Giant Football Blog

Giants win final preseason game, lose LB Sintim for season

Clint Sintim's eyes never left the ground as he leaned on crutches in the post-game locker room. Again. His voice cracked as he described yet another injury and he fought the urge to cry.

"It's unfortunate," the 25-year-old Giants LB said. "I worked really hard to get back. And um... it's just unfortunate."

His teammate Michael Boley called it "heartbreaking." Tom Coughlin called it "devastating." No matter how it's described, it's yet another season-ending injury for the Giants' injury-prone linebacker - this time a ruptured patella tendon in his right knee and a possible torn ACL, just nine months after he had surgery to repair the same ACL. 

"You've got to feel badly for a guy that's coming back off a serious knee (injury)," Coughlin said after the Giants beat the New England Patriots in their preseason finale last night, 18-17. "Works his tail off, really didn't say a word the whole preseason, just did what he had to do, worked on the field. And then to see that happen tonight. It was devastating." (continue)

Eli not ready for prime time in 17-3 loss vs Jets

Truth be told, Eli Manning did not have the best of training camps. He was very much out of sync with his receivers, misfiring on plenty of deep balls, overcooking some short passes and putting passes over the middle in places that might have gotten receivers crushed in live games.

It’s all gone underreported and underanalyzed because, well, it’s Manning and he tends to be erratic in practices. Often, it doesn’t translate to the field, so there was little concern.

Until now.

In a 17-3 preseason loss to the Jets tonight, Manning and the Giants’ passing game were shaky, as he compiled a somewhat deceptively good stat line (15-for-30 for 200 yards) while throwing a pair of interceptions, looking jumpy in the pocket and seeming to be on a much different page than his receivers. (continue)

 

Giants crush Bears, lose Terrell Thomas with torn ACL

Justin Tuck was adamant that cornerback Terrell Thomas was robbed of a Pro Bowl berth last season, and he had already predicted he would make it this season, without question.

Now that's not going to happen until next season, at the earliest.

In a devastating blow to a defense already besieged by injuries, the Giants lost the 26-year-old Thomas for the season Monday night. He tore his right ACL, apparently in a collision with defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, with just 22 seconds left in the first half of the Giants' 41-13 preseason win over the Chicago Bears in the Meadowlands.

Tom Coughlin, who said he was trying to extend the playing time of the starters to make up for lost time during the lockout, called it "one of those unexplainable kind of things." It was also just the latest blow in a Giants summer filled with mostly doom and gloom.

"It is what it is," said defensive end Justin Tuck. "It's not a bad dream we're going to wake up from. It's reality." (continue)

Jason Pierre-Paul is the highlight in preseason opener for Giants

If Osi Umenyiora was still wondering why the Giants haven't been in a rush to cave in to his contract demands, he may have gotten an answer Saturday night.

It was only the preseason opener, but for the first few minutes it was the Jason Pierre-Paul show for the Giants, as the second-year defensive end gave a taste of what might be coming. He had two sacks in the Giants' otherwise unimpressive 20-10 loss to the Carolina Panthers, nearly had a third and forced a bad throw that turned into a 56-yard interception return for a touchdown by linebacker Michael Boley.

He was way too much for Jordan Gross, the Panthers' nine-year veteran left tackle, to handle. And he looked comfortable starting in Umenyiora's spot at right defensive end.

"I thought I played pretty good," Pierre-Paul said. "I knew what I was supposed to do and I was just out there executing. I came out, and I wasn't nervous. I knew the play calls, and I caught on very well. I just felt good. It felt very good." (continue)

Giants score on opening drive in final preseason game

Tom Coughlin wasn’t panicking as the ball slipped out of Eli Manning’s hands. Not as it squibbed on the ground while Manning, the only player in blue running after it, had a pair of Patriots defenders bearing down on him. Not even when Manning dove head-first with an outstretched hand to knock it onto the New England sideline.

In the middle of a chaotic play somewhat reminiscent of the one against the Jets last month that resulted in a three-inch gash on his franchise quarterback’s head, the Giants’ coach could think about only one thing.

“My No. 1 concern was how did the ball get out?” Coughlin said following the Giants’ preseason-closing 20-17 victory over the Patriots. “You work so hard to clear traffic that sometimes he loses control of the ball. I was very happy there was no one right on top of him.” (ledger)

 

Giants just not ready

Tom Coughlin wanted to see something to build on, anything to give him hope for a season that begins two weeks from Sunday.

Instead what he saw Saturday night was a .lethargic team that he admitted is still "a ways" from being ready. And the truth is that all the work the Giants need may take a lot more than 14 days.

Coughlin conceded as much after the Giants' ugly 24-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in their third - and most important - preseason game. With his starters in for the entire first half, the offense looked out of sync and the defense looked soft as the Giants fell behind, 17-3, at halftime.

Worse, according to the coach, it was clear the effort just wasn't there for the entire team. (Daily News)

Steelers beat Manningless Giants 24-17

Eli Manning, get well soon.

Having their franchise quarterback on the sideline is no way for the Giants to do business. It's not a scenario they ever envision and not a situation they want to ever get used to. They got a glimpse last night of life without Manning and the picture wasn't pretty in a 24-17 preseason loss to the Steelers.

The first home game for the Giants at new Meadowlands stadium was an offensive dud, as no Manning (head laceration) and no backup Jim Sorgi (torn shoulder capsule) meant lots of Rhett Bomar. The third-string quarterback with virtually no NFL experience played like a third-string quarterback with virtually no NFL experience. (NY Post)

Giants' starters look sharp in preseason loss

On offense Thursday night, the Giants dominated the Patriots' backups. On the other side of the ball, it was even uglier for New England.

In two drives, the Giants' starters held the Pats to minus-6 yards of total offense and they recorded two sacks -- one by cornerback Terrell Thomas and one for defensive end Justin Tuck, who was able to get on the board before the preseason ended.

Both players got to quarterback Brian Hoyer untouched -- Thomas off the edge and Tuck up the middle on a stunt.

"With this being the fourth preseason game, we knew our time would be limited, so we wanted to go out and accomplish our goals quickly," Tuck said. "We did just that as the first team defense with two three-and-outs. We rushed the passer and stopped the run, and that's what you want to be doing at the end of the preseason." Continue

Giants WRs not special vs Jets 1st team

It wasn't just déjà vu. It was a recurring nightmare.

It happened early in Saturday night's game, on the second series, which started out with so much promise.Steve Smith got wide open, far behind the Jets' defense. And Eli Manning hit him with a perfect pass.

It would've been the moment that eased everyone's fears about the Giants' unheralded receivers.

That is, until the ball bounced right out of Smith's hands.

"I'm sick right now," Smith said after the Giants' 27-25 loss to the Jets. "You've got to make the clutch plays. You've got to make the ones that count." Continue

Passing game sub par in Giants' loss

The Giants hoped to learn at least a little something about their wide receivers Saturday night, but once again they weren't able to do it.

The truth is they weren't able to learn anything good about their team at all.

Consider their second preseason game a failure on all fronts as they were "embarrassed," in the words of an angry Tom Coughlin, by the way they lost, 17-3, to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. It wasn't just the receivers either, it was the defense, the protection and the special teams, too.

Nobody was safe from Coughlin's wrath after the game.

"We got beat," he said. "We have no excuses. There isn't one phase of the game where I thought we played well. We weren't physical at all. We came in with some objectives and we really didn't accomplish any of them." Continue