But we all – I think all of us and especially all of us up here – left it with a bad taste in our mouths (because of the NFC Wild Card loss to Carolina). And that has put a chip on a lot of our shoulders. And I tried to reconcile it this entire offseason. I tried to figure out what went wrong, what we didn’t do, because the performance we had in our playoff game was frustrating, it was embarrassing and completely unacceptable.

“I came to the conclusion that we need to set our goals higher. We need to put our sights, as Cardinal Egan said, squarely on Miami. And that’s getting to the Super Bowl and restoring, as Coach Coughlin said last year, Giant pride, Giant tradition, Giant excellence. And I think we have the right group of players, we have the right staff and we have the right enthusiasm – and that counts all of you. So as we go forward this season, there may be bumps, there may be pitfalls, but know this – we have the resolve, we have the dedication and we have the character to get us to a Super Bowl championship. And that’s what this organization needs and deserves.”

As he begins his 10th season in a Giants uniform, Barber is admittedly obsessed with winning a Super Bowl ring. The most productive running back in franchise history has accumulated enough individual accomplishments to be content in his retirement. Barber holds 12 team records and is within striking range of several more.

But Barber could take them or leave them. Actually, he would trade them all in to be a champion. Besides, his twin brother Ronde won a Super Bowl ring with the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Barber doesn’t want to live the rest of his life with that hanging over his head.

“Super Bowl - that’s all I want,” Barber said. “That’s all I care about, the Super Bowl.”

In 2004 and 2005, Barber put together the two greatest seasons a Giants running back has ever had. Two years ago, he rushed for a team-record 1,518 yards and 13 touchdowns. Last season, he obliterated that mark by rushing for 1,860 yards, including three games of more than 200 yards. It was the highest total in history by a back at least 30 years of age. Barber played in the Pro Bowl following each of those seasons.

But Barber is totally uninterested when he is asked if he can post similar numbers this season at age 31.

“I’ve kind of learned that by and large the individual accomplishments don’t mean anything as far as the team goal is concerned,” Barber said. “It was great. I think it was necessary given what we were trying to do with this team and organization last year. However, it didn’t give us a championship. So whatever I can do to help us win one is what my primary focus is.”

The Giants teams of the last two seasons needed Barber to post those huge numbers. He was clearly the team’s indispensable player and if he hadn’t produced such gaudy stats, the Giants probably wouldn’t have won as many games. But Barber says he doesn’t have to match last year’s output for the team to succeed this season.

“It helps, but I don’t think so,” he said. “I think we have a ton of talent here. We have a lot of guys that do well with the ball in their hands. If we find ways to be more effective and efficient that way, then that’s what we’ll do.”

The talented cast around him includes quarterback Eli Manning, tight end Jeremy Shockey and wide receivers Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer and a rejuvenated Tim Carter.

Given the skill level of his offensive teammates, would Barber be surprised if he again rushed for 1,800 yards?

“I’m not surprised by anything anymore,” he said. “I just do what I do. I do my job and whatever happens, happens. I don’t go into games planning to do this or that, get this many yards, this many touchdowns. I just do what it takes to win. Sometimes my number is called enough that I’ve had some spectacular days, but it’s not a plan by any stretch of the imagination.”

Many of Barber’s coaches and teammates expect him to remain among the league leaders in 2006.

“He’s had two outstanding years and I expect him to have another one,” Coach Tom Coughlin said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised at all (if Barber had similar stats to last year’s),” Burress said. “He’s getting better from an experience standpoint. He knows where guys are coming from. Those are the things that separate the good players from the great players. The great players have great anticipation. When he gets the ball he has incredible vision, and he kind of plays a step or two ahead of the defense. I think that’s why he’s been able to be so successful.”

Barber will likely remain the component that fuels the rest of the offense. If he’s producing, the Giants are more likely to keep possession of the ball and score points.

“It’s been that way for a couple of years,” he said. “But I think we’ve developed a lot of other components. I think Plaxico and Amani have a good rapport. Obviously Jeremy has matured and become great in this league. Hopefully, we all put it together and we all get on the right page and the same page and push toward the playoffs and the Super Bowl.”

That’s really all that Barber now cares about, so much so that he’s willing to tell anyone who will listen, including a hotel ballroom full of Giants fans. Barber knows exactly what he wants. And he’ll do everything he can to see that he and the Giants win that elusive ring this season.

NOTES
• Coughlin announced that Jared Lorenzen will begin the season as the team’s No. 2 quarterback. The lefthander from Kentucky has never thrown a pass in a regular season game. Tim Hasselbeck will be the No. 3 quarterback, meaning he and Lorenzen flip-flop their positions from a year ago.

“We always have had some kind of competition at quarterback where you evaluate every opportunity, and we feel like (Lorenzen) has earned the right,” Coughlin said.

Lorenzen didn’t play football in 2004 after declining to report to training camp for personal reasons. But he has improved steadily since last year’s training camp. This preseason, he completed 24 of 39 passes for 234 yards.

“The progress has been steady, and I think that’s the way the training camp evolved for Jared,” Coughlin said. “He, fortunately, got into some circumstances allowing him to be in some situations that a lot of guys don’t get throughout the course of his play time during preseason, and he handled them well. He’s thrown the deep ball well. He’s done a lot of things – we asked him to be involved in short yardage and he’s done that well. Pretty much whatever we’ve asked him to do and whatever the circumstances might be, he’s done it.”

• Everyone on the roster practiced today, including offensive linemen Shaun O’Hara and Luke Petitgout, who missed the final two preseason games with knee and back injuries, respectively, and rookie wide receiver Sinorice Moss, who was on the field for the first time since July 29.

Coughlin said Moss was monitored so he didn’t “over-lengthen” himself. Coughlin did not say if Moss will play in the game.

“I don’t know,” the coach said. “We’re going to kind of move him into some other things maybe tomorrow, extend him a little bit more and see how he does.”

• Coughlin was asked how Manning will “handle” playing against his older brother, Peyton, of the Colts. He then did his best to douse the hype surrounding the first-ever meeting of the Mannings.

“We’re playing against the Indianapolis Colts,” Coughlin said. “That’s the approach he’s taking. Offensive players prepare against the opponent’s defense, defensive players prepare against their offense and special teams. That’s what he’s focusing on – an outstanding, fast Indianapolis Colts defense.”

[Baseball Guru]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/preview?gid=20060910019
Game Info: 8:15 pm EDT Sun Sep 10, 2006
TV: NBC

By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA, STATS Senior Writer

The Manning family will still be watching, but the venue will be a bit bigger than their childhood backyard.

