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Giants head into Pittsburgh and 'brutal' stretch of season
BY RALPH VACCHIANO
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Wednesday, October 22nd 2008, 10:34 AM
Sabo/News The Giants and running back Brandon Jacobs now embark on the toughest part of this season's schedule.
Now the fun starts.
The Giants always knew it, too. As much as they swear they never look ahead, or overlook any opponent, the truth is they always knew what was coming, that the real story of their season would be told in what guard Chris Snee called a "brutal" last 10 games.
This is where the Super Bowl champions will find out if they're really good enough to defend their title.
PHOTO GALLERY: GIANTS STAY 'PERFECT' AT HOME
"And why not?" said defensive end Justin Tuck. "You know, to be the best you've got to beat the best. Obviously we're going to have an opportunity to do that. And we're looking forward to it."
Added Plaxico Burress: "I wouldn't say, 'looking forward to it.' But it's the schedule we got, and when I saw all those games in a row I knew it was going to be tough. It starts here."
It certainly does. Beginning with their game at Pittsburgh on Sunday against the 5-1 Steelers, the Giants won't get a break in the schedule until ... well, until sometime in 2009. Their final 10 games include six on the road and visits to all three NFC East opponents. Not only will they play five division games (in the next seven weeks), but every team the Giants face the rest of the way has at least a .500 record except for the Minnesota Vikings (3-4), whom they don't meet until the last week of the season.
The combined record of their last 10opponents is 39-26 - a winning percentage of .600.
Compare that to the relative cakewalk they've enjoyed so far. Four of their first six games were at home. They played the Commanders (5-2) before they got their act together and the then-awful Rams (2-4) in St.Louis before they saved their season by firing their coach. Those first sixgames were played against teams with a 12-27 record - a winning percentage of .308.
Now they move from the featherweight class into the heavyweight ranks.
"We understand where we're at and we take them one game at a time," said center Shaun O'Hara. "But this is definitely the grind. We're getting into the middle of the season and this is really the grind part."
Of course, there's no way to tell what the Giants' future opponents will look like when the face them. An injury here or a slump there could make a difficult game suddenly look inviting. But given the strength of the NFC East this season, even the Giants always conceded that this would be a crucial stretch. Consider that the Giants have played just one divisional game. Meanwhile the Commanders, who sit a half-game behind, have already finished their road division slate.
"Yeah, we got a nice little run coming because when we get in our league, the NFC East, that's when football really starts," cornerback Aaron Ross said. "You know it's going to be a physical game. That's what you play football for."
Tyree is still positive he'll receive a chance
The Giants haven't been able to dress all six of their receivers yet this season, and they have rarely even been able to play the five they have activated. So it sure doesn't look as if they will have room for a seventh when David Tyree is ready to come off the Physically Unable to Perform list.
But Tyree doesn't see it that way at all. The Giants have until Nov.5 to either add him to the active roster or place him on season-ending injured reserve. And he knows exactly where he'll fit in.
"What I bring to the table kind of takes away much of the uncertainty," Tyree said. "It's the fact that I'm a special teams player first. That's what I do. I don't like to be boxed in by it, but I know that's where I excel and it's what I look to bring to this football team - that element of speed and aggressiveness on special teams."
The Super Bowl hero isn't likely to get a chance at receiver, barring any injuries to the six guys ahead of him on the depth chart. But Tyree, who said he has fully recovered from offseason knee surgery, isn't even ready to concede that much.
"Competing is what I do and I've never shied away from it," he said. "Everything will take care of itself."
BAT MAN: Eli Manning threw 15 incomplete passes on Sunday (16-for-31, 161 yards), but four of them never had a chance because they were batted down at the line of scrimmage. Asked about that on Monday, Tom Coughlin said, "Hopefully we can do something about that."
But according to Manning, there's really nothing that can be done.
"It is something that you can't control," the quarterback said. "We had some quick passes where you have to throw it on time, and you don't have time to dodge or move around or find some lanes sometimes. Guys just got their hands up in the right spots.
TOUCHY SUBJECT: John Carney, the 44-year-old kicker, may be near-perfect on field goals (14 of 15 with one block), but here's one reason the Giants might soon switch back to Lawrence Tynes: Carney has had just one touchback on his kickoffs, and the Giants' opponents have started a drive inside their own 20 only twice all season (second-worst in the NFL to Seattle).
