Giant Football Blog

Osi, Strahan must repressurize

Two games shouldn't seem like a drought. But to Osi Umenyiora, two games without a sack feels like an eternity - especially because his fellow Pro Bowl defensive end, Michael Strahan, also has gone two games without a sack.

The Giants' standout defensive ends, with 24 sacks between them, are finding the path to opposing quarterbacks a little clogged of late. The Raiders are not known for their quarterback-protection schemes, having allowed 42 sacks, eighth-most in the league. But it's become obvious that you can stop the Giants' defense by stopping Strahan and Umenyiora."That's still no excuse for anything," Umenyiora said. "You have to find a way. [Strahan] has been doing it for years." Continue

Shockey's out

Even before the Giants embarked yesterday on their West Coast trip, Jeremy Shockey was ruled out of tonight's game against the Raiders. The high-ankle sprain he suffered in last week's 35-20 loss in Washington improved slightly but not nearly enough to get him on the field when the Giants go for the NFC East clincher.

Shockey has battled through nicks and bumps but has managed to start every game this season; his absence is a big one for the Giants' offense. Visanthe Shiancoe will move in as the starting tight end, but he is not close to the receiving threat Shockey is. Shiancoe, a strong blocker, did catch three passes for 40 yards against the Redskins. The other tight end on the roster is Matt Kranchick, signed two weeks ago. Continue

Big Blue has a resolution

The NFC East title is the carrot dangling in front of the Giants tonight. It's hanging right next to the chance to play their first-round playoff game at home. But there is something even more important at stake when they face the Oakland Raiders in their regular-season finale. The battered and bruised Giants need a win to regain their momentum. And heading into the playoffs, they need a reason to feel good about themselves again.

"That's why this game in Oakland is so important to us," Tiki Barber said. "It's not so much about the win. We know we're in the playoffs. It's about building confidence, being able to play with a certain swagger, a certain belief that you're invincible. We don't have that right now. We need to get that back." Continue

Shockey likely out

Jeremy Shockey went another day without practicing yesterday, and while Tom Coughlin was as cryptic as ever concerning his tight end's ankle, the tea leaves indicate that he will not be in the lineup tomorrow night in Oakland.

Officially, Shockey remained questionable on the injury report. Coughlin said the Pro Bowler was "getting better every day" but still "not good enough to practice." Usually, players who do not work two days before the game do not play in the game. Then there is the risk of Shockey playing with an injured ankle on what should be a sloppy field - rain is expected in the Bay Area today and tomorrow. Continue

Jints need to come home with crown

THEY call it swagger, and the 2005 Giants desperately need to find it, and find it now, starting tomorrow night against the Raiders, or New York will be singing Auld Lang Syne to them before the new year. The Giants need to dominate and intimidate the 4-11 Raiders from the jump, and show them how a real team with real championship ambition is supposed to perform, and carry the beginnings of an aura of invincibility back with them to Giants Stadium when The Second Season begins.

They need to make a mockery of Kerry Collins' revenge plot. They need to bully the Raiders the way the Raiders bullied everyone else once upon a Ben Davidson time. They need to bury the Raiders, whether Jeremy Shockey (questionable, ankle) plays or not. Continue

Giants wary with Kerry carrying grudge

Nobody needs to tel the Giants how dangerous a motivated Kerry Collins can be. So it wasn't very comforting for any of them to hear that their ex-quarterback is out for "a little bit of revenge." "Did he say that? Wow," said Giants receiver Amani Toomer. "Well, he's the guy that can do it."

Knowing the Giants need a win on Saturday night in Oakland to lock up the NFC East title, Collins, the ex-Giants quarterback, didn't even try to pretend yesterday that this would be like any of his 27 previous starts for the Raiders. Twenty months ago, the organization that he led to Super Bowl XXXV pushed him aside when it drafted Eli Manning. Continue

Giants going on offensive

The Giants will go as far as Eli Manning takes them. They know it. The Raiders and everyone waiting for the Giants in the playoffs know it. And he knows it. "In a way, that's probably true," Manning told The Post yesterday. "It's a matter of how well I can play, and obviously it's the team, and the team has to play well, both sides of the ball, defense, and we have to be able to run the ball with Tiki [Barber], and guys have to make plays when they're there.... But if I go out there and struggle and have a bad, bad game, then the offense and things aren't gonna go as well. Continue

Deloatch sent to de bench

Curtis Deloatch always figured his days in the starting lineup were numbered. He was an undrafted free agent and his backup was a second-round draft pick. It was only a matter of time, he said, before the Giants put rookie Corey Webster in. So it was no surprise to Deloatch when they pulled him on Saturday in Washington, nor was he surprised to learn that Webster will be starting Saturday night in Oakland, too.

"They brought Corey in - that's their guy," Deloatch said. "I knew it was going to come sooner or later, I just didn't know when it was coming. They wanted to give him an opportunity to go out there and play, so this is his chance to go out there and show what he can do." Continue

Emmons torn apart by muscle injury

The Giants are going to the playoffs but Carlos Emmons is not, and he's fuming about it. The flight this weekend to Oakland is long enough, with a victory over the Raiders all that's standing between the Giants and the NFC East title. With an ailing linebacker corps, a roster in flux, and at least one respected veteran angered by being cast aside, the Giants aren't exactly the picture of physical or spiritual health.

