Giant Football Blog

Future of Eli is losing time

Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi doesn't plan to stick around past the 2006 season at the latest, so he was consumed in the offseason with ensuring the team's future after last year's meltdown.

He believes he accomplished that with Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning.

It's just 11 games into Coughlin's career with the Giants and two games into Manning's career as the starting quarterback, and if immediate results are the determining factor, then Accorsi isn't doing so good. But this never was an investment that was supposed to pay off with an immediate run deep into January. Continue

Tom holds line on Eli

As bad as Eli Manning was on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, Giants coach Tom Coughlin said he never even considered sending him back to the bench. He seems committed to playing Manning, possibly for the rest of the season.

And he still believes Manning is the quarterback who gives the Giants the best chance to win.

"Yes, I feel that way," Coughlin said yesterday, one day after a 27-6 loss to the Eagles dropped the Giants to 5-6. "I still feel like we needed to make the change to get a spark going. We haven't seen that. We haven't seen the production. But I still think it's the right move." Continue

Green felt he had to defend Eli

A contrite Barrett Green admitted yesterday he felt obligated to come to the aid of Eli Manning after a late-hit out of bounds by Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter. But Green also said he shouldn't have started a sideline fight with Trotter that led to an ejection in the fourth quarter of this past Sunday's 27-6 Giants loss.

"If I had to do it all over again, would I do it again? No, I wouldn't," Green said. "Did it happen? Yeah. Did it happen for a reason? Yeah, it happened for a reason. A quarterback is kind of a central piece to our team and I don't think you can really afford to let people come by and take shots at him. None of my teammates had any ill things to say to me." Continue

From boy to Manning

Asked if he considers himself a patient person, Eli Manning yesterday answered, "Yeah, I think I am." Good thing, as that coveted personality trait will be put to the test as the maturation of the Giants' rookie quarterback grinds onward.

Everyone knows the deal with Manning, that once the move was made and he was inserted in as the starter there would be no turning back, no retreat to veteran Kurt Warner, barring an injury. It's Eli's show and despite harsh opening reviews that would lead to a hasty closing on Broadway, Manning remains booked at Giants Stadium, playing to sold-out crowds that have already started to groan. Continue

He's committed to Eli

The Giants knew from the day Eli Manning arrived that they might face an awkward crossroads between the present and future sometime this season. But it is turning out stranger than anyone imagined.

They are 5-6 with four losses in a row and have shown few signs they can stop their decline. So why not let the rookie continue to learn on the job and get ready for 2005, even after Sunday's awful outing against the Eagles?

Wait, though: The Giants remain in realistic playoff contention in the NFC, and it is arguable that Kurt Warner, who was 5-4 but struggling when he lost the quarterback job, would give them at least a slightly better chance to win now. Continue

Green, Coughlin agree penalty was unnecessary

Barrett Green and Tom Coughlin have not agreed on much this season, but the beleaguered linebacker and the Giants' coach had similar takes yesterday on the penalty that got Green ejected from Sunday's loss to the Eagles.

Coughlin said it was "foolish."

Green said, "If I had it to do all over again, I probably wouldn't do it, so I probably would have to agree with him that it wasn't something that was in the best interests of the team." Continue

Big Blue remains big mess

Tom Coughlin stood at a podium yesterday after his Giants had quit against the Eagles in the second half, the same way they'd quit on Jim Fassel last season. And there was Coughlin, looking just as weary as Fassel, saying the same things, not even knowing it.

"We were not as physical as I expected. ... We didn't tackle well. ... We didn't block the line of scrimmage well. ... I didn't think the protection was very good. ... We didn't do a good job of reacting to their pressure ..." Continue

Giants are hot to Trotter

About the only fight the Giants showed yesterday in the second half of their 27-6 loss to the Eagles came on a sideline altercation that Tom Coughlin called "a dumb foul." The play resulted in the ejection of linebacker Barrett Green to continue his forgettable first season with the Giants.

With 7:29 remaining, Eli Manning scrambled around the left side for three yards and was headed for the sideline in front of the Giants bench when linebacker Jeremiah Trotter hit him. A flag was thrown and Trotter was called for unnecessary roughness for hitting Manning out of bounds.  Continue

Tiki toughs it out

The very first time he touched the ball, Tiki Barber gained six yards, was tackled by Sheldon Brown and came away with a lacerated left knee that he was told would require six stitches to close. Only Barber didn't want the knee stitched up because it would keep him off the field, so he played on.

