T-Rock's Take: Inside the Giants

How could anyone think differently? I just base it on the Giants' utter lack of drive and will last week... Which means, of course, they'll go out here in an hour or so and play great.

No, I actually don't think that. I've picked this team time and again because I thought they would simply pull it back together and win enough to have a decent showing and be healthy for the postseason.

So no Strahan, no Petitgout and the complete meltdown last week have finally convinced me. The young guys are worn out, the older guys either don't care or are also worn out, and the rest... Some are hurt, some are retiring. And some aren't that good, I guess.

Redskins 27, Giants 17. Then the real fun begins.

No surprises on the inactives tonight -- Frank Walker sits, so that's one less guy who might commit a horrible personal foul.

The over/under on such fouls is 1 1/2 for the Giants. Taking the over, just so you know.

Jeremy Shockey didn't make the train trip to Washington today, leaving the Giants' TE depth chart as Visanthe Shiancoe, Darcy Johnson (just signed off the practice squad) and probably Bob Whitfield as the third TE, with Rich Seubert not having made the trip either.

So that's no Strahan, no Shockey, and maybe Tiki's last game. All that to save TC's job.

Guess we'll have to wait and see... But it doesn't seem promising.

So he said on WFAN minutes ago. He just returned from seeing foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte and reported that he has only torn ligaments in the Lisfranc joint of his right foot, not a separation of the bones in the joint that would require surgery and a 6-8 month recovery time.

Had Strahan needed the surgery and the rehab that would have taken at least through 2007 training camp to fully heal, he admitted he might have retired. But he's not, at least not now.

And he said he has grown to like TC. "Did I like him when he first got here? No. I didn't like him one bit," Strahan said. "I didn't think I'd last a season with him."

So he's lasted close to three... But maybe not a fourth, depending on Saturday's result.

While I wait to hear the paid-for wisdom of Michael Strahan on WFAN, it seems the Giants may be without Jeremy Shockey on Saturday.

It'd be a blow, for sure, because as much as he hates it, Shockey's an excellent blocker and the Giants running game needs him too. But if he's half-speed -- and that's about the best he could offer after not practicing all week -- then maybe it's OK not to have him. Eli will have to look elsewhere for passing targets, like maybe to Sinorice Moss, which could open up some new wrinkles in the Giants' ho-hum offense.

If they lose, then missing Shockey will be a nice excuse as the coaching staff packs up and the players clean out their lockers.

Rich Seubert won't play, but that doesn't mean Battlin' Bob Whitfield will be back at left tackle. The Giants went with David Diehl at LT and Grey Ruegamer at LG today, so that's how it'll probably be on Saturday.

Lastly, a bit of amusement: We (the reporters) were hanging around in front of the Giants locker room today and the OL meeting room door was open... On the board was a list of players with fine totals in a number of categories. Some were obvious: FS for false starts, sacks, penalties.

There were two that confused me: ME and UE.

I asked one of my pals on the O-line.

"Mental Errors," he said, "and Unit Embarrassment."

I can't tell you who leads in each category, but let's say that the fines -- $25 for practice and $50 for a game -- totaled into the four digits.

Mr. February, of course, is our old friend Mike Jennings. He has "Mr. February" stenciled in the back window of his Chevy. Just thought you should know that.

Shaun O'Hara is in the lineup, as are Michael Strahan and Corey Webster. Rich Seubert is inactive, along with DT Jonas Seawright, who played a fair bit last week. With O'Hara's bum ankle, the Giants need all their extra OL, so they're only dressing three DTs. Better hope Fred Robbins' hamstring holds up.

For the Saints, WR Joe Horn and former Giant SS Omar Stoutmire are out. So is another former Giant, DB Curtis Deloatch, but that's not unusual.

Neither are in as starters, but what do you expect from a 7-7 team? It's Tiki's third straight Pro Bowl trip, and he gets to cap his career by being brother Ronde's teammate in Hawaii. Sweet.

Shockey gets his fourth trip in five NFL seasons.

Antonio Pierce is a first alternate at MLB, behind Brian Urlacher and Lofa Tatupu. Third alternates were P Jeff Feagles, C Shaun O'Hara, G Chris Snee and DE Osi Umenyiora.

