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DALLAS, GIANTS LOOK READY TO...
COWBOY UP!
By JUSTIN TERRANOVA
Despite a bum ankle, wide receiver Plaxico Burress has been a key reason the streaking Giants take a 6-2 record into Sunday’s clash with the 7-1 Cowboys at the Meadowlands.
November 9, 2007 -- The Giants' blueprint for success this season has been simple. All they needed was for their best player, Tiki Barber, to retire, their star wide receiver, Plaxico Burress, to get injured and their defensive captain, Michael Strahan, to hold out and miss training camp.
That's what it took for the Giants to rid themselves of a sense of self-importance and embrace a team mentality.
Those factors, combined with a much healthier Big Blue, are why this 6-2 team might be more equipped for an NFC playoff run than the Giants of 2006 and 2005 - teams that boasted the same record through eight games.
“This group really came together in training camp when Strahan was out contemplating retirement and Tiki was saying whatever,'' said Bob Papa, who hosts the Morning Drive on Sirius Radio and is the Giants' radio play-by-play announcer.
“I think it helped that Eli [Manning] came back at Tiki and the whole team rallied around [coach Tom] Coughlin in the offseason. I just think that it galvanized everybody.''
Despite the concept of coming together in training camp, the Giants sputtered out of the gate losing their first two games, including a 45-35 defeat to the Cowboys in their season opener.
The Giants have a chance to show their six-game winning streak against teams with a combined 13-36 record is more than a fluke when they host the 7-1 Cowboys Sunday afternoon at the Meadowlands in a game that will go a long way to determining the NFC East champion.
The blueprint for the Giants to win on Sunday may not be complex, but it will be difficult to pull off. They have to keep Tony Romo in the pocket and stop him from dominating the game like he did nine weeks ago, when he threw for 345 yards and four touchdowns.
“When he gets out of the pocket, he is going to make some plays,'' Papa said. “He is not going to stand back there like a statue like some of the other quarterbacks the Giants have faced. When he breaks containment he is going to make some plays. How the Giants defense plays up front will go a long way to determining this game."
Another big day from Burress wouldn't hurt, either. Plaxico scored three touchdowns against the Cowboys, and Papa said he believes it's the lanky wide receiver's bum ankle that could be the reason for his stellar play this season. The injury has kept him off the practice field until this week and forced him to concentrate on the other parts of his game.
“He has been communicating with Eli throughout the week and doing a lot more stuff on the side,'' Papa said. “He has jumped head-first into the cerebral part of the game, and you couple that with Amani Toomer being back."
Toomer's partially torn ACL was just one of many injuries the Giants suffered last season, leading to their second-half downfall.
“They had all kinds of problems as far injuries are concerned, and this year they are healthy,'' said Dan Reeves, a former Cowboy player who coached the Giants, and now hosts a show on Sirius Radio. “They're just a much better football team than last year and they are coming off a bye.
“They have their batteries recharged and they are much better prepared to go into the second half of the season than they were last year at this time."
justin.terranova@nypost.com
COWBOY UP!
By JUSTIN TERRANOVA
Despite a bum ankle, wide receiver Plaxico Burress has been a key reason the streaking Giants take a 6-2 record into Sunday’s clash with the 7-1 Cowboys at the Meadowlands.
November 9, 2007 -- The Giants' blueprint for success this season has been simple. All they needed was for their best player, Tiki Barber, to retire, their star wide receiver, Plaxico Burress, to get injured and their defensive captain, Michael Strahan, to hold out and miss training camp.
That's what it took for the Giants to rid themselves of a sense of self-importance and embrace a team mentality.
Those factors, combined with a much healthier Big Blue, are why this 6-2 team might be more equipped for an NFC playoff run than the Giants of 2006 and 2005 - teams that boasted the same record through eight games.
“This group really came together in training camp when Strahan was out contemplating retirement and Tiki was saying whatever,'' said Bob Papa, who hosts the Morning Drive on Sirius Radio and is the Giants' radio play-by-play announcer.
“I think it helped that Eli [Manning] came back at Tiki and the whole team rallied around [coach Tom] Coughlin in the offseason. I just think that it galvanized everybody.''
Despite the concept of coming together in training camp, the Giants sputtered out of the gate losing their first two games, including a 45-35 defeat to the Cowboys in their season opener.
The Giants have a chance to show their six-game winning streak against teams with a combined 13-36 record is more than a fluke when they host the 7-1 Cowboys Sunday afternoon at the Meadowlands in a game that will go a long way to determining the NFC East champion.
The blueprint for the Giants to win on Sunday may not be complex, but it will be difficult to pull off. They have to keep Tony Romo in the pocket and stop him from dominating the game like he did nine weeks ago, when he threw for 345 yards and four touchdowns.
“When he gets out of the pocket, he is going to make some plays,'' Papa said. “He is not going to stand back there like a statue like some of the other quarterbacks the Giants have faced. When he breaks containment he is going to make some plays. How the Giants defense plays up front will go a long way to determining this game."
Another big day from Burress wouldn't hurt, either. Plaxico scored three touchdowns against the Cowboys, and Papa said he believes it's the lanky wide receiver's bum ankle that could be the reason for his stellar play this season. The injury has kept him off the practice field until this week and forced him to concentrate on the other parts of his game.
“He has been communicating with Eli throughout the week and doing a lot more stuff on the side,'' Papa said. “He has jumped head-first into the cerebral part of the game, and you couple that with Amani Toomer being back."
Toomer's partially torn ACL was just one of many injuries the Giants suffered last season, leading to their second-half downfall.
“They had all kinds of problems as far injuries are concerned, and this year they are healthy,'' said Dan Reeves, a former Cowboy player who coached the Giants, and now hosts a show on Sirius Radio. “They're just a much better football team than last year and they are coming off a bye.
“They have their batteries recharged and they are much better prepared to go into the second half of the season than they were last year at this time."
justin.terranova@nypost.com