Near the end of the first half, Barber missed the two-minute drill because of a right shin contusion. Yet he was back out there in the second half and finished with 19 rushes for 110 yards in a 27-6 loss to the Eagles. Continue

Just score this debacle E-10

This is how the official scorer in baseball would have scored it yesterday:

E-10.

Eli Manning, with oldest brother Cooper and parents Archie and Olivia watching Eagles 27, Giants 6 in horror from the stands, and older brother Peyton watching on television following his NFL Today appearance on CBS, was No Perfect 10.

He didn't play smart. He didn't throw straight. He held the ball, disdained the check-off pass to Tiki Barber (1-9). It added up to 6-for-21, for 148 yards and two INTs that could easily have been four. That's a quarterback rating of 16.9. Continue

Eagles swamp shaky Manning

Forget that spark Tom Coughlin was searching for when he inserted Eli Manning into the lineup. Yesterday's Giants performance against the high-flying Eagles produced no sizzle but plenty of fizzle, another loss, no semblance of a cohesive offensive attack, regression by the rookie quarterback and playoff hopes fading fast. Continue

New season, old problems

Everything was supposed to be different for the Giants under Tom Coughlin, who was hired to stem the tide of home losses, moronic penalties, crippling injuries and Eagles division titles that swamped his predecessor, Jim Fassel.

Eleven games into his term, though, the Giants are descending into the same abyss in which they spent Fassel's final season.

Worse yet, they are doing it with a rookie quarterback who does not seem nearly ready to rescue them. Continue

For now, forget his name; Eli's still just a beginner

He may be the son of a star quarterback and the brother of the NFL's best quarterback, but most of all, he's a rookie quarterback.

As a matter of fact, maybe it would be best for him and us if we didn't refer to him as Eli Manning but Eli Rookie.

That's not being wrong. That's being real. And that's being helpful.

Just call him Rookie and you'll understand why he threw like one yesterday, when the Giants' season crept a step closer to the edge. You'll feel better about that overthrow to Jeremy Shockey in the end zone, and the other end-zone pass intended for Shockey that was intercepted. You'll be better able to cope with the mistakes, misreads and mangled opportunities that came in bunches against the Eagles and will certainly come again in the next few weeks. Continue

Eagles Top Giants, Clinch NFC East Title

The Philadelphia Eagles won a fourth consecutive NFC East title by making Eli Manning look very much like a rookie.

Brian Westbrook scored two touchdowns and the Eagles' defense made life miserable for Manning and frustrating for Giants linebacker Barrett Green in a 27-6 victory over New York on Sunday.

The Eagles (10-1) scored 20 second-half points and limited the Giants (5-6) to 47 yards in the final half in reaching the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year. The Eagles are the third team since the 16-game schedule began in 1978 to win a division title by its 11th game, joining the Bears in 1985 and the 49ers in 1997. Chicago won the Super Bowl after the 1985 season. Continue

Giants outclassed by Eagles

Giants best friend today might be the weather. Consistent rain might keep Philly more conserative and the scoring down. Giants defense has played surprisingly well as of late. Eagles will blitz the hell out of Eli, but in a low scoring game the Giants will have a punchers chance. Giants lose another close one 20-14.

Party ain't over yet

Tom Coughlin is aware of the Giants' playoff situation, and he swears he's made his players aware of it, too. Few of them, though, seemed to know that the Philadelphia Eagles can clinch the NFC East with a win over the Giants at Giants Stadium this afternoon.

Maybe that's because they've got their own problems on their minds, like a three-game losing streak and four losses in five games that have ruined all the promise from their surprising, 4-1 start. They've also lost three straight at home and are forced to break in a rookie quarterback against a string of dangerous defenses. Continue

Eagles see Eli as prey

If he hasn't already done so, Eli Manning should give thanks that the Eagles' 6-2, 264-pound defensive end Jerome McDougle will not suit up for today's game due to a knee injury.

For Giants fans short on memory, McDougle gave the rookie Giants quarterback quite an introduction to the NFL in the season opener Sept. 12 at Lincoln Financial Field. That was when Manning was called in to replace starter Kurt Warner in the fourth quarter, long after the game had been decided in Philly's favor. Continue

Not just kidding around

Your turn, Kid.

Eli Manning, no one in his right mind should expect you to throw six touchdown passes today against the Eagles, three days after your big brother Peyton did just that against the Lions.

But with mom and dad and oldest brother Cooper in the stands and Peyton possibly arriving after appearing on "The NFL Today" at CBS studios in Manahattan, beating Donovan McNabb, Terrell Owens and the Birds in your second start, would be an equally impressive heaping helping of Manning Magic.