Snubbed entirely was DT Fred Robbins, who deserved one of the three DT spots.

In more pertinent news to the Giants, KR Derrick Ward went on injured reserve after re-fracturing his foot in Sunday's game. Ward took over the KR duties six games ago and was actually worse than Chad Morton, averaging a yard less per return. Maybe this is the reason.

RB James Sims was signed off the practice squad and the door is open for a new KR -- my guess is Sinorice Moss gets a shot.

So I, and all of my colleagues, wrote in today's papers that the Giants still control their own playoff fate... Er, not exactly.

There is a scenario in which a 9-7 Giants team misses the playoffs: The Cowboys lose to the Eagles and beat the Lions, the Eagles lose to the Falcons in the season finale with the Falcons having already beaten the Panthers. That would leave the Giants, Falcons and Eagles at 9-7. NFL rules say that a three-way tie with two teams in the same division must have the divisional tie broken first; the Eagles would have the better divisional record, so the Giants would be left out.

The Falcons would get the No. 5 seed by virture of having beaten the Eagles, and the Eagles would get the No. 6 seed.

Got it?

Of course, there are other scenarios, one of which does include the 7-9 Giants getting the last playoff spot... But it's very complicated. And, as Plaxico Burress noted after yesterday's game, none of it matters if the Giants can't take care of business.

And boy, did they ever not take care of business yesterday. Four turnovers, a couple costly penalties, paper-thin run defense and very tentative red-zone offense... Not exactly a team ready for crunch time.

A few thoughts:

-- How could the Giants be so physically overmatched in the two first-and-goal situations that ended in FGs? Tiki Barber didn't get two steps before he had Eagles draped on him. That would've happened to Brandon Jacobs too -- TC said today that Jacobs had a sore ankle, which kept him on the sidelines for two quarters after his fumble -- so it wasn't really the personnel. Just being physically unprepared, it seemed.

-- I'd ask the same question of the D-line. The Eagles did what they wanted, run or pass; Brian Westbrook got open on crossing routes an awful lot, which should make Reggie Bush's mouth water for this Sunday. The Giants simply could not get a consistent pass rush on Jeff Garcia, nor could they out-physical the Eagles O-line, which hasn't happened often this season.

TC said today that Michael Strahan asked to suit up on Sunday morning, but was turned down. Think No. 92 could have helped shore up that run defense, among other things?

The coach did say that he hoped this would be the week Strahan could get a full week of practice in before the staff could make a real decision on him playing.

O'Hara was on the field two hours before kickoff, testing his right ankle by blocking Steve Edwards. Guess O'Hara didn't convince trainer Ronnie Barnes that the ankle was good enough. So Rich Seubert starts at center for the first time, and everything else stays the same.

I know it was my story today, but Michael Strahan won't play tomorrow. The Giants were being coy, trying to keep hope alive, but there's no way they would risk setting Strahan back by having him play right now.

Now, that's not to say he's done for the year. The premise of today's story still holds: The Giants would get a huge lift from Strahan coming back, and his ability to increase his practice workload will factor into whether he will play a week from tomorrow against the Saints or in the season finale against the Redskins.

Ideally, the Giants win tomorrow without Strahan and there's less pressure to rush him back. Because this injury he has is definitely prone to setbacks.

On to the game preview...

Now that I'm on a tremendous roll (one in a row), I feel confident that the game will go exactly as I say... To wit:

-- The Eagles start strong, with Jeff Garcia avoiding the pass rush and finding receivers open underneath (like every other QB has done to the Giants).

-- Eli Manning also starts strong, bolstered by Tiki Barber running well and the Giants neutralizing Jeremiah Trotter by going no-huddle at times early and going with a spread formation at times.

-- The Giants take the lead for good with a late second-quarter TD.

-- The Eagles commit a costly turnover early in the second half and the Giants go up two scores.

-- The Eagles rally to make it too close for comfort, but the Giants manage to hang on.

Giants 24, Eagles 20

I'm back to see that things don't really change. The headlines today: Plax says the Eagles can't stop him... Antonio Pierce jabs at Jeremiah Trotter... And a few more benign comments from everyone else.

