Giant Football Blog

Andre' Woodson miffed by Giant drop

One year ago, Andre' Woodson was discussed as a Heisman Trophy contender. He was considered to be one of the top quarterbacks in the country. Then he went out and had a good senior year. So how was he still sitting there for the Giants near in the sixth round of the NFL draft? Don't bother asking him.

"I really don't know," Woodson said over the weekend at the Giants' rookie mini-camp. "I think a lot of people still to this day don't really know why I dropped as much as I did." Continue

Kevin Gilbride says Jeremy Shockey's future up for grabs

Kevin Gilbride recently told Jeremy Shockey he wants him back as a featured part of his offense. But the Giants' offensive coordinator admitted he doesn't know if that will happen.

"It's so nebulous right now, you just have no idea," Gilbride said. "Right now he's on our team. We're planning on him being there. He'll be one of the guys that we'll look to feature and one of the guys that we'll look to depend on. Hopefully he'll be here in good spirits and ready to do the things that we know he's capable of doing. But who knows? It's certainly beyond my hands." Continue

One Giant playmaker

Kenny Phillips is sure he can handle what is required of him as a first-round draft pick of the Giants. He knows he must purchase doughnuts for the veterans during the season. "I can do doughnuts," Phillips said. He knows he will be asked (more like told) to sing the Miami fight song or some other ditty on the first day of training camp. "I think if I sound pretty good, they might not ask me to do it anymore," Phillips reasoned.

He grimaced when informed he will be expected to take the defensive backs out to an expensive dinner. Then he brightened a bit when reminded that dinner will come only after he signs his first NFL contract. Continue

Mario Manningham is a test case

For the first time in more than four months, Mario Manningham didn't have to worry about Wonderlic tests, drug tests or any of the controversies that have been swirling around him. He was out on the football field, doing what he does best. And he sounded very relieved.

"When it's all said and done, what are we out here doing?" Manningham said Friday after the first practice of the Giants' two-day rookie mini-camp. "We're not out here talking about that stuff. We're out here to play football. So I'm not really worried about that." Continue

Jints get feeling of safety with rookie

There's a strong belief among those in the Giants front office and coaching staff that first-round draft pick Kenny Phillips will challenge for playing time sooner rather than later. His first chance to make an impression comes today during the start of the two-day Giants rookie mini-camp at Giants Stadium.

This will be the first look at Phillips wearing Giants colors after he started and excelled for three years in Miami orange, green and white. Phillips will be one of the seven draft picks in attendance, along with 12 undrafted free agents signed by the team, and others in for tryouts. Of all the newcomers, Phillips is thought to be the closest to being NFL-ready and the Giants will not be surprised at all if he works his way into the lineup at free safety before very long. Continue

David Diehl's contract gets Giant boost

David Diehl proved last season he could make a capable left tackle. Now he's going to be paid like one, too. The Giants tore up Diehl's old contract a few weeks ago and doubled it by signing him to a six-year deal that could be worth as much as $31million. The 27-year-old is signed through the 2013 season and, if he plays left tackle that entire time, would average more than $5million per year.

Diehl had just completed only the second year of the six-year, $15.5 million extension he had signed in 2005. But he signed that when he was still playing left guard. It appears that Diehl will head into the 2008 season as the starting left tackle. The deal calls for him to earn an additional $750,000 to $1.1million for each season he starts at that position. Continue

Strahan's '08 plans remain Giant secret

Michael Strahan had something more important to do than go with the Giants to the White House on Wednesday - a trip to the Kentucky Derby.

After attending the Playboy party Friday night, Strahan was interviewed on NBC's pre-Derby show Saturday. The defensive end reiterated what he recently told the Daily News' Gary Myers: He's undecided on retirement. This time, though, Strahan sounded a bit more pessimistic about the chances of his returning to Big Blue. "I have no idea - that's the announcement," Strahan said. "There are days I wake up and I want to play football, and there are days where I wake up and I don't want to play. Right now there are probably more days where I don't want to play than I do." Continue

Hard work might earn Woodhead spot on Jets' roster

Seeing the T-shirts around campus, that was when it got downright strange for Danny Woodhead. "There was a shirt like the 'Got Milk?' ads, but it said, 'Got Wood?"' the NCAA's all-time rushing leader said by telephone earlier this week. "I see stuff like that and say, 'I wouldn't pay for something like that,' but that's just me. It's kind of weird at first but there's something kind of cool about it, actually."

