Giant Football Blog

Time for Eli Manning to take Giant step into second round of playoffs

The diapers are off and the training wheels have been tossed aside. It's time Eli Manning wins his first playoff game. A third straight wild-card loss, especially after the way he played lights-out against the undefeated Patriots, will be unacceptable.

Just where has the Manning who showed up Saturday night been all season? In Indianapolis? Did the Giants borrow his brother for one night? He was patient, decisive, instinctive, clever with pump fakes, accurate and a leader - basically all the things the Giants hoped they were getting when they made the big trade nearly four years ago. If he can play like that on such a big stage, he should be able to do it all the time. The Giants are praying it was not an aberration. Continue

Giants of two minds on loss

All anyone had to do was watch Eli Manning on the field and then hear him after the fact to understand what he and the Giants got out of their significantly insignificant 38-35 regular-season ending loss to the still-unbeaten Patriots.

What coach Tom Coughlin wanted most of all out of this unique event was to escape healthy and with the Giants (10-6) feeling good and playing at a high level heading into this weekend's NFC wild card playoff game against the Buccaneers (9-7) in Tampa. Coughlin didn't get his wish on the injury side, but there's no doubt Manning and the offense are recharged and ready to roll after putting a considerable dent in the mighty New England defense. Continue

Give Tom credit - He went for it

Alas, there was no perfect ending for Tom Coughlin on the night the Patriots achieved regular-season perfection. He lost the football game, 38-35, and he lost two starters early, linebacker Kawika Mitchell on defense, center Shaun O'Hara on offense, and cornerback Sam Madison late with an abdominal strain, status unknown on all. But good for him for giving New York a show, for choosing to fight the Patriots, for shooting for The Perfect Upset. Continue

Three Giants starters hurt in loss

On the morning after the Giants' near-upset of the New England Patriots, Tom Coughlin has a difficult question to answer: Was it worth the risk?

The Giants didn't just lose a meaningless game to the Patriots on Saturday night. They also lost three starters - linebacker Kawika Mitchell, center Shaun O'Hara and cornerback Sam Madison. It's unclear if any of the three will be available for the Giants' first-round playoff game next weekend in Tampa. "Anytime you lose a player, you're concerned," Coughlin said. "It's most unfortunate, but we were going to play to win the game."  Continue

Patriots rally past Giants to finish 16-0

Perfectly infuriating? Maybe. But there is no denying the Patriots their due after they took everything the Giants could throw at them last night at the Meadowlands. Relentlessly battling back from their largest deficit of the season with 22 straight points, the Pats became the first NFL team to post a 16-0 season by beating the Giants, 38-35, and now will embark on the playoffs, where they can surpass the 1972 Dolphins' 17-0 Super Bowl season. Satisfied? For the first time this year, yes. Even taskmaster Bill Belichick seemed to exhale.

"That was some way to finish the season," he said. "It's real exciting to be part of this football team. They stepped it up. They came through like they have all year. Now's the time to take a day or two to take some time and appreciate what this team has done. Pretty soon, we're going to have to turn the page and move on, but I'm happy for the players." Continue

Giants feel capable of stopping Patriots

One way or another, the Giants will make history Saturday night. They either will be on the receiving end of the perfect punch, making them the final victim in the first 16-0 regular season in NFL history. Or they will become heroes to everyone hoping they can knock off the NFL's Evil Empire and derail the New England Patriots' run at a perfect season. "It's a great thing, because one team is going to make history in this game," defensive end Justin Tuck said. "Why not let it be us?"

The Giants (10-5) will get their chance to succeed where 15 others have failed when they take on the Patriots (15-0) at Giants Stadium. The game is irrelevant to the Giants' playoff position - they are locked into the fifth seed in the NFC and a first-round game in Tampa next weekend - but they understand the enormous historical significance. Continue

Big Blue plans to give all-out effort

It's one thing to drone on and on about playing to win against the Patriots. It's another thing to actually have the goods to do it.

Sure, the Giant starters for however long they are on the field tonight will go all-out in an attempt to gain their 11th victory, and in the process, prevent the Pats from an unprecedented 16-0 season. But, given the inconsistent nature of the Giant offense directed by Eli Manning and the awesome New England firepower set to be unleashed on the Giant secondary, is there much evidence to suggest the Giants are up to the task? Continue

Giants aim for perfect ending

Who's afraid of the big, bad Patriots? Certainly not the Giants, judging by their loose and feisty locker room yesterday and the demeanor of no-nonsense coach Tom Coughlin. “It's not like they're Jesus Christ and his 12 disciples or anything like that," defensive end Osi Umenyiora said of the 15-0 Pats. “They're an outstanding team, but they're not so far ahead of everybody else."

Umenyiora was far from alone yesterday in expressing no fear of Bill Belichick's seemingly invincible club, which will try to make history tomorrow night at Giants Stadium as the only team ever to go unbeaten in a 16-game regular season. Continue

Giants want to shove Pats off throne

The Patriots carry themselves as if they are NFL royalty, and the Giants are anxious to shove them off their throne. Now that Tom Coughlin has declared he is playing to win Saturday night despite having the No. 5 playoff seed locked up, the Giants were feisty yesterday, chirping about their desire to end the undefeated dream for the Patriots, who are trying to complete an unprecedented 16-0 regular season and carry that through to a 19-0 season.