In the first game in NFL history to have brothers starting at quarterback, Indianapolis Colts star Peyton Manning faces younger sibling Eli and the New York Giants as teams with Super Bowl aspirations meet at the Meadowlands on Sunday night in perhaps the opening weekend's marquee matchup.

Both were No. 1 draft picks, played college football in the SEC, led their teams to the playoffs in their second NFL season and grew up in a football family that included another pro quarterback, their father, Archie who played for New Orleans in the 1970s.

"I pull for him every single Sunday," said Peyton, a two-time MVP. "Obviously, this Sunday will be a very different scenario."

The brothers have their teams in line for title runs after both came up short last season. The Colts went unbeaten for 13 games, clinched home-field advantage in the AFC with four games to go, then fell to eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh in their first playoff game.

The Giants, meanwhile, made the playoffs for the first time in three years, but lost to Carolina in the first round.

"They've both said it's a game between two teams, and it is," Archie said. "The media is trying to make it out to be Tiger (Woods) vs. Phil (Mickelson) or something, but it's not like that."

Peyton has had six more seasons to build a resume that includes three straight AFC South titles, back-to-back MVP trophies in 2004 and 2005, and records that he is breaking almost annually.

The 25-year-old Eli has made only 23 pro starts but has shown that he's still improving, still learning and still trying to outdo his older brother.

"I'm just looking forward for the regular season and to get in there and play all four quarters where everything counts for real," Eli said. "I'm looking forward to it to just get back in the flow of things and get to play a full game."

The Manning family would prefer to downplay the meeting but the stakes are high and the loser may have to live with the legacy for not days, but years. The Giants and Colts aren't scheduled to meet again until 2010.

"I don't know how I'll feel, we've never done this before," Archie said. "But I look at it as an honor and we're going to have fun with it. Everybody's hoping for a good game and that nobody gets hurt."

Teammates and coaches of the Mannings wouldn't mind if one could offer a few secrets about the other.

"Absolutely," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "We're in this to win and I'm sure they are, too. Really, Peyton's more concerned with their defense and how to block those two guys (Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora) and what we will do on offense. I'm sure they're the same way."

Peyton and Eli both said during the preseason they're more concerned with the opposing defensive ends than their own showdown. Strahan and Umenyiora are Pro Bowlers, as is Indianapolis' Dwight Freeney. And Robert Mathis, the Colts' other starting defensive end, had more tackles than Freeney, 11 1/2 sacks, 13 pressures and eight forced fumbles -- all career highs despite averaging about 20 plays per game and missing the last three contests with a sore foot.

Peyton's teammates aren't planning to give their quarterback's younger brother any special treatment.

"We can't hit ours, so we've got to hit one of them," Mathis said.

The Colts should field one of the NFL's better offenses again with receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne returning. There are some concerns, though.

Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai are expected to share the burden of replacing Edgerrin James, the franchise's career rushing leader who signed with Arizona as a free agent. Rhodes, a veteran, and Addai, the Colts' first-round pick, combined to rush for just 78 yards on 38 carries in four preseason games.

The Colts signed Adam Vinatieri, the NFL's best clutch kicker, to replace Mike Vanderjagt. Indianapolis hopes Vinatieri's addition will do three things: add a proven kicker for the playoffs, where Vanderjagt endured his greatest failures; provide better kickoffs, a concern for the Colts over the past several seasons, and eliminate the controversy the brash Vanderjagt occasionally created.

Expectations are also high for the Giants after winning the NFC East last season.

"Super Bowl. That's all I care about, Super Bowl," Giants running back Tiki Barber said.

The offense returns all 11 starters from a unit that scored the second-most points (422) in franchise history. With all its weapons, though, the offense struggled in a 23-0 playoff loss to the Panthers.

Eli, whose 24 touchdown passes last season was the most by a Giant since Fran Tarkenton threw 29 in 1967, was limited to 113 yards passing and sacked four times. Barber, who rushed for a team-record 1,860 yards, was held to a season-low 41 yards rushing.

Jeremy Shockey, whose 65 receptions earned him a third Pro Bowl berth in four years, also needs to avoid nagging injuries that have slowed him the past few seasons.

Strahan and Umenyiora apparently will have more help this year on defense.

Middle linebacker Antonio Pierce is healthy again, LaVar Arrington was signed to a $49 million contract to play beside Pierce, and the secondary was revamped and improved with the free-agent signings of cornerbacks Sam Madison and R.W. McQuarters and safety Will Demps.

The Giants beat the Colts 44-27 in Indianapolis on Dec. 22, 2002, in the last meeting between the teams.

[Baseball Guru]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20060910019

By TOM CANAVAN, AP Sports Writer
September 10, 2006


EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- A little bit older, a little more experienced, Peyton Manning was also a little bit better than Eli in the Manning Bowl.

The Indianapolis Colts also made fewer mistakes than the New York Giants on Sunday night in the first NFL game to feature two brothers starting at quarterback. Big brother Peyton was 25-of-41 for 276 yards and a touchdown and the Colts scored on five of their first seven possessions to defeat Eli and the Giants 26-21.

"It was a great ballgame tonight," Peyton Manning said. "I am glad it's over -- looking forward to some 'regular'-season games. This wasn't a regular game."

If the much-hyped nationally televised matchup made Archie Manning and his wife, Olivia, proud, they hardly showed it: The parents displayed little emotion from the luxury box where they sat, the father often slumping uncomfortably into his chair and the mother sitting stiffly, staring straight ahead.

After it was over, the siblings came to midfield, surrounded by photographers, big brother patting little brother on the back of his head.


"I told him I loved him, I'm proud of him," Peyton Manning said. "He played his butt off out there, made some huge plays, kept our defense off-balance and put a lot of pressure on our offense to score.

"I was impressed. He is poised, very cool back there, polished, he is going to be a heck of a player for a long time."

Adam Vinatieri, the hero of two Super Bowl wins by the New England Patriots, kicked four field goals in his first game for the defending AFC South champions, including a 32-yarder with 1:12 to play to push the lead to five points.

Dominic Rhodes also scored on a 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter for a 23-14 lead.

Eli Manning threw a late interception that followed a questionable offensive pass interference call against Tim Carter, which would have given the Giants a first down at their own 37. Manning then moved Indianapolis 19 yards for an insurance field goal.