Woodhead put up almost otherworldly numbers at Division II Chadron State, earning cult-hero status in the town of Chadron, Neb. Among the staggering numbers: the career rushing mark of 7,962 yards, 101 career rushing touchdowns - 34 his junior season - a record 2,756 rushing yards in 2006 and a record 19 200-yard rushing games. Continue

President Bush welcomes Giants

Meeting President Bush and touring the White House were the thrill of a lifetime for Tom Coughlin and his champion Giants, but there was an even more memorable moment Wednesday. The team made a stop at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to visit injured soldiers and were escorted by Lt. Col. Greg Gadson, the injured Iraq war vet who gave a moving speech to the Giants the night before they won Super Bowl XLII. Continue

Giants hail new faces

- Three players most affected by the way the Giants went about their draft business yesterday pushed aside the threats to their own jobs and were unanimous in their vocal support of the newly-imported talent.

The selection of safety Kenny Phillips in the first round has a direct bearing on incumbent starter James Butler. The pickup in the third round of receiver Mario Manningham can be seen as a knock on third-year Sinorice Moss. The sixth-round addition of quarterback Andre' Woodson is likely the death-knell for the Giants career of Jared Lorenzen. Yet seldom was heard a discouraging word. Continue

Giants' Sinorice Moss playing catch-up

Sinorice Moss figured to be the odd man out when the Giants drafted another receiver on Sunday. But the disappointing third-year pro warned everyone Tuesday not to count him out. "I need to wake some people up," Moss said. "That's what I really need to do. I've been on the shelf. So I'm ready to come out here and shock the world. That's what I plan to do."  Continue

Osi Umenyiora scraps idea of holdout

The Giants have plenty of issues to deal with between now and opening night, but Osi Umenyiora won't be one of them. The Pro Bowl defensive end, who admittedly was pondering a training camp holdout to force the Giants to give him a raise, announced Thursday that he'll be in camp on time this summer. That doesn't mean he's happy with the six-year, $41 million contract extension he signed in 2005, but he said, "Right now it's not the time for me to try and do anything crazy like that.

"To be honest with you, whenever you see players who you don't feel are as good as yourself getting paid the way they're getting paid now, of course you're going to have questions," Umenyiora said. "But I'm definitely not going to hold out. I don't think it's the right time." Continue

Giants get picky over Jeremy Shockey

Eli Manning called it "a stupid theory" when he was asked during the week before Super Bowl XLII if the Giants were there because Jeremy Shockey wasn't. Most of his teammates and coaches agreed. But not all of them.

According to various team and NFL sources, there were more than a few people inside the Giants organization who at least wondered whether the absence of Shockey - who broke his leg in Week 15 - was beneficial to Manning's development. The sidelines were suddenly quieter and less volatile, and Manning did not feel he had to get Shockey the ball early so his tight end wouldn't stomp and sulk. Continue

Michael Strahan won't commit to return

Michael Strahan had his annual meeting with the Giants general manager last week, but he told Jerry Reese that he's not yet ready to make any decisions about his future.

That meeting, which was first reported by the NFL Network, was confirmed by a team source and it apparently lasted for about an hour at Giants Stadium, just a few days after Strahan returned from his African vacation. The 36-year-old defensive end had said he hoped to make up his mind whether or not he wants to retire before the NFL Draft. The draft is now just 12 days away Continue

First look at Giants' new ring

Giant win. Giant rings. The Super Bowl victors unveiled the design of their diamond-encrusted championship rings Tuesday, an impressive bit of bling that reflects the enormity of their upset over the formerly undefeated Patriots. "It was a huge win," said center Sean O'Hara, one of four players who provided input on the design. "So the ring should be designed accordingly." And it was.

The top of the Giant-sized rings features three Super Bowl trophies, one for each of the team's championships. The score of Super Bowl 42 (Giants 17, Patriots 14) is engraved on one side, with "Eleven Straight on the Road" - the NFL record set by the Giants last season - etched on the other. Continue

Osi Umenyiora holds out hope for raise from Giants

The defending Super Bowl champions opened their offseason workout program Monday without several key players, including defensive end Osi Umenyiora, whose absence could last deep into the summer. According to a source close to Umenyiora, he is considering a lengthy holdout if the Giants don't agree to renegotiate his contract, which is not due to expire until after the 2012 season. That holdout could include part of training camp, which begins in late July. Continue

Giants return to work

The last time the Giants were together en masse, they were getting showered by confetti in a wild and emotional ticker-tape parade along the Canyon of Heroes, an honor befitting their extraordinary triumph over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

What took place yesterday was far more mundane, but certainly important, as much of the team attended the start of the voluntary offseason workout program at Giants Stadium. "It is good to get back to start lifting and doing things together because this is what got us to where we were last year," left tackle David Diehl said. Continue

NY Giants set for offseason workouts

The confetti has long been swept up and the champagne has evaporated. For the Giants, it's time to get back to work.