Antonio Pierce decided it was a good time for an analysis of Tom Brady. "He walks around like he's Prince Charles, like he's the golden boy," Pierce said. And why is that? Pierce believes Brady looks indignant on the rare occasions when a defensive player has the audacity to lay his mitts on him. "I mean, watching on film when Philly was hitting him, the guy looks at them like, 'Wow, I got touched by the defense.' He doesn't get hit often, Pierce said. "And he walks with an arrogance. The guy hasn't gotten touched so he has no reason to fear anything." Continue

Pat answer: play to win

No one is quite sure what the Giants rallying cry is for this very confusing week but it's obvious what their rallying cry is not. “No one in here is screaming ‘Let's rest!' I can tell you that," running back Brandon Jacobs said yesterday. “Guys want to play! It's the last regular season game and it's home. Guys don't want to sit down."

More and more, it sounds as if guys won't be sitting down, at least not at the start of Saturday night's intriguing, interesting and largely irrelevant game against the unbeaten Patriots at Giants Stadium. Whether the Giants do the seemingly impossible and prevent the Pats from completing a perfect 16-0 regular season or if the Giants get buried under a flurry of Tom Brady to Randy Moss highlights, nothing will change heading into the following weekend. The Giants will head to Tampa to face the Buccaneers in an NFC wild-card playoff game, where the true stamp to this season will be imprinted. Continue

Bill Belichick going easy on Patriots

Someone call Ripley. On the brink of history, facing a tough playoff team on the road, the Patriots will practice exactly one time for the Giants. While Tom Coughlin's team was banging bodies as usual, Bill Belichick held a mere walk-through Wednesday in Foxborough. The Patriots will work fully today and may have another walk-through tomorrow (although it's not currently scheduled) before they travel to New Jersey for Saturday's game. They were off Monday and Tuesday during the Christmas holiday.

The Giants can take that as a sign of disrespect if they want, but who is to question what Belichick does with a 15-0 team and those five Super Bowl rings on his hand? They certainly can't read into it that the Pats will come out at anything less than full speed. As cornerback Ellis Hobbs said after the Patriots defeated the Dolphins Sunday, "He's the coach and we're the players. We do what he says." Continue

Coughlin needs to hold chips for Bucs game

Tom Coughlin has learned to do a bunch of new things this year: showing his warm and fuzzy side to the players, getting along with the media, enjoying his first-ever Gatorade bath.

It looks as if the Giants' coach has added another talent to his repertoire. He has learned how to dance. Ask him how he'll deploy his personnel Saturday night against the Patriots, and all of a sudden, he turns into Fred Astaire. "It's difficult for me because we want to win every game," Coughlin said. "I'd rather think about how we can play against a very good opponent and have an opportunity to win."  Continue

Tom Coughlin's job likely safe

There are no guarantees coming out of the front office yet, but at this point, it would take a humiliating loss to the New England Patriots and an embarrassing blowout in the playoffs to cost Tom Coughlin his job. He's earned what likely will be a long-term contract extension after the season. And most of his players are glad he has done so.

"How many times do coaches have their job on the line and go 10-5?" said linebacker Antonio Pierce. "How many coaches have been in the playoffs three straight years? Our guy did it. Three years in a row." That puts Coughlin in some pretty select company. The only other coaches to lead their teams to the playoffs in each of the last three seasons are Bill Belichick (New England), Tony Dungy (Indianapolis) and Mike Holmgren (Seattle). No Giants coach had turned that hat trick since Bill Parcells from 1984-86. Continue

Muscle needed for Eli-vation

Maybe when he takes the field at Raymond James Stadium in balmy Tampa for the Giants' playoff game, Eli Manning will reclaim his mojo and gain his first career postseason victory. After weeks of slogging and slinging and chattering and fumbling in the cold and wind and rain and snow, perhaps all slumping Eli needs - like so many Northeasterners this time of year - is a dose of Florida sunshine.

Sadly for the fourth-year quarterback, fans find it nearly inconceivable the Giants can count on him to provoke anything but heartache for however long the season is extended. So muted are expectations that whatever confidence Manning engendered the past few years has been replaced by a Win Despite Eli mantra that has even found its way into the coaching mindset. Continue

Victory earns playoff berth for Giants and likely extension for Tom Coughlin

Tom Coughlin endured three hours of cold driving rain, falling temperatures, high winds, snow blowing in his face, and even worse, another miserable performance by Eli Manning that had to send chills right through him. So, when the Giants finally secured their third straight playoff spot, which just about guarantees Coughlin will get a long-term contract extension - a humiliating loss in the wild-card round is the only thing that could get in the way - the last thing he really needed was the traditional Gatorade-and-ice shower.