"I voiced my opinion, told them how I felt about it, but when it comes to a situation like that, my opinion doesn't really matter," Emmons snapped yesterday. Continue

Ankle remains a sore spot for Shockey

As if the Giants don't have enough problems with injuries, they practiced yesterday without tight end Jeremy Shockey, who is sidelined with an ankle injury. Shockey apparently injured his ankle on Saturday in Washington on the play where he was called for pass interference at the end of the first half. He was able to play most of the second half, which might be the best indicator that he'll be ready to play Saturday night in Oakland. "His ankle is still sore and bothering him," Tom Coughlin said. "Hopefully we'll have a better handle on it (today)." Continue

Giants place unhappy Emmons on IR, welcome back Lewis

The New York Giants continued to shuffle their injury-depleted linebacker corps on Tuesday, placing Carlos Emmons in injured reserve and signing Jay Foreman, the second player picked up at that position in two days. Emmons, who has a strained right pectoral muscle, was placed on IR the day after the team did the same with rookie middle linebacker Chase Blackburn, who sprained his neck last week in Washington after returning an interception for a touchdown against the Redskins. Antonio Pierce, the starter at middle linebacker, has been out since Dec. 11 with a high ankle sprain.

Kevin Lewis, who started for the Giants at middle linebacker last season, was signed Monday. He had been cut in September after he was beaten out by Blackburn. Foreman, cut by Oakland in training camp, began his career in 1999 with Buffalo and also played for Houston. The Giants also placed reserve running back Derrick Ward on IR Tuesday with a groin injury and signed veteran running back Mike Cloud, who will return for his third tour of duty with the team. (AP)

Focus on playoff picture

At least they're in. The Giants made the playoffs late Sunday night, so there will be no hand-wringing this week about do-or-die in Oakland on Saturday. But because they haven't proved they can defeat strong teams away from Giants Stadium - the Giants are 2-4 on the road, with both victories against the sub-.500 49ers and Eagles - a win over the lousy Raiders is imperative. It would at least give them the NFC East title and a home game in the wild-card round.

The field of potential playoff opponents for the Giants has been narrowed to four: the Panthers, Bucs, Redskins and Cowboys. If the Giants win Saturday, they will play one of those four at Giants Stadium. If the Giants lose Saturday, they still could win the division with a Redskins loss in Philadelphia, but the more likely scenario is the Giants traveling to Tampa, Charlotte or Landover for a first-round game. The Giants have clinched a better record than the Cowboys. Chalk Talk will attempt to break down the possible playoff matchups here: Continue

Giants don't want to go wild

If someone had told Giants GM Ernie Accorsi before the season that his team would get a playoff berth as a gift late on Christmas night, he probably would have been happy to accept it. But that was a long time ago. "That's not good enough for me now," Accorsi said yesterday. "We've got to win the division."

That says it all about what the Giants' attitude will be when they return to work tomorrow to begin preparing for their crucial season finale on Saturday night in Oakland. Backing into the playoffs was a nice gift - especially since they haven't been to the postseason since 2002 - but at the moment they have their eyes on something bigger. Continue

Giants re-sign Lewis in wake of linebacker crisis

The Giants shored up their injury-depleted linebacking corps on Monday by signing Kevin Lewis, who they cut last September after he started all 16 games for New York last season.The Giants, who have clinched at least a wild-card playoff spot, can wrap up the NFC East with a victory in Oakland on Saturday night. But they have been beset by injuries at linebacker the past few weeks, beginning with Antonio Pierce, the middle linebacker and heart of the defense.

Rookie free agent Chase Blackburn, who replaced Pierce and returned an interception for a touchdown in a 35-20 loss in Washington on Saturday, sprained his neck later in that game. Outside linebacker Carlos Emmons has also been out with an injury to a pectoral muscle. Continue

Armstead back with Giants?

Could the heart and soul of the Giants' last Super Bowl run return to be the heart and soul of this year's run? It may be a longshot, but Tom Coughlin yesterday wouldn't rule out a return of Jessie Armstead. The 35-year-old Armstead, who played for the Giants from 1993-2001, worked out for the team two weeks ago before it signed veteran Roman Phifer.

With linebacker Chase Blackburn (sprained neck) out of Saturday night's game in Oakland and probably longer, the Giants are desperate. "Jessie did come in with a group that worked out," Coughlin said. "But I'm not going to elaborate on what we thought of who, what or where." Continue

Loss of Blackburn leaves only 3 LB's

Rookie linebacker Chase Blackburn was released yesterday morning from a D.C.-area hospital, and returned to New Jersey accompanied by head trainer Ronnie Barnes. Blackburn has a severely sore neck but no lingering damage after a frightening injury in the Giants' 35-20 loss to the Redskins on Saturday. Blackburn, who in the first quarter notched his first career interception and touchdown, was immobilized and carted off the field on a stretcher in the fourth quarter after he attempted to tackle H-back Chris Cooley.

He was able to squeeze the hand of Tom Coughlin and move his legs; later tests revealed no structural damage. "There's trauma in the neck area," Coughlin said. "His neck is sore. He's going to have to recover from this, obviously. There's no type of debilitating injury, but I would be surprised if he was available [on Saturday]. It will probably be a couple of weeks, maybe more." Continue

No win, but Jints are in

here's a split among the Giants as they gear up for their cross-country trip to Oakland for a chance to finally clinch the NFC East title. Some do not care much how the Giants claim their prize, just as long as they get it, while many others are concerned about the way the Giants get in.