It is all well and good that Manning gives the Giants so much hope for the future. The Giants owe it to themselves and to their long-suffering fans to make something out of the present in the meantime.

Somebody needs to remind them that in the wretched NFC, the future is now. Go get the playoffs.  Continue

Plenty to gain

When asked if there was any extra incentive this afternoon attached to preventing the Eagles from sealing up the NFC East title, linebacker Carlos Emmons said, "I could care less about them clinching." Then he went on to explain what this game means to the Giants.

"I look at this game as a division game we need to win. We want to get into the playoffs we need to win this game," he said.

It was at once an obvious and jolting remark. At 5-5, the Giants are in the thick of the NFC wild-card race and yet for weeks they've been on a downward spiral, seemingly carting them far from the postseason chase. Continue

Return engagement

The Eagles' emerging NFC East mini-dynasty was on the ropes. They had responded to a defeat in the NFC title game by starting the following season 2-3, and now the Giants were dominating statistically and ahead by three points with less than two minutes left.

Then it all changed. Brian Westbrook ran back a punt 84 yards for a score with 1:16 remaining and the visiting Eagles had a 14-10 victory.

The fortunes of the franchises since have traveled in opposite directions as suddenly and radically as Westbrook ran through the Giants on Oct. 19, 2003. Continue

NY Giants injury report vs Philadelphia

Doubtful

S Jack Brewer (calf/lower leg)

Questionable

LB Barrett Green (knee/ankle)

LB Nick Greisen (ankle)

C Shaun O'Hara (ankle)

T Marques Sullivan (ankle)

RB Derrick Ward (concussion)

S Gibril Wislon (neck)

Wilson unlikely to play

Like every other team that has faced the Eagles this season, the Giants are trying to figure out a way to stop Terrell Owens. They thought rookie safety Gibril Wilson might have been the player to do it, but it is becoming increasingly apparent that he won't be on the field tomorrow.

"It's not better," Wilson said yesterday. He remains listed as questionable with a burner and hasn't practiced all week. "It's not good."

Wilson's latest prognosis matched that of head coach Tom Coughlin, who didn't think Wilson would be back, despite his insistence that he was improving. Continue

Green set to go,Greisen won't

The Giants will lose one linebacker but gain another when Barrett Green returns and Nick Greisen sits against the Eagles tomorrow.

Green, who has been inactive the last three weeks with knee and ankle injuries, has practiced all week and is ready to go at the weakside spot. Greisen, who led the Giants with 10 tackles last week against the Falcons, is unlikely to play with an ankle injury.

"It feels good. I wouldn't be going out there if I wasn't able to play," said Green, who was injured on the first series of the Minnesota game. "I had a good week of practice and I'm looking forward to getting a rematch with these guys."

Green says he is "almost" but "not quite" back to where he was before his injury.

Continue

To Eli, Eagles a must-read

Last week was Eli Manning's baptism by frying pan. The Eagles are providing the real fire tomorrow.

The future of this franchise will get his first extended exposure to a system that he'll be seeing twice a year for the next several years, as long as Jim Johnson, the 63-year-old madman, keeps calling the shots for the Philly defense.

Carlos Emmons spent the previous four years as part of it, so the Giants linebacker knows why the Eagles blitz works and how to beat it. Continue

Eagles puttin' on the blitz

Question: Will the Eagles blitz Eli Manning in his second NFL start?

Eagles head coach Andy Reid: "We do that every week."

Giants coach Tom Coughlin: "There isn't any question about where Philadelphia is coming from defensively."

Manning: "They're a team that blitzes everybody a lot and they're going to come after you, especially as a rookie quarterback."

Having turned that premise into an upcoming reality, we can move onto more pressing concerns for the Giants: Will Manning be able to handle what's coming?

"This will be a very, very difficult test for all of our football team, not just the quarterback," Coughlin said. "His job will be to try to recognize, to try to do something about getting us in the best possible situation. But they will present a great test for everyone because of their speed and the effectiveness with which they operate."  Continue

The kid is all right

Yes, Eli Manning is only a rookie, but the Giants' playoff hopes rest on his right arm.

Cris Collinsworth of Fox and HBO thinks Manning will lead the 5-5 Giants to the playoffs.

"It is going to be a matter if Eli can get them over the top,'' said Collinsworth, who analyzed Manning's starting debut last Sunday and is scheduled to call this week's Meadowlands showdown with the Eagles. Continue

Giants: We are better

The question hung in the air a little too long, right up there with the dark clouds that have been hovering over the Giants' lockers. A few weeks ago there wouldn't have been a doubt about their answer. Now, they're just not sure.