But here came Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Antonio Pierce and Justin Tuck to put the finishing touches on the Giants' 38-21 victory over the Bills, the most important win in Coughlin's four years, by sneaking up from behind and emptying the bucket on him. "It was the chunks of ice that gave me some mixed thoughts about exactly what the intention was there," Coughlin said with a laugh. "It was a little chilly." Continue

Berth-day a Giants bash

This is how it had to be for the Giants if they were to somehow, some way, find their way into the playoffs, this imperfect team with a road warrior mentality that makes life so very difficult for themselves and everyone who chooses to pull for them.

These were the Giants, down 14-0 so quickly it hadn't even started raining yet on an afternoon fit for no man to spend outdoors in conditions that deteriorated from harsh to bitter to at times comical in its fury. These were the Giants, with quarterback Eli Manning fumbling five times and turning the ball over four times, finally realizing if they were to win on this terrible day they would have to hitch up their pants, strap on their helmets and simply run the football either into the playoffs or into infamy. Continue

Giants beat Bills, clinch playoff spot

The New York Giants clinched a playoff berth Sunday, overcoming a Bills team inspired by Kevin Everett's return to the field where he was injured. Brandon Jacobs scored twice as the usually pass-happy Giants leaned heavily on their running attack in a 38-21 win. Kawika Mitchell's 20-yard interception return produced the go-ahead points and sparked a three-touchdown fourth-quarter rally.

The Giants (10-5), who reached the playoffs for a third straight season, fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter, as the Bills came out fired up after Everett addressed the team before the game. It was the tight end's first appearance in Buffalo since he sustained a serious spinal cord injury in the Bills' season opener Sept. 9. Continue

With Patriots on deck, Giants looking for one win at Bills to secure playoffs

By now, this should seem pretty familiar to the Giants. They had a chance to make life easier for themselves by wrapping up a playoff berth last week. Instead, they've backed themselves into a corner for what might be a win-or-else game. It's almost as if they prefer playing with their backs against a wall. "It sure seems that way, doesn't it?" says guard Chris Snee.

Well, if the Giants like pressure, they're going to love this. They face the out-of-contention Buffalo Bills this afternoon at cold and windy Ralph Wilson Stadium knowing all they need is one win to clinch their third straight playoff berth. With two games remaining, that shouldn't be a problem, except that the still-perfect New England Patriots are looming on their schedule on Saturday night. That means if the Giants (9-5) don't beat the Bills (7-7) Sunday they likely won't win again in this regular season. And if that happens, they might have to spend next Sunday praying for help from the Redskins, the Saints, and possibly the Vikings, too. Continue

Jacobs can be a Giant water buffalo

When the weather outside is frightful, it would be a terrific idea to just give the damn ball to your frightful running back. Eli Manning will be slinging in the rain and the wind tomorrow in Orchard Park, and the best way to help him is to unleash the full fury of the water buffalo.

With the season on the line, Tom Coughlin and Kevin Gilbride better understand that this is no time and no place to throw the ball 52 times. Manning very well could be asked to win the game at the end, but he has no chance unless you kill the body so the head dies.And you kill the body by pounding Brandon Jacobs into the belly of that eight-man box. Continue

Eli Manning, Giants have much at stake

This is not the right time to be worrying about Eli Manning's right arm, his back leg, his loopy spirals, his invisible temper, his hot and cold performances. On Sunday, he'll be trying to put the Giants into the playoffs, and this is the scary news: He can't be trusted.

The Giants don't need a Tom Brady throw-alike to put away Buffalo and come home a playoff team for the third straight year under Tom (One and Out) Coughlin. The Giants need to win this one because their next and last chance is against the perfectly perfect Patriots. Continue

Eli Manning, Giants have much at stake

This is not the right time to be worrying about Eli Manning's right arm, his back leg, his loopy spirals, his invisible temper, his hot and cold performances. On Sunday, he'll be trying to put the Giants into the playoffs, and this is the scary news: He can't be trusted.

The Giants don't need a Tom Brady throw-alike to put away Buffalo and come home a playoff team for the third straight year under Tom (One and Out) Coughlin. The Giants need to win this one because their next and last chance is against the perfectly perfect Patriots.

The Bills, 7-7, aren't going anywhere. Not this year. But they don't play that way, don't go away quietly. (Must be the spicy buffalo wings.) They have an improving rookie quarterback, Trent Edwards, and a rookie running back, Marshawn Lynch, who is closing in on 1,000 yards. At the same time, the Bills aren't a scoring machine. They've managed to go beyond 20points in only three of their 14 games. Not good. Continue

Osi's got gifts in his sack

In 2002, Troy State defensive end Osi Umenyiora lined up against Shawn Andrews, Arkansas' 400-pound offensive tackle. As if that wasn't enough beef for the speedy Umenyiora to deal with, he also had 310-pound tight end Jason Peters blocking down on him. "He was the biggest tight end I had ever seen back then," Umenyiora recalled yesterday.

