Doomsday101
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November 6, 2007
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Giants returned from their five-day bye-week layoff yesterday to find a one-two scheduling punch aimed right at their heads.
How well they absorb the blows will go a long way in determining the success and failure of their 2007 season.
The Giants, 6-2, will put their six-game winning streak on the line Sunday when they host the 7-1 Dallas Cowboys. A victory will give the Giants a share of first place in the NFC East. Next week, the Giants will fly to Detroit to face the resurgent Lions, who are also 6-2. On Sunday, the Giants’ next two opponents won their games by a combined 82-24 (Dallas breezed in Philadelphia, 38-17, while Detroit crushed Denver, 44-7). If that wasn’t enough, Minnesota, which visits Giants Stadium on Nov. 25, easily defeated San Diego, 35-17.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. This week, the Giants’ focus is solely on the Cowboys. On opening night, Sept. 9, the Giants lost in Dallas, 45-35. They fell to Green Bay the next week and haven’t lost since. The Cowboys, meanwhile, have fallen only to undefeated New England. A victory will not only pull the Giants even in the standings, but in the all-important first tiebreaker with Dallas, head-to-head meetings.
“It is no doubt a big game,” Coach Tom Coughlin said. “It is in the division, it has all of the excitement of a divisional game that certainly does have a lot at stake.”
Coughlin otherwise deflected most questions about the Cowboys, saying he will discuss them in detail on Wednesday, when the Giants begin their game-week preparation. But those players who met with reporters yesterday were happy to discuss their opponents and the game.
“I think it is a big game for us,” quarterback Eli Manning said. “We are coming off an off week, so we should be rested and ready to go. We know we are going to have to come out and play our best football. They played a great game on Sunday night, so it is going to be a tough test. But I think that is what it is all about. You look forward to these types of games.”
“I think we look at it as a chance to be 7-2 and be at the top of the division,” guard Chris Snee said. “That has to be the first priority. Everyone has been chasing them since they beat us in the first week. We put ourselves in a position where if we win this game we are able to take that next step and climb to the top of the division. That is our focus right now.”
The Giants believe they are a better team than they were two months ago in Texas Stadium. Though they put 35 points on the board, their running game – led by NFC Offensive Player of the Month Brandon Jacobs – is more consistent. Defensively, the Giants were still adjusting to first-year defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s system when they were in Dallas. After allowing 80 points in the first two games, the Giants have given up only 79 in their six-game winning streak.
“I think there is no doubt that we are playing better defensively,” Coughlin said. “For the first couple of weeks of the season we really weren’t playing all that well defensively. We have gotten better. But certainly, we will be tested by a very strong offensive team.”
“I think we are definitely more confident on both sides of the ball,” wide receiver Amani Toomer said. “I think our special teams have come around a lot. I think we are just playing better as a unit than we did in the first game.
"After the first game of the year we had a bad taste in our mouth. We felt like we let one get away from us. I think our offense played pretty well and our defense was adjusting, so I think now everything seems to be coming together a little bit better. I think we are in much better shape to compete and beat the Cowboys.”
The Giants are also in a good frame of mind. In Coughlin’s first three seasons, the Giants’ bye came after the fifth, fourth and third games, respectively. This season, it fell right at the season’s midway point (and immediately after the team’s journey to London, where they defeated the Miami Dolphins, 13-10, on Oct. 28). Now they are rested and ready to go. And they might have all 22 of their regular starters in the lineup for the Cowboys.
“I think the bye week came exactly when it needed to,” defensive end Justin Tuck said. “Right in the middle of the season, giving us a chance to rest, and we were pretty healthy before the bye week. With the injuries that we did have, the bye week gave us an opportunity to work on those things, too. We are looking forward to what the second half presents and we know it is a challenge. But we’ll take it one game at a time.”
Many Giants watched the Cowboys game against Philadelphia on Sunday night. That includes Coughlin, who has his notebook and pen at the ready. “I made it to the end,” said Coughlin, who generally doesn’t stay up late watching football at home.
And what stood out to him?
“The production, obviously, the production,” he said. “They are doing a lot of things very, very well and playing with a lot of confidence. And they are healthy.”
“They look good,” said Snee, who watched the first half of the game. “They look real good. I thought they have looked good since we saw them in Week One. Obviously, they had a setback with the Patriots, but they are playing well in all three phases. We are going to have to show up and play our best game.”
If they do, the Giants could set them up for an exciting and successful second half run.
“In the first two games we kind of let it slip away, but we didn’t know that those two were going to be the top two teams in the NFC,” Toomer said of the Cowboys and 7-1 Green Bay Packers. “Other than that, I think if want to break into the top spots in the NFC then this is one of the teams that we definitely have to beat.”
NOTES
*The Giants had a meeting and workout yesterday. The players are off today, then begin a regular week of preparation when they return to work on Wednesday.
Coughlin said the players were rested and ready to go upon their return.
“It was a difficult day in that we were really not zooming in on Dallas,” Coughlin said. “We came together to have an opportunity to practice and then give them the day off and come back. So we are not feeding them the Dallas information. We are still working with the material that we put together with our study during last week in terms of what needs to be adjusted and how we go about it..”
Later, talking about the practice, Coughlin said, “Today was good. They were rested. They were sharp. We dealt with a lot of things that we thought needed to be addressed. And this was the time to do it. So we showed them different things that may or may not have related to the Cowboys. A lot of fundamental type things to go back and try to improve upon.”
*Coughlin did not say which injured players will be available to practice on Wednesday. That list includes Plaxico Burress, the team’s leading receiver with 37 catches despite being unable to practice with a sprained ankle. It appears he will remain a spectator during the week.
“I think it does benefit him when he does have an opportunity,” Coughlin said. “But let’s face it, he really only plays in the game and then he is sore and then it takes him a few days just to get the swelling down and he puts himself back on track for the weekend. So without having the game day to where the swelling comes back and the soreness is there, he has been able to go through that particular process. And hopefully that will help.
“I would love to get him in more practice. But that is all based upon the medical things. Right now it is not going to happen.”
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Giants returned from their five-day bye-week layoff yesterday to find a one-two scheduling punch aimed right at their heads.
How well they absorb the blows will go a long way in determining the success and failure of their 2007 season.
The Giants, 6-2, will put their six-game winning streak on the line Sunday when they host the 7-1 Dallas Cowboys. A victory will give the Giants a share of first place in the NFC East. Next week, the Giants will fly to Detroit to face the resurgent Lions, who are also 6-2. On Sunday, the Giants’ next two opponents won their games by a combined 82-24 (Dallas breezed in Philadelphia, 38-17, while Detroit crushed Denver, 44-7). If that wasn’t enough, Minnesota, which visits Giants Stadium on Nov. 25, easily defeated San Diego, 35-17.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. This week, the Giants’ focus is solely on the Cowboys. On opening night, Sept. 9, the Giants lost in Dallas, 45-35. They fell to Green Bay the next week and haven’t lost since. The Cowboys, meanwhile, have fallen only to undefeated New England. A victory will not only pull the Giants even in the standings, but in the all-important first tiebreaker with Dallas, head-to-head meetings.
“It is no doubt a big game,” Coach Tom Coughlin said. “It is in the division, it has all of the excitement of a divisional game that certainly does have a lot at stake.”
Coughlin otherwise deflected most questions about the Cowboys, saying he will discuss them in detail on Wednesday, when the Giants begin their game-week preparation. But those players who met with reporters yesterday were happy to discuss their opponents and the game.
“I think it is a big game for us,” quarterback Eli Manning said. “We are coming off an off week, so we should be rested and ready to go. We know we are going to have to come out and play our best football. They played a great game on Sunday night, so it is going to be a tough test. But I think that is what it is all about. You look forward to these types of games.”
“I think we look at it as a chance to be 7-2 and be at the top of the division,” guard Chris Snee said. “That has to be the first priority. Everyone has been chasing them since they beat us in the first week. We put ourselves in a position where if we win this game we are able to take that next step and climb to the top of the division. That is our focus right now.”
The Giants believe they are a better team than they were two months ago in Texas Stadium. Though they put 35 points on the board, their running game – led by NFC Offensive Player of the Month Brandon Jacobs – is more consistent. Defensively, the Giants were still adjusting to first-year defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s system when they were in Dallas. After allowing 80 points in the first two games, the Giants have given up only 79 in their six-game winning streak.
“I think there is no doubt that we are playing better defensively,” Coughlin said. “For the first couple of weeks of the season we really weren’t playing all that well defensively. We have gotten better. But certainly, we will be tested by a very strong offensive team.”
“I think we are definitely more confident on both sides of the ball,” wide receiver Amani Toomer said. “I think our special teams have come around a lot. I think we are just playing better as a unit than we did in the first game.
"After the first game of the year we had a bad taste in our mouth. We felt like we let one get away from us. I think our offense played pretty well and our defense was adjusting, so I think now everything seems to be coming together a little bit better. I think we are in much better shape to compete and beat the Cowboys.”
The Giants are also in a good frame of mind. In Coughlin’s first three seasons, the Giants’ bye came after the fifth, fourth and third games, respectively. This season, it fell right at the season’s midway point (and immediately after the team’s journey to London, where they defeated the Miami Dolphins, 13-10, on Oct. 28). Now they are rested and ready to go. And they might have all 22 of their regular starters in the lineup for the Cowboys.
“I think the bye week came exactly when it needed to,” defensive end Justin Tuck said. “Right in the middle of the season, giving us a chance to rest, and we were pretty healthy before the bye week. With the injuries that we did have, the bye week gave us an opportunity to work on those things, too. We are looking forward to what the second half presents and we know it is a challenge. But we’ll take it one game at a time.”
Many Giants watched the Cowboys game against Philadelphia on Sunday night. That includes Coughlin, who has his notebook and pen at the ready. “I made it to the end,” said Coughlin, who generally doesn’t stay up late watching football at home.
And what stood out to him?
“The production, obviously, the production,” he said. “They are doing a lot of things very, very well and playing with a lot of confidence. And they are healthy.”
“They look good,” said Snee, who watched the first half of the game. “They look real good. I thought they have looked good since we saw them in Week One. Obviously, they had a setback with the Patriots, but they are playing well in all three phases. We are going to have to show up and play our best game.”
If they do, the Giants could set them up for an exciting and successful second half run.
“In the first two games we kind of let it slip away, but we didn’t know that those two were going to be the top two teams in the NFC,” Toomer said of the Cowboys and 7-1 Green Bay Packers. “Other than that, I think if want to break into the top spots in the NFC then this is one of the teams that we definitely have to beat.”
NOTES
*The Giants had a meeting and workout yesterday. The players are off today, then begin a regular week of preparation when they return to work on Wednesday.
Coughlin said the players were rested and ready to go upon their return.
“It was a difficult day in that we were really not zooming in on Dallas,” Coughlin said. “We came together to have an opportunity to practice and then give them the day off and come back. So we are not feeding them the Dallas information. We are still working with the material that we put together with our study during last week in terms of what needs to be adjusted and how we go about it..”
Later, talking about the practice, Coughlin said, “Today was good. They were rested. They were sharp. We dealt with a lot of things that we thought needed to be addressed. And this was the time to do it. So we showed them different things that may or may not have related to the Cowboys. A lot of fundamental type things to go back and try to improve upon.”
*Coughlin did not say which injured players will be available to practice on Wednesday. That list includes Plaxico Burress, the team’s leading receiver with 37 catches despite being unable to practice with a sprained ankle. It appears he will remain a spectator during the week.
“I think it does benefit him when he does have an opportunity,” Coughlin said. “But let’s face it, he really only plays in the game and then he is sore and then it takes him a few days just to get the swelling down and he puts himself back on track for the weekend. So without having the game day to where the swelling comes back and the soreness is there, he has been able to go through that particular process. And hopefully that will help.
“I would love to get him in more practice. But that is all based upon the medical things. Right now it is not going to happen.”