The question: Are the Giants a better team now than they were on Sept. 12, when they were blown out in their season opener at Philadelphia?

"That's a good question," Giants receiver Amani Toomer said. "The first time we faced them, I thought we played decent, just not good enough to win. But now I think we're in a little lull. It's going to be an interesting game on Sunday." Continue.

Emmons regaining strength in his legs

There was no Giant who more eagerly anticipated the opening day visit to Philadelphia than linebacker Carlos Emmons, who last season was the Eagles' defensive MVP. But the Emmons who took the field that day barely was recognizable - to himself and his former teammates.

He knew he was not all the way back from the fractured left leg he suffered in December, but the point was driven home when he watched himself on tape after the Eagles' 31-17 rout, in which they totaled 454 yards and Emmons had three tackles. Continue.

Will's up for T.O.

Scenes from a recurring Giants nightmare:

Nov. 30, 1998: Terrell Owens catches five passes for 140 yards, including a 79-yard TD reception, in the 49ers' 31-7 rout.

Sept. 5, 2002: Owens is shut down until a late 33-yard catch sets up the 49ers' winning field goal in a 16-13 victory.

Jan. 5, 2003: Owens has nine catches for 177 yards, two TDs and two two-point conversions in a 39-38 playoff win.

Sept. 12, 2004: Owens debuts for the Eagles with eight receptions for 68 yards and three TDs in a 31-17 romp.

To sum up how the Giants are doing against their least favorite receiver: That's an 0-4 record, two ruined opening days in the past three years and one of the worst playoff collapses in sports history. Continue.

Eli Looking To Burn Birds' Blitz

One of the many missing ingredients in the Giants offense is the big play, and with the Eagles coming to town on Sunday, this would not seem to be the week to find a few. If rookie Eli Manning and the offensive line can deal with the multiple blitzes by the Eagles, though, there may be opportunities to burn the blitz with plays downfield.

"It's just a matter of reading the defense right, protecting everything, guys getting open and being accurate with the ball," Manning said yesterday. "A lot of things have to happen. I don't think you can try to say we're gonna take shots or call every play to take a shot, it's just a matter of us having the right protection on and right route protection on to take advantage on." Continue.

Eli insists he's his own Mann

This was back in September 1997, in New Orleans, when Eli Manning was 16 and quarterbacking Newman High against an outmanned team from Warren Easton. He already was 6-4 and 180 pounds, brimming with the proven genetic codes, and Eli might as well have been the only player on the field, because nobody else was going to be drafted someday in the first round.

The defense was watching Eli so closely that day, Manning stuck the football into the ribs of his running back and the Warren Easton linemen just kept chasing the quarterback on a phantom rollout. They never believed he'd actually delegate duties to a mere fullback. The Newman runner rumbled in untouched for a 13-yard touchdown, virtually unseen, and Manning had to laugh about that deceptive handoff after the easy victory. Continue.

Stinger has stung Wilson

Rookie safety Gibril Wilson said there's only a "slight chance" he will be able to play Sunday against Philadelphia due to the stinger in his neck and shoulder that won't go away.

Wilson suffered the injury two weeks ago in Arizona on a crushing collision with Cards quarterback Josh McCown. He was optimistic about playing last Sunday against Atlanta, but his shoulder just didn't get any better as last week went on.

"It's just numb, just real sore," said Wilson, who did not practice yesterday and is listed as questionable. "I don't have my full range of motion yet. Once I start feeling my shoulder again, then I'll be out there to practice." Continue.

Giants vow to keep towel on

Will Allen wasn't upset at all when Nicollette Sheridan dropped her towel and jumped into Terrell Owens' arms in that infamous Monday Night Football skit. He wasn't mad when Owens danced in the end zone to mock Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. And he wasn't bothered two years ago when Owens pulled that Sharpie out of his sock.

"People watch the game to be entertained," the Giants cornerback said yesterday. "That stuff is all part of the game. As a kid growing up you used to like watching people do their touchdown dances in the end zone. Really, that's all it is. The guy is just celebrating. Continue.

Passing game shows deep problems

Ike Hilliard walked past a reporter on his way out of the Giants' practice bubble yesterday and said he was leaving to get his cane. "I'm old," the 28-year-old wide receiver said.

Hilliard was joking, but it wasn't good-naturedly. Earlier in the locker room, he made it clear that he is not amused by the perception among many fans and journalists that he no longer is a deep threat and that Amani Toomer, his starting counterpart since 1999, also may be slowing down. Continue.

T.O. foresees a KO of Giants

A win over the slumping Giants, and the Eagles will clinch their fourth straight NFC East title. And we haven't even hit December yet.

How about that, Terrell Owens?

"I think that would be a great accomplishment for the team," the Eagles' outspoken receiver said yesterday. The way Owens sounded, it's almost a foregone conclusion the Eagles will beat the Giants. Continue.

Soar Spot

Not In Our House? More like Not On Our Minds.

Forget any artificial rallying cries for the Giants this week as the Eagles come to town, seeking to clinch the NFC East crown en route to the best record in the conference, home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, world dominance and anything else they can pillage on the way to erasing their demons in the NFC Championship Game. Continue.

Shock to the system

The standards are set ridiculously high for Jeremy Shockey, which always seemed fine with him. The day he was drafted, he talked of how he wanted to "dominate" the NFL. As a rookie he played so well, he looked like he might redefine the tight end position.

But like so many players before him, the 24-year-old Shockey has stepped to the edge of greatness and been unable to cross the threshold. The rookie promise he showed disappeared when his second season was ruined by injuries. And now, in his supposed comeback season, he's been plagued by an offense that doesn't seem to use him properly and a disturbing case of the drops. Continue.

Lewis' patchwork defense

Tim Lewis was in East Rutherford yesterday, trying to figure out how to control Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens when the Eagles visit Sunday.

At the same time, his best player was at a supermarket in Hoboken, his right arm in a sling, needing help from a group of children to gather groceries as part of a promotional appearance for MasterCard.

As they say in the commercials, for a defensive coordinator, having a six-time Pro Bowl end is priceless. Continue.

Manning unable to catch a break

It probably was too much to ask of a rookie quarterback, to send him into a playoff race and ask him to be the savior of a sliding team. The day-after evaluation was that Eli Manning probably did about as much as anyone could have expected.

And he might have done a little more, if he only had a little help.

In his first NFL start, the 23-year-old Manning was plagued as much by his own admitted tendency to rush throws as he was by his receivers' inability to catch them in the Giants' 14-10 loss to the Falcons Sunday. By Tom Coughlin's count, there were six dropped passes, five in the first half. At least one of the primary culprits, tight end Jeremy Shockey, admitted yesterday the Giants let Manning down. Continue.

Eli needs a few Big Blue bodies

Ernie Accorsi did not mortgage the future for a dud. The Giants have their quarterback for the next 10 years. Now Accorsi must put better players around Eli Manning to give him a chance to play the first Sunday in February in years to come.

The forgettable era of Dave Brown, Kent Graham and Danny Kanell, followed by a nice five-year run by Kerry Collins, was just a bridge from Phil Simms to Manning. The kid didn't light it up in his first start - the Giants scored a season-low 10 points against the Falcons, who gave up 56 to the Chiefs a few weeks ago. Continue.

Rough time accepting costly penalty

Linebacker Carlos Emmons doesn't know what he did to deserve the controversial and critical roughing the passer penalty he took in the fourth quarter on Sunday. But he did have a solution on how to avoid another one in the future. "I think we're going to call the league and tell them to put some flags on the quarterback and we're just going to try to go after the flag," he said yesterday. "Maybe we can avoid the penalties that way." Continue.

Giant Mission: Help The Kid

JEREMY SHOCKEY yesterday called on all Giant playmakers to come to the aid of the rookie quarterback. Because if they don't help Eli Manning, and help him soon — like Sunday against the rampaging Eagles — then the playoffs become a pipe dream around East Rutherford, and poof goes the season.

Big-time players are supposed to play big in the big games. Well, fellas, here comes that big game.

Help The Kid.

"He played definitely well enough for us to win the game," Shockey said. "That's the thing that's disappointing because myself and other people, we didn't make plays when we had chances, we left a lot of things out there. You don't want to see people seeing that, and you definitely don't want to play like that. . . . We shoulda won the game how he played." Continue.

Cold Comfort In Blue Loss

Tom Coughlin was listing, after a review of the game tape, some of the mistakes his rookie quarterback had made. The Giants coach noticed that Eli Manning did not set his feet on occasion, threw across his body and hurried some of his throws. Pause. "In another week or so," Coughlin said yesterday, "I think he'll make those throws." 

That is what the Giants are banking on as their season threatens to slip-slide away. Manning was far from perfect in his starting debut, a 14-10 loss to the Falcons, but the improvement he made from the first half to the second — sort of as if he processed the data and came up with immediate solutions — has the entire organization anxious to get him on the field again as soon as possible. Continue.