The depression clearly evident after a 35-20 loss to the Redskins Saturday dissipated last night, as the Giants clinched a playoff spot, thanks to the Vikings' 30-23 loss to the Ravens. But while a handful of players focused on what comes next, the majority feared the setback at FedEx Field was a troubling sign that needs to be corrected, or else. Continue

This one's not on Eli

The numbers aren't awful. Eli Manning attempted 41 passes yesterday. He completed 23 of them. He threw one touchdown pass and should have had a second — only it was nullified by a penalty. He threw one interception, and it maybe shouldn't have been as costly as it was if his tight end hadn't suffered brain lock.

Manning wasn't the reason the Giants lost yesterday, but in this season he rarely has been. He also couldn't provide enough of a difference to be a reason why the Giants could have won, either. And as the weather turns colder and the days shorter, that simply has to change. He knows that. He says so. He keeps saying so. Continue

Blackburn hurts neck

The Giants' lost more than a game yesterday. They lost another player, when rookie linebacker Chase Blackburn was immobilized and stretchered off the field with a sprained neck. He had X-rays done at FedEx Field and taken to a local hospital for further care. In the first quarter of their 35-20 NFC East showdown with the Redskins, Blackburn had given the Giants a 10-7 lead with a 31-yard interception return for a touchdown. But with 1:35 left in the third, he was hurt trying to tackle Washington tight end/fullback Chris Cooley.

"My first thoughts are with Chase Blackburn," said coach Tom Coughlin. "I really don't have a lot of information other than the fact that the procedure that was followed on the field was of a protocol nature and very, very precautionary." Continue

Aleen gets torched in defeat

Players often refer to playing cornerback as being out on an island. With the game the Giants' Will Allen had yesterday — likely one of the worst of his life — it must have felt like a low-lying sandbar at high tide, as he found himself drowning in a sea of Santana Moss and Clinton Portis. Allen was at least partly culpable for four Redskin scores in a 35-20 Giant loss. He got burned on all three of Moss' TDs, and missed a tackle on Portis' cutback score in the fourth.

Helpless, Allen could only seethe on the sideline, throwing down his towel in disgust and cursing. At himself? The lack of safety help? At Moss? "He scored a touchdown — that's why I'm so angry," Allen said. "I'm not even going into that. I was just angry, dog. They scored. I'm angry. We lost the game. I'm angry." Allen said the Giants were in cover three on Moss' last two TDs, and safety Gibril Wilson was nowhere in sight. Giant coach Tom Coughlin said they got sucked in by the tight end on the second score. Whatever the case, it was Allen vainly chasing Moss down the field. Continue

Burned by Moss, Giants fail to clinch

The Giants still control their own playoff destiny and could even be in the postseason by the time they take the field in Oakland on New Year's Eve. But the way they coughed up a chance to clinch the NFC East title in a 35-20 loss to the Redskins on Saturday begged the question: Does a team that spits the bit in such a big spot deserve a playoff berth?"Not if we play that way again," center Shaun O'Hara said. "Frustrated isn't the right word, disappointed isn't the right word. Absolutely and utterly ---- off is the only feeling we should have right now."

If the Giants (10-5) beat Oakland on Saturday, they will clinch the NFC East title. Even if the Giants lose, if Washington (9-6) loses to the Eagles in Philadelphia on New Year's Day, the Giants will win the division title. But if the Giants lose and the Redskins beat the Eagles, the Redskins will be NFC East champions on the basis of a better divisional record (5-1 to 4-2). Continue

All they want is the division

The Giants are sitting on a nice, two-game cushion in the NFC East and they've earned the right to enjoy it. But this is no time for any of them to start getting comfortable. The last thing the Giants want is to let their title hopes ride on one final, nail-biting week. "I don't think anybody wants to depend on winning in Oakland (in the season finale) to seal our fate," said defensive end Michael Strahan. "This is going to be the game that determines everything for us in our opinion, and everybody has to play that way." Continue

Osi gets extension

Three days ago, Osi Umenyiora became a Pro Bowler for the first time. Now the Giants' defensive end will be paid like one, too. Umenyiora's breakthrough season paid off in a big way when he agreed to terms on a contract extension, according to sources. A report on ESPN.com indicated the extension will be worth $41 million over the next six years and will keep him with the Giants until 2012. The deal reportedly includes $15 million in guaranteed money and will pay him $21 million in the first three years.

That's quite a haul for a 25-year-old, who seemingly came out of nowhere this season to lead the NFC with 12-1/2 sacks heading into this afternoon's game against the Washington Redskins. In the three seasons since the Giants made him a second-round draft pick out of Troy State, he has 20-1/2 sacks in 43 games. Continue

Giants aim to seal the deal

Lingering is fine over a glass of wine or a splendid meal, but for the Giants, lingering over their playoff fortunes is not healthy. Not today, with the NFC East title there for the taking and the Redskins the lone obstacle standing between the Giants and a mighty celebration.

Allowing the victory party to linger will make for one hellacious week of anxiety, followed by a nervous cross-country trip to Oakland to attempt to secure the division crown. Winning one of their last two games is all the Giants need, but they march into FedEx Field believing they have no safety net. Continue

Instantly a man in middle

Chase Blackburn was leisurely watching game video in a cramped room at Giants Stadium a few hours before Saturday's game against the Chiefs when linebackers coach Bill Sheridan cracked open the door. It was a brief exchange, something along the lines of, "Hey, kid, you're starting today."