The two mistakes were just the big ones by Eli. Giants defenders dropped two potential first-half interceptions that could have stopped scoring drives. Jay Feely missed a 40-yard field goals and the Giants had a plethora of penalties that slowed or ended drives, including an illegal snap by center Shaun O'Hara with 17 seconds to play that forced officials to take 10 seconds off the clock.

That allowed Eli Manning to throw one more pass and it fell incomplete.

New York Giants' R.W. McQuarters (25) runs with an interception of a third quarter pass intended for Indianapolis Colts Dallas Clark (44) during NFL football action at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Sept. 10, 2006.

The Giants, who also got a 110-yard rushing effort from Tiki Barber, had closed to within 23-21 on a 1-yard touchdown run by Brandon Jacobs with 8:01 to play.

It marked the second time that the Giants, who had trailed 13-0 late in the first half, had rallied to close the gap to two points.

Peyton Manning was nearly unstoppable in the first half. The Colts had the ball four times and scored on every one of them. Big brother hit 17-of-27 passes for 196 yards, converted 9-of-11 third-down chances and helped Indianapolis control the ball for 17:37 in taking a 16-7 halftime edge.

Vinatieri capped the first two drives, which included a game opening 17-play, nearly nine minute march, with field goals of 26 and 32 yards for a 6-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Seconds before the first field goal, Giants backup safety James Butler had a chance to end the first drive -- but dropped what should have been an interception of a Peyton Manning pass that was right in his hands.

Another mistake kept New York off the scoreboard following Vinatieri's second field goal.

Burress, who got called for two illegal blocks in the first half, made a one-handed catch for a 37-yard gain to the Colts 26. However, Feely missed a 40-yard field goal four plays later.

Peyton Manning made the Giants pay on the next possession, moving the Colts 70 yards in 10 plays and finishing it with a 2 yards strike to tight end Dallas Clark. Peyton outran blitzing safety Gibril Wilson on a rollout to the right and put a deft touch on a pass over the outstretched hands of Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Strahan, who was in zone coverage.

The touchdown gave Indianapolis a 13-0 lead, and for a moment the so-called Manning Bowl looked like it would be very one sided.

But Eli countered with a beautiful drive, moving the Giants 86-yards in eight plays. Barber got it going with 17 reception and two 11-yard runs, and Manning capped it with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Burress, who won a jump ball with Harper near the goal line.

The score got New York within 13-7 with 32 seconds left in the half, but that was enough time for Peyton to do some more damage.

Taking over at his own 38 with 25 seconds to go, Manning hit Marvin Harrison on three straight passes for 30 yards, setting up a 48-yard field goal by Vinatieri, who was signed in the offseason as a free agent to replace Mike Vanderjagt.

[Royce]

Some questionable calls here and there changed the outcome of this game, IMO. I'm looking foward to a good year anyway, despite the loss. Eli did look good for the most part and Brandon Jacobs looked brilliant in his limited carries. Barber, the most underrated player in the NFL, was great. Just the defense was a shaky, not getting that big stop.

[Baseball Guru]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/preview?gid=20060917021
Game Info: 1:00 pm EDT Sun Sep 17, 2006
TV: FOX
By CHRIS ANTONACCI, STATS Writer

Donovan McNabb and Donte' Stallworth didn't take long to develop a connection. It remains to be seen if that chemistry will help the Philadelphia Eagles take the NFC East title away from the New York Giants.

With McNabb healthy and Stallworth quickly fitting into the offense, the Eagles look to remain the only undefeated team in the East when they host the defending division champion Giants on Sunday.

The Eagles' 24-10 opening win at Houston last Sunday helped them move past a tumultuous 2005 season that saw wide receiver Terrell Owens suspended for the final nine games and McNabb miss seven contests due to injuries.

Owens was released in the offseason and signed with Dallas, leaving Philadelphia without a No. 1 receiver. The Eagles realized they needed help at the position late in training camp and acquired Stallworth from New Orleans on Aug. 28, just two weeks before the regular season started.

McNabb and Stallworth, however, showed no signs of unfamiliarity against the Texans, hooking up six times for 141 yards and a touchdown.

"We had an idea of the caliber of athlete he was," McNabb said of Stallworth. "We just kind of visualized what he could do in this offense. This is just a start."

McNabb completed 24 of 35 passes for 314 yards with three touchdowns and an interception last week for a 113.3 rating, his highest since last Sept. 18 against San Francisco.

"For me, it was kind of a joy to get back out on the field and see guys kind of smiling, laughing, pushing each other, motivating each other," McNabb said. "And for us to put points on the board, it's exciting for us right now. It's a different type of attitude this year."

Stallworth caught eight passes for 141 yards against New York last Sept. 19 in the Saints' "home" opener, which was moved to Giants Stadium because of Hurricane Katrina's impact on the Superdome.

"They brought me here to do a job and it feels good to get a win," Stallworth said. "I know I can get better every day, every week and make sure I'm really working with Donovan to make sure we're in sync."

The Eagles led all teams in total offense in Week 1 with 441 yards, eight more than Eli Manning and the Giants gained in their 26-21 loss to Peyton Manning and Indianapolis.

Eli completed 20 of 34 passes for 247 yards with two touchdowns, and is happy the hype surrounding the first game in NFL history to have brothers starting at quarterback is over.

"We just have to have a focus on every week now," he said, "and it'll be good now to just have games be games and no extra bonuses to it."

Manning had two costly second-half mistakes -- a fumble and an interception -- with the Giants trailing by two points, and New York also dropped two potential first-half interceptions that could have stopped scoring drives for the Colts.

"The statement that I made to our team was this: 'I really think we have to stop talking about being good and get good.' Play good," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "All of these expectations and all of this talk, it's all nice and it's wonderful to hear. Boom. It doesn't mean a thing if you don't win."

After running for 110 yards on 18 carries in the opener, Tiki Barber looks to surpass 100 yards rushing for the eighth time in his last nine regular-season games.

Barber will run behind an offensive line that will likely feature guard Rich Seubert replacing starter Chris Snee, who hurt an ankle late in the first half of the opener.

Giants defensive end Michael Strahan has 20 1/2 sacks against the Eagles, his most versus any opponent.

"All we can control," Strahan said, "is how well we play."

McNabb won all seven of his starts against the Giants from 2001-04, but missed both games last season, helping New York sweep the series for the first time since 2000.

The Giants won for the first time in three visits to Lincoln Financial Field last Dec. 11 when Jay Feeley kicked a 36-yard field goal with 1:43 left in overtime to give New York a 26-23 victory.