Now, honestly, my first reaction was the same as some of you had: We're blowing these comments out of proportion. I'm sure if Burress were asked every week if a team could stop him, he'd say no. The guy, as evidenced by a few hundred times before, answers the questions when he's asked.

Same with Pierce. I saw in one of the Philly papers that Pierce's comments -- almost exactly the same as directed toward Brian Urlacher before the Bears game (basically, that the Bears and Eagles have defensive systems that funnel plays directly to the MLB and the Giants don't, which makes stars out of their MLBs and leaves Pierce with a chip on his shoulder) -- were magnified to war-of-words status.

These aren't news flashes. Burress wants the ball and thinks no one can stop him? Pierce has a chip on his shoulder the size of Bear Mountain? Stop the presses!!

This is why I took a little break this week... Aside from the meager injury info, I had nothing to offer you. I think we're all just ready for the teams to play the biggest game of the year.

Anyway, on to the fine comments...

-- I think Shaun O'Hara's status will be determined today, Coach. He has to be able to do something today to be physically ready for Sunday. Then again, O'Hara's backup, Rich Seubert, did fire off this crack the other day: "He's the center. Just tape it up and go out there." Against the Philly defense, though, a banged-up O'Hara could be exploited.

-- Not sure what one can say about Strahan's injury, other than wait and see. He's done some stuff the past two days, maybe he'll do more next week and maybe the foot won't swell up again. Who knows?

-- Yes, Sid, the O-line has been solid, even in mix-n-match mode. This will be their toughest test, because if Trotter hits Tiki as hard as he did in the Week 2 meeting, Barber's broken thumb may cause some trouble.

-- I assume, Patches, that you meant Hostetler was the last mobile QB the Giants had. You're right. Eli can use his feet too, as you've seen, but it's not his first choice. And really, a QB who thinks he can run isn't exactly harmonious to the offense. The occasional scramble is nice and effective, but I don't see any of the run-and-throw guys leading their teams to division titles.

I won't gloat over my nearly accurate prediction, only to say that I am officially of no influence over the Giants. So there.

Looking back...

-- The Giants could have had five INTs, but Will Demps dropped one that was in his hands, his gut, his numbers, everywhere, except at the last second, when he dropped it. And Kevin Dockery, who should now be the nickel CB from here on, had a good pick chance before he got his actual pick -- which tied a guy no one thought would make the team for the INT lead.

-- 4-for-18 on third downs and 70 second-half yards is nothing to be proud of, but TC pointed out on the conference call today that there was a bigger number at work: 27-13. And he took full responsibility for calling those boring plays that led to 5 straight three-and-outs. He didn't want to give the dead Panthers any life, as he did in Nashville two weeks ago. See? He learns.

-- Jeff Feagles showed why he's necessary. Nine punts, and 11 total return yards for Steve Smith. Smith went on Bob Papa's Sirius radio show this morning and said he's never seen a directional punter like Feagles. Me either -- he wasn't this accurate last season, I don't believe.

-- Speaking of Smith, he was a non-factor. He had a couple drops and was clearly not in sync with Chris Weinke, but I'm sure the Giants would happily take Drew Carter's career day and a two-TD win over Smith lighting them up.

Looking ahead...

-- Jeff Garcia has been error-free since he took over Donovan McNabb, which means the Giants could still shut down the Eagles' running game and still have problems unless they can contain Garcia.

-- The Philly defense that sacked Eli Manning eight times in Week 2 is still intact. The Eagles still have DT Mike Patterson and MLB Jeremiah Trotter, who helped make Tiki Barber's retirement decision an easy one after rag-dolling Barber around the field; they still have DEs Trent Cole and Darren Howard, with 13 sacks between them, and only Cole's brain cramp and groin kick on Kareem McKenzie allowed the Giants to complete their comeback.

-- The Giants may be down two OL starters. Shaun O'Hara's sprained ankle is swollen today and sore; TC gave no update on McKenzie's sprained neck. And Coughlin did not sound optimistic that DE Michael Strahan would practice this week; neither did Strahan himself on his weekly radio appearance. Don't expect him back this Sunday.

The Giants inactives are pretty humdrum: