Giants Nicks and Tuck Expect to Play on Monday Night

The New York Giants got good news on the medical conditions of DE Justin Tuck and WR Hakeem Nicks on Tuesday.  Although the pair probably won't be on the practice field this week, as the team prepares for its Monday night home opener against the St. Louis Rams,  both players remain optimistic they will be ready for the game.

Tuck (neck)says he will be ready to play on Monday and claims his injury is muscular and not disc-related.  He said he is aware that you can't be too careful with neck injuries, but said it was just responding more slowly to treatment than he first expected.

The defensive end suffered a stinger in the preseason game against the New York Jets and sat out the opening game loss to the Washington Redskins.

"Honestly, talk to me right now, I don't see how I will not play on Monday," said Tuck.  "And that's me.  Obviously, you've got to go through the process of doctors, coaches, general manager owner and going through what's most important for me and what's most important for this football team."

Neck injuries are something to be nervous about in light of Peyton Mannings' surgery and, closer to home, the cervical disc herniation which kept defensive teammate Mathias Kiwanuka out of the final 13 games last year and threatened his football  career.

Tuck could only watch Sunday as the depleted Giants defense was undressed, 28-14, by the Redskins.

"If I was given the choice, I would have played Sunday," said Tuck.  "I understand, you don't want to go out and cost yourself a year, maybe a career, just trying to be tough and trying to go out there for your football team.  Was it frustrating?  Absolutely."

Things aren't so cut and dry for Nicks.

On the positive side, doctors are almost certain his injured knee is just a bone bruise. According to the New York Daily News, they will monitor the swelling, keep him out of practice and make a decision later in the week.  If the inflammation doesn't subside, he could miss the game.  Doctors added that it seems doubtful the speedster would miss more than that.

The Giants could definitely use both players.  The Giants defense made Rex Grossman look sexy again and the offense had quarterback Eli Manning looking like well... the old Eli.

Plaxico Takes Aim at Coughlin and Manning But Shoots Himself Again

Plaxico Burress, the ex-con who put a bullet into his own thigh, spent almost two years in a jail cell and was given a second chance to get on with his life keeps firing away-- only this time with his mouth.

The New York Jets receiver now lambastes a former teammate, coach and fans in a revealing article to be published next week.

Burress even rips into New York mayor Mike Bloomberg for using him as an example in his crusade for gun control.

Does this moron understand that no one owes him anything.

According to the New York Post, Burress whines about New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning for not showing more support after he was arrested for gun charges in the October issue of Men's Journal which comes out next week.

Now we know why Manning didn't attend the dinner with Giants owner John Mara and Coughlin when Burress was scrounging  for an NFL job this summer after his release from the joint.

Say what you will about Eli, but at least he didn't suck up to the ungrateful and self-entitled Burress.  He refused to kiss the ass of an ass.

The Jets receiver saves his harshest criticism for Coughlin, his coach with the Giants over a four-year span.

"After my situation happened, I turned on the TV, and the first words out of his mouth was 'sad and disappointing,' Burress complained.  "I'm like, forget support-- how about some concern?  I did just have a bullet in my leg.  And then I sat in his office, and he pushed back his chair and goes, 'I'm glad you didn't kill anybody!'  Man, we're paid too much to be treated like kids.  he doesn't realize that we're grown men and actually have kids of our own."

First thing Plax, you're right about the being "paid too much" part and second...let's see... a person actually says you're lucky you didn't kill someone because of your stupidity.  What a horrible statement.

The 34 year-old Burress lays into Coughlin by suggesting he doesn't relate to his younger players.


"He's not a real positive coach," Burress said.  "You look around the league, the Raheem Morrises and Rex Ryans-- when their player makes a mistake, they take 'em on the side and say, 'We'll get 'em next time.'  But Coughlin's on the sideline going crazy, man.  I can't remember one time when he tried to talk a player through not having a day he was having."

Maybe if you didn't blow off practice or disrupt the team, you would have had less of those bad days, Plax.  It's called discipline.

Burress says he was disheartened by the way Manning avoided him in prison.

"I was always his biggest supporter, even on days he wasn't on, 'cause I could sense he didn't have thick skin," says Burress.  Then I went away, and I thought he would come see me, but nothing, not a letter, in two years.  I don't want to say it was a slap in the face, but I thought our relationship was better than that."

If any one is an expert on skin it's you Plax, you put your own bullet through yours.

The interview was done right after Burress was released from prison in June and not long before he met with the Giants when he was a free-agent in July.

From the tone of the article, a second go-round with the Giants was never in the cards as many fans were hoping-- and led to believe.  The same fans Burress rips in the interview.

"I was a human pin cushion; they were like, ''Yeah, we finally got you, mother[bleeper]," he said.  "On the cover of the New York Post, it said 'GIANT IDIOT'! and I'm thinking, 'Damn, I went and gave 'em what they wanted.  I'm just another gun-toting, famous black athlete'."

No Plax, you're just a famous athlete who shot himself.

Asked yesterday by the Post about why he secretly attacked the Giants only weeks before he met with them for a job, Burress replied, " There comes a time when you get things off your chest and speak about it at that time and put it behind you.  I met with everyone over there and I think everything went well."

How well would that meeting have gone if Coughlin knew the hypocritical Burress' true feelings about the coach or if Mara found out the former-Giant thought management "let the media tear me apart, saying I was dogging practice, that I wasn't a team player, all this (bleep)?"

Burress still hasn't owned up to his own foolishness.  In the article he calls his sentence pointless.

"They charged me with criminal possession of a gun--that I own!--Charged me with a violent felony-- on myself."

It looks like all of Burress' feel-good talk about making a fresh start and moving on after life in prison was short-lived.

Man up Plaxico.  Take the high road like Michael Vick.

You will always be remembered for your game-winning catch in Super Bowl XLII, but now is no time to tarnish that memory.

A lot of Giant fans were rooting for you to make it on the outside-- not any more.

Since When Did Eli Manning Owe Plaxico Burress Anything?

Since when did Eli Manning become the villain when it comes to his relationship with Plaxico Burress?  There was a lot of talk criticizing the Giants quarterback for not reaching out to his former-wideout after Burress was released from prison and looking hook up in the NFL again.  Get over it, Manning owed Burress nothing.

Last night, the New York Giants and New York Jets played for the first MetLife trophy at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands, although most fans were billing it as The Plaxico Bowl as if the former-Giant is the real prize.

The MetLife Trophy has cute Snoopy wearing an old-school helmet on top of it.   The comic strip seemed appropriate because the game was as flat as Charlie Brown on his back after trying to kick the seductive football yanked away by Lucy.  It's like a Matt Dodge punt.

Manning threw two interceptions and Burress was a non-factor while being held to zero catches.

The Plaxico Comeback Tour stalled against his former team.

Final score of the game, Jets 17-3.  Final score of The Plaxico Bowl, 0-0.

Even Jets coach Rex Ryan tried to hype the yawner afterwards.

"It was a fun game, man.  It was two good football teams going at it," he said of the game after his team was outgained 239-113 in total yards during the 17-3 win.  "Obviously, it's a preseason game, but it's good competition."

Much was made of what the first face-to-face between Manning and Burress, leading up to the game and since the latter was sprung from the joint, would be like.  Well the meeting last night was anti-climatic.

Funny thing, they unexpectedly reunited two days earlier outside a movie theater where Burress was coming out of "The Smurfs" (no Big Blue there) with his family and he ran into Manning and former-Giants center Shaun O'Hara.  Burress said they laughed about the coincidence last night.

The highly-publicized preseason tug-of-war for the services of Burress was ultimately won by the Jets. Many Giants fans faulted Manning for not reaching out to Burress when he was a free-agent.

Sure, it's easy to make fun of Manning's "Aw, shucks" interviews, his less than flashy play on the field and how he tucks his jersey into his pants, but don't lay the blame on him.