These teams don't meet again until Dec. 17 at Giants Stadium.

[Baseball Guru]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20060917021

By ROB MAADDI, AP Sports Writer
September 17, 2006


PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Eli Manning thrived under pressure, rallying the New York Giants to a stunning win Sunday..

Manning brought the Giants back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth-quarter and threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress with 3:11 left in overtime for a 30-24 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

On third-and-11 from the Eagles 31, Manning avoided a blitz and lofted a pass to Burress, who outjumped Sheldon Brown to make the catch and get in the end zone.

On the winning drive, Eagles safety Brian Dawkins appeared to outfight Visanthe Shiancoe for the ball on Manning's pass to make an interception. But the play was ruled a catch for New York's tight end. Manning quickly ran off a play before the officials could replay it.

Dominated through the first three quarters, the Giants fought back and tied it on Jay Feely's 35-yard field goal with 7 seconds left.

A week after his older brother, Peyton Manning, led Indianapolis to a 26-21 win over New York, Eli Manning overcame eight sacks and constant pressure to throw for 371 yards and three TDs.

Manning tossed a 22-yard TD pass to Amani Toomer with 3:28 left in regulation to cut the deficit to 24-21.

After New York got the ball at its 20 with 56 seconds left and no timeouts remanning, Manning quickly drove the Giants to the Eagles 32. A personal foul penalty on defensive end Trent Cole moved the Giants 15 yards closer and set up Feely's tying kick.

Toomer had 12 catches for 137 yards and two TDs, including a 27-yard score in the first quarter. Burress finished with six catches for 114 yards.

The Giants (1-1) avoided an 0-2 start with a trip to play reigning conference champion Seattle up next. The Eagles (1-1) lost their seventh straight to an NFC East rival.

Donovan McNabb passed for 350 yards and two TDs, but the offense was shut down after the first possession of the third quarter.

Donte' Stallworth had a 20-yard TD catch, Reggie Brown had a 23-yard TD reception and L.J. Smith caught seven passes for 111 yards.

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) is sacked for a five-yard loss by Philadelphia Eagles tackle Darwin Walker (97) in the first quarter of their football game Sunday, Sept. 17, 2006, in Philadelphia. At left is Giants guard David Diehl (66).

The Eagles sacked Manning eight times and held Tiki Barber to 51 yards rushing on 21 carries.

Philadelphia went ahead 14-7 on McNabb's pass to Stallworth early in the second quarter. Stallworth used a simple stutter move to easily get past cornerback Sam Madison, hauled in McNabb's perfectly thrown pass and handed the ball to a fan in the front row of the end zone.

Stallworth, dubbed the anti-T.O. since arriving in Philadelphia and replacing Terrell Owens as McNabb's favorite target, had five catches for 81 yards. He had six receptions for 141 yards and one TD against Houston in his debut with the Eagles just 13 days after being acquired from New Orleans.

McNabb connected with Brown on a straight fade route on the opening possession of the second half to give the Eagles a 24-7 lead.

The Giants cut it to 24-14 when Tim Carter recovered a fumble by Burress in the end zone early in the fourth quarter. Dawkins knocked the ball out of Burress' hands after a 23-yard catch to the Eagles 16, but safety Michael Lewis failed to pick it up and Carter fell on it.

The Giants got another chance when a fumble by Brian Westbrook was recovered by Will Demps at Philadelphia's 33 with four minutes left. Three plays later, Manning hooked up with Toomer.

Westbrook's 12-yard TD run in the first quarter tied it at 7.

David Akers missed a 49-yard field goal off the right post in the second quarter, but his 37-yarder before halftime gave the Eagles a 17-7 lead.

[Durango53]

Wow the eagles crapped this one away! I saw the score and they eagles was ahead and I gave up on the Giants turned it later to the game and was shocked to see it tied up.

[Durango53]

Jeremy Shockey is hurt physically and emotionally right now. "I've been very depressed these past couple of weeks -- more at myself than anybody else," the Pro Bowl tight end said yesterday. The reason for Shockey's sadness is a right ankle injury that has limited him in practice and in the team's first two games. It was unclear how and when it happened until yesterday, when Shockey told reporters he was injured during limited action in the preseason finale against New England.

[Baseball Guru]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/preview;_ylt=AifyJtgLAaBg2nXqm.8Vfl5DubYF?gid=2006 0924026

Game Info: 4:15 pm EDT Sun Sep 24, 2006
TV: FOX
By CHRIS ANTONACCI, STATS Writer

Jay Feely played a key role last week in one of the most memorable victories in the history of the New York Giants. He'll now try to atone for one of his most forgettable performances.

After making a clutch field goal in the Giants' biggest comeback win in nearly 36 years last week, Feely returns to the site of the worst game of his career when New York visits Deion Branch and the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Feely missed three field-goal attempts that could have clinched a victory for the Giants (1-1) last Nov. 27 in Seattle (2-0). He was wide left from 40 yards on the final play of regulation, short on a 54-yard attempt with 10:48 left in overtime, and then again on a 45-yarder with 6:08 remaining.

His counterpart, Josh Brown, made a 36-yarder with 2:45 left to give the Seahawks a 24-21 win.

"You always think about missed opportunities," Feely said Wednesday. "When you get a chance in life to revisit that situation, you know you look forward to it. I have been looking forward to it ever since they released the schedule."

Last week against Philadelphia, Feely made a 35-yarder with seven seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 24, and the Giants went on to defeat the Eagles 30-24 in overtime after trailing 24-7 heading into the fourth quarter.

Plaxico Burress caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning with 3:11 left in the extra period to complete the rally, New York's largest since beating Washington 35-33 after trailing 33-14 on Nov. 15, 1970.

"It was a huge win," said Manning, who survived eight sacks and threw for 371 yards and three TDs. "It wasn't the prettiest one. It was downright ugly for us for a while. We couldn't get anything going."

Manning had it going with veteran wide receiver Amani Toomer, who had 12 catches for 137 yards and two TDs. Toomer, who had seven receptions in the final four minutes of regulation and the overtime, collapsed on the field after the final play because of dehydration and needed four bags of intravenous fluid following the game.

"I felt like this is what we live for, the competition, the fourth quarter," Toomer said. "Somebody is going to give up and I just felt it wasn't going to be me."

Toomer leads the NFL with 17 receptions.

"Amani is a guy who is always going to be in the right spot," Manning said. "He continues to make plays."

Toomer bounced back and had a good week of practice, but the rest of the receiving corps is hobbled. Burress missed practice Thursday and Friday with a stiff back but is listed as probable, as is Tim Carter, who missed practice Friday with a sore ankle.

Tight end Jeremy Shockey also is nursing a sore ankle and is expected to play Sunday, although his participation could be limited.

Branch will be looking to make plays in his Seattle debut on Sunday. Branch did not play in Seattle's 21-10 home win over Arizona last week after being acquired from New England and signing a six-year, $39 million deal.

The struggling Seahawks' offense could use Branch, the 2005 Super Bowl MVP who caught 78 passes for 998 yards last season.

Seattle beat Detroit 9-6 in its opener on Sept. 10 on Brown's third field goal of the game, a 42-yarder as regulation expired. The Seahawks then got a two-yard touchdown run from Shaun Alexander, a 49-yard TD pass from Matt Hasselbeck to Darrell Jackson, and a 3-yard rushing score from Mack Strong in last week's win over Arizona.

"Everybody expects us to be the team that was in the Super Bowl," Alexander said. "This is only the second week, so I think we have a good, second-week offense instead of the team that walked into the Super Bowl."

Alexander will start Sunday despite a sore left foot and not practicing until Friday.

"I've always been the person that studies more film, read about people and break games down that way," said Alexander, who has started 68 of the Seahawks' last 69 games. "I've always been a person that learns more visually then actually running plays. For me, it shouldn't throw me off too much."

In last year's meeting between these division champions, Manning attempted a career-high 53 passes -- completing 29 -- while throwing for 344 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

Tiki Barber ran for 151 yards on 26 carries for the Giants, Shockey had 10 catches for 127 yards and Burress added six receptions for 109 yards.

The Giants held NFL MVP Alexander to 3.5 yards per carry, but he still rushed for 110 yards and a score. Hasselbeck completed 21 of 37 passes for 249 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

The Seahawks hope Branch can help them replace the departed Joe Jurevicius -- who had eight receptions, 137 yards and two touchdowns in last year's meeting -- in their bid to open 3-0 for the third time in four years.

[Baseball Guru]

Well not a particularly good start:Pissed:

[Baseball Guru]

Geez! This 1st quarter is a F'ing DISASTER!!!:gripe:


WTF!!!

Penalty after penalty!!

Damn it!!!:bonehead

[Baseball Guru]

:sigh:

Well..........................

Who we playing next week?:(

[Baseball Guru]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20060924026&prov=ap

By GREGG BELL, AP Sports Writer
September 24, 2006


SEATTLE (AP) -- The Giants wanted to take Seattle's roaring, allegedly enhanced crowd out of the game early. Plunging into the deepest first-half hole in their 82-year history probably wasn't what New York had in mind.

Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw five touchdown passes -- four in the first half. Meanwhile, Eli Manning had three interceptions, the Giants were way behind early and never caught up in a 42-30 loss Sunday.

The rout was so quick, so decisive, it rendered the incessant roaring of a Qwest Field-record crowd of 68,161 moot -- but not mute. The fans were mostly mocking the stunned visitors by the end of the third quarter, after the Seahawks completed a 17-play drive that ended with Darrell Jackson's second touchdown catch for a 42-3 lead.

The Seahawks won their 12th consecutive regular-season home game to become 3-0 for the third time in four seasons. They finally felt good about their previously sputtering offense, thanks to a boost by Deion Branch's debut.

The former Patriot and Super Bowl MVP caught two passes for 23 yards and ran a reverse 8 yards. He was part of the Seahawks' new, four-wide receiver scheme, an offensive makeover during the game's relatively few important parts.


The Giants (1-2) just got plain worked over.

Hasselbeck's scoring throws to Jackson, Nate Burleson, Bobby Engram and even third-string tight end Will Heller -- plus Shaun Alexander's 2-yard score -- put the Giants behind 35-0 for the first time since Sept. 4, 1995, when they lost by that score to Dallas en route to a 5-11 season.

Manning had what many considered to be his "coming-of-age" day the previous week while rallying the Giants from 17 down in the fourth quarter to win at Philadelphia.

Sunday's first quarter was his comeuppance.

Manning's initial mistake was not seeing Ken Hamlin lurking behind Plaxico Burress on New York's third play, after the Giants' Corey Webster outfought Darrell Jackson for an interception to begin the game. Hamlin jumped in front of Burress, intercepted Manning's pass and returned it 37 yards to the New York 15.

Two plays later, Shaun Alexander scored on a 2-yard run to put Seattle ahead 7-0.

Rookie Darryl Tapp sacked Manning for an 11-yard loss to end the Giants' second drive. Burleson then made a twisting catch of a 12-yard throw for a score.

A fan at Qwest Field in Seattle yells during a NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New York Giants in the first half Sunday, Sept. 24, 2006.

Manning's next error was a looping toss intended for Amani Toomer, who was briefly open on a corner route. Hamlin, roving in the middle of the field, raced under the pass and returned his second interception of the period 26 yards to the New York 27.

That became a 21-0 lead four plays later, when Hasselbeck found Jackson for an easy, 4-yard touchdown pass.

Manning was 2-of-7 for minus-1 yards and the two interceptions in that nightmare first quarter. He was 20-for-26 for 238 yards after that.

Just after Manning finally got into positive passing yardage, early in the second quarter, Burress allowed a throw to clang off his hands and into the arms of Michael Boulware for another interception. The Seahawks converted that into a score when Heller ran past flat-footed R.W. McQuarters to become all alone for a 10-yard touchdown reception that made it 28-0.

Jay Feely 46-yard field goal to end the half kept the Giants from a halftime shutout.

Manning threw scoring passes of 13 yards to Toomer and 25 yards to Tim Carter in the fourth quarter to make it 42-17.

McQuarters then intercepted a short, Hasselbeck flip and returned it 27 yards for another touchdown with 9:30 left.

New York's final score came on a 94-yard drive out of the same no-huddle offense in which Manning shined last week. Manning was 7-for-8 on the drive, which ended with a 9-yard scoring pass to David Tyree with 2:42 remaining.

Seattle's Jimmy Williams batted the subsequent onside kick out of bounds to effectively end the Giants' wild, 27-point final quarter.

[Baseball Guru]

The Giants (1-2) just got plain worked over.

Well, that pretty much sums it up in a nutshell:hmm:

At least the final score was a little more respectable:(

Thank goodness we have a bye week next week for this team to regroup before playing the Skins...

[Durango53]

Jeremy Shockey ripped the Giants coaching staff after the loss in Seattle. "We got outplayed and outcoached," Shockey said after yesterday's 42-30 loss to the Seahawks, raising his voice to emphasize the "outcoached" part. "You can write that one down. (I) don't give a (bleep)." ... When asked what he meant by "outcoached," Shockey said, "You saw the game. They were in different defenses (than what) we thought they were going to be in, they did different things that we hadn't seen. "The coaches' jobs are supposed to put us in the best situations to succeed ..."

[Baseball Guru]

Maybe Shockey should shut the **** up!

I dont think the coaches were resposible for the 6 penalties with 4 minutes left in the 1st quarter or all the dropped passes or interceptions or that the D couldnt stop them in the 1st half!

Shockey is a great player but he was an asshole in Miami and he's still an asshole!

[Durango53]

I dont think the coaches were resposible for the 6 penalties with 4 minutes left in the 1st quarter or all the dropped passes or interceptions or that the D couldnt stop them in the 1st half!

I laugh all the time about something along these lines. One night I had a coach yelling at me on how I cost the game for there team. And my response was ya I caused the 4 fumbles you lost, 5 faults starts, holding, and down the list of things they did wrong.

[Royce]

I think Shockey is fine. EVeryone rips him even though he plays his heart out every down. Someone's gotta do something to fire up this team. We're lucky we're not 0-3. Sure he runs his mouth and says whats on his mind, and this time he's right, at least in my opinion. Lewis is the worst defensive coordinator ever, IMO.

[Baseball Guru]

I'm still with the opinion that you do that kind of stuff in the locker room and not air it out publically...

He also was very vocal and animated towards Eli in the 1st half when Eli missed him when he was open...

I dont feel that you should ever show up a teammate like that:nono:

[Royce]

I'm still with the opinion that you do that kind of stuff in the locker room and not air it out publically...

Yeah I agree. Otherwise I don't think it's a bad thing, it's more of a wake up call.

[Dward00]

http://img102.exs.cx/img102/578/eli8jc.jpg

Here's Eli during my New Years Eve party last year.

[Baseball Guru]

:laff:

[Dward00]

Uh ya that's a real Eli pic.

[Baseball Guru]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/preview?gid=20061008019

Game Info: 1:00 pm EDT Sun Oct 8, 2006
TV: FOX

By DAN BURCH, STATS Writer

The New York Giants have had two weeks to solve their numerous problems.

They're going to find out whether the time off helped when they host the Washington Redskins on Sunday in an NFC East matchup.

The Giants (1-2) had a well-timed bye last week, giving the team a chance to cool off and potentially correct the mistakes stemming from a crushing 42-30 loss to Seattle in Week 3.

New York trailed 42-3 at one point, and tight end Jeremy Shockey was critical of the coaching staff afterward, saying the team was "outplayed and outcoached." He said the play calling wasn't up to par and the team wasn't prepared for the different defense the Seahawks threw at the Giants.

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The Giants defense struggled and the offense didn't help matters with turnovers. New York is averaging 391.3 yards of offense, second in the NFL, but committed four turnovers in the first half against the Seahawks, all of which led to touchdowns.

"It is a matter of us getting out there and executing well and making plays and making smart decisions," said quarterback Eli Manning, who threw three interceptions. "Sometimes it's tough. You get in a situation and you have one bad play and it's tough to overcome that. You have to eliminate the bad plays and play smart football."

New York came into the matchup with Seattle following a thrilling 30-24 overtime victory at Philadelphia in which it rallied from a 24-7 deficit, but the Seahawks shredded a defense that's allowing 30.7 points per game, second-worst in the league.

The frustration within the team was evident on the sidelines, and although Shockey was contrite after his comments and will not be benched against the Redskins by coach Tom Coughlin, the Giants appear to be dealing with internal fighting that's threatening to derail a season that could end without a repeat trip to the playoffs.

"I hope that's what everyone went home and thought about, and I hope they came back with that mentality," veteran cornerback Sam Madison said. "If not, it's going to be a long season. This is a divisional game, and it's definitely a big one."

While Shockey's words won't keep him from playing, his sprained right ankle might. Even with the week off to rest, the Pro Bowler's status for this week is uncertain.

Emotions figure to be high at Giants Stadium on Sunday, not only because New York is facing division rival Washington, but because linebackers LaVar Arrington and Antonio Pierce are facing their former team.

Pierce left Washington after the 2004 season to sign with New York, while Arrington was involved in a messy parting with the Redskins this past offseason. The Giants inked Arrington to a $49 million contract to play beside Pierce again.

"It's a game we need to win," said Pierce, who had 11 tackles and an interception in the Giants' 36-0 home win over the Redskins last year. "It's a game in the division, and everybody else is winning right now and we are not. It's a big game for us. People are going to be fired up. There's going to be a lot of emotion."

If the Giants can control turnovers, perhaps they won't fall behind by a large deficit to the Redskins (2-2). New York can't afford to give extra opportunities to the Redskins, who have found their offensive rhythm following an 0-2 start.

Washington (2-2) has scored 67 points in consecutive victories, including a 36-30 overtime win over Jacksonville last week.

After struggling to learn new coordinator Al Saunders' offense, the Redskins now rank third in the NFL, averaging 371.8 yards.

"I think it is a statement around the league. Jacksonville is one of the top defenses in the league," tackle Chris Samuels said. "They've been shutting people down, and nobody thought we could run on those guys. For us to go out there and put up what we put up, make plays all day throwing the ball, it says a lot."

Washington ran for 152 yards against the Jags, including 112 from Clinton Portis, who's tied for the NFL lead with four rushing touchdowns and who appears completely healthy for the first time this season.

Mark Brunell and Santana Moss have rediscovered the connection that made the Redskins passing game so dangerous last year. Brunell threw for 329 yards and three TDs against the Jaguars, with all three scores going to Moss, including a 68-yard strike 1:49 into OT.

Moss, averaging 19.2 yards per catch, has enjoyed playing against the Giants in his career. In three games against New York, he has 19 catches for 315 yards and six touchdowns.

"Moss is the silent assassin," Redskins fullback Mike Sellers said. "He just puts in the work, doesn't say nothing. Even if he burns you, he won't talk trash to you. He'll just walk back to the huddle and run the next play. That's a true professional."

Moss won't get to face his younger brother Sinorice, also a wide receiver who was drafted by the Giants in the second round this year. Sinorice has a strained quad and will be inactive for the third time this season.