Hey, it's not over until it's over. It's not how you start, it's how you finish. Just maybe the Cowboys start getting things right. A little hoping never hurts.
BY RALPH VACCHIANO
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Wednesday, October 22nd 2008, 10:34 AM
Now the fun starts.
The Giants always knew it, too. As much as they swear they never look ahead, or overlook any opponent, the truth is they always knew what was coming, that the real story of their season would be told in what guard Chris Snee called a "brutal" last 10 games.
This is where the Super Bowl champions will find out if they're really good enough to defend their title.
PHOTO GALLERY: GIANTS STAY 'PERFECT' AT HOME
"And why not?" said defensive end Justin Tuck. "You know, to be the best you've got to beat the best. Obviously we're going to have an opportunity to do that. And we're looking forward to it."
Added Plaxico Burress: "I wouldn't say, 'looking forward to it.' But it's the schedule we got, and when I saw all those games in a row I knew it was going to be tough. It starts here."
It certainly does. Beginning with their game at Pittsburgh on Sunday against the 5-1 Steelers, the Giants won't get a break in the schedule until ... well, until sometime in 2009. Their final 10 games include six on the road and visits to all three NFC East opponents. Not only will they play five division games (in the next seven weeks), but every team the Giants face the rest of the way has at least a .500 record except for the Minnesota Vikings (3-4), whom they don't meet until the last week of the season.
The combined record of their last 10opponents is 39-26 - a winning percentage of .600.
Compare that to the relative cakewalk they've enjoyed so far. Four of their first six games were at home. They played the Commanders (5-2) before they got their act together and the then-awful Rams (2-4) in St.Louis before they saved their season by firing their coach. Those first sixgames were played against teams with a 12-27 record - a winning percentage of .308.
Now they move from the featherweight class into the heavyweight ranks.
"We understand where we're at and we take them one game at a time," said center Shaun O'Hara. "But this is definitely the grind. We're getting into the middle of the season and this is really the grind part."
Of course, there's no way to tell what the Giants' future opponents will look like when the face them. An injury here or a slump there could make a difficult game suddenly look inviting. But given the strength of the NFC East this season, even the Giants always conceded that this would be a crucial stretch. Consider that the Giants have played just one divisional game. Meanwhile the Commanders, who sit a half-game behind, have already finished their road division slate.
"Yeah, we got a nice little run coming because when we get in our league, the NFC East, that's when football really starts," cornerback Aaron Ross said. "You know it's going to be a physical game. That's what you play football for."
Tyree is still positive he'll receive a chance
The Giants haven't been able to dress all six of their receivers yet this season, and they have rarely even been able to play the five they have activated. So it sure doesn't look as if they will have room for a seventh when David Tyree is ready to come off the Physically Unable to Perform list.
But Tyree doesn't see it that way at all. The Giants have until Nov.5 to either add him to the active roster or place him on season-ending injured reserve. And he knows exactly where he'll fit in.
"What I bring to the table kind of takes away much of the uncertainty," Tyree said. "It's the fact that I'm a special teams player first. That's what I do. I don't like to be boxed in by it, but I know that's where I excel and it's what I look to bring to this football team - that element of speed and aggressiveness on special teams."
The Super Bowl hero isn't likely to get a chance at receiver, barring any injuries to the six guys ahead of him on the depth chart. But Tyree, who said he has fully recovered from offseason knee surgery, isn't even ready to concede that much.
"Competing is what I do and I've never shied away from it," he said. "Everything will take care of itself."
BAT MAN: Eli Manning threw 15 incomplete passes on Sunday (16-for-31, 161 yards), but four of them never had a chance because they were batted down at the line of scrimmage. Asked about that on Monday, Tom Coughlin said, "Hopefully we can do something about that."
But according to Manning, there's really nothing that can be done.
"It is something that you can't control," the quarterback said. "We had some quick passes where you have to throw it on time, and you don't have time to dodge or move around or find some lanes sometimes. Guys just got their hands up in the right spots.
TOUCHY SUBJECT: John Carney, the 44-year-old kicker, may be near-perfect on field goals (14 of 15 with one block), but here's one reason the Giants might soon switch back to Lawrence Tynes: Carney has had just one touchback on his kickoffs, and the Giants' opponents have started a drive inside their own 20 only twice all season (second-worst in the NFL to Seattle).
Hey, it's not over until it's over. It's not how you start, it's how you finish. Just maybe the Cowboys start getting things right. A little hoping never hurts.
:giants: :suxjints:
