Giant Football Blog

Manningham vs Edelman

Mario Manningham wasn’t trying to trash talk — or at least he said he wasn’t. But the Giants’ wideout also couldn’t hide his excitement, either.

When Manningham takes the Lucas Oil Stadium field next Sunday against the New England Patriots, he knows that he might see Juian Edelman line up against him. And to Manningham, that’s a matchup that he should own.

“I hope he’s out there when we play them,” Manningham said, according to a report in the Boston Herald on Friday. “I don’t want to sound like, you know what I mean. To our advantage, I hope he’s out there.”

It will likely happen at some point, because Edelman, a regular wideout, has spent the past two months moonlighting as a nickel back for a Pats secondary that has battled injuries and inefficiency all season. The third-year pro has rarely looked out of place at corner, but he struggled in the AFC title game win over the Ravens, giving up four catches to Baltimore’s Anquan Boldin. (continue)

Manningham vs Edelman

Mario Manningham wasn’t trying to trash talk — or at least he said he wasn’t. But the Giants’ wideout also couldn’t hide his excitement, either.

When Manningham takes the Lucas Oil Stadium field next Sunday against the New England Patriots, he knows that he might see Juian Edelman line up against him. And to Manningham, that’s a matchup that he should own.

“I hope he’s out there when we play them,” Manningham said, according to a report in the Boston Herald on Friday. “I don’t want to sound like, you know what I mean. To our advantage, I hope he’s out there.”

It will likely happen at some point, because Edelman, a regular wideout, has spent the past two months moonlighting as a nickel back for a Pats secondary that has battled injuries and inefficiency all season. The third-year pro has rarely looked out of place at corner, but he struggled in the AFC title game win over the Ravens, giving up four catches to Baltimore’s Anquan Boldin. (continue)

Giants will make use of extra week off

Last week the Giants couldn't wait to play the 49ers. JPP said that he was ready to do so the minute they beat the Packers and others noted that it felt like a long week of waiting for the NFC Championship Game to roll around.

Now they have two weeks to wait until Super Bowl XLVI. That must be killing them, no?

Actually, a few are relishing the break. "I have to be honest with you, I'm not too antsy," said Antrel Rolle, whose very first words at his first Super Bowl news conference on Tuesday were an unprintable expletive mumbled under his breath but audible enough to show just how tired he was. "This last stretch has been an exhausting one, a lot of hard work. You're just putting everything to the side for these five games, which was very much needed. It took a lot of mental space, as well as physical pounding and doing whatever it took to get to this point. And you know, once we're here, we're not going to stop now. So I'm going to enjoy this little time off, and once we come back to work on Thursday, I will be ready and full speed." (continue)

 

Eli joining elite company

Eli Manning will become the 19th quarterback to start multiple Super Bowls, but he wants to be on the list with 10 names: The list of quarterbacks who have not only played in but won multiple Super Bowls.

"Having seen my brother win a Super Bowl and seen him lose a Super Bowl, it's no fun just going there and not winning, I can tell you that," Manning said in his weekly spot on 1050 ESPN Radio Monday. "I don't want to experience that." 

Giants-Patriots rematch after OT victory over 49ers

Lawrence Tynes came running off the field after another overtime field goal, his index finger high in the misty air and pointing straight to another Super Bowl.

It all seemed so deliriously familiar to the erupting Giants on the sideline, who once again await the New England Patriots after a 20-17 overtime victory on Sunday night to advance to Super Bowl XLVI.

Even Tom Coughlin admitted resisting comparisons to the Giants’ Super Bowl victory four years ago over the Pats is now futile, and there’s no avoiding comparisons to the Giants’ glorious past. These Giants, once on the brink of a “historical” collapse, are now on the verge of history.

“It is kind of eerie,” said defensive end Justin Tuck. “We tried to downplay it all along, but I’d be lying to you if I said it didn’t feel like 2007.”

“It’s pretty similar,” added Giants co-owner John Mara. “Let’s hope it stays that way.”

They’ll have a chance to make sure it does on Feb. 5 in Indianapolis when the Giants (12-7) face the AFC champion Patriots in a rematch of Super Bowl XLII — one of the greatest Super Bowls in history. And just like they did four years ago, they set that up that showdown with an overtime field goal by Tynes on the road. (continue)

When push came to shove Tuck pushed back

The text message lit up Justin Tuck’s phone on the morning of Nov. 30, two days after the Giants had been blown out by the Saints in New Orleans.