Just like that, the undrafted rookie free agent from the University of Akron went from the sideline to a potential headline if things didn't go well.The 6-3, 247-pound Blackburn, making his first start, made nine tackles as the Giants held one of the NFL's top offenses in check in a 27-17 victory. Only safety Gibril Wilson, with 12, had more tackles. Continue

Tiki, Clinton in a D.C. runoff

The gauntlet was thrown at Redskins Park yesterday, and it's not an unfamiliar one to Tiki Barber. Clinton Portis showed up in a leather helmet, symbolic of the throwback game he expects when Barber and the Giants invade FedEx Field tomorrow.

"Tiki has been playing great," Portis declared. "It's going to be a showdown between me and Tiki. I know that, he knows that, and the whole world knows that. Whoever has the better day probably will be the winner of this game." That certainly proved true in October, when Barber ran for a then-career high 206 yards, Portis gained just nine and the Giants romped to a 36-0 victory at the Meadowlands. Continue

Some feud for thought

There has been all this talk from the Redskins about how angry they are, about the Giants humiliating them 36-0 two months ago, about the prospect of the Giants dancing on their burgundy and gold grave and turning riotous, raucous, rocking FedEx Field into a morgue as they dance off as NFC East champions.

Well guess what? The Giants are angry, too. The Giants are angry because they have had to wait five long years for this moment. They have waited five long years for the Eagles to lose their stranglehold on the division. They have waited five long years to be close enough to a Super Bowl to smell it. "It's very hard to believe, and that's why I think a lot of guys who were here are very motivated to get it over with and get it out of the way," Michael Strahan said, "because we really want it, we really need it, and . . . I can't think of a better situation to be in." Continue

Snub of Plaxico has Giants Blue

For the first time in 15 years the Giants will be sending five players to the Pro Bowl. And the only thing that surprised them yesterday was that they weren't sending one more. Running back Tiki Barber, tight end Jeremy Shockey, special-teamer David Tyree and defensive ends Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora were all named to the NFC squad, giving the Giants their largest Pro Bowl contingent since they sent seven to Hawaii in 1990. But Plaxico Burress, one of the most explosive receivers the franchise has ever had, will be staying home. Continue

It's time for Eli to be the man

This has been a dream season for Giant fans - five Pro Bowl stars, the young franchise quarterback growing up before their eyes, the demise of the Eagles, a team inspired to honor the memory of its late, great owners, a division title at their fingertips Saturday in Landover against Redskin Nation. But they worry about Eli Manning.

They worry that when the 'Skins send everyone but Donald Rumsfeld at Tiki Barber, Eli Manning won't be able to seize the moment. They don't need to stage any Watergate break-in into the offices of Redskin defensive mastermind Gregg Williams to steal the gameplan -if you let a running back gash you again for 206 yards like the 'Skins did in Big Blue's 36-0 romp in Week 8, then shame on you. Giant fans worry that the season is in the hands of a young quarterback who - for all his wonderful traits, for all his promise - is not yet ready to hold the dream season in his hands. Continue

Tiki, Strahan, Shockey get Pro Bowl nods

Three of the Giants' marquee players, Michael Strahan, Tiki Barber and Jeremy Shockey, were among five Giants selected to the NFC Pro Bowl Wednesday. The trio was joined on the squad by first-year starter Osi Umenyiora and special-teams player David Tyree, who were named to their first Pro Bowl each.

This is Strahan's seventh career selection. At 34, he is playing at his lightest weight since he was a rookie and is tied for third in the league with 11 ½ sacks. Barber, 30, received his second straight selection and will also get some consideration for league MVP. He is second in the NFL with 1,577 rushing yards, including a team-record 220 on Saturday. Continue

Blue vs. Red-hot Skins

When the Washington Redskins limped out of Giants Stadium on Oct. 30, sore from a 36-0 whipping, they looked like a team ready to call it a season. That was their third loss in four games, erasing a promising 3-0 start. They would lose three of their next four, to fall to 5-6.

The NFC East, at that point, belonged to the Giants and Cowboys. Did anyone really think the Redskins would rise from the dead? "I never had any doubt about it," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said yesterday. "In this league if you set your mind to do something and you're determined to fight when things are tough and you're down, yeah you can come back," added guard David Diehl. "It's been done before." Continue

Valuable Shockey at best being himself

He cut his long mane of red hair short before this season started. But in nearly ever other way, Jeremy Shockey could still be mistaken for, say, the lead guitarist in some grunge rock band - not the NFC's best tight end - when he goes hustling through the Giants locker room still sporting the rest of his signature look: a day's growth of beard and those enormous tattoos that scroll around both biceps, the loose sweat pants that collapse into a pile of folds above each shoe, and the cheap knit cap he likes to pull down low on his head. To see or explain the real change in Shockey this season, you have to look on the inside, not the outside. Continue

Eli's standing drops back

This is a case of role reversal with the Giants. Tiki Barber is getting better with age this season, when it was supposed to be Eli Manning. Barber's ascension to perhaps the best all-around running back in the NFL, in a year he turned 30, traditionally the age backs start wearing down, has allowed the Giants to keep winning and survive Manning's shaky performances during a pressure-packed playoff run.