So Manning didn't visit Burress when he was in stir or call him once he got out.  Some Giants fans thought that Manning's cold shoulder contributed to the former-Giants player to jumping over to the Jets.  He had no obligation to guide Burress.  That's what parole officers do.

Plax went to the Jets was all money--plain and simple.  A guaranteed paycheck, after you haven't worked in almost three years, will do that to a man.

While Manning represents team play and character, Burress is the prototype of how fans perceive pro athletes these days-- and it ain't all good-- unless he's pulling in touchdown passes.

Burress was Manning's favorite go-to guy leading up to their Super Bowl XLII upset victory over the New England Patriots and the wideout  caught the game-winning touchdown, but a lot of bumps came on that ride.

There were too many instances, with the Giants, where Burress boycotted practices over contract demands, didn't show up on Monday or answer his phone for days at a time.  It all culminated with the self-inflicted gun-shot incident outside a Manhattan nightclub in November 2008.  After 20 months of three squares and a bunk, Burress was ready to make his comeback and the MetLife Stadium roommates were first in line.

Suddenly, it was up to Manning to do what head coach Tom Coughlin and owner John Mara's little dinner party couldn't do-- convince Burress he was coveted by the Giants.

Maybe Manning didn't want the 34 year-old Burress and the baggage he drags along.  Even though the Giants lost All-Pro receiver Steve Smith right after Burress' defection, Manning seems happy throwing to his youthful and talented receiving corps of Mario Manningham, Hakeem Nicks and Domenik Hixon.  Burress, so far, seems like a good decoy for Santonio Holmes.

Manning has to back up this boast of being in Tom Brady's class and prove he isn't the 25-interception quarterback of last season.  He has done little this pre-season to prove or disprove any of that so far this summer.

Meanwhile, Burress has to keep on the straight and narrow and the Jets hope he doesn't revert back to his gangsta persona.  Michael Vick's second chance $100 million contract has to be a good incentive.

The "real" MetLife Trophy will be awarded when the two teams meet on Christmas Eve.  Hopefully, all the hype about Eli vs. Plaxico will have passed by then.

"I don't know if there are any tickets available for that Dec. 24 game," said Ryan.  "But I think we just sold them because that was typical Jets-Giants slugfest right there."

Giants and Jets Staying Sort of Calm Before Saturday Night's Storm

In New Jersey, the two biggest forces of wind which are beyond control come from two sources-- Mother Nature and Governor Christie.  This weekend, one of those hurricanes is expected to pound the Jersey shore and the other will be hunkered down trying to keep surfers and "bennies" off the same beaches.

There is one more storm headed to the Meadowlands and its name isn't Irene.  Its tropical storm Rex.

Jets head coach Rex Ryan has looked like a comparative summer breeze to Irene in the days leading up to the Jets-Giants game at MetLife Stadium this Saturday.  The normally brash Ryan has just been downgraded to a Category-1 storm.  Call the National Weather Service for a sound bite.

Even Ryan's offseason remarks that the Jets (1-1) are no longer the little brothers of New York football have done nothing to turn this game into anything more than it is-- an exhibition game.  The two teams meet in a regular season game on Dec. 24.

It's not to say that the outspoken Jets head coach is going be welcomed with open arms by the "home" team-- the Giants.

Ryan still resents the Jets being considered squatters in the new MetLife Stadium and living under the shadow of the Giants (1-1) for the past three decades.

After two straight AFC championship games, Ryan believes the Jets are the superior team and he is ready to paint the two-year old stadium Jets-green.

In his book Play Like You Mean It, Ryan stressed that the Jets are now the "big brother" in New York and "are going to remain the better team for the next ten years."

"When people ask me what it's like to share New York with the Giants," Ryan wrote.  " My response is always 'I'm not sharing it with them-- they are sharing it with me.'"

Even the new name at the old New Meadowlands Stadium has a Giants' tint-- literally.  The MetLife logo is the same color as Giants blue.

This whole stadium brouhaha  has been a thorn in the Jets side since they took residence there in 1984. It came to a head last year after the teams argued who would get to host the first game in their shared home field.  It didn't help when NFL commissioner Roger Goodall allegedly had a "secret' coin toss-- with out any team representatives-- before awarding the first game at the $1.7 billion stadium to the Giants.

Jets fans claim the toss was rigged.

Giants fans gave their little brother a nougie and said quit bawling.

"I'm glad MetLife came forward as a sponsor," Giants captain Justin Tuck said yesterday.  "But to me it'll always be Giants Stadium."

To Tuck and any fan over the age of seventeen who grew up in the area.

It seems like revenge ought to be more of a theme for this week's game than city supremacy-- even though the players say it isn't so or they just won't admit it.

Plaxico Burress, the former Giants Super Bowl hero who snubbed the G-Men and signed with the Jets after a 20-month prison stay, blew off the notion he was seeking the Big R.

"There's nothing extra, no added incentive, juice or whatever you call it," Burress said.  " I'm more concerned about me going out, playing better, getting better."

Maybe Giants quarterback Eli Manning will go the eye-for-an-eye route.  After all, he was the one who wobbled off the field during last year's pre-season meeting sporting a gash on his forehead that required 12 stitches to close up.

The second quarter hit by Jets linebacker Calvin Pace sent Manning's helmet flying and his exposed mug into safety Jim Leonhard's facemask.  Manning's Y.A. Tittle moment was the result of a clean hit, miscommunication with Brandon Jacobs and looked worse than it was.

"I don't think about it to bring back good times," joked Manning yesterday.  "I can deal with it...it didn't hurt too badly."

Okay, no animosity there either.  I guess we'll leave it up to Mother nature to wreak some kind of havoc.

The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST and Irene is expected to bring wind gusts of up to 70 mph.  In the Meadowlands that's a light breeze.  Com' on Irene.

The Giants VP of Communications, Pat Hanlon, said the game will go on as scheduled.

"Based on everything we've seen and heard, it sounds like the brunt of the hurricane isn't expected to hit our area until Sunday," he said.

"I go about it just like I would any other game," said Tuck of the exhibition game.  "Is it more intense than what the rivalry was with the Jets before Rex got here?  In a preseason game, no.  But come that game right before Christmas, that might be a different story."

No hurricane until Sunday, no Rex Ryan bombast and no revenge.

Can't wait for the regular season.

Eli Manning's Silence About Plaxico Burress Spoke Volumes

It looks like Plaxico Burress found a fly in his soup during last night's dinner meeting with Tom Coughlin-- and that fly's name might be Eli Manning.

Burress can cook up every reason in the book to explain why he spurned the New York Giants for their Meadowlands cellmates--I mean stadium-mates--the New York Jets, but the absence of any public support from Manning down the stretch might have swung Burress's decision from Big Blue to Gang Green.

If the Giants quarterback is still blaming Burress, and his arrest for gun possession, for costing the team the 2008 season and Manning's chance to get back-to-back Super Bowl titles, he's barking up the wrong goal post.  Ironically, Manning's lack of vocal support for the return of his one-time favorite target could cost him this season as well.

The Giants team is getting old and, now that the Philadelphia Eagles have buffed up their defensive backfield-- with the signing of DB-extraordinaire, Nnamdi Asomugha-- and the uncertain return of receiver Steve Smith to the Giants, the loss of Burress may have just given a huge advantage to the Eagles in their two division game match-ups.

 Coughlin seemed friendlier than a flair-covered waiter at Bennigan's, leading up to his dinner with Burress, while Manning played the snobby waiter at a French bistro.

All week Roethlisberger openly campaigned for Burress' return to the Pittsburgh Steelers.   Manning only mumbled a few standard comments.

"You just don't want distractions," said Manning.  "Distractions, whatever they may be, can hurt a team.  If you're spending your time concerned about something else, bringing your attention away from the opponent on your preparation, that's considered a distraction."

I tell you what distraction is Eli.  Distraction is being asked 'Why didn't you lobby harder for Burress' about five-thousand times this week and looking for a top-notch wide-out in the fourth quarter this season.