While several players have been working out at Giants Stadium on a daily basis for more than a week, today marks the official start of the team's offseason workout program. The workouts are optional, though coach Tom Coughlin prefers as many players to be in attendance as possible, especially after last year's high attendance rate kicked off a season that ended with a united team making a run to a Super Bowl title. Plus, many players have workout bonuses that are paid only if they're present for a certain percentage of days. Continue

Antonio Pierce neglected dogs

Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce has gone from a Super Bowl champion to an admitted animal abuser. Authorities say one of Pierce's pet pit bulls was severely underweight and suffering from a respiratory illness. They also say Pierce and his girlfriend let the dogs run loose and failed to get them rabies shots.

Pierce appeared in Municipal Court in Monroe Township Friday and pleaded guilty to neglecting the pit bulls. He agreed to pay a $1,300 fine. His girlfriend, Jocelyn Maldanado, also pleaded guilty and was fined $1,300. Continue

Jets and Giants Fans May Pay for the Right to Pay for Tickets

National Football League franchises across the country have helped pay for modern stadiums since the mid-1990s by asking season-ticket holders to ante up for the right to preserve their seat locations in the teams’ new homes.

Now, for the first time, the selling of personal seat licenses is a real possibility in the New York area. Jets and Giants executives are considering using them at the $1.6 billion stadium they are building in New Jersey, which is scheduled to open in 2010. Although any decisions are months away and team officials are reluctant to discuss details publicly, sports business analysts and others around the N.F.L. said they expected to see the teams sell licenses. Continue

Giants raise ticket price average of $7

New York Giants' season ticket holders are going to pay about $7 more per ticket to watch the Super Bowl champions next season. The Giants sent letters to ticket holders this week informing them of the roughly 8 percent increase. Last season, the gross average price of a ticket was $83.29, which ranked 12th out of the 32 teams in the NFL. Last year's average increase was $4.72. The new prices again will be based on seat location in Giants Stadium. (AP)

Giants' Strahan still up in air about retirement

Michael Strahan still hasn't decided whether he'll play for the Giants next season. But after seeing Brett Favre and Warren Sapp pack it in after long, successful careers, he does admit that retirement crosses his mind.

"I can't say I don't love to play and don't love to see the guys," Strahan said yesterday morning at a promotional appearance in Times Square. "But when I see guys like Favre and Sapp and [Chiefs guard] Will Shields, all these guys who are players from my era, say, 'Enough's enough' ... Sometimes, you wake up and your body is hurting and you're thinking, 'Man, maybe enough is enough.' You think about it." Continue

Favre’s finale a Giant fit

Any thrilled Giants fan who reveled in their incredible and improbable Super Bowl run is sure to win a bet in the years to come when the following trivia question is asked: Who caught the final pass of Brett Favre's Hall of Fame career? Answer: Corey Webster.

The fairly nondescript Giants cornerback made one of the biggest plays in a playoff drive fueled by mammoth moments. Webster stepped in front of receiver Donald Driver and intercepted a soft and errant Favre pass in the first minute of overtime in the NFC Championship Game at arctic Lambeau Field. Webster's return to the Green Bay 34-yard line set up Lawrence Tynes Lawrence Tynes ' dramatic 47-yard game-winning field goal to launch the Giants into Super Bowl XLII and, as it turned out, further glory against the Patriots. Continue

Giant rewind?

One night after Hollywood hailed its stars on the red carpet at the Academy Awards, an impressive array of still-glowing Giants last night were afforded similar royal treatment for the premier of the 2008 Super Bowl XVII champions DVD.

As the Giants New York Giants strode a (Big) blue carpet at the AMC Empire 25 Theater in Times Square, one player who easily qualifies for a lifetime achievement award was especially excited. "To watch this the way it was sensationalized makes it even sweeter," Strahan said of the DVD, which goes on sale in stores today.

"You know what's coming, but I'm like, 'Get it Plax.' You see him catch the ball and everybody's jumping up and down, it's the best feeling in the world." A feeling so good might Strahan, 36 years old and after 15 seasons with the Giants, want to come back for one final curtain call?  Continue

Antonio Pierce cited on pit bull charge

Antonio Pierce was slapped with a summons on Wednesday charging him with animal neglect after one of his pit bulls escaped his property and was found to be underweight and sick, according to a report.

Two pit bulls apparently either pushed open or snuck under a gate in a fence around Pierce's property in Monroe Township, N.J., while the Giants' linebacker was in Arizona, a few days before Super Bowl XLII. According to the report in the Newark Star-Ledger, one dog was discovered to have a respiratory illness. The other dog apparently was fine. Continue

Giants' Reese: Shockey's our starting tight end

Jeremy Shockey disappeared from the Giants soon after he suffered a broken left leg Dec. 16, choosing to stay away during the Super Bowl run. But Shockey isn't going anywhere next season.

Despite speculation around the league, Giants general manager Jerry Reese told Newsday yesterday morning in an e-mail that Shockey "is our starting tight end." The Giants have no plans to trade Shockey as they prepare for free agency and the draft, nor are they considering releasing him this offseason.(Newsday)

It's why they play the game

The ball was in the air for what felt like a lifetime, and David Tyree David Tyree was perfectly willing to wait it out that long if that's what it took. All around him, the Super Bowl had come to a complete standstill. All around him, every eye, thousands of them, were fastened on a football. "I couldn't hear a thing," Tyree said. "I felt like I was all by myself."

There were, in reality, 71,101 spectators inside University of Phoenix Stadium. There were a couple hundred others, give or take, patrolling the sidelines: players, coaches, photographers, officials, various other folks with lanyards and credentials around their necks. All of them entranced by the football. All of them seized by the moment. Continue

Giant finish will never be forgotten

Already what the Giants did against the Patriots has become a part of the skyline of sports in New York, up there with anything, up there with Bobby Thomson and Joe Namath and Mark Messier and even Willis Reed, up there in that high a place. You even heard some of the players talking afterward about this being their own football version of the Miracle on Ice, even though nobody was ever an underdog like the U.S. kids were against the Soviets in Lake Placid, even though these Giants never should have been a 12 or 13-point underdog to the Patriots in the first place. Continue

Decision means Big Blue sky is limit

Here's what Steve Spagnuolo spurning Daniel Snyder and the Redskins yesterday and staying with the Giants New York Giants means: The Giants will have a real chance to repeat their unforgettable trip up the Canyon of Heroes. It means there is a better chance that Michael Strahan Michael Strahan comes back for a 16th season.

Eric Mangini left Bill Belichick's side and jumped at the chance to coach the Jets New York Jets two years ago in part because his father succumbing to a heart attack when he was 16 taught him that you live for today when opportunities present themselves, in part because his pal, Mike Tannenbaum, was on the brink of succeeding Terry Bradway as GM. To each his own. Continue

Spagnuolo to stay with Giants

Steve Spagnuolo is staying with the Giants New York Giants . The excitement of the astonishing 17-14 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII had been followed by trepidation among fans that they would lose their first-year defensive coordinator. After all, it was the defense that pulverized Tom Brady and paved the way for the titanic upset.

The concern of the fans turned to genuine fear when Spagnuolo was courted and interviewed by Redskins owner Dan Snyder for the vacant Washington head coaching job. After nearly 36 hours of talks, it seemed likely that Spagnuolo would take the money and the prestige and sign with the Redskins. Continue

Giants plot to keep Steve Spagnuolo

After a trip down the Canyon of Heroes on Tuesday afternoon, Steve Spagnuolo got another hero's welcome from the Washington Redskins. But the Giants aren't ready to let their defensive coordinator get away without a fight. According to a source close to the 48-year-old assistant, the Giants have already told him they're willing to do whatever they can to keep him if he ends up getting offered the Redskins' head coaching job. That would include a raise, a contract extension, and possibly even the title of assistant head coach.

However, they're only willing to go so far, and it doesn't appear that the Giants will do for Spagnuolo what the Dallas Cowboys did last month for offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. To prevent Garrett from leaving for either the Atlanta Falcons or Baltimore Ravens, the Cowboys gave him a new contract reportedly worth $3 million per season. Continue

Spag party

At the celebratory and joyous rally for the Super Bowl champion Giants yesterday afternoon at Giants Stadium, one of the loudest and longest ovations was given to Steve Spagnuolo. The display of appreciation and admiration was not only a byproduct of the way his defense in Super Bowl XLII abused Tom Brady and held the Patriots record-breaking offense to a mere 14 points.

It was a reputation-enhancing performance on the big stage for Spagnuolo, the first-year defensive coordinator. That was reason enough to salute him, but the euphoric crowd wasn't offering simple gratitude. The noise grew louder and louder as a slightly sheepish-looking Spagnuolo waved and nodded. "You only get this in New York, coach," said Bob Papa, the Giants New York Giants ' radio voice and master of ceremonies. Continue

Giants ready for Heroes' welcome

They return home as true Giants now - these longshot underdogs who pulled off a series of improbable upsets to become Super Bowl champions. Now a ticker-tape parade and the cheers of their fans await them on Tuesday morning when they'll ride up the Canyon of Heroes and be feted at City Hall.

"I was a rookie and coming out of the hospital [from knee surgery] when the Yankees had one of their parades and I thought to myself, 'I want to have one of those before I am done here,'" veteran wide receiver Amani Toomer said. "Now is the time. I can't wait." Frenzied fans got a jump start last night, braving the cold at Newark Airport to see the World Champion G-Men land just before 7 bearing the Vince Lombardi trophy. Continue

Worth the wait for Accorsi

The Patriots had just scored the go-ahead touchdown on Tom Brady's pass to Randy Moss, and Eli Manning trotted onto the field with 2:39 to play. Former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi, watching the game from the stands at University of Phoenix Stadium, turned to his son, Michael. "This is how they define players," Accorsi said. "If Eli is what we thought he was, he's got to do it now."

The game was on the line for the Giants. And so was Accorsi's reputation. He had engineered a massive draft-day trade for Manning in April 2004, all in hopes of reaching a moment like this. Accorsi, not to mention every other Giants fan around the globe, was a nervous wreck. Continue

Plaxico Burress puts money where mouth is with winning TD

He'd stuck his aching foot in it this time, it seemed. Plaxico Burress had made that guarantee before he ever stepped on a plane to Arizona, and then this past week he could hardly walk without a limp, without more fluid accumulating on his knee and the tendon pulling from the bone.

Burress had not been much of a factor in this Super Bowl, had watched while David Tyree, Kevin Boss and even Amani Toomer made the biggest catches. He'd made exactly one catch for 14 yards. But now the Giants were 13 yards away from the goal line, from something truly amazing, and Burress was running a slant-and-go in the end zone. Continue

Terrific Tyree helps Jints catch super dreams

You never know when the moment is going to find you, or when the game is going to summon you. That was how David Tyree David Tyree approached this game, same as he's approached his whole career. Two years ago he made the Pro Bowl on special teams. But he never wanted to label himself a special teams specialist. Officially, he is a wide receiver, even if he'd only caught four balls for a total of 35 yards all season.

"You always have to be ready, you always have to prepare," Tyree said last night, maybe 45 minutes after the Giants New York Giants had completed their stunning 17-14 win over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. "You have to get after the games as if you'll be asked to answer the bell. So if you're asked, you can deliver." Continue

Destiny date for Big Blue

There is no alternative. Not for the Giants New York Giants . Not now. Not anymore. They cannot lose, because if they do this magical tale they have weaved like a suit of gold grows tattered and frayed. They were warned before ever arriving here that no one remembers the loser and the Giants above all else are determined to make this a moment to cherish forever.

After all they have been through, the grind of a good but not great season, a playoff express with layovers in sunny Tampa and haughty Dallas and arctic Green Bay, the Giants stop here and confront the most daunting challenge in this game's storied history. Every championship must be earned but has any team ever dealt with what awaits the Giants tonight in Super Bowl XLII at the University of Phoenix Stadium? Continue

Super cheaters? Report says Patriots filmed Rams before Super Bowl XXXVI

Bill Belichick and the Patriots were accused of being Super Bowl cheaters on Saturday, but the Giants ensured there was no way the New England spymaster would be able to spy on them.

According to a startling report in the Boston Herald, members of the Patriots' video department illegally filmed the St. Louis Rams final walk-through at the Superdome in New Orleans one day before the Patriots shocked the 14-point favorites six years ago in Super Bowl XXXVI. The report quoted an unnamed source as saying the Patriots employee stayed behind after New England had its walkthrough in order to tape the Rams as they practiced their formations. Continue

Should the Giants take a shot at Tom Brady's leg?

The quarterback's right ankle will be sitting out there in plain view, wrapped or unwrapped, a giant bull's-eye for the targeting. And if Tom Brady goes down, if Matt Cassel is suddenly standing in the pocket for the Patriots, then this Super Bowl on Sunday becomes a very different sort of affair.

So what are the Giants to do about this famously aching extremity? Should they tackle low, tackle late? Is it worth a 15-yard penalty and a vaguely guilty conscience? Or does a sense of gallantry demand they ignore the red cape flapping in front of them? Continue

Giants look to rush, rattle Tom Brady

The coolest quarterback in the NFL is also one of the best in history at working under pressure. They say Tom Brady is unflappable in the face of a pass rush and impossible to rattle. On Super Sunday, the Giants plan to find out.

"Yeah, he is a cool guy and he's cool under pressure," said Giants linebacker Kawika Mitchell. "But that's what they said about Tony Romo, also, that he's always back there in the pocket, smiling. "I didn't see him smiling too much when we played him last time."They don't expect it to be easy, especially since Brady has been sacked just 24 times in 18 games this season, but the Giants made it clear on Wednesday that they will be coming after the NFL's MVP in Super Bowl XLII. They had the NFL's best pass rush this season with 53 sacks, and they plan on showing it on Sunday night. Continue

Tom Coughlin, John Mara bristle over Plaxico Burress' guarantee

Before the question was even finished, John Mara cringed as if someone had just kicked him in the stomach. He's a conservative man, quiet by nature, content to lurk in the background. He'd prefer his team to be that way, too. "Yeah, I don't particularly like to have people make guarantees and stuff like that," Mara said yesterday. "I'd like to keep it as quiet as possible. There's been a minimal amount of chirping all season and we'd like to keep it that way. "God willing, we'll get through today without incident."

Mara's Giants did appear to get through Tuesday's media day unscathed, but that minimal chirping the Giants have done has flared up lately. Plaxico Burress, GM Jerry Reese and co-owner Steve Tisch have all issued what have been portrayed as guarantees of victory in Super Bowl XLII. None of them was a strong, Namath-like proclamation. But they all got more attention than the Giants would have preferred. Continue

Com-Plax numbers

Before ever setting foot here in the Valley of the Sun, Plaxico Burress let The Post - and thus the world - in on his prediction for who wins Super Bowl XVII.It sure ain't the Patriots.As he pulled his car up to the Giants Stadium tunnel to unload his bags, Burress yesterday morning was asked by The Post a direct question: Are you ready to make history? "You better believe it," the towering Giants receiver said. Continue

With win over Patriots, Giants can become City's best champions

Usually it is still summer when the buses first pull out. It was that way with the Giants when they went to Dallas for the first Sunday night game of the season and looked as if maybe they wouldn't be able to stop anybody this season. Only now here they are, set up to play the first Sunday in February. Now here were the five Academy buses, five of them, white with black trim and looking quite new, lined up at the bottom of the ramp at the west gate at Giants Stadium Monday, the beginning of one last road trip, the one where the Giants go try to stop the Patriots from being 19-0.

And it is more than that for these Giants, this chance to stop football history and make history. If they can do this - and the odds sure say they can't - they will have produced an improbable victory, a story, to go with anything any New York team has ever produced. They go right to the top of the list with the '69 Mets and Joe Namath and Willis Reed, anything you want to talk about all the way back to Bobby Thomson.Continue

Apple of their eye

They have come from every corner of the country, and they have adopted New York and now New York has adopted them. From a distance, most of these Giants have heard the cheers explode out of The Bronx in Octobers past, have seen the spell a real live National League baseball team can have on the city. And now, at last, they know what they mean to this city, which has no use for mediocrity, and lives for teams it can send down the Canyon of Heroes.

At 10 this morning, five Academy buses waited outside Giants Stadium to take the Giants, carrying their dreams along with their video cameras in their luggage, to Newark Airport, where their United charter, a.k.a. Air Super Bowl, was waiting to take them to Arizona. Continue

This is our country

THEY became champions of the world, five months after the world had been shaken to its core, five months after 9/11, and America couldn't have been prouder. From the time they ran out as one for the introductions, to the end of the game at a star-spangled Superdome when a kid quarterback from San Mateo, Calif., named Tom Brady engineered the drive that made a clutch field-goal kicker from South Dakota named Adam Vinatieri a household name, we marveled at their teamwork, their selflessness, their spirit. They were the perfect team at the perfect time, scoffing at the oddsmakers who had made them 14-point underdogs to the Rams' Greatest Show on Turf, and it didn't hurt one bit that they were Patriots.Continue

Giant upset over Pats has familiar ring to New England's shocker over Rams

Can you picture Tom Coughlin sitting on the shoulders of his players and being carried off the field next Sunday in Arizona? All it will take is one of the greatest upsets in pro football history. "Do I think the Giants have a chance?" Bill Parcells was saying from Miami the other day. "Of course they have a chance."

If the Giants beat the Patriots, it would be the No. 3 upset in Super Bowl history, based strictly on how Las Vegas views these things. Of course, Joe Namath and the Jets' domination of the supposedly invincible Colts in Super Bowl III is No. 1. Continue

Tom Brady disappears again

The Patriot games continued Friday , with the team throwing a typical gray shroud over Tom Brady's ankle injury.

The MVP quarterback was nowhere to be seen during the 15 minutes of practice open to the media. It was assumed he had missed workouts for a second straight day, although it seems more a matter of not aggravating an injury that isn't expected to keep him out of his fourth Super Bowl. Brady continues to attend meetings and receive treatment. Meanwhile, the Pats are enjoying leading the media by the tail, keeping Brady behind closed doors and inviting speculation. Continue

If Antonio Pierce & defense can help it, pressure will be on Tom Brady

Antonio Pierce thinks the Giants' defense doesn't have to be perfect to stop the Patriots in their pursuit of perfection. But it has to be pretty close. "You just have to be consistent for 60 minutes. You have to play - it ain't perfect ball - but you have to play as disciplined as you can," Pierce said Friday at Giants Stadium. "You have to (bring pressure) for 60 straight minutes," Pierce said. "We just have to be consistent with it."