Late Failures Becoming A Habit

For the third time in the last three weeks, the Giants last Sunday had the ball in the final two minutes with a chance to either tie or win the game. For the third time, the Giants came up empty and lost 14-10 to the Falcons.

Doing just enough to lose is not what the Giants have in mind. They've lost three straight by a total of 14 points."We talk constantly about getting the game into the fourth quarter with a chance to win; we've done that but we haven't been able to mount a drive that wins the game," Coughlin said. "It puts even more pressure on those decisions that have to be made."  Continue.

Let Shockey strut stuff

By most standards, Jeremy Shockey has put together a credible season for an NFL tight end.

By Shockey's own standards, he has turned into a major disappointment - both to himself and to those who watch him.

Wasn't this the guy who was going to be the prototypical tight end, the player who would transform his position from the stodgy role of blocker and part-time receiver into the unstoppable pass-catcher who would create mismatches even the brightest defensive minds couldn't solve? Continue.

Eli earns 'E' for effort

Some quarterbacks take weeks to get comfortable in the NFL. Sometimes it takes several years.

Yesterday it took Eli Manning a mere 30 minutes. And he nearly left himself enough time to engineer a come-from-behind win.

Instead, when he looks back on his NFL debut, he'll see a 14-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Giants Stadium, and less-than-impressive final numbers (17-for-37, 162 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions). Continue.

Giant look into future

It was all set up for Eli Manning to become an instant New York hero. A two-minute, game-winning drive in his first start would have provided instant validation for all the Giants gave up to get him, all they money they paid him, even if Canton would still have to wait a few years.

He had 74 yards to go, 1:52 to do it in, one timeout to work with and a 14-10 deficit to overcome. "It's a position you want to be in as a quarterback," Manning said. "You have the ball in your hands when the time is down and you've got a chance to win the game. That is what it is all about." Continue.

Manning: Drops were my fault

Rookie quarterback Eli Manning took the hit for his veteran teammates yesterday, saying the drops that plagued tight end Jeremy Shockey and receiver Amani Toomer in the first half of the Giants' 14-10 loss to Atlanta were all his fault.

"A lot of them were just bad throws," Manning said. "A couple were behind them or off to the side. I had to be more accurate. Sometimes I threw the ball too quickly and didn't have my feet set." Continue.

For Eli, Line Puts On Good Front

The Giants' fourth offensive snap yesterday provided the afternoon's first obvious mistake. Its plot sounded frighteningly familiar.

Right guard Chris Snee couldn't hold a block. Eli Manning's pocket suddenly shrank, and Falcons Ed Jasper and Patrick Kerney dragged him down for a four-yard loss.

The Giants linemen knew more of that would doom the day. So after helping Manning off the turf, they strung together maybe their best 58 minutes of football this fall, and with a little help from the game plan, kept Manning from taking any more losses. Continue.

Manning Era Off To Shaky start

As he trotted back onto the field, Eli Manning knew this is where he wanted to be.

Only 1:52 remained, the Giants last night owned just one timeout and were 74 yards away from the touchdown they needed to turn the quarterback of the future into a winner in the present.

"It's a position you want to be in," Manning said. "As a quarterback you want the ball in your hands with a chance to win the game." Continue.

Hurt by hand of fate

The flag that referee Jeff Triplette threw came out late. And Giants linebacker Carlos Emmons, the guilty party, thought it wasn't deserved. It was, however, costly.

Emmons was charged and convicted of an illegal hand to the face of Vick, a call that allowed the Falcons to retain possession late in the fourth quarter of their 14-10 win yesterday at Giants Stadium. Continue.

Falcons will continue winning streak vs Giants

Giants face the 7-2 Falcons , who have won 2 in a row after getting crushed by the Chiefs 56-10 at arrowhead. Falcons are facing a beat up Giants team and a shiny new QB in Eli Manning. Manning makes his debut at Giants stadium against an aggressive defense. Falcons have 27 sacks on the year, behind only 3 teams tied for first with 28. Atlanta is stout vs the run giving up only 95 yards per game , 4th in the league overall. Giants will be in trouble if they can't establish the run, all the pressure will be on Manning. This game will come down to the offensive line once again for the Giants. O'Hara is listed as questionable, but according to WFAN Wayne Lucier will get the start. Giants and Manning have too much to overcome, Falcons win easily 27-13.

First and 10 for Manning

It all seemed so easy for Troy Aikman at the start of the 1989 season. He was the No. 1 pick, coming off a brilliant career at UCLA and he was outstanding in his first preseason. The Dallas Cowboys were 3-1. He didn't throw an interception. Everything seemed so simple and so slow.