So, what's wrong with Manning? He was booed at home for the first time in his career Saturday night. He's regressed since the midpoint of the season and his mechanics need a training camp to get straightened out. Some of his throws are a real adventure. He's become the most scrutinized second-year QB in NFL history. Continue

Accorsi won't leave party

The stated reason Ernie Accorsi signed on last month for at least one more year as Giants general manager was stability. The deaths of co-owners Wellington Mara and Robert Tisch had left a gaping hole in the front office, and Accorsi was only too happy to stay put and help with any transitions.

But the real reason was Don Mattingly. Accorsi is a big baseball fan, and as the 10-4 Giants steam toward a likely postseason berth after a 6-10 season, he's thought about the former Yankees first baseman, who never played in a postseason game until his final year in 1995. Continue

Calling for reinforcements

In need of reinforcements after a spate of injuries, the Giants yesterday tried to fortify two positions when they signed veteran linebacker Roman Phifer and young tight end Matt Kranchick.

The addition of Phifer, 37, is insurance deemed necessary with the loss of Antonio Pierce likely for the remainder of the regular season and Carlos Emmons, who aggravated an old torn pectoral muscle problem and did not play in Sunday's 27-17 victory over the Chiefs. Kranchick replaces Sean Berton, the Giants' No. 3 tight end, who was placed on injured reserve with a torn knee ligament. To make room for Phifer, disappointing receiver Jamaar Taylor was put on IR. Taylor did not catch a pass in an injury-filled second year. Continue

 

Eli makin' fans fidget

There is a growing feeling among the Giants that they can be Destiny's Darlings, carrying on for Wellington Mara and Bob Tisch the way they are. They have become a team in every sense of the word, Tiki Barber running to daylight, unsung heroes playing out of position or stepping in and up for injured teammates on both sides of the ball, all for one and one for all, exactly the way Tom Coughlin scripted it when he arrived two years ago and talked about the restoration of Giants pride.

But MVP Barber cannot carry them to Big Blue Heaven by himself. The Giants aren't getting to a Super Bowl until Eli Manning starts throwing the ball like a big-time quarterback. MVP Barber, who ran the Giants to the brink of the NFC East crown Saturday night, won't get another 220 yards and won't get 206 yards again against the Redskins Saturday. Continue

Coughlin enjoys show

Upon further review, Tom Coughlin was even more impressed with his Giants. Tiki Barber's record-setting 220-yard rushing day looked even more important. The cobbled-together offensive line did what it needed to, especially the left-side comedy team of Bob Whitfield and Rich Seubert. The linebackers, with an undrafted, untested kid in the middle and two outside LBs who had practiced at different positions all week, bent but did not break.

Like an awful lot of the Giants' 10 victories this season, Saturday's 27-17 win over the Chiefs was not a performance Coughlin would necessarily like to see duplicated, but it featured an effort that might have been unparalleled by the Giants this season. Continue

Eli hears boos

For the first time in his NFL career, in his 21st start for the Giants, Eli Manning heard boos from the crowd at Giants Stadium last night during a 27-17 victory over the Chiefs. The fans grew restless watching Manning miss open receivers as he completed just 17 of 32 passes for 186 yards. "I mean, that's just part of it," Manning said of the jeers. "I heard it but I didn't get upset by it, I didn't get down." Manning's teammates certainly noticed the reaction.

"That's New York," Tiki Barber said. "That's what happens, but he doesn't let it affect him. Whether he plays great of he plays poorly, he's always gonna come back and give us that same consistent leadership in the huddle and that's all we can ask for." Continue

Rush job shows Barber a cut above

Tiki Barber was jogging through the tunnel back toward the locker room, holding the game ball fast, the way he has learned never to fumble it anywhere, anymore. Above him, the fans were still screaming his name, calling him the Most Valuable Player in the league. And right nearby, Frank Gifford was standing, saying this was the best performance he'd ever seen by a Giant. "He looked like he could do anything," Gifford said. "Remarkable, wasn't it?"

It was special, extraordinary, the sort of big-game demonstration that can lift a player into another category, into the realm of a transcendent New York star. On this day, Barber became more than a Giant running back. He joined an exclusive club of modern athletes, a group that includes Derek Jeter, Patrick Ewing and Mark Messier. Continue

Tiki torches Chiefs in Giants' win

Tiki Barber had enough in his veteran legs to pull the New York Giants to the brink of a division title. Barber ran for a team-record 220 yards and scored two touchdowns, helping the Giants beat up-and-coming runner Larry Johnson and the Kansas City Chiefs 27-17 Saturday. If the Giants (10-4) beat Washington next week, they will clinch the NFC East.

Despite a banged up offensive line, Barber slithered through the Chiefs defense, breaking one tackle after another to eclipse the old single-game rushing mark of 218, set by Gene Roberts against the Chicago Cardinals in 1950. Continue

Giants won't cry the Blues

The Giants' defensive leader will be standing on the sidelines in street clothes today, and will be flanked by their two starting offensive tackles. During the game, they will be able to make small talk with a starting defensive tackle, too. That is a group of four key players the Giants would rather not have to live without, especially with three games left in what has been a very successful regular season. They planned on rolling into the playoffs, not limping. "You can't look at it and think that all hopes are lost," Michael Strahan said. "We have other guys who can play." Continue

Tyree's the Hall monitor

This time, it's personal. Not in a bad way, but as a challenge for David Tyree, the Giants' top special- teams player, who will take it upon himself tonight to get a grip on Dante Hall and prevent the Chiefs' return demon from inflicting too much damage. Any time an opponent deals with Kansas City, Hall is a primary target of concern.