Make no mistake, Manning supports Burress' second chance and even made a call to his former wide-out while he was in prison, but hasn't bothered to jump on the "We Want Plax" bandwagon.

By all accounts, the meeting with Coughlin went swimmingly.  The head coach was smiling yesterday and put it bluntly, "The meeting went well."

Not well enough, as Burress's "fully-guaranteed," one-year deal for $3.017 million with the Jets the next day will attest.

Let's give Manning the benefit of a doubt.  Maybe the silent treatment wasn't such a bad idea.  I don't remember Jets quarterback, Mark Sanchez, standing in Times Square singing a tribute to the ex-con and look where Burress ended up.

"I never really lobbied for anybody," said Manning before the meeting.  "So if this is the right spot for Plaxico, if the Giants and Coach Coughlin are pleased with his attitude and after talking to him, then [I'm] happy to have him."

In the end, here's what Manning's silence about signing Burress said.

No distractions.  Burress' return to the Giants will disrupt an already shortened training camp.  It's about the team, not one player.

Why all the fuss over a soon to be (August 12)  34 year-old receiver who hasn't played a down in 2 1/2 years?

How is a guy who was never a fan of Coughlin's discipline and structured system going to feel about  routine after almost two full years in lockup?  Does the prison stint help Burress cope with Coughlin's Captain Bligh act?

Finally, Manning doesn't want to insult his current group of receivers.  After all, he threw for over 4,000 yards last year and has two Pro Bowl-caliber wide-outs in Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks.  Joined by Mario Manningham, Manning believes he has the nucleus of a solid receiving corp.

"I like our receivers here, I think we have a great crew, very talented, they work hard," he said.  "Can you have too many good receivers?  No, I don't think so.  I'm going about my business and preparing for myself.

Hey, everybody wanted little Eli to man up and be more assertive--so there you go.

Maybe Burress would have picked the Giants if Manning took the time to drop a dime or, just maybe, Coughlin put that fly in the soup.

Tony Dungy and Justin Tuck Think Giants Would Be Good Fit For Plaxico

It looks like Plaxico Burress' two former teams, the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers, are the front runners for the talented wideout's services this season.  Former Colts head coach, Tony Dungy,  said New York would be a " great home" for Burress' new start.

The New York Daily News reported that Dungy believes, if Burress and Giants head coach Tom Coughlin can put aside their past differences, New York would be the ideal fit for the 33 year-old Burress second go-round in the NFL.

Dungy, acting as Burress' mentor, said his charge needs a "good support system" to get back on track and the troubled wideout already has built a strong foundation with the team owners, Steve Tisch and John Mara.

"I think Mr. Tisch, Mr. Mara, he has a good relationship with them," said Dungy.  And he has a great, great relationship with a lot of the other players that are still there."

Giants defensive captain Justin Tuck agrees. He believes the two men can hammer out their differences.

"Anytime you have a dispute between two people, both people need to talk it out like men," said Tuck.  I think that's what we have on schedule, so we'll see what happens."

It looks like Burress' affection for Rex Ryan and the Jets has faded and now Burress is set to meet with the Giants tomorrow night before heading to Pittsburgh for a meeting with Mike Tomlin and the Steelers.

"I think [the Giants] would be a great kind of family organization for him," said Dungy.

The Giants have already reached out to Burress, even after he was let go by the team for his 2008 arrest for gun possession, subsequent conviction and stint in prison.

Mara drove up to the upstate New York correctional center to pay Burress a visit behind bars and quarterback Eli Manning was one of the first players to welcome his former-favorite target back after his release this spring.

Manning must be drooling at the prospect of throwing to Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and possibly Burress.  Can you say Air Eli?

Now Burress has to bury the hatchet with his former coach and antagonist, the disciplinarian Coughlin.

I can only imagine how Friday's night meeting will go.  It's hard to imagine how Burress, just released from almost two years in stir, is going to thrive under the strict Coughlin.  It's like going from life under one prison warden to a head coach who is sometimes called one.

Forget the steak and potatoes, the real main dish on Friday night's dinner table is the thousands of dollars in fines, benching and two-week suspension for a rules violation handed down to Plax by Coughlin in the past.

Can Burress abide by Coughlin's tough love rules and avoid the suspensions and fines he accrued in the past?  Until last week, there was a perception that Coughlin didn't even want Burress back, now they are breaking bread together.

The "mellower" Coughlin just signed a one year extension to his contract and the Giants are notorious for not releasing a coach during the final year of a deal so, if this relationship gets stormy again, the old man isn't going anywhere.

The post NFL lockout has left teams scrambling for stability.  The Giants are familiar with Burress and Burress still has a veteran's knowledge of the Giants playbook. 

To Dungy, familiarity will be important to Burress' comeback.

"People need to understand that it is a little bit different," said Dungy.  "It's not just kind of like a free-agent coming into your team.  He has to regrow and redevelop.  You just want that support there, and I think the Giants would be one of the good teams for that."

Whether or not the Giants become Burress' halfway house to resuming a life on the outside remains to be seen.  Maybe the Giants just want to keep Burress' slim chance of hooking up with another "second-chancer," Michael Vick and division rival the Philadelphia Eagles at bay?

It won't be easy for Burress in New York.  You'll probably see more photos of Burress on the street than on the field and night out at a restaurant will be in every gossip page in New York.  Even if people don't hit the floor every time he reaches into his sweatpants pockets, every paparazzi will hit their camera shutter release.

How those scenarios fit into Dungy's theory is speculative at best.  Maybe New York isn't he best place to quietly return to society. 

The Giants team leaders don't think so and have given Burress a vote of confidence.  Manning confirmed speaking with Burress about coming back.

"I don't know what's going to happen with that," said Manning.  "I know he and coach Coughlin might meet sometime.  We'll just see what happens after that."

Tuck says Burress would be welcomed back by everyone.

"I can't speak for Coughlin or Plax," said the defensive end.  "It's well documented they've bumped heads in the past.  Hopefully a little time apart has rekindled the love they share for each other."

Wow.  The words 'Coughlin, Plax and rekindled love' in a quote.  I'm going to tear up.

Eli Manning: Giants Would Take Back Ex-Con Plaxico Over Ex-TV Host Tiki

Eli Manning was asked if the New York Giants players had to chose between former Giants wide-out Plaxico Burress or former running back Tiki Barber returning to the team, the Giants quarterback said he believes the recently released ex-con, Burress, would be more readily accepted than the ex-"Today" show reporter.

According to the New York Post, Manning, speaking on the Dan Patrick Show, claimed Barber slammed the door on his Giants career when he bolted the team for a career in broadcasting.

Even though there is little chance either Burress or Barber will return to the team, Manning said at least Plax chipped in by catching the winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLII and the Giants players have long and heartfelt memories of the victory and Burress' part in it.

Manning thinks Burress stands a better chance of joining the G-Men; even after a 20-month stint in the joint.


"Probably Plaxico just because he has fonder memories of winning a Super Bowl and that catch for the touchdown in Super Bowl XLII," said Manning.  "Tiki ended on a bad note and it's really a shame, he should be remembered as a great Giants running back and a terrific player, because he was.  Just kind of the way he went out and burned a few bridges with the fans and kind of went after me a little bit, it's unfortunate.  I'm not happy about it in that sense, so I think Plaxico would probably be welcomed back a little quicker."

Neither former-Giant was ever considered a team player and both players couldn't keep their opinions of head coach Tom Coughlin to themselves.  Burress was mainly prone to missing team meetings but is still dissing the old disciplinarian Coughlin, even after his release from prison.

Barber, meanwhile criticized Coughlin, even though the taskmaster helped the running back with his "fumblitis."  Barber went on to have his best seasons because of Coughlin's adjustments of the running back's flawed mechanics.  Grateful is apparently not in Barber's vocabulary.

Barber's worst transgression was criticizing a young Manning before announcing his retirement in the out of nowhere in the middle of the season.  Barber's self-promoting stunt stunned the Giants players and alienated Big Blue fans from the grinning back for good.

Barber claimed Manning's leadership skills were lacking and called them "comical."  

Manning didn't take kindly to the remarks and called Barber's premature announcement a distraction to the team.  The counter punch at Barber raised Manning's esteem and his profile with the veteran players.

"When I kind of responded, I think guys kind of liked to see that from me, since I've always been pretty quiet and never really tried to create any controversy," said Manning.  " I just felt this was a little different.  This wasn't a media guy or reporter attacking me, this was a teammate coming after me...but I couldn't sit there and do nothing."

After Barber's verbal attack on Manning, the proud QB didn't just do nothing.  He went on to win a Super Bowl that Barber could only watch from his living room.

Mike Francesa Calls Tiki Barber's NBC Career a "Failure"

 The Tiki Barber Comeback Tour keeps getting better and better.  For the most part of a thirty minute radio interview on Wed., interviewer Mike Francesa ripped the ex-New York Giants running back and called Barber's broadcast stint on NBC a "failure."

Barber, who went on the WFAN show to discuss his plans for returning to the NFL this upcoming season after a four year retirement, went on the defensive after Francesa commented on Barber's release from NBC and his presumed grooming to be the next Matt Lauer on the "Today" show. 

"I don't consider my time at NBC a failure," said Barber.

"The guys at NBC, and I know all of them, they felt you did a bad job, and they said you thought you were entitled, said Francesa.

The radio host probably knows something.  Francesa does a Sunday night show in the same NBC building where the "Today" show broadcasts from.  Word travels fast in 30 Rock.



The interview started cordial enough until the the NBC exchange and then the discussion became contentious.  Barber even had his agent, Mark Lepselter, who was in on the call, throw some interference for the ex-running back.

Francesa wouldn't have any of it.

"You're on the line, Mark," interrupted Francesa. " You're not supposed to be his bodyguard."

Barber continued the verbal fray.

"I think it's unfair for you to label it that way," railed Barber.  "I think that's cowardly of someone to talk behind some one's back and not tell them.  I don't know what I could have done better at NBC."

"Tiki, you got fired," said Francesa.

"Oh Did I?  Did I?," questioned Barber.  "Mike, I don't think you know the whole story."

Just last month, Barber caused an uproar when he compared himself to Anne Frank, in a Sports Illustrated interview, after he was asked about hiding from the media in Lepselter's house.

Barber's last game with Big Blue was a wild-card playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at the end of the Giants 2006 season.  He left on bad terms with the front office and fans alike.

The ubiquitous running back jumped directly into the studios at NBC, where he was being prepped for his star turn on the network's morning news program and their NFL pregame shows--sort of an Al Roker, only with muscles.

Barber appeal didn't translate to the TV screen from the locker room.   He was a mediocre host and his spotlight burned out fast after a three year run.  Real fast.

The grinning Barber was let go by NBC after he reportedly left his pregnant-with-twins wife, Ginny, and two kids for an  young intern.

In Wed. interview, the 10-year NFL veteran tried to spike the ball in Francesa's face by claiming the sports-talk host wasn't good at his job either.

"You badger your listeners," said the defensive Barber.  "You badger your interview[ees]."

Barber didn't stop there and said it's not his fault for still being disliked by Giants fans.

"I'm sure it has to do with the fact I criticized Tom Coughlin and he goes on to win a Super Bowl," reasoned Barber.  "Or the conversation I had about Eli Manning that got blown out of proportion...I've always been opinionated."

Really, now?

Tiki, good luck playing with your brother Ronde down in Tampa.

For interview audio.

Plaxico Sports New Phillies Cap After Release From Jail And It Means Nothing

Plaxico Burress is planning to play in the NFL, but only after getting to spend lost time with his family.  The former-New York Giant's was headed home to Florida to hold his daughter who was born during Burress' 20-month prison sentence.  Burress sported a brand new Philadelphia Phillies baseball cap when he walked out of the gates of the Onieda Correctional Facility on Monday morning and it got people wondering about it's significance.

The first person to greet Burress was his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who jumped into his client's arms during his walk to freedom.  Rosenhaus told reporters there were a lot of NFL teams interested in Burress' services.

"I just want to thank God for bringing me through one of the most trying times in my life," said Burress.  "It's a beautiful day to be reunited with my family.  I want to go home and spend quality time with them."

Burress has a wife and two daughters living in Florida.

The NFL lockout prevents Rosenhaus from speaking with any teams , but expect quite a few to take a chance on Burress; who was considered one of the top NFL wide-outs before he was sent to prison for a gun charge in 2009.

The 34 year-old was released by the Giants after his November 2008 arrest for shooting himself in the thigh outside a New York City nightclub.

The Giants later reached out to Burress while he was locked up.  Owner John Mara visited his former player in prison last year and Giants quarterback, Eli Manning made a public statement last month saying he would welcome back one of his favorite targets.

Burress, who caught the winning touchdown in the Giants last minute Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots in 2007, will be on parole for two years.  One of the stipulations of parole is getting work.  That should be no problem for a high-caliber wide-out, unless the lockout shuts down the season.  Most teams will be lining up for the services of Burress, even though he is not in game shape.  The lockout means most NFL players aren't in game shape either.

The Baltimore Ravens, St. Louis Rams and Philadelphia Eagles all seem like logical fits and front-runners for a game-breaker like Burress.  Rams coach Steve Spagnuola worked with Burress when they were both with the Giants.

Right now every one is concluding that Burress might be joining another ex-con, Michael Vick, in Philly.  Burress' transition back to football will be a little less controversial than Vick's.  Burress won't face the protests and scorn Vick endured when he rejoined the NFL after his conviction for animal cruelty.  Burress' crime was onto himself.

Burress is anxious get back on the field.  "As far as football is concerned, if and when everything gets settled, when they get back on the field, I'll be ready," he said this morning.

Eagles fans shouldn't get too excited about the symbolism of the Phillies cap.  Remember, LeBron James was spotted many times, and criticized for it, flaunting a New York Yankees hat like it was a Miss USA crown right before he was a free-agent.  Knick fans took that hat as a sure sign that King James was headed to Madison Square Garden. 

Little did they realize, it was just a hat.

Eli Reaches Out To Plaxico: Ex-Giant Goes From Lockdown To Lockout

Plaxico Burress is on course be released as scheduled from an upstate New York prison on June 6 and the former-Giants player has a big supporter in Eli Manning.  The Giants quarterback believes his former-wide receiver has paid his dues and could still be a productive member of an NFL team.

Too bad for Burress the labor dispute between the NFL owners and the NFLPA has dragged on and is in it's third month of stalled talks.  The freed Burress could be going from lockdown to a lockout.

The Giants aren't the only team showing interest in the rangy wide-receiver.  The New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens have also expressed interest in talking with Burress.

Manning, who threw 25 interceptions and had to deal with injuries to his two top receivers Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith, thinks the Giants would gladly welcome Burress back to the Meadowlands.  After all, the Giants owner John Mara paid a visit to Burress while he was in stir last year.

"I think the Giants will still look hard into that," said Manning.  "Obviously, he knows our system.  It hasn't changed."

The Giants' system will be a welcome change from the "system" Burress is getting freed from.

Burress caught the winning touchdown pass from Manning in the 17-14 win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.  Later that year, in November 2008, Burress was arrested for accidentally shooting himself in the leg outside a New York City nightclub with a gun tucked in his waistband.

The talented, but troubled, Burress will be released after serving 20 months of a two-year sentence for a gun possession charge.  He becomes an unrestricted free-agent after he is sprung from prison.

Manning, who has been working out with Giants players at a Hoboken high school, is hopeful for the 34 year-old Burress's return to a normal life.

"Obviously, he's served his time, plus some," said Manning.  "To throw him into the mix would be a good thing.  I'm looking for him to get back into football."

Peyton Manning Gets Over Little Bro Eli Once Again

The New York Giants must have gotten caught up in all of the Royal Wedding mania when they used the 19th pick for a Prince instead of a big body to protect their quarterback, Eli Manning, in last night's NFL draft.  Anthony Castonzo, a big offensive-tackle from Boston College, was still available but was taken by the Indianapolis Colts three slots later.

Colts GM, Bill Polian, did Peyton Manning a big solid and added a few years to his quarterbacking life by adding Castonzo to their depleted O-line.  The Giants gave Peyton's little brother Eli another season of being knocked on his butt.

With their first pick, the G-Men opted for the best athlete still on the board, cornerback Prince Amukamara from Nebraska, and literally left a gaping hole in their offensive line after claiming all week leading up to the draft that patching up their aging and hobbled line would be the Giants main concern.

The Giants wanted Center/Guard Mike Pouncey from Florida.  The twin brother of Maurkice, a Pro-Bowl center for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was taken by the Miami Dolphins with the 15th pick.  Castonzo was the Giants consensus second choice because the team needs help at the tackle position too.

Amukamara is a fine athlete and experts were surprised to see the 6-foot, 206-pounder slip to No. 19, but the Giants already have two solid cornerbacks in Terrell Thomas and Corey Webster with former-first-round pick Aaron Ross as the backup. The most glaring problem last season, outside of the linebackers, was the thin and aging offensive line.

So the Giants scrapped their plans to bolster Eli's protection and grabbed the CB--mostly because of quality and not necessity.  Head coach Tom Coughlin didn't hesitate about the pick-up and said Amukamara "was clearly the highest rated player on the board."

Meanwhile, all three Giants centers--Shaun O'Hara, Rich Seubert and Adam Koets,  are recovering from surgery.  Two starting tackles, David Diehl and Kareem McKenzie, are in their 30's and have a lot of miles on their bodies. 

So while Peyton gets a huge tackle, who will help him on his quest to own every all-time quarterback record in the books for the next few years, little brother Eli looks forward to another season of being chased around the backfield fumbling balls and tossing interceptions.

The Giants GM Jerry Reese said, "You always need corners" citing the NFC East competition's collection of speedy wide-outs.  Eli might be wondering, 'What about protection?'

Eli may now be joined by a Prince, but Peyton is still the King.

New York Giants Not Worthy Of Playoffs

The entire New York Giants team and coaching staff should hang their heads in shame after yesterday's 45-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers.  Ironically, last week's whipping boy, punter Matt Dodge, had the best game of any Giant player and last week's whipper, head coach Tom Coughlin, looked clueless and on the ropes.  The Bill Cowher calls are getting louder.

The Giants were stranded in Appleton, Wisconsin after yesterday's interminable game because of the blizzard in New York.  Talk about a snow job.  To rally the troops, after last week's debacle at the New Meadowlands (same as the old) Stadium,  Giants quarterback Eli Manning called his first 'players only' meeting in the seven years he's been in New York and safety, Antrell Rolle all but guaranteed a victory against the Packers, the Giants still folded under pressure...big time.

As the Giants do their all-too-familiar December swoon, it all comes down to coaching and basics.  Tough-love coach Coughlin looked like a man out of his element yesterday.  His chance to challenge a fourth-quarter Packer interception was lost because he wasted it on a foolish challenge earlier.  Even a sure-bet reversal of a kick-off fumble by Hakeem Nicks took Coughlin a couple of agonizing minutes before Nicks finally convinced the head coach to toss the red flag.  Nicks was correct.

Coughlin doesn't deserve all the blame--just most of it.  The whole team looked uninspired and unprepared.  You know something is wrong when a veteran team fails to perform fundamental football duties.  Turnovers, pouncing on loose balls, on-side kick coverage, punt coverage and kickoff returns are all problems with the team.  The team has no one to blame but themselves.

There are no excuses for the Giants poor play.  Center Shaun O' Hara was back and the offensive line was complete but Manning still threw 4 interceptions to a Packer defense depleted by injuries.

"They played harder than we did," an exasperated Justin Tuck said, "It's a sick feeling in my stomach to be able to say that, considering what we had at stake."  What they had at stake was destiny.  Beat the Packers, make the playoffs.

The Giants vaunted backfield continues to underachieve and lose balls.  Ahmad Bradshaw continues to drop the football at the first hello and Brandon Jacobs got the ball poked out of his arms after being chased down by linebacker extraordinaire, Clay Matthews.  On the end of that romp, the usually clutch tight-end Kevin Boss tried to pick up the loose ball instead of hopping on it.  Green Bay's recovery shot down any chance the Giants had to make a game of it.  That makes 41 Giants turnovers this season.  They had 13 all year in just two years ago.

The Packers QB, Aaron Rodgers, played lights out yesterday, only couple of weeks from being knocked out by a concussion.  He riddled the Giants D for 404 yards and 4 touchdowns.  He made  "victory guaranteed' Rolle bite on an eighty yard TD throw to Jordy Nelson. Packer running back John Kuhn looked like a reincarnation of Jim Taylor against the over-rated and under-whelming Giants D-line.

Over the last 68 minutes the Giants have given up 73 points.  Not exactly Giants football.

Coughlin--who could be coaching his last game for the Giants this Sunday--said, "I'd like to see us get the 10th win, and I'd like to see us come back from a game of this nature."  Didn't he say that last week?  " There's not a whole lot out there to be proud of," continued the coach, "And literally stop talking about it and do it."  Again, last week?

All the Giants keep repeating is that they are still in the playoff hunt, but now they are the prey.  This Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins in D.C. has been pushed back to a 4:15 starting time.  Oh goody, three more hours to prepare.

The Giants are in the playoffs if they beat Washington and the Bears beat the Packers.  Or if they beat the Redskins and the Saints lose twice, starting with tonight's game.  Good luck with that.

Here is a scenario which is much more likely to pan out.  The Giants are in the playoffs if Brett Favre and Jenn Sterger kiss and make up, Michael Vick is voted  PETA's Man of the Year and Rex Ryan becomes a spokesperson for Dr. Scholl's.  Only then can you believe the Giants are playoff bound.

Eli Manning Finally Speaks Up: Giants Must Man Up Against Packers

Eli Manning did something he has never done in seven years as the New York Giants quarterback.  The usually reserved quarterback asked head coach Tom Coughlin if he could address the team in a players only meeting "before he [Coughlin] came in."  The head coach was more than happy to oblige his offensive leader after the horrendous 38-31 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday.

The five minute speech wasn't a last gasp of desperation.  It was Manning's way getting order back in the Giants' house after all the finger-pointing.

If you totaled up all of the Giants mistakes and misplays of the previous thirteen games, it wouldn't be more than the final seven and a half minutes of Giants futility against the Eagles.  Sunday's epic collapse was so bad Coughlin went home and recounted the game alone "in a room with the lights out for about 2 1/2 hours."

Manning spent his time after the game recounting the game to an empty press room for a while.  Contrary to a video making the rounds, the Giant quarterback was not stood up by the media.  The classy Manning had to wait a few minutes for the press room to fill.  He took the loss like a leader should.

The Giants QB, whose emotional range usually runs from the occasional fist pump to the more common befuddled head shake, took matters into his own hands by being the only speaker in his  attempt to raise the spirits of the fragile team's ego.

Never the outspoken team leader in the mold of a Michael Strahan or even the resident loudmouth safety Antrell Rolle, one can only hope the quiet Manning's rallying cry was in the style of John Belushi's character, Bluto, in "Animal House."  In that scenario, Manning might have began his fist-pounding speech with, "Remember when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor..."  At which the surprised Giant players all stare at their animated QB, then at each other.  Justin Tuck nods his head and says to no one, "Leave him alone, he's rolling," in reaction to Manning's first pep talk.

In reality, Manning matter-of-fact speech boiled down to this, " We're going to write the ending to this story, no one else." When asked to elaborate on what he said, Manning explained, "Just team stuff."

 Most of the veteran players couldn't remember their QB addressing the team like this, but said they will remember what he said in his non-confrontational style.  While Manning was calling a civil meeting of Giant minds, fans were still ranting for punter Matt Dodge's head. 

Manning's mild demeanor was a sharp contrast to Coughlin's public chewing out of the A.J. Burnett wannabe, Dodge, on the sideline the New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday.  The quarterback knows winning is a team effort and there were ten other players besides Dodge who could have tackled DeSean Jackson before his game-winning punt return. 

"It wasn't necessarily a speech.  He was just very prolific in saying [what] we had to do," said the defensive captain, Tuck.  "He just wanted to make sure we were on the same page, that our minds were set on coming in here on Wednesday and working our butts off," said Tuck.

The Giants (9-5) can take comfort that they are still be in the playoff hunt.  They control their own destiny for a wildcard position, but another December swoon would be two failed seasons in a row and Coughlin's  job could hang in the balance.

The Giants must purge the bad memories of Sunday.  Riding on this week's game against the Green Bay Packers (8-6) is the final wildcard position.  Packers star quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, has already been cleared to play after missing last week's game due to a concussion.  A Giants loss at Lambeau Field would give the Packers the tiebreaker.

In his heart, Manning's message was an attempt to stem the tide of damage from the embarrassing loss and soothe the fractured Giants psyche.  Teammates said he put on stoic face, but could tell he just wants to win.  Now they head to the frozen turf in Green Bay and try to put all the bad memories of blowing a 31-10 lead behind them. 

 If Manning was trying to rally the troops by stirring up ghosts of Super Bowl seasons past, he has a tough road ahead.  If they can't win at home with a three touchdown lead, how can they expect to win three straight playoff road games.  They haven't even won a playoff game since the '07 Super bowl victory.

All and all, the Giants are still in the playoffs today.  It's up to the team to react positively to last week's collapse.  Maybe this veteran team will recall that '07 team of road warriors, but all the 'Win one for the Gipper' speeches in the world won't mean a thing if the Giants team can't make one loud statement on the field--together.

Giants Host Dolphins at Meadowlands Practice Facility

The New York Giants invited the Miami Dolphins into their training facility tomorrow to help them prepare for the Dolphin's Sunday afternoon game against the Giants co-tenants, the New York Jets.   While the Jets head coach Rex Ryan was burying a jinxed football outside his team's practice facility yesterday, the Jets owner, Woody Johnson, was digging up negative feelings between the two New York teams who share one stadium.

Giants co-owner, John Mara said he didn't contact the Jets owner because he felt it was just a simple case of civility.   Jets fans think it sounds fishy that their New Meadowlands roommates would turn their practice field into a northern version of Sea World right before a big game against their AFC East division rivals.  All that's missing is Miami consultant--and former Giant and Jet coach--Bill "Big Tuna" Parcells performing a Shamu act.

The Giants agreed to allow the Dolphins team use of the indoor field almost a month ago.  Mara said he wishes he contacted the Jets before the invitation. The Dolphins head coach, Tony Sparano, is the Giants former defensive coordinator.

Johnson did phone Mara and voiced his displeasure at his alleged friend's version of "Three's Company." Mara said he told Johnson he wished he called first and said, "We have a long partnership that's going to last for many years and the last thing I want to do is get them upset about an issue like this."  Johnson has made no public comment.

Jets fans disagree.  They have always felt like illegal squatters in the Meadowlands. It goes back to the days of trying use green bunting to hide the blue walls of the old Giants Stadium to recent disagreements with the design of the new stadium before it was completed.

The fans claim they are the stadium's second-class citizens and are still irked by the "rigged" secret coin toss, which decided the team who would pop the cherry of the New Meadowlands Stadium by hosting the first regular season game.

Mara should have taken the Jets inferiority complex into consideration before making the Dolphins--one of the Jets sworn enemies--comfortable.  The Jets might view this as revenge for opening up a multi-stitch gash in Giants quarterback Eli Manning's head during last summer's pre-season game.  Ryan was asked if he was angry about the Giants' hospitality and only remarked, "Officially?  No."  The usually vocal coach then added,  "It's their facility, they can do anything they want with it."

Ryan wasn't so generous later and said, "I don't want anyone using our facility but us.  When we have the Super Bowl [in the Meadowlands] I'm going to make sure we're in it...I don't want anyone in the facility but us."

 While New York sports radio was burning with pissed Jets callers, the Giants players took it in stride.  "It's cool," said Giant wide-out, Steve Smith, "They'll bring a little South Beach love here."

Sparano brought the Dolphins to New York early, not so much as a sneak attack, but more of a bonding outing for his team.  They plan to see the Broadway show "Lombardi" and get acclimated with the cold weather. In an indoor practice field?  Mara also mentioned his son is an associate producer on "Lombardi."  Maybe the Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez--a noted Broadway buff--is a little jealous?

After all was said and done, the Jets and Giants owners made up.  In a Jets fan's warped vision, it is still a Giants town.  Forty-two years without a Super Bowl appearance can make a person greener than the Jets uniform.  Maybe the Jets ought to roll out the red carpet for the Philadelphia Eagles next week, right before they play the Giants.  Sanchez can take them to see "Elf."

Eli Manning Has Something To Prove In Minnesota

Nobody has to remind the New York Giants about last January's season-ending bashing at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings--especially quarterback Eli Manning.  While the Vikings were lighting up the Giants defense like the Rockefeller Christmas tree, Manning continued his five-year streak of futility against the the Northmen.

Last year's rout was the fourth straight loss to Minnesota and put an exclamation point on the Giants dismal 2009 season.  Manning has never beaten Minny in four tries and, except for  a game in 2008 when he was pulled at halftime because the Giants already had the top seed in the NFC in their future, he has been brutalized by the purple defense.

One time in 2007, Manning was chastised by the press and Giants front office after throwing three interceptions which were returned for touchdowns in a lackadaisical effort against the Vikes.   The Giants GM Jerry Reese called his quarterback "skittish."  The press said he quit.

Last year's mauling was just the Vikings way of using an elephant gun to put the staggering G-Men out of their misery.  This year the Giants (8-4) are tied for first place with the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East and claim they have have something to play for this time around.

The Giants have upcoming games against Philly and the Green Bay Packers--both in the playoff hunt--and a loss against the Vikings could push them out of the wildcard race.  A 10-6 record could leave any teams out of the playoffs because of strong teams like The Packers (8-4) and the New Orleans Saints (9-3) building up steam.

Despite walloping the Washington Redskins last week, the Giants have been inconsistent and hurt.  Eli has still thrown too many interceptions and the offense has trouble getting six inside the red zone. The team had been decimated by injuries to the offensive line and receiving corps and has more guys on the DL than "Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark."

While that Broadway musical deals with flying actors crashing into the mezzanine and opening night jitters, the Giants were besieged by blitzing safeties and Sunday fumbles.  Lately though, the Giants have been successfully using understudies and hitting their marks.

Reese has been making all the right moves.  He brought back Derek Hagan--who was cut by the Giants in training camp--and has filled in admirably as a receiver.  Tight end Bear Pascoe was on the taxi-squad and now fills in at fullback.  They are two of many fill-ins who have played crucial roles in the Giants modest win streak.

Reese's wheeling and dealings are reminiscent of his magic touch in 2007 when he brought in role-players like Madison Hedgecock, Dominik Hixon and Kevin Boss in the Giants' stretch-run to Super Bowl XLII.  They have been important cogs--when healthy-- on this year's team as well.

For a team that has a record of 11-15 in the crucial month of December, since Head Coach Tom Coughlin took over, the team is confident.  Coughlin knows he doesn't have to fire his players up against the Vikings and the players are responding.

Defensive tackle Barry Cofield said the team is motivated especially the way the defense has been playing the past two weeks.  "That's what you live for," said Cofield.  "You want to have pressure and have something to play for and have things at the end of the season to play for."

For now,  the Giants have been fortunate to win with new replacement players but maybe some old faces will be back on the field this Sunday.  Wide receiver Steve Smith--who missed four games with a torn pectoral muscle--said he could start and offensive lineman David Diehl (hamstring injury) might be back too.

Manning's woes against the Vikings stand out in bright red ink on the stat pages.  While he has shown flashes of brilliance against most teams, he has been a dud against Minnesota.  Manning's 0-4 record, nine interceptions, and a passer rating of 47.7 against the Vikings blink like the North Star on a clear night in Hibbing.   

This is the game in which Manning must come up big.  His emotional void is sometimes mistaken for a weakness--a lack of competitiveness.  All said, Manning has handled six years in New York and wears a Super Bowl ring.

Sunday, he is playing for pride, respect and the playoffs.  A loss this weekend and it could be back to playing out the season...again.

Giants' Nicks Out; Playoff Hopes Sliding Away

By Tony Mangia

Eli Manning might want to remove "The Slide" from his resume.  He will always have "The Drive" as his legacy, but his bone-headed run on Sunday cost the New York Giants any chance of beating the Philadelphia Eagles and could ultimately cost head coach Tom Coughlin his job.  Fans are still wondering how the quarterback could have fumbled on a tackle which had less contact than a TSA pat-down.

Just a couple of games back from unofficially being called the best team in the NFL,  the Giants now are reeling and scrambling for a playoff position.  It's another second-half swoon that have characterized the Giants since 2004--or, coincidentally,  the first year Coughlin took over the reins of the team.

The Jacksonville Jaguars--who looked like deep-sea chum a few weeks ago--roll into the New Meadowlands Stadium this Sunday with the same record (6-4) as the Giants and something the Giants can only reminisce about--a three-game win streak.  The Jaguars are tied for first place in the AFC South.

The Giants continue to shoot themselves in the foot.  Every week the team takes stupid penalties (Jason Pierre-Paul is their latest poster boy), hand over the ball like Christmas gifts and give up big plays on the special teams.

Manning may blame himself for not sliding after getting a first down, but the whole offense is contributing to the slide.  Ahmad Bradshaw still holds the ball like basted turkey and there are still too many tipped passes which end up in the opponent's hands.

Maybe if the Giants  bric-and-brac running backs, Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs, did their job, Manning wouldn't have to stumble the extra few yards before that fumble.  Bradshaw gained only seven more yards than Manning on the day and the flat-footed quarterback actually had twelve more yards than the powerhouse Jacobs!  How's that for Giants football?

Manning said he regrets taking the awkward flop, but confessed he thought he could run through the Eagles' Asante Samuel and Dimitri Patterson for six points before coming to his senses.  "Should have gone feet first," he said. 

Don't blame everything on the team or coach.  Injuries keep piling up.  The receiving corps should have their own infirmary. The latest addition is Hakeem Nicks.  Nicks was Manning's go-to guy and was having a Pro-Bowl worthy year with 62 catches, 800 yards and 9 TDs.  The wide-out was kicked in the lower left leg in the Philly game and has "Compartment Syndrome" in that calf.  The injury is a compression of blood vessels and nerves which could lead to serious problems if no care is taken.  He's looking at three weeks on the bench.  Hakeem, go join the three offensive lineman nursing themselves.

This leaves Manning without Nicks or Steve Smith--one of the most-dangerous wide-out duos (Stevie-Nicks?) in the league.  He is now dependent on Mario Manningham and a depleted bunch of pass catchers with journeyman names like Derek Hagan and rookie Duke Calhoun.  Sounds like one of the cowboys in "True Grit." Even safety Antrel Rolle has volunteered to fill in.  That's how bad the situation is--everyone knows DBs are pass catchers who can't catch. The receivers roster --which was deep at the start of the season--is down to bare bones.  Funny, Eli's brother Peyton has the same problem with the Colts, and he has turned a group of no-names into stars.  They both had bad Sundays.

Manning and Coughlin still have time to avoid another second-half collapse.  Coughlin has to crack the whip and coach like the red-faced taskmaster never coached before.  Critics, be damned!  The Giants are looking up at six teams in the NFC with better records and six games to go. There is no time for anything but flawless play.

The Giants D is still one of the league's best. Their aggressive blitzing last week did a decent job of containing Michael Vick, but it let Eagles running back, LeSean McCoy, roam free after breaking the scrimmage line.  The Jaguars' David Garrard can run, but will never be compared to Vick.  The Giants will have to mug Garrard, but the safeties will have to be ready for the open field running of 5'7" fireplug, Maurice Jones-Drew,  if they expect to stop their losing ways.

The Giants last two losses came against a Cowboys team which was rejuvenated after a coaching change and playing for respect.  Philadelphia was just a better team, but was beatable.  Now Jacksonville comes in and it is not as bad as advertised.  They are now battling for a division title, but outside of an emotional victory against the Colts, most of their wins are against bottom-feeders.  The Jaguars are one of those dangerous teams which other teams take lightly.  Not a smart thing.

The Giants talk a lot about not succumbing to a second-half swoon.  "Moaning doesn't help," said  Manning, whose occasional bad decisions still haunt him, "You start complaining about it, you start going 'Woe is me,' it doesn't fix anything, it just makes it worse."

What does get worse is the upcoming Giants' schedule.  After the Jags, they meet the Washington Redskins--who are suddenly in the wild card conversation--the Eagles once again, the Green Bay Packers and another desperate team with a new coach and a squandered season, the Minnesota Vikings.

The injured Steve Smith called this Sunday's game a "must win."  The Giants defense is more than capable of wrapping up the pedestrian Jaguar offense.  Eli Manning has to play error-free football and Coughlin must coach the team back into contention. If he doesn't, the swoon will be in full swing and the anti-Coughlin chants will once again fill the New Meadowlands Stadium.

Justin Tuck: Giants Will Not Sink in Second Half of Season

By Tony Mangia

It was all in the cards for a Giants last week.  The team was being called the best in the NFL, they were two touchdown favorites over a reeling Dallas Cowboys squad and it was the first game of the second half of the season.  It was the perfect storm for a let-down and the Giants didn't disappoint.  In what has become an annual occurrence under the realm of Tom Coughlin, the Giants began their end-of-season meltdown.

Quick what's 16-31 and blue all over.  If you said the Giants second half record since 2004 you win a prize.  With the exception of 2005, the finish the season with a .500 or worse--usually worse. This year will be different, the players say.

It's too easy to use last Sunday's blackout in the New Meadowlands Stadium on as a game summary.  Sure, the offense had a power failure...the Cowboys played lights out...but I think the fans, themselves, felt like passengers on that cruise ship drifting off the coast of Mexico--plied with leftover liquor for a wonderful while, then getting fed Spam.

Justin Tuck is all too aware of the team's second-half failures.  Except for the Super Bowl championship season in 2007, the Giants (6-3) have either not made the playoffs or lost in the first round since Coughlin became head coach.  He is adamant it will not happen this year.

Tuck said, " This team is different.  I think we learned our lesson.  Guys understand how it felt last year to have the debacle that we had."  Funny, I think he said that last year too.  "I think we're poised to make sure that doesn't happen again.  I think as a whole , we were completely sick to our stomach by how we finished the season last year."  The fans know that feeling too.

Then he used that old standard excuse that is supposed to knock a team out of their complacency.  Here it comes, "I'm kinda glad that the things happened to us [Sunday] night, because it puts us back on alert, it puts us back to thinking," the defensive end said.  I hope that Eagles quarterback, Michael Vick gets the message.

Vick, who is having his game jersey sent to Canton for his rampage over the Redskins Monday night, will be waiting for Tuck's defense this Sunday. Jon Kitna (?), who lit up the Giants last Sunday, is one thing, but Vick is a totally different animal.  I won't use the phrase "pit bull" like Vick's teammate, DeSean Jackson,  used last week to describe his team's demeanor, but he has a dog-like tenacity.

Quick, what has wings, is red hot and is green all over.  Sounds like a nacho plate but no it is Vick.  The Eagles QB, who is less than two years away from 3-squares-and-a-bed, is on his way to an MVP caliber season.  He has yet thrown an interception this year and was the first player in NFL history to throw for 300 yards, run for 50 yards and score two TDs on the ground and throw for four more in NFL history.  All this after coming off a cracked sternum--one of the most painful injuries-- after getting sandwiched between two 300 pound men just a few weeks ago.