Pierce knows one of the keys to bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to New York lies in limiting Tom Brady's ability to pick apart the defense. It means Big Blue has to be a big nuisance to Brady on Feb. 3 in Glendale, Ariz. Brady lit up the Giants for 356 passing yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots' 38-35 win in Week17. The Patriots' Mr. Perfect completed 32 of 42 passes, including going 8-for-12 for 130 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Continue

Giants' Toomer tells team making it is not enough

Amani Toomer had never really expressed the depths of his disappointment over losing the only Super Bowl he ever played in. But Thursday, a few minutes after the Giants' first practice for Super Bowl XLII, Toomer confessed to being devastated by what happened seven years ago.

"It was a horrible experience the last time," the 33-year-old receiver said of the Giants' 34-7 loss to the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV. "It takes you a while to get over that." A while? Try two years. That's how long Toomer needed to get that loss out of his system. And he vows not to let it happen again. Which is why he's telling his teammates to seize the moment next week in Arizona. Continue

Plaxico Burress grabs for attention

Tom Brady and Randy Moss combined for more touchdowns this season than any quarterback-receiver tandem in NFL history. The Patriots even set a single-season scoring record, thanks to what is considered the most talented receiving corps in the league.

Plaxico Burress is aware of all those records. But he still thinks the Giants' receivers are better. "We have guys that can go out and do things just as well or maybe better than some of those guys," Burress said yesterday. "That's the way we look at it." That was a startling comment, even for one of the most confident players on the Giants. Continue

Tom's playing Patriot games

Who said the Patriots don't have a game until Super Bowl XXLII against the Giants New York Giants on Feb. 3 in Arizona? They played a game yesterday - a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game of hide-and-seek with their superstar quarterback Tom Brady. Should there be there considerable concern about the health of Brady and his famously photographed ailing right ankle? The footsie-playing Patriots would love the Giants to think so.

On the Patriots players' first day back to work after three days off, Brady was nowhere to be found - at least during the periods when reporters had access to the locker room and practice field, which was perfectly choreographed. Continue

Spagnuolo's a keeper, and Giants know it

When the Giants received a fax from the Falcons seeking to interview defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo six days before their divisional playoff game against the Cowboys, team president and co-owner John Mara was said to be livid.

Not that the Falcons did anything that violated NFL rules about requesting permission to interview the popular assistant coach, who has done wonders with the Giants' defense this season and throughout the playoffs. The Falcons were within their rights to ask; they actually scheduled the interview for the Friday morning before the Dallas game. Continue

Without a hitch

You might think it odd that the Giants New York Giants can lose two of their most effective offensive weapons and actually become far more dangerous as a team. You might think it strange that Tiki Barber can retire and Jeremy Shockey Jeremy Shockey can break his leg, and suddenly a team that couldn't get out of its own postseason way has become a January juggernaut.

Or maybe this doesn't surprise you a bit. Really, it shouldn't. From up close, we've long been taught the lessons of addition-by-subtraction, and subtraction-by-addition. We've seen the work of Stephon Marbury Stephon Marbury and Alex Rodriguez, two of the greatest coolers in sports history. We've watched them perform their mystical magic right in our backyard. Continue

They won't stand pat

Eleven days from the Perfect Patriots and Super Bowl XLII, the Giants New York Giants are anything but underdogs in their own minds and hearts. They remember how they played Tom Brady and Bill Belichick life and death last month and believe it will help them play the Patriots life and death again for the privilege of holding the Lombardi Trophy high for the third time in their storied history.

"Oh tremendously,” Osi Umenyiora told The Post yesterday. "It was a game we had nothing to gain by playing that game. But we played to win. What if we got blown out? We should have won the game. We had ’em 28-16. "We have all the confidence in the world. We know we can beat that football team.” Continue

Giants expect Tom Brady will be Super

Bring on Brady and forget the boot. That's what the Giants are saying. Justin Tuck, who has been the Giants' best defensive player this year, wants Tom Brady, the best player in the league, perfectly healthy for Super Bowl XLII in 11 days. Tuck saw the pictures Tuesday of Brady walking around with a protective boot on his right foot in Manhattan and did everything but send the quarterback a get-well card while at first wondering if this was just a "hoax" set up by Bill Belichick. Continue

Conditions perfect for Giants win

It's been an extremely productive postseason for the Giants. They finally got payback against Jeff Garcia. They made Terrell Owens cry, which was incredibly entertaining. Then they intercepted what could be the last pass of Brett Favre's career and turned that into a trip to the Super Bowl.