The teams split their two meetings last season, with each club winning at home. After New York shut out Washington on Oct. 30 thanks to 206 rushing yards from Tiki Barber, the Redskins topped the Giants 35-20 on Dec. 24 behind 160 yards and three touchdowns from Moss.

[Baseball Guru]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20061008019

By TOM CANAVAN, AP Sports Writer
October 8, 2006

Washington Redskins' quarterback Mark Brunell (8) is sacked by New York Giants' Osi Umenyiora (72) during the fourth quarter of NFL Football in East Rutherford, N.J. on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2006. Giants won 19-3.
AP - Oct 8, 5:53 pm EDT
More Photos

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Don't write off the New York Giants' defense just yet. For that matter, don't write off the defending division champions, either.

Shrugging off intense criticism and the always treacherous bye week, the Giants rediscovered the team that won a division title a year ago. For at least a week, New York also renewed its own hopes that this team is still capable of big things.

Michael Strahan and the much-maligned defense limited Washington to 164 total yards, and Eli Manning threw a touchdown pass and set up three of Jay Feely's four field goals with long passes to lead the Giants to a 19-3 victory over the Redskins on Sunday.

"It's something to build on," Strahan said after the Giants (2-2) dominated Washington (2-3) in every phase in their first game since tight end Jeremy Shockey said New York was outcoached in a loss to Seattle. "It's something to get excited about. It's about we time we came out as a team and defensively played the way we're capable of playing. We just went out there today and played good football."

The victory was only the Giants' fourth in 18 post-bye week games. It snapped a five-game skid in the week after the bye and was only their second in the last 11 post-bye games.


Even $49 million linebacker LaVar Arrington made a rare big play Sunday, knocking down and almost intercepting a screen pass by Mark Brunell.

"This team is getting better," said Arrington said after his first game against his former teammates. "We brought a lot energy to the bye week. It was tough, getting grinded on by the media. ... The whole team stayed focused enough to push through."

The big surprise of the day was the play of Tim Lewis' defense, which was allowing an average of almost 31 points. The revamped secondary, which left four receivers wide open for touchdowns in a 42-30 loss to Seattle, limited Brunell to 109 yards on 12-of-22 passing. Strahan got his first sack of the season and Fred Robbins and Osi Umenyiora added sacks against a Redskins offense that averaged nearly 500 yards in winning its last two games.

New York had two sacks in its first three games.

"Obviously, the Giants' backs were against the wall," Brunell said. "They came out fighting, and they outplayed us in every way. They stopped the run. They stopped the pass."

Linebacker Antonio Pierce, who dropped a potential interception, said the key was the Giants' success on third down defense. Washington was successful on 3 of 11 chances. Opponents converted on 59 percent in the opening three games against Indianapolis, Philadelphia and Seattle.

"We've been underachieving," Pierce said. "We weren't being accountable to one another. There came a point in time when coach (Tom) Coughlin pointed out what everyone was writing about us. It comes to a point, where you've just had enough."

Manning, who was 23-of-33 for 256 yards, drove the New York into Washington territory on each of its first six possessions in the first three quarters using a balanced attack that got 123 yards rushing from Tiki Barber. The offense also helped the defense, controlling the ball for almost 35 minutes, with a 69-45 edge in plays run.

"We won a game we needed to win," center Shaun O'Hara said. "We all knew where we were at.

Feely missed a 47-yard field goal on New York's opening drive, but Manning and the Giants scored on their next four times they got the ball.

Manning's 44-yard pass to Amani Toomer set up a game-tying 24-yard field goal by Feely early in the second quarter. A 46-yard pass to Plaxico Burress set up a 34-yarder, and then a 27-yard pass to Tim Carter late in a 14-play, 84-yard march just before halftime set up a 32-yarder that gave New York a 9-3 halftime lead.

The Giants, who beat Washington 36-0 in their game at Giants Stadium last year, took the air out of the Redskins at the start of the third quarter with a 15-play, 69-yard, eight-minute drive that Manning capped with a 2-yard TD toss to Burress, who finished with seven catches for 69 yards.

John Hall, who had made a 39-yard field goal in the first quarter, had a chance to get Washington back into the game on the next series, but he missed a 42-yard attempt in the closing minute of the third quarter.

Santana Moss, who caught three touchdown passes in an overtime win over Jacksonville last week and was named the NFC offensive player of the week, was limited to three meaningless catches for 39 yards. Clinton Portis had 76 yards on 19 carries. ^NOTES: Shockey left the game late with an undisclosed foot injury. ... Redskins DE Phillip Daniels injured his shoulder during the game. ... Giants opened with a nickel defense, taking Arrington off the field. ... With Carlos Emmons (chest) out, Brandon Short started at weakside linebacker for the Giants. ... Kenny Wright replaced Shawn Springs (groin) at cornerback for the Redskins.

[Baseball Guru]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20061015001

By PAUL NEWBERRY, AP Sports Writer
October 15, 2006


ATLANTA (AP) -- Tiki Barber and the New York Giants did a pretty good impression of the Atlanta Falcons.

Beating the Falcons at their own game, Barber rushed for 185 yards, Jeremy Shockey caught a couple of touchdown passes and the Giants overpowered Atlanta in the second half for a 27-14 victory Sunday.

The Giants (3-2) fell behind 14-3 when Warrick Dunn broke off a 90-yard touchdown on Atlanta's first offensive play of the third quarter -- the longest run in team history. But New York dominated the Falcons (3-2) the rest of the way, going ahead with touchdown drives of 84 and 91 yards.

"The good thing is we didn't get away from our running game despite being down by 11 points," Barber said. "We did what we do best, and that is running the football."

After Dunn's touchdown, New York scored on its next four possessions, piling up 240 yards while holding the ball more than 18 minutes. The Falcons went three-and-out on their next three possessions, doing nothing to help out their beleaguered, banged-up defense.

"The offense kept the defense out there way too long," tight end Alge Crumpler said. "We pride ourselves on taking care of the football and controlling the clock. That didn't happen today."

Barber did much of the damage, breaking off nine runs of at least 12 yards against a defense that was allowing just 69.3 yards per game, the second-best figure in the league. New York scored the final 24 points of the game, shredding a banged-up defense that had given up only one touchdown all season.

"They just ran it down our throats," Dunn said, who rushed for 146 yards.

The Giants' defense pounded Michael Vick, who was slow to get up from several huge licks, threw an interception and fumbled four times (though he lost only one). The quarterback did break off a spectacular 22-yard touchdown run -- capped off with a somersault into the end zone -- but he completed only 14 of 27 passes for 154 yards.