Five years later, Peters has packed on another 30 pounds and has changed positions. Once an undrafted free agent signed by the Bills in 2004, Peters is now Buffalo's starting left tackle. And on Tuesday, he was the only member of his team named to the Pro Bowl. In two days, Peters will once again line up across from Umenyiora, who was the lone Giant selected to the Pro Bowl. Continue

Eli Manning struggling in cold weather

When the weather outside is frightful, lately Eli Manning has been, too. That could be a big problem when the Giants try to clinch a playoff spot on what is expected to be a chilly, windy, rainy and possibly snowy day in Buffalo this Sunday. The conditions, at best, could be similar to what they were at Giants Stadium last Sunday night.

"Maybe it's good," Manning said yesterday. "We had some practice this past weekend and got all the bad plays out of the way. Now we can get better." He certainly couldn't get much worse after completing 34.6% of his passes (18-for-52) in a 22-10 loss to the Washington Redskins. The Giants came out throwing in that game and never stopped, even though it was clear the winds - at 15-20mph and gusting higher - were blowing Manning's passes all over the field. Continue

Burress not bothered by pro bowl snub

It's been 39 years since the Giants had a wide receiver voted into the Pro Bowl, when Homer Jones was selected in 1968. Had Plaxico Burress not played virtually the entire season with a sprained right ankle and at times with a sore left knee, he might have ended the nearly four-decade wait.

Burress was named a first alternate, as voted onto the NFC squad at receiver were Terrell Owens (76 receptions), Donald Driver (78), Torry Holt (83) and Larry Fitzgerald (83). Burress has 69 catches, and his 10 touchdowns are more than any of the other Pro Bowl receivers, except for Owens, who has 14. Continue

Poor ending to season might end Tom Coughlin's tenure with Giants

Tom Coughlin could be coaching for his job Sunday afternoon in Buffalo. It's not that simple, of course, and certainly no win-or-else ultimatum has been handed down from his Giants bosses. But it would be easy to connect the dots from a Giants loss on Sunday to a firing squad in early January.

A defeat all but guarantees the Giants an 0-3 finish to the regular season (unless you really think there's a chance they're going to beat the Patriots, who most likely will be 15-0 after Sunday's game against Miami). And 0-3, followed by a first-round loss in the playoffs - if the Giants even make the playoffs at 9-7 - is exactly the "but- what-if" scenario that Giants ownership had feared. That's the reason they didn't offer Coughlin a contract extension when the team was 9-4 and needed just one win to clinch a third straight playoff berth, according to multiple team sources. As one said, "You just never know" what will happen in the last few games of the year. Continue

Smoke screen

THE great hope among the Giants is that they can somehow muster enough solid football to escape Buffalo this Sunday with at least one more point than the Bills, which would clinch a playoff spot and signify a truly remarkable achievement. The Giants would be among the most unimpressive 10-win teams you've ever seen.

Let's go crazy here and assume the Giants don't derail the perfect Patriots in the season finale and the Redskins don't make the postseason. If the Giants finish 10-6 they will have beaten no playoff teams. At the moment, they are 0-4 against teams likely headed into the playoffs and been outscored 152-85 in those four defeats. They haven't scored more than 21 points in any of their past seven games and haven't enjoyed a blowout victory in nearly two months. Continue

Umenyiora only big blue player voted to pro bowl

Considering he is tied for third in the NFL in sacks, it came as no surprise that defensive end Osi Umenyiora yesterday became the only Giants player voted to the NFC Pro Bowl squad.

Umenyiora leads the Giants with 12 sacks and the Giants lead the league with 49 sacks. This will be Umenyiora's second trip to the Pro Bowl, as he was voted in back in 2005 when he led the NFC with 14 ½ sacks. Umenyiora will serve as a reserve for the NFC, as Patrick Kerney of the Seahawks and Aaron Kampman of the Packers will start at defensive end. Continue

Tom Coughlin defends passing game

There was garbage swirling around Giants Stadium, the goal posts were swaying and balls were fluttering out of the quarterbacks' hands. Add in temperatures near freezing and it seemed like a perfect night for smashmouth football. So why did the Giants end up throwing the ball 52 times?

Tom Coughlin didn't even wait for the question Monday before he gave his answer, one day after the Giants went pass-crazy in a 22-10 loss to the Redskins. He defended the play-calling of offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, and insisted he had no problem with the aerial game plan. Continue

Bill-dozers

They got 'em right where they want 'em. Sure they do. "That's the best place for this team, backs against the wall, hear the whole hoopla this week from the media that we're desperate, we need to win," linebacker Antonio Pierce said. "It plays out perfect to what we want to do. "The same experts who said we wouldn't be 9-5 at this time, make a prediction about this one."

Forget the prediction. Here's the facts: The Giants, by virtue of getting defrosted by the Redskins 22-10, are venturing further out onto an icy surface that isn't nearly as thick as it used to be. The Giants clinch an NFC wild card playoff spot with a victory in either of their final two games, but the reality of the situation is they'd better not wait and are advised to do it Sunday in Buffalo against the Bills. Continue

Shockey fractures left leg

Jeremy Shockey was carted off the field with 10:59 left in the third quarter last night with a fractured fibula in his left leg. His season is over, which might be worse news than the way the Giants played in their 22-10 loss to the Redskins.

Shockey was blocking Anthony Montgomery when Amani Toomer rolled up the back of his leg at the end of a running play. Shockey, who was bent backward, grimaced in pain, needed to be carried off the field and was carted to the locker room. Continue

Giants take a 'Skin dive

With the Giants seemingly all but assured of a playoff berth, Tom Coughlin last week refused to answer any questions about that impending achievement. If his team doesn't shape up, Coughlin might be forced to deal with inquiries as to how the Giants played their way out of the playoffs. "For all the things we did have at stake I just don't think that was our best," Coughlin said last night.

Continuing their confounding trend of saving their lousiest performances for their own paying customers, the Giants looked nothing like a playoff-worthy outfit as they were thoroughly outplayed by the Redskins in a 22-10 loss at Giants Stadium that featured more despicable play by Eli Manning. Continue

Message to Big Blue: win way to playoffs

The Giants have made the playoffs the previous two seasons under Tom Coughlin, but first-round losses have wiped the shine off those ventures as if they never deserved any merit. A shutout loss to Carolina in 2005 and a first-round ouster by the Eagles in 2006 made some fans want to put asterisks by Tom Coughlin's coaching record, indicating making the playoffs those two seasons weren't such big deals, after all.

A third-straight postseason berth would be clinched with a victory over the rival Redskins tonight at Giants Stadium and despite the sour taste of playoffs past, Coughlin and the Giants deserve to take a bow should they emerge victorious. Continue

It's Plaxi-go!

There was a time when Plaxico Burress was keeping up, hauling in passes and finding his way into the end zone as often as any receiver in the NFL and more frequently than most. He was more than keeping pace with the likes of Randy Moss and Terrell Owens, and it wasn't difficult to envision a career year that catapulted Burress to his first Pro Bowl. Then his right ankle had other plans. Though Burress hasn't missed a game since the second game of the season, he hasn't practiced once because of a sprained ankle that has at times turned him into a one-legged wonder. Continue

Brandon Jacobs must hold on to ball

It has been six days since Brandon Jacobs nearly fumbled away the Giants' win in Philadelphia. It's been five days since he has given his near-disastrous performance a second thought. "It was a 24-hour deal. I dealt with it," Jacobs said. "I took punches and rolled with it. I did the best I could do. I wish I could've done a little better, but I feel a lot better this week. I expect to go out and have a different game."

The Giants obviously hope so, because as the weather turns colder, and with the possibility of some high winds swirling around Giants Stadium when they try to clinch a playoff berth against the Washington Redskins tomorrow night, they're going to have to lean on Jacobs more than ever. They have developed into a run-first offense anyway. The last thing they need to worry about is whether their workhorse can hold onto the ball. Continue

'D' gets a Giant confidence boost

The Eagles had just recovered Brandon Jacobs' fumble at the Giants' 8-yard line early in the third quarter on Sunday. After a false start on first down, Donovan McNabb told the Giants his team was about to go into the end zone. "The only thing that came out of our mouths was, 'You might get a field goal try,'" defensive end Justin Tuck recalled Thursday. Might?

"That's right, might," Tuck said. "But we might take the ball back and we might move them back. We don't really mind that situation at all." Osi Umenyiora sacked McNabb on the next play, and the Eagles did settle for the field goal that extended their lead to 10-6, a huge factor in a game the Giants went on to win by three, 16-13. Continue

Cure for the common cold

The weather outside was frightful, but the Giants yesterday were feeling delightful, warm and cozy, practicing inside their climate-controlled bubble. Whatever happened to “You play in it, you practice in it?" Especially considering come Sunday night, when the Giants face the Redskins, it's supposed to be more of the same harsh weather, or worse.

Tom Coughlin is old-school in many ways, but practicing outside in the winter elements isn't one of those ways. The freezing rain and snow could have been a good prep for the Giants, but Coughlin, who prides himself on leaving no stone unturned, gladdened the hearts - and warmed the bodies - of his players by working them indoors. Continue

Tom Coughlin's job security a Giant blessing for players

The vultures that once circled outside the Giants' locker room aren't there anymore. And inside, the players are no longer asked if they think their coach is coming back. That's a relief to the players who, one year later, admit that last year's Coughlin Watch was a terrible distraction during the final month of the season. They're glad Tom Coughlin survived. They're glad he's likely to survive again. But they're even happier to know the vultures have disappeared.