“When you get in,” Tom Coughlin wrote, “come see me.”

It was probably the lowest point of the season for Tuck, the Giants’ defensive captain.

Injuries to his neck, groin, ankle, toe and shoulder had limited him to two sacks in seven games played, not to mention knocking him out of four other games. He had spent a few seconds on the Superdome turf that Monday, disgusted by his inability to bring Drew Brees down. A player who prides himself on hustle and hard work got to his feet slowly while Brees scrambled toward the right sideline to make a play.

It was the lost season of Justin Tuck. At least that’s the way it looked at that point.

Discouraged by physical aches, and some emotional wounds that came from the loss of a few family members, he admits now he almost gave up.

“There were a lot of times I contemplated asking to be put on IR,” Tuck said the other day, referring to season-ending injured reserve. “I was pretty close a couple of times. I just felt as though I was doing more harm being on the field some weeks than me being off it.

“Sometimes it’s pretty easy to fight through pain. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re tough; it sometimes means you stupid.” (continue)

Jacobs cooks Rice

Brandon Jacobs remained defiant, refusing to let his latest detractor ruffle his feathers.

Even if it is his childhood hero, Jerry Rice.

A day after the Hall of Fame wide receiver called out Jacobs for being "soft" and further questioned the running back's toughness in an interview with Newsday, Jacobs maintained he's still good at what he does.

"Every week I think I can come out and set a tone if the chance is given," said the 6-4, 264-pound running back, who will face the 49ers' top-ranked run defense in Sunday's NFC Championship Game. "I'm not afraid of them, I'm not afraid of anybody on their team, I'm not afraid of anybody in their organization. I'm ready to play football."

Jacobs apparently isn't afraid of Rice, either.

He initially took the high road when responding to the former 49er's criticisms, but Jacobs -- who said he grew up a Niners fan -- ultimately couldn't resist taking a shot of his own. "I give him a lot of credit for the game being the way it is today. I have nothing negative to say about Jerry," he said of Rice, now an ESPN analyst. "If he feels that way, he feels that way."

But before stepping away from the lectern, he added: "I bet you he won't tackle me." (continue)

 

Manning ill, but he will be ready

Eli Manning hasn’t missed practice all year. So today, when Giants right guard Chris Snee looked back and saw backup quarterback David Carr stepping to the line and making a call, he teased, “Are you sure?”

Manning left today’s practice early with what coach Tom Coughlin called a “stomach bug,” but no one in East Rutherford seemed overly concerned about the starting quarterback’s absence having an impact on Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.

“Hopefully, it is just a 24-hour deal,” Coughlin said, “and he’ll feel better (Thursday).”

Manning was in meetings all morning, and participated in the jog-through period of practice, but went inside when he felt ill after taking a few reps. Carr took over and said he took about 75 percent of the reps. (continue)

 

Boley leading Giants' D

The Giants won six of their first eight games and were looking strong in what might have become their seventh win when Boley fell injured on the grass at Candlestick Park. The linebacker had pulled his hamstring, and he missed the next 21/2 games. The Giants lost all of them, including the one he left against the 49ers.

He came back and was running at about 70 percent for another few weeks, he said recently. The Giants lost two of those three games.

Finally he started playing the way he did earlier in the season. The Giants haven't lost since.

Anyone see a relationship there?

"A little bit, yeah," Boley said Monday, trying to remain humble while acknowledging the connection between his availability and the Giants' success.

Not everyone is as bashful. Defensive end Dave Tollefson was asked what has sparked the defense to play so much better in the last month.

"Boley coming back healthy," he said quickly. "I don't think it's one thing, but maybe you could say that." (continue)

 

Giants slay Packers, playoff run continues

The Green Bay Packers trudged off the field slowly, stunned by the massive deficit while a once-boisterous Lambeau Field quieted all around them.

Ryan Grant had just fumbled, allowing any chance of a comeback to slip right through his arm and into the arms of Chase Blackburn, who rumbled all the way back to the Packer 4-yard line and set up yet another Eli Manning touchdown pass. This one was to Mario Manningham, and it proved the knockout blow.

It was the first moment where this 37-20 Giants victory today over the Packers became a certainty.

The Giants advance to play the San Francisco 49ers next week on the road in the NFC Championship Game.

All season long, the Green Bay machine shredded defenses with their bombastic offense and golden-armed quarterback, cruising to a 15-1 regular-season record. But today, in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, they looked entirely out of sorts at the hands of the surging Giants. (continue)