"It really just felt like an extension of college to me," Aikman recalls. "And I thought, 'Wow, I don't know why everybody makes such a big deal about this NFL stuff.'" Continue.

Time is now for Eli & Giants

If you want to know where all this really began, everything that brought Eli Manning and the Giants to this day and this start for him against the Falcons, you go back to a Saturday night at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at Ole Miss two years ago, a cold November night when the temperature was under 50 degrees at kickoff and kept getting colder after that. Ernie Accorsi, the Giants general manager, was starting to hear talk that Eli Manning, then a junior, might make himself eligible for the next NFL draft. Accorsi was in Oxford, Miss., to get a look at Peyton's kid brother in person. Continue.

Giants: must line up for Eli

The Giants are hoping Eli Manning begins with a bang this afternoon. They're also hoping it doesn't begin with a snap, crack or pop.

The way the Giants' offensive line has been playing lately, that's a very real danger when they take on the Atlanta Falcons at Giants Stadium this afternoon. The Falcons (7-2) are fourth in the NFL with 27 sacks. And the Giants (5-4) have given up a league-high 40, which includes an amazing 24 in the last four games. Continue.

Heir To The Throwin'

GIANTS STADIUM stands as the epicenter of the professional football world today. Eli Manning, The Chosen One, takes the ball and center stage in a marquee "Star Wars" duel against Michael Vick. New York's new diaper dandy takes his first momentous baby steps up Super Bowl mountain.

Heir Manning had showered following his Friday practice, and as he headed for the film room, that ever-present playbook tucked under his arm, he was asked what he would say to Giants fans some 50 hours before the start of his new era.

"I'm confident I'm gonna go out there and play well," Manning said. "I know the game plan. Now it's just a matter of doing last preparations and going out there and playing football." Continue.

Eli Of The Storm

No one told Will Allen directly, at least not that he could remember. Allen said he found out early this past week that Eli Manning was in and Kurt Warner was out as Giants quarterback, but the starting cornerback never was officially informed of the high-impact move.

So how did Allen know something was up? Continue.

Support system

The Education of Eli: Fifth in an occasional series on Eli Manning's rookie season

The pattern was set long ago amid the morning scramble to get three boys fed and off to school. It was a time for Cheerios, not X's and O's.

"I always told my kids on Friday morning before a high school game: 'Just have fun,'" Archie Manning said.

Little has changed now that two of Archie and Olivia's sons have graduated from the high school fields of New Orleans to the collegiate cauldron of the SEC to riches in the NFL. Continue.

Manning promotion no sign of surrender

Seventeen questions into his Thursday news conference - his third of the week dominated by Eli-mania - someone at last asked Tom Coughlin about a matter largely lost in the hysteria: the standings.

Because of the Manning hype, it has been easy to forget that the Giants remain squarely in the NFC playoff race despite three losses in four games, and that they desperately need a victory over the Falcons. Continue.

NY Giants Injury Report vs Falcons

Out

S Jack Brewer (lower leg)

Questionable

RB Michael Cloud (Back)

LB Barrett Green (Knee/Ankle)

C Shaun O'Hara (Ankle)

T  Marques Sullivan (Ankle)

S Gibril Wilson (Burner)

Attacking the Crumpler zone

The likely loss of strong safety Gibril Wilson to a neck burner for tomorrows game against the Falcons makes the job of containing tight end Alge Crumpler even more difficult for the Giants. Continue.

Vick has Big Blue 'D' scrambling

Amid all the Eli Man-ia of the past week, everyone seems to be ignoring the other quarterback in tomorrow's game.

Perhaps you have heard of him. Michael Vick.

And, while all of his Giant teammates have been boasting of Manning zinging the ball around the field, few want to consider that Gibril Wilson, the Giants' best play-making DB, hasn't practiced all week. Continue.

Center falls out of line

Center Shaun O'Hara looks as though he will miss his third game in four weeks, this time with a sprained ankle that he injured in Arizona last week.

"It seems like I spend all my time in the trainer's room. I'm just trying everything I can to get out there on Sunday," said O'Hara, who was replaced by Wayne Lucier in the Vikings and Bears games when he was sidelined with a cellulitis infection. "If you know any place that sells spare body parts, let me know." Continue.

Vick looms larger vs. ailing defense

Gibril Wilson and Eli Manning were 136 picks apart in the draft and about $20 million apart in signing bonuses. But the absence of the former could have a significant impact on the latter's chance to win in his starting debut Sunday.

The rookie strong safety has been one of the most consistent playmakers on the Giants' defense, but he missed practice all week with a left shoulder injury and appears unlikely to play against the Falcons. Continue.