The tiny speedster has 10 career kickoff or punt returns, the third-highest total in NFL history, averaging a return for a touchdown once every 7.9 games. Tyree is the man who races down on coverage with strength and skill and as one of the best in the league at tracking and pursuing, he knows how important his job is in this particular game. Continue

Pass tense

The numbers are getting worse for Eli Manning. But Tom Coughlin's confidence in his 24-year-old quarterback hasn't wavered. And he could use a big game from Manning when the Giants host the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday. Manning has thrown 13 interceptions to 12 touchdown passes in his last nine games, with 10 of those picks thrown in the last five games. With the defensively challenged but offensively powerful Chiefs in town, the Giants might need Manning to raise his game several notches if the game turns into a shootout.

Tiki Barber has rushed 62 times in the past two weeks, so Coughlin and offensive coordinator John Hufnagel cannot lean on him to carry the offense any more than he already is. Manning can't be afraid to throw the ball. His coach definitely is not. Continue

Imperfect Ten

Yes, Giant quarterback Eli Manning has some troubling accuracy issues that often rise up at the worst possible times - like last Sunday's two fourth-quarter interceptions intended for Jeremy Shockey. But there's good news for the Giants and their fans, says CBS analyst Phil Simms: Manning's woes aren't necessarily fatal to Big Blue's playoff dreams. "He's on a really good football team,'' said Simms, who will call Saturday's Giants-Chiefs matchup with Jim Nantz for CBS.

"The New York Giants are capable of going to the Super Bowl. "They can run it, they can throw it, and they can sack the quarterback. That's a lot of ways to win. That's what makes the Giants dangerous.'' Case in point: The Giants managed to beat the Eagles last week in OT, despite their young QBs problems. Manning said he's struggling with his mechanics and that his footwork is off - affecting the way he releases the football and causing him to send fluttery waffles wide of receivers and into enemy arms. Continue

To Big Blue, he's Saint Nick

Nick Greisen entered Tom Coughlin's first training camp two years ago as the Giants' starting middle linebacker. One month later, he had lost his job to journeyman Kevin Lewis. Soon after that, he was switched to the weak side. It couldn't have been easy for Greisen, first to lose his job to someone who would be out of football, then to be moved from his position. It also wasn't a good sign for a player trying to impress a new coach.

"I just looked at it as maybe they didn't see me as a starter at that point," Greisen said yesterday. "But I've had to come up through the weak side to try and gain some trust in the coaches and gain some respect so I can be a starter again." Continue

Health chief concern now

If Bob Whitfield lines up Saturday as the starting left tackle for the Giants he'll see Jared Allen staring back at him across the line of scrimmage. Allen, the Chiefs' right defensive end, is among the league leaders with 10 sacks. Let the battle commence. "I'm going to [bleeping] smash his punk-ass any time I get the chance," Whitfield vowed yesterday.

Subtle is not a word often associated with Whitfield, who will be entrusted to move into the lineup as the cohesiveness of the Giants offensive line is demolished for the first time this season. Tentative is not a word used to describe him, either. He's a 34-year old, 14-year veteran who signed on with the Giants for one last go-round. And now must put all that experience and moxie out onto the field down the stretch of a heated playoff race. Continue

Greisen new middle man

There will be a new voice directing the Giants defense this week, and as Nick Greisen steps into the very large shoes occupied by Antonio Pierce, the linebacker knows one thing: He must be himself.

"You can't change the way you're going to play," Greisen said yesterday. "Everyone kind of says you got to step it up, but at the same time you got to play your game. If you try to do above and beyond what you're capable of, you're only going to make it worse for yourself." Continue

Pierce will miss Chiefs game

Antonio Pierce is out for Saturday's game with the Chiefs, most likely longer. Luke Petitgout and Kareem McKenzie walked gingerly through the locker room yesterday. The injury bug has bitten the Giants, just hard enough to make them wince.

Pierce has a high right ankle sprain and it's not a stretch to say he may not return to the field for the remainder of the regular season.High ankle sprains usually take more than a week to heal and in some cases are season-ending injuries -- Eagles' cornerback Lito Sheppard suffered one against the Giants on Nov. 20 and was put on injured reserve the next day. Continue

G-men feeling black & Blue

At full strength, the Giants have proven to be one of the top teams in the NFC, a threat to win their division and a true playoff contender. But they may not be at full strength for the rest of the year. The Giants' injury luck ran out on Sunday when they lost four starters - LB Antonio Pierce (ankle), DT William Joseph (leg), RT Kareem McKenzie (hamstring) and LT Luke Petitgout (back) - in their 26-23 overtime win in Philadelphia. All four underwent MRI exams yesterday afternoon. "I'm worried long-term on all four of them, really," Tom Coughlin said. Continue

Barber powers Big Blue

As the Giants chase the NFC East crown, every player — on the Giants and their opponents — knows who the key to the Big Blue attack down the stretch will be: No. 21. But even with defenses concentrating on stopping him, Tiki Barber rolls on. The running back rushed for 124 yards yesterday, tying his career high with 32 carries. He added 71 receiving yards on five catches, including one for a touchdown in the Giants' 26-23 overtime victory over the Eagles.