"It's not as distracting as it was last year because we're not focusing on who can potentially be the next head coach or what our head coach is going through," said right tackle Kareem McKenzie. "Right now we're just focused on playing good football and winning games. (Coughlin's status) is no longer a distraction to us."  Continue

Giants 'Home' in on playoff spot

Kareem McKenzie has a simple question when he considers Sunday night's game against the Redskins at Giants Stadium, or, more specifically, a question he considers before any home game."What type of atmosphere do other teams feel when they come to this stadium?" the Giants starting right tackle asked yesterday. "Do they feel as though if we get up by a touchdown or a field goal that the crowd's out of it? When's the last time you hear such a loud, boisterous crowd that after game you said, 'Wow, I really can't hear?' "

Lately, the sounds the Giants have heard in their own building are the groans and jeers of a disappointed crowd making a hasty retreat to the parking lots. The Giants, road warriors this season with a near-spotless 6-1 record, are a mere 3-3 at home. Continue

Tom Coughlin's painful truth: Play on

When Tom Coughlin praised Antonio Pierce for his gutty performance in Philadelphia on Sunday, it wasn't just a way to honor one of his captains. It also served as a message to Pierce's injured teammates: Get on the field.

It was a not-so-subtle public directive that Coughlin has been delivering privately for weeks. The Giants (9-4) are entering the stretch run, trying to fine-tune themselves for the playoffs. Injuries have decimated the Giants late in each of the last two seasons, and Coughlin doesn't want to go into the playoffs shorthanded again. Continue

While on roll, no rest for weary Giants

The line to get into the trainers' room at Giants Stadium is starting to get a little long, just as time is beginning to run out on the regular season. The good news is that with a playoff berth all but secured, Tom Coughlin can begin to get his injured players some much-needed rest. But not yet.

"I'm not talking about anything like that now," Coughlin said Monday. "We don't have anything secured. We're playing as hard as we can to get as good as we can to be in position to know that we're playing our best football. That certainly is not the case just yet." In other words, the Giants' dramatic 16-13 win in Philadelphia on Sunday may have given them a two-game cushion in the NFC wild-card race with three games to play, and put them in position to clinch with a win on Sunday. But until that actually happens, Coughlin won't entertain the notion of resting his most important players. And the truth is, he still might not do so after the Giants officially are in. Continue

Coughlin: Jacobs must get a grip

Immediately after the Giants sweated out a 16-13 victory over the Eagles in Philadelphia, Tom Coughlin did not come down hard on Brandon Jacobs, who twice lost fumbles that proved costly. The first handed the Eagles a gift field goal and the second, on the Eagles 5-yard line, cost the Giants points of their own.

Returning after missing two games with a strained hamstring, Jacobs was rusty with regard to ball security, Coughlin explained. Yesterday, though, Coughlin was not as forgiving. "We've got to continue to force the issue there in terms of where the ball is held and how it's held," Coughlin said. "You see how close these games are, how one play here or there can be the difference in a game. Certainly you don't want it to come from that. Continue

Plaxico comes to play

Plaxico Burress gets made fun of. A lot. He is a particular target of Antonio Pierce, who, after watching the receiver consistently burn the Eagles' secondary yesterday, elevated Burress to exalted status.

"He's got the legend," Pierce said. "I think he's going to be the first guy in the NFL to play all 16 games and not practice. I am going to leave that to his own legacy and try to create my own." Pierce played yesterday without practicing last week, but he has some distance to cover before catching Burress, who has done that all season because of a right ankle injury suffered in the opener Sept. 9. Continue

Giants kick David Akers, Eagles aside

The Giants had come from behind on the road for the second straight week, and once again were barely hanging on. They felt good, though, when the Eagles' David Akers trotted out to attempt a potential game-tying 57-yard field goal. Brandon Jacobs thought, "He had no shot whatsoever." Many of his Giants teammates felt the same ... until they looked up and watched the kick.

It was long enough and was straight enough to give the Giants a few more breathless seconds, but in the end it hooked just enough to give them a huge sigh of relief. And when Akers' shot bounced off the right goalpost and harmlessly away with one second remaining, the Giants were able to celebrate their escape from Philly with a 16-13 victory. Continue

Fresh off comeback win, Eli Manning gets blitz-happy Eagles

Eli Manning was already in the midst of one of the finest days of his career when he dropped back to pass late in overtime on Sept. 17, 2006. As usual, the Eagles were blitzing. Not surprisingly, within seconds, two defenders were in his face.

Manning saw it coming and had already adjusted the play, which set up a 31-yard, game-winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress that is symbolic of what the Giants' quarterback has done in his seven career games against the vaunted Philly blitz. He courageously stands in the pocket, and at times has taken a pounding. Continue

It's one Giant turnpike feud

One more victory all but clinches a playoff spot for the Giants. One more loss all but ensures the Eagles of missing the postseason. No matter where, when or why, there's usually something at stake when these NFC East rivals clash.