Eli passes in first huddle

They don't call him "Easy" for nothing.

With just a few days left before his first NFL start and with a frenzy building around him, Eli Manning, the new Giants starting quarterback, has somehow remained as unflappable as ever. He's hardly showed a hint of excitement during practice this week, according to many of his teammates. And even yesterday, during his first formal press conference as the starter, he barely cracked a smile.

So is he excited? Well, he says he is. Is he nervous? No, he said, not yet. Continue.

For Green, knee will have to do

Linebacker Barrett Green had a second opinion on his injured left knee Wednesday, but the prognosis was the same. He needs rest more than anything else right now. But with seven games left that's something he's not likely to get.

"It was pretty encouraging," Green said of his consultation with Dr. John Uribe, the University of Miami team physician. "He basically reiterated what my doctor here said, that there was no major damage. I just need time to rest and heal. It was a significant injury and it's going to require a significant amount of time to recuperate." Continue.

Eli Eases Into Role As Savior

ELI MANNING is The Prince summoned to make the Giants kings of the NFL again, and New York hasn't hyperventilated over a quarterback like this since Joe Namath rode into town on his white horse and white shoes 40 years ago.

Manning, 23, doesn't wear a fur coat, or pantyhose, and he doesn't have Paris Hilton on his arm. The frenzy that accompanies the coronation of the franchise quarterback from the royal Manning family seems to be obvious to everyone but Manning himself. The Giants expect him to be The Natural, and he probably will be. In the meantime, Eli Cometh as The Iceman, with the temperament you'd want in your surgeon or your air traffic controller.  Continue.

Two For The Show

Nope, New York's football season is not over. The Jets probably are going to the playoffs. And — believe it or not — so are the Giants.

That's what CBS analyst Phil Simms thinks, anyway.

"I think [the Giants'] playoff chances are very good," Simms said. "I think this NFC is a wreck. I mean it is a wreck. The Chicago Bears are one game out of first place. The Arizona Cardinals are one game out of first place in the NFC West."The Giants have the more intriguing game this week, with No. 1 pick Eli Manning starting for Kurt Warner at home against the Falcons. Continue.

Hurting Wilson could sit

Gibril Wilson has been a playmaker for the Giants on defense this season. It's unclear if the rookie safety will be healthy enough to be one against the Falcons on Sunday.

Wilson did not practice yesterday and is questionable with a "burner" in his shoulder suffered in a collision with Arizona quarterback Josh McCown on Sunday. Burner is not a medical term, but it's probably an apt description of how an unprotected shoulder feels after it is drilled by a football helmet. Continue.

Eli and Giants in study blitz

Jim Mora, the Atlanta Falcons' new head coach, swears that when he heard the Giants were going to start Eli Manning at quarterback on Sunday his reaction was "Okay, fine." He didn't start drawing up blitzes or dreaming of ways to confuse the rookie.

And by the way, the Giants aren't buying that at all. Continue.

Mann of the hour

The price the Giants paid for Eli Manning dictates that they get lucrative and immediate results. He first must save their season and then be just as good as his big brother and better than Big Ben. That's all he has to do.

Manning gives the Giants hope and energy, something that had faded away with Kurt Warner. As much pressure as there is on Manning to play well Sunday as the Giants try to stay alive in the weak NFC playoff race, the pressure was on the organization as soon as it pulled the trigger on one of the biggest draft-day deals in NFL history. Continue.

Warner: Don't call reverse on decision

If the Eli Manning Era doesn't get off to the stellar start some are expecting, it's possible that Tom Coughlin will have to turn back to Kurt Warner.

And if that happens, it's also possible that Warner will tell Coughlin "Don't." Continue.

Hut one, hut two, you're on

The lights will be on, Giants Stadium will be full and the winds of change will be blowing. Everyone is anticipating an electric mood for Sunday's game between the Giants and Falcons.

That includes the man who has seen it all in 80 years watching the Giants, co-owner Wellington Mara. He also knows the feeling could be fleeting.
Asked whether he expects a "special" atmosphere in light of the excitement the draft-day trade for Eli Manning inspired, Mara said, "Yeah, only until the first interception." Continue.

Passing The Torch

Sunday is the dawn of a new day for the Giants, but for at least one respected member of the franchise, seeing the quarterback torch passed to Eli Manning won't be a monumental day in team history.

"There's always a level of first excitement," said Wellington Mara, the 88-year old co-owner. "But I'm not deifying him by saying it's a new era. It's the same old era to me."  Continue.