With Vick calling the signals, the Eagles (6-3) look invincible.  Their total devastation of Washington on Monday night should leave Giant fans feeling more seasick than the passengers on that stranded ship.  Even Donovan McNabb's new $78 million contract couldn't rally the Redskins.

Now Big Blue will be traveling into hostile Philly, with their rowdy fans, for the biggest game of the season and first place in the NFC East up for grabs. The Eagles soar in with momentum and a hot signal caller.  The Giants limp in with a depleted receiving corps and a busted up offensive line.  A consecutive division loss could be the beginning of another second-half swoon.

Are the Giant players cognizant of the collapses?  "It's a new season, " said Eli Manning, "Play this year.  Why don't we talk about '07 then?" None of the veteran players really want to talk about the past--and it is the past--but it has been the team's history. 

The Giants hope to return to being the team that plowed over Seattle, 41-7,  two weeks ago and made the Texans wish they were the Oilers again. There have been flashes of brilliance by Eli and Company in their victories, but penalties and stupid turnovers have cost them games and deservedly so. 

The Giants hope they shake off the ugly defeat to Dallas.  "You prepare.  You play Philly," said Manning, "You prepare for your next game. It's all you can do.  It's all you think about."

The G-Men were flying high at 6-2 until that loss to the rudderless Cowboys.  Will their second half history repeat itself?  The past is hard to ignore and so will be Michael Vick.

Eli Manning: 70% Chance Of Pain For Seahawks QB

By Tony Mangia

The New York Giants head into Sunday's game in Seattle teeming with positives.  They are well-rested after a bye week, have a four game win streak and lead their division with a 5-2 record.  Now, they've found out the Seahawks starting quarterback, Matt Hasselbeck will be out with a "slight concussion"and forced to the sidelines.  It takes away a chance for the Giants fearsome pass rush to make him victim #6.

The Giants defense was expecting to face Hasselbeck until yesterday, when the QB didn't pass his baseline test and was not cleared to play by the Seahawks medical staff.

In Hasselbeck's place will be Charlie Whitehurst, who will be starting his first NFL game and attempting his first regular season pass.  The Charger's 2006 draft pick will be facing a ferocious Giants defense which has already knocked out 5 quarterbacks in their first 7 games. Whitehurst must be wondering if he will become another casualty.  The odds look pretty high say the confident Giants.

Giants QB, Eli Manning, put it bluntly, "It's scary for opposing quarterbacks knowing going into a game they got over a 70% chance of getting knocked out."

The Giants defense may be unfamiliar with Whitehurst, who is more mobile than Hasselbeck, but there will be no compromises in their beastly pass rush.  "If Hasselbeck is back there we want to make him nervous," said defensive coach, Perry Fewell, "And if the next guy is back there, we want to make him nervous." It seems Whitehurst will have plenty to be nervous of.


While division rivals the Eagles, Redskins and Cowboys deal with QB comebacks, out-of-shape players and general chaos--respectively--the relatively even-keeled Giants are brimming with confidence.  They bring a balanced offensive attack and a rib-breaking D into Qwest Field--a place that hasn't been so kind to the G-Men in the past.  The Giants say they are prepared for Qwest Field, but history says otherwise.

First, a reality check.  The Giants haven't been very successful after bye weeks.  The team is 3-3 under Head coach Tom Coughlin.  Second, the Giants have never won at Qwest Field and have lost 4 straight in Seattle.  The Seahawks (4-3) are coming off of a 33-3 bashing in Oakland last week but are 3-0 at home this year.

Combine that with the noise factor.  Qwest Field is widely regarded as the noisiest stadium in the NFL.  Decibel readings reach indoor stadium levels and that doesn't bode well for the turnover prone Giants.  In 2005 the team was called for an comical 11 false starts in one game against Seattle and attributed it to the raucous fans.  Manning already has 11 INT's and the team has fumbled 10 times in it's first 7 games.  If Manning gets rattled by the crowd, his tinnitus could cause more turnovers than Democratic House flip-flops last Tuesday.

The Giants know they can make a big statement by beating Seattle on Sunday.  At this time last year, they started their downward swoon out of playoff contention. Losses to the Seahawks in 2005 and 2006 still reverberate louder the the ear-splitting noise.  Coughlin used the phrase "poise in the noise" at his mid-week press conference to prepare his squad for the home team's '12th man.'  He also used loudspeakers with jet engine decibels in practice to replicate Qwest Field acoustics.  Seattle coach, Pete Carroll called the crowd noise "a legitimate factor" in his team's unbeaten home record.

Carroll's defense isn't so shabby either.  His opportunistic bunch has a offense-numbing plus-eight in turnovers at home and allows only 12 points per game.  Manning knows he will have to be careful in the red zone.  "You have to block things up,"said the quarterback, "The routes have to be precise and throws have to be on the money."  Six of Manning's interceptions have been on tipped balls.

The main keys to a Giants win will be handling the noisy environment thus avoiding silly penalties and self-destructing inside the twenty-yard line.  If they hang on to the ball and rough up the raw Whitehurst early, they could prevail.

If Eli Manning's calculations are correct, the Seahawks might want to work out a third quarterback, just in case.

Cowboys May See The Writing On The Wall

By Tony Mangia

Forget Eli's Autograph, Giants Ready To Write Off 'Boys

With all the controversy with coaching and losing surrounding the underachieving Cowboys, you would think Dallas fans and media would have more  important concerns than wondering if Eli Manning will sign his name on the  visitor's locker room again.  The Texas team--which had Super Bowl appearance written all over it--is 1-4 in a watered down version of the NFC and still  considers the autograph a sore spot in their Lone-Star hearts.

After last year's loss to the Giants in the brand-new $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium opening game, Eli Manning signed his name in the locker room area and topped it off with "First win in new stadium."  This so riled the Cowboy's players, they vowed to use it as motivation in their re-match in old Giants Stadium.  The Cowboys lost that game too.

Manning didn't take credit for the signature until almost three months later.  He said, "People made it sound like I went in their locker room and right for everyone to see, trying to do something disrespectful. It wasn't like that by any means."

In actuality, a Cowboys stadium worker invited Manning to draw his John Hancock after the week 2 game.  "I've done it in a lot of different places in the NFL," he confessed, "I thought they were starting a new tradition." The NFL Commissioner might want to come down hard on Eli and his graffiti tagging.

The squeaky-clean Giants quarterback came forth last December after admitting, "It's not right in the locker room, it's in the attendant's own little locker room," atoned Manning," Unless you're invited into the room, you're not going to see it."  Now no one will.  Manning's work was painted over by a stadium crew last year.

If his behavior in the Cowboys' locker room last September was not Manning-like, his play this season sure is.  The Giants fly into Dallas with a 4-2 NFC East leading tie with Philadelphia and Manning is playing consistently. Meanwhile,  Dallas is playing for their playoff lives and a good game by Manning and he could be writing the Cowboys' epitaph.

Jerry Jones, the  flamboyant owner of the Cowboys met with his stumbling team to give a positive message to his players.  When asked if he still confident his team could rebound from the mediocre start he said, "I'm not." This is a surprising answer from the pre-season Jones,  confident enough to believe his Cowboys would be the first true home team in Super Bowl history.

Dallas quarterback, Tony Romo, was asked if his talented but seemingly uninspired team and was playing their last stand on Monday night against the first-place G-Men?  "It's obviously important," he said, "And we do need to win."  You never know if 8-8 can gets in the playoffs or 12-4...we need to play our best game this weekend."

Romo will have this chance to get back into the thick of the playoff race and maybe--in three weeks-- have the opportunity to sign his name and "First Cowboy win in new stadium" in the Giants' brand-spanking-new, billion-dollar New Meadowlands Stadium as revenge.