"They really don't like us and we really kind of don't like them," said receiver Amani Toomer, who today at Lincoln Financial Field plays against the Eagles for the 23rd time in his career. "We play 'em twice a year, every year so we know them very well. They draft for us, we draft for them, so it's one of those situations you're very familiar with the other team. It's old fashioned we know what you're going to do, you know what we're going to do and now we'll see who's going to win." Continue

Steve Smith glad Tom Coughlin pushed him, might be active for Giants Sunday

Steve Smith's rookie season long ago had been ruined by the time Tom Coughlin approached him last week. Smith was about to miss his 10th straight game due to injuries, so Coughlin figured it was time to give him a push. "Definitely I needed that push," the rookie receiver said Friday. "Maybe I could've been getting a little lackadaisical just hanging around and not having to practice much. Definitely that pressure from Coach really got in my mind that I needed to get going."  Continue

Giants chase to fill Pierce place

David Tyree was shouting across the locker room in the direction of Chase Blackburn. "C'mon Chase, don't do it!" Tyree yelled. "Special teams for life." That's where those two normally make their living but tomorrow, Blackburn steps up on the depth chart, as he's set to start at middle linebacker in place of Antonio Pierce, who is expected to miss the game against the Eagles with a sprained right ankle. Pierce played with the injury last week but was not effective in Chicago, and the ankle swelled up on Monday. He missed practice all week, and all signs indicate he'll miss his first game of the season. Continue

Osi Umenyiora doubts he'll get six sacks against Eagles again

The throng around Osi Umenyiora's locker yesterday wanted to know if the Giants defensive end was planning to hang another six sacks on Donovan McNabb on Sunday in Philadelphia. Wisely, Umenyiora demurred with a laugh. "I don't think they're going to let that happen again," he said. "I mean, if it does, someone's going to lose their job, and I'm not talking about the players; I'm talking about the head coach."

It was, after all, a perfect storm that swallowed up McNabb and the Eagles that late September night, with Umenyiora's six sacks just half of the story. McNabb went down 12 times in a 16-3 loss with only 76 net yards passing. It was somewhat to be expected. The Eagles were missing left tackle William Thomas and his replacement, Winston Justice, was overwhelmed by Umenyiora. They didn't have running back Brian Westbrook to keep the defense honest or pick up the blitz, and tight end L.J. Smith, another McNabb outlet, also was sidelined. Continue

Westbrook has to be focus

When the Giants dropped Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb for an NFL-record-tying 12 sacks in Week 4, they did so against a Philly offense that was without its best answer for a nasty pass rush. Not left tackle William Thomas, who missed the game with a knee injury and whose replacement -- Winston Justice -- was victimized on three of the Giants' sacks that night. It was running back Brian Westbrook. One of the best offensive weapons in the NFL, Westbrook is well recovered from an abdominal injury that kept him sidelined for the Giants' 16-3 victory on Sept. 30. Continue

Brandon Jacobs knows he's needed, but won't rush back too soon

With Derrick Ward out for the season, the weather getting colder and a big game coming up on Sunday in Philadelphia, Brandon Jacobs knows he is urgently needed. And he feels good about his chances of playing against the Eagles. He's just not in any rush. "Why would I rush back when we've got a seven-year veteran that can do the job?" Jacobs said yesterday. "I'm only in my third year. I don't want to risk the rest of my career."

Jacobs' career isn't in jeopardy, but the Giants are still going to be careful with their top running back's balky left hamstring, which he strained three weeks ago in Detroit. At 8-4, the Giants are virtually assured of a playoff berth. And with Ward on injured reserve with a broken left leg, the Giants need the 6-4, 264-pound Jacobs to be as healthy as possible if they hope to make an extended postseason run. Continue

Tough decisions await Coughlin in season finale

You are the head coach of a team with nowhere to go heading into the regular-season finale. You are locked into your playoff spot, can't move up or down, and there's burgeoning speculation about how you might handle that game. You are not Bill Belichick. You are Tom Coughlin.

It is growing increasingly likely the Giants will have nothing tangible to play for the night of Dec. 29, when they face the Patriots at Giants Stadium. The Giants at 8-4 are in command for a wild-card position, a full two games ahead of the mediocre pack with four games remaining. A victory this Sunday in Philadelphia goes a long way in clinching the No. 5 seed in the NFC and a trip to either Tampa or Seattle in the first round of the playoffs. Continue

Tom Coughlin says no to no-huddle

Every time Eli Manning has some success in the no-huddle offense, as he did during the Giants' wild comeback in Chicago on Sunday, there are renewed cries for the Giants to use it more often. And every time, Tom Coughlin essentially says, "No."

However, maybe it's time for a little more of it - especially when Manning seems out of sync, as he did in the first three quarters on Sunday. Look what it did for Rex Grossman when the Bears opened in the no-huddle on Sunday. They scored on their first drive, he completed his first eight passes and he looked pretty good for most of the game. "We are reluctant to just go to that because of the flexibility, the utilization of personnel and the mix of run and play-action passes," Coughlin said. In other words, the no-huddle limits their options, and the Giants prefer to switch personnel frequently and vary their play-calling and approach. Continue

Eli Manning's performance will dictate playoff future for Giants

Eli Manning's ups and downs guarantee it's going to be wild ride to the wild card game in Tampa or Seattle for the Giants. Not only is it impossible to predict how Manning will play week to week, he's a different player from quarter to quarter, almost throw-to-throw.