Barber knows he could be central to the Giants winning the division during the next three weeks. He welcomes the challenge. "That's what I'm here for," Barber said. "As it gets colder and we start playing the tougher defenses that we have the last few weeks, we're going to have to run the ball and get tough yardage. My team, my teammates, the coaching staff rely on me to do that and not be any kind of liability and I haven't been. It makes me feel good that I'm helping my team win." Continue

Big Blue hit with tidal wave of injuries

When a reporter asked center Shaun O'Hara last week about the Giants' remarkable good health this season, he made sure to knock three times on his wooden locker. He probably should have rubbed a horseshoe and thrown a little salt over his left shoulder, too. As if on cue, the injury bug hit the Giants in full force yesterday as they lost their two starting offensive tackles and one of their best defensive players - all in the first half. Left tackle Luke Petitgout injured his back, right tackle Kareem McKenzie pulled a hamstring and linebacker Antonio Pierce suffered a sprained right ankle.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin declined to say if any of the injuries were serious, but Pierce made it sound like he might not be able to play on Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs. "I'll be fine, but you never know," Pierce said. "I might not be back this week, but I'll be back by that Washington game (on Dec. 24). I wouldn't miss that." Continue

Feely, Giants eliminate Eagles from playoff contention

Jay Feely kept his head down and maintained his focus while replays of his recent missed field goals were shown on the video screen during a timeout. He'll watch this kick again -- and again.Feely's 36-yarder with 3:55 left in overtime lifted the New York Giants to a 26-23 victory Sunday that put them closer to the NFC East title and knocked the Philadelphia Eagles out of the playoff chase. Feely cost the Giants a victory in Seattle two weeks ago by missing three late kicks but made all four of his attempts against the Eagles, who played in the last four NFC Championship Games. Continue

Pierce puts out props to D line

The manner in which Antonio Pierce appreciates the defensive linemen who play in front of him is similar to the way a quarterback views the offensive linemen who protect him. And so, as Pierce is having a big-impact first season with the Giants, he acknowledges the work of a group his calls "my line."

"Whenever you talk about a good middle linebacker, it always starts with the defensive front," Pierce said. "We got guys not really worried about the fame and getting their name called on every play or every tackle. They're doing their job and when they get the opportunity to make a play, like [Kendrick] Clancy did, they make it." Continue

 

Sack to the future

Michael Strahan the other day said there's not a running back in the NFL he'd rather have on his side than Tiki Barber, who countered to The Post recently that Strahan is one of the best defensive players he's ever seen. "As far as the defensive end position, I would say definitely the best," Barber said. "As far as all defensive players, he's in the top three."

The current rage around the Giants, who face the Eagles in a crucial game in Philadelphia tomorrow, is Osi Umenyiora. He may be the best young defensive end in the game, a budding star, but he's helped mightily by the presence of Strahan on the other side of the line. How rare it is that as Umenyiora grows he can study at his same position a master at work and absorb like a sponge all that Strahan has to offer in terms of excellence, durability and dependability. Continue

Strahan has Super feeling

Michael Strahan's expectations go far beyond winning the NFC East for the first time in five years. That's just step one. He insists the Giants could be the grand prize winner for the one-week all-expenses paid trip to Detroit in the middle of the winter the NFL is offering to two lucky teams.

"I look around the league and I look at our talent level and I think our talent level is as good as anybody else," he said yesterday. "When your talent level is on par with everybody else, you definitely don't look at other teams and think, well, they're better than us. I don't feel like that. I feel we're as good as anybody else. We just have to continue to play and prove it and win games. At this point in our season, we can't afford to lose." Continue

He's Tyree-fic!

David Tyree was on the sidelines against the Vikings when the Giants' special teams self-destructed in the 24-21 loss. "It was like watching a car blow a tire," said Tyree, who missed that game — along with two others — with an elbow injury. "Everything just went out of control. I wasn't going to let that happen again." He hasn't. The Giants surrendered both a kickoff and a punt return for touchdowns that day, but Tyree's blocked punt the next week against the Eagles helped win the game and returned the unit to prominence.

"I expect myself to be the best special teams player in the league," Tyree said. "I know my role. That's what I'm here for." The sixth-round pick in 2003 out of Syracuse had a solid college career as a wide receiver, but caught the Giants' eye with his standout special-teams play. He hasn't failed to meet the team's expectations. Continue

Tom pumps up Eagles

Tom Coughlin stood at the podium yesterday with a straight face and a serious tone and proclaimed the Philadelphia Eagles "a tough opponent." He even called them "still the champion of this division until something else is done about it." He told his players the same thing yesterday morning. Presumably, none of them laughed.

It had to be hard to stifle the chuckles, though, considering how far the once-mighty Eagles (5-7) have fallen. They may still be the four-time defending NFC East champs, but they have lost five of their last six games and bottomed out with an embarrassing 42-0 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night. They are missing 10players from their starting lineup for Super Bowl XXXIX, including six who are on injured reserve and one who is serving a suspension. Continue

A healthy dose of good luck

All aboard the Shamrock Express. There is no denying the Giants' good fortune any longer, no doubting this bandwagon has a guardian angel for a driver. The last time the Giants looked this lucky, this uncannily healthy, they were headed toward Super Bowl XXXV with Jim Fassel coaching one of the two or three worst teams ever to ruin America's Sunday.