Now they will finish off this amazing run in style. They will prevent the Patriots from achieving football immortality at 19-0 and end their perfect season by beating them in Super Bowl XLII in Arizona. Tom Brady and the coach in the gray hoodie are so close to achieving perfection, but something magical has developed about this Giants season. They just beat the Packers on Lombardi Avenue; now they will take home Vince's trophy. Continue

Toomer still feels pain of '01 super loss

Amani Toomer Amani Toomer still gets queasy reminiscing about the Giants New York Giants ' last appearance in the Super Bowl. He probably should. "I remember after the game we ran inside and I saw [Ravens coach] Brian Billick and he was kind of gathering his breath," Toomer said, referring to Baltimore's 34-7 demolition of the Giants in 2001.

"And he was obviously emotional about the win, and I was like, 'Wow, he's feeling so happy and I'm feeling so terrible and we're so close. I could be enjoying it.' It was a terrible feeling." Toomer and Michael Strahan Michael Strahan are the Giants' remaining players from that game. Now 33 years old, Toomer realizes this could be his last shot at earning the Super Bowl ring that has eluded him throughout his 12-year career. Continue

He's a Brad man

The Giants New York Giants won't have to answer for Ryan Grant anymore. Ahmad Bradshaw Ahmad Bradshaw made sure of that last night in the NFC Championship game, outrushing and thoroughly upstaging Grant in Big Blue's 23-20 overtime win over the Packers.

"What you saw out there is what Ahmad is capable of bringing to this team," fellow running back Brandon Jacobs Brandon Jacobs said after the rookie seventh-rounder from Marshall ran for 63 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. "[Grant] is a great back, but I wouldn't trade Ahmad for anything." Continue

Giants headed to Super Bowl to face Patriots

It was almost as cold as the famed Ice Bowl. And nearly as memorable. Lawrence Tynes' 47-yard field goal with 12:25 left in overtime capped a remarkable second half and gave the Giants a 23-20 victory in Sunday night's NFC Championship game at frigid Lambeau Field. He just earlier missed a kick at the end of regulation that would have won the game.

The Giants, in winning their 10th straight road game, next head to Super Bowl XLII to play the undefeated Patriots Feb. 3. It was the first NFC title game to go to overtime since Atlanta beat Minnesota in 1998. Continue

You gotta brrr-lieve!

The trappings are there for history to embrace this game. Now all the Giants have to do is make it something worth remembering.

There is the thrill and bitter chill of an arctic blast. The wondrous Lambeau Field setting. Two hallmark NFL franchises as combatants. The old gunslinger Brett Favre versus the young gun Eli Manning Eli Manning . The stakes are there, with Super Bowl XLII as the prize. The thermometer barely will sneak above zero degrees, but the heat is on as the Giants and Packers square off in an NFC Championship game dripping with an old-time feel. Continue

Time to pass history test

All 45 players wearing a Giants uniform will hear the call to arms, but for some, the call resonates just a bit more loudly.The Giants New York Giants need everyone if they are to upset the Packers tomorrow night in the NFC Championship game at arctic Lambeau Field, but they likely will need some to rise up higher than others by winning their individual battles - not on one play of a handful of them, but all game long.

When Eli Manning fades to pass, he must see a streak of white and blue, and that means when Plaxico Burress Plaxico Burress is lined up across from cornerback Al Harris, Burress must escape and excel. The same for Amani Toomer when he's dueling with Charles Woodson. Continue

Get down and dirty

There was apparent danger for anyone approaching the vicinity of Shaun O'Hara's locker, as the normally agreeable Giants center issued a warning that didn't sound particularly threatening. "You might want to watch out," O'Hara said yesterday afternoon.

"I'm supposed to be a dirty player." With that, the first salvo of what had been a quiet week hit the Giants like a snowball upside the helmet. After the storm of hype leading up to the divisional playoff tussle with the hated Cowboys, this was supposed to be the calm prior to Sunday's NFC Championship game against the Packers. Continue

Michael Strahan showing lighter side

There were days when Michael Strahan's end of the locker room was about as warm as an autopsy table. He could be a bully, sarcastic, rude, often in the same sentence. There would be momentary flashes of insight and brief glimpses of humor, but mostly Strahan was one miserable human being.

Then came late summer, when the Giants were at the tail-end of two-a-days in Albany. In walked the AWOL defensive end, beard all scraggly and eyes gleaming. It's still Antonio Pierce's favorite Strahan story of the season. Continue