The upside is when Tom Coughlin puts him in the high-tempo, no-huddle offense, as he did in the fourth quarter in Chicago, and Manning leads the Giants to two touchdowns to win the game. The downside is how he played the rest of the game. "I think the big thing about (Sunday) was that, as we talked earlier in the week, it is not that a man gets knocked down, it is what he does after he gets back up," Coughlin said. Continue

Glory road

The way this season is shaping up for the Giants, it appears as if they will be able to count on an NFC wild card playoff game on the road, either in Seattle or Tampa, and, while challenging, will certainly not be viewed as an overly daunting task. The Giants, you see, are at their best away from home.

Their most demanding tests have come on the road and the Giants have passed virtually every one of them. They saved their season by recovering from a 17-7 halftime deficit in Washington. They rebounded from one of those statement-game losses to the Cowboys the next week by outlasting the Lions in Detroit. And this past Sunday, in wet and chilly Chicago, the Giants awakened from an offensive slumber to turn a 16-7 fourth-quarter deficit into an Eli Manning-inspired 21-16 triumph that did wonders to their suddenly-robust playoff aspirations. Continue

Eli Manning struggles early, steps up when Giants need him most

Eli Manning was so bad for so long Sunday he was even getting outplayed by Rex Grossman, which is the ultimate indictment of a quarterback.

Manning was up to his old stuff - killer interceptions, fumbles, balls in the dirt, overthrowing his receivers, passing behind his receivers. He was providing even more ammunition to those who wonder if he is ever going to be more than mediocre, which is not what the Giants thought they were buying when they traded for him. He was also throwing away the Giants' season and perhaps on the way to costing Tom Coughlin his job. The Giants needed this game. Manning needed it even more. Continue

Ward likely out for season

The best game of Derrick Ward's career turned into what likely was his final game of the season. Ward, the productive but injury-plagued running back, finally started in place of Brandon Jacobs yesterday after missing the past four games with groin and ankle problems. By halftime, Ward had 12 rushing attempts, 110 yards and a touchdown.

But with 8:06 remaining in the game, Ward went down and stayed down after a four-yard run. "I felt a pop and the initial pain," he said. It was his last carry and X-rays revealed a fractured left fibula that undoubtedly will keep him out the remainder of the season. Ward said the break is more of a crack and not as severe as the season-ending injury to linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka, but broken bones need months, not weeks to heal. Continue

Giants Bear-ly awaken in time

Eli Manning was leading the Giants to ruin. Then he led them to victory. A stunning, improbable victory the Giants needed almost as badly as Manning did. "It wasn't the prettiest . . . at times it was flat-our ugly," Manning said after somehow halting the uproar swirling around him. "But it was sweet."

He had thrown two interceptions and lost the ball once on a self-inflicted fumble as the Giants' season was heading down a slippery slope. Based largely on Manning's failings, the Giants trailed virtually all afternoon in the cold, wet and wind, mired in offensive stagnation. They were down 16-7 in the fourth quarter before Manning shook off the demons that have bedeviled him the past few weeks. Continue

Controversy might make Giants GM Reese skittish

First things first: Giants quarterback Eli Manning and general manager Jerry Reese have met a handful of times since Tuesday to make sure there are no issues over Reese's use of the word "skittish" to describe Manning's play in recent weeks.

According to sources familiar with the team's situation, Reese and Manning met privately Tuesday - at Reese's request - to discuss the situation, and both men came away from the meeting satisfied that there were no lingering effects from Reese's comments.

Manning expressed no malice toward Reese, who was at times blunt in his assessment of Manning's play against the Vikings in last week's four-interception performance. And Reese made it clear he believes Manning will bounce back from the disappointment and help lead the Giants to their third consecutive playoff appearance. Continue

Giant victory's Bear necessity

The bar for the playoffs in the NFC has dropped so low that the 7-4 Giants are sitting pretty even after their interception-laden 41-17 loss to the Vikings."We are not desperate for nothing," linebacker Antonio Pierce said. "I don't think it is a do-or-die situation. We are ahead of everybody in the wild-card race. With that being said, we just need to go out there and play ball."

Play ball is what the Giants do this afternoon against the 5-6 Bears at Soldier Field, realizing they indeed are not desperate but certainly might soon be if they don't deposit a victory into their postseason account. Continue

Derrick Ward eager to return to starting lineup for Giants in Chicago

In his typically curt remarks to reporters following Friday's practice, Tom Coughlin offered a bland "We will see" when asked if Derrick Ward would be the starting running back Sunday in Chicago. But the fact that Ward is even an option is encouraging news, since the Big Blue rushing attack the previous three games had all the ferocity of a Pop Warner team. Ward has been sidelined with ankle and groin injuries and hasn't played since an Oct. 21 win against the 49ers. Last week, veteran Reuben Droughns had a paltry 46 yards on 15 carries, although he did score a touchdown.

Ward returns at a critical time: With Brandon Jacobs still out with a hamstring injury, Ward will try to rumble through the Bears' porous run defense, ranked 27th out of 32 teams. The bad news? Weather conditions at Soldier Field are supposed to be lousy tomorrow, with a forecast in the low 40s with rain and wind. Continue