Twelve games into this season, these Giants are beginning to look just as blessed as those overachieving 2000 Giants. No, they won't have home-field advantage in the playoffs. But there are many other parallels, including a late schedule of brutally decimated opponents like the devastated Eagles who await them on Sunday in Philadelphia. Continue

Giants sign CB Buckley, place Peterson on IR

Cornerback Terrell Buckley signed with the New York Giants, who placed cornerback William Peterson on injured reserve Wednesday.he 34-year-old Buckley has 50 career interceptions in 13 seasons in the NFL, and played most recently with the New York Jets last season.

He also has been with Green Bay, Denver and Miami, but has not played this season. "Obviously I haven't had pads on, and there's only so much you can assimilate in training," Buckley said. "Any opportunity I get, I feel it's a blessing. I'm 34 and I still feel like I can play and do some things." Buckley said both New England and the Giants had spoken to him over the last several weeks. He had been focusing on his consulting business in Davie, Fla., outside Fort Lauderdale, and gradually making the transition to life after football. Continue

Name recognition

For 13 years, Michael Strahan has fought through double- and triple-teams on his way to 127-1/2 sacks, with little help from the other side of the defensive line. Finally, he has the perfect bookend in Osi Umenyiora. So it must be a relief to Strahan that someone else is finally drawing the attention of opposing blockers, right?

"Actually, no," Strahan said. "The one thing I have noticed is that they can double two people on one play. Osi always says to me, 'How are they double-teaming both of us?' Well, where there's a will, there's a way." There may not be a way to stop them anymore, now that the 25-year-old Umenyiora, a second-round pick in '03, has blossomed into one of the premier pass rushers in the league. The 6-3, 278-pounder is tied for the NFL lead with 11 sacks, just ahead of Strahan's 9-1/2. They have more sacks than any teammates in the NFL. Continue

Inside Feely's head, it's no longer good

Matt Bahr has never met Jay Feely, the suddenly beleaguered Giants placekicker. But after a 17-year NFL career with six teams that ended in 1995 - a denouement Bahr now jokingly refers to as "getting fired for the final time" - he can feel Feely's pain. A kicker's job is never safe. Among the things Bahr has done since he retired from the NFL is work as a kicking consultant."I still get calls, mostly to help individuals in the pros, college, high school, even halftime shows," Bahr said with a laugh. "With the pro kickers, it's mostly an attitude adjustment. It's mostly a mental exercise."

Perfect. Until the Giants tell us otherwise, there's nothing wrong with Feely's right leg. But after making 23 of his first 25 field-goal tries this season, Feely had three misses in the overtime loss to Seattle two Sundays ago and turned up deeply apologetic, brutally honest, even the butt of a "Saturday Night Live" skit lampooning his aim. Continue

Close like you've done it before

HE Giants are battle-hardened now in the big games. Tiki Barber can run the ball and they can stop the run. Their defense - let's call the Front Four Stray Dogs - intimidates quarterbacks with Michael Strahan and new star Osi Umenyiora flying around the edges.

They finished the game they had to finish against the Cowboys, even without Eli Manning and Jay Feely. First place on the Sixth of December means nothing. Finish the job. Finish the season. The NFC is a land of opportunity. Make this a December to remember. This is the time to be Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning. Champion closers. Continue

Peterson looks lost

After waiting more than two months to see if his fractured back would heal, the Giants are getting close to shutting down cornerback Will Peterson for the rest of the season. The fifth-year corner has been out since he aggravated the injury in San Diego on Sept.25. He attempted to practice last week, participating in mostly individual drills on Wednesday. But he was sore the next morning and sat out the rest of the week.

Asked yesterday if Peterson, who has sat out the last nine games, was headed to injured reserve for the second time in three seasons (he missed 11 games in 2003 with the same injury), Tom Coughlin said, "That's a topic that's being discussed." Asked why the Giants didn't put him on IR earlier and whether that meant they believed he'd make it back this season, Coughlin said, "Well, the thinking is really not for the league to know." Continue

1st place red , white and blue

He was jealous, and he wasn't ashamed to admit it. Jeremy Shockey gazed out at what his teammates on defense were doing yesterday, mauling and brawling and stalling the Cowboys, and came away so impressed that he wanted to switch over to join the guys inflicting all the punishment.

"I'm not gonna lie to you, I wish I was playing defense because they look like they're having a lot of fun out there, they're playing great together," Shockey said. "Being on the offensive side of the ball, you want to have fun like those guys are doing, making plays, jumping around, getting excited." Continue

Eli's low grade still a passing one

The Giants didn't need any fourth-quarter heroics from their quarterback yesterday, which is why nobody saw Eli Manning at his best. Instead, it was another spotty performance for the budding star as he mixed in moments of brilliance with a lot of off-target throws and bad decisions against the Cowboys. "We still have a long way to go from the standpoint of where I need to be as a quarterback," Manning admitted. "But we are finding ways to hang in there and bring it into the fourth quarter." Continue

Giants alone atop NFC East after narrow win vs. 'Boys

For once, the New York Giants' offense didn't have to manufacture a last-minute comeback. Instead, their defense stopped one by Dallas.The Giants built a 17-0 lead Sunday and then hung on to beat the Cowboys 17-10 to take sole possession of first place in the NFC East.

In four games this season, New York (8-4) has rallied from deficits late in the fourth quarter behind the timely passing of Eli Manning. With the second-year quarterback struggling Sunday, the Giants relied on a defense that produced four sacks, two interceptions and two fumbles and pressured Drew Bledsoe into a 15-for-39 performance. Continue