"They just challenged us man-on-man up front," Vick said. "I really didn't see too many blitzes. Everything they did was pretty basic, pretty vanilla. It was about execution. As a quarterback, you are going to see some pressure. You have to find a way to overcome it."

New York, which had only five sacks in its first four games, took down Vick seven times. Osi Umenyiora and Brandon Short each had two sacks, and Vick even took a brutal hit from Antonio Pierce after running out of bounds in the final minute, the late hit nearly sparking a skirmish along the Falcons' bench.

"We knew we had to put pressure on him and keep him inside," Giants cornerback Sam Madison said. "If you contain him, that's half the game."

New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs (27) runs in the second half under pressure from Atlanta Falcons end Paul Carrington (91) during the football game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 15, 2006.

John Abraham returned to the Falcons' defensive line after missing three games with a groin injury. He dominated early, but wasn't on the field in the fourth quarter after tightening up. Two other linemen, Patrick Kerney and Rod Coleman, also went out with injuries late in the game.

The Giants sure took advantage of Atlanta's backups, piling up 259 yards on the ground. The Falcons, by far the NFL's best running team, had another big game with 223 yards on the ground -- the fourth time they've eclipsed 200 yards this season -- but wound up playing second fiddle to Barber and Co.

Dunn stunned the Giants when he broke through a huge hole up the middle for the longest run in Falcons history, eclipsing rookie Jerious Norwood's 78-yard run against Arizona two weeks ago.

New York closed to 14-10 on Brandon Jacobs' 2-yard run and appeared to go ahead when Barber dove into the end zone on a run around left end from the 15. The play was overturned after the replay showed Barber's left foot stepped out of bounds at the 2, but that merely delayed the inevitable.

On the next play, Eli Manning threw to Shockey in the left corner of the end zone to put the Giants ahead for good in the final minute of the third quarter.

New York poured it on in the fourth period. Former Falcons kicker Jay Feely booted his second field goal of the game from 39 yards, and Manning hooked up with Shockey on a 4-yard touchdown that sealed the victory with 3:45 to go.

Manning overcame a shaky start. After throwing two interceptions in the first quarter, he rebounded to go 17-of-30 for 180 yards -- more than enough production with the way Barber was running.

"That's big for us, him running the ball," Manning said. "He makes the play action start opening up. Every game, every day, he impresses me more."

The Falcons were impressed, too.

Notes

The Giants haven't lost in Atlanta since 1978, winning six straight games over the Falcons as the road team. In fact, the visiting squad has won 11 straight in the series. ... Vick rushed for 68 yards. ... Vick's 14 completions were a season high, while Manning's 17 completions were his lowest of the year.

[Royce]

Awesome game by the defense. :)

[Royce]

First place NFC East, 3-0 in division, 4-2 overall.


Lavar Arrington out for the year. :(

[rockin500]

they moved the bears/giants game to a night game.

and its too bad about arrington, he was certainly kicking ass.

[Royce]

they moved the bears/giants game to a night game.

and its too bad about arrington, he was certainly kicking ass.


Actually, yesterday was his first "good" game or half rather. Sad to see him go down.

[rockin500]

Actually, yesterday was his first "good" game or half rather. Sad to see him go down.
well, yah. i knew yesterday it was his first good game. sucks that it happens during a monster game.

and man, thats like the worst injury to have. they say its like getting shot.

[Royce]

Pierce is a top 5 LB. I don't care what anyone says. He's like the Peyton Manning of defense and doesn't back down from anyone. He has huge size and is still agile. I also like how he layed out Vick last week, it wasn't that late of a hit IMO. It makes a statement.

[Dward00]

Holy Shnitzzel..........Arrington out for the year? I thought he was doing awesome. Well I guess it's time to stick a fork in him now.

[Durango53]

As much as the Giants talked about not taking the Texans lightly, there was hard evidence they did a bit: Plaxico Burress didn't play. Burress admitted he would have played through his back spasms if the Giants were facing a different team yesterday -- a team like, oh, maybe the Bears, who come to Giants Stadium on Sunday.

[Durango53]

With the Giants ominously quiet about the condition of Michael Strahan's right foot, Strahan refused to rule himself out of next Sunday night's showdown with the Bears. "I hope [to play]," Strahan said after the Giants' 14-10 escape over the Texans. "That's what I do. I play football." While Strahan cut off follow-up questions during a group interview, coach Tom Coughlin gave a little more information about the injury that occurred midway through the second quarter. "There is nothing broken," Coughlin said. Coughlin also ruled out a Lisfranc injury, a mid-foot joint problem that could have sidelined Strahan for the rest of the year. Neither Coughlin nor Strahan would give any more specifics about the injury that at this point can best be called a strained foot. Coughlin hoped he would have a better idea of Strahan's condition today.

[Baseball Guru]

Of course they were looking ahead to da Bears....

[Durango53]

Receiver Plaxico Burress, who missed the 14-10 victory over the Texans with back spasms, promises to be ready by this weekend and coach Tom Coughlin is hopeful that Burress will be able to practice tomorrow. "He did more work [yesterday] and he feels better," Coughlin said. Burress on Sunday said, "I'll be ready to go full speed." That's good news for an attack that struggled without him. Back spasms have been an infrequent but nagging problem for Burress.

[Durango53]

Giants WR Amani Toomer's injury also has future ramifications, though he insisted that he plans to continue his 11-year NFL career. He has two years and $5.95 million remaining on his contract. But with a lengthy rehab ahead and a new GM taking over after this season, the receiver's future in blue is not assured.

[Dward00]

Well the giants are the current fotm now. Everyone is picking them to make it to the superbowl.

While the giants have been playing good, I am not sure they deserve the top NFC ranking quite yet. However I still pick Eli to win a superbowl way before Peyton does.

[Durango53]

Every one of those problems might have been eliminated if Ernie Accorsi hadn't made the Eli Manning trade back in April 2004 that now appears to be a terrible deal for the Giants. It is looking like a long-term back-breaker, in what is supposed to be the Giants' breakthrough season, Accorsi's farewell tour. It was the biggest trade in Accorsi's career, and quite possibly his worst. Right now, midway through Season 3 of the Manning era at the Meadowlands, this was not just a bad idea by Accorsi. It appears to be fatal. Eli Manning is not a bad quarterback. He is good enough, perhaps, to win a title with the right cast. But he is not Ben Roethlisberger, already a champ, and now it turns out he may not be Philip Rivers, either. The complex trade has transformed the Chargers into an elite team and left the Giants a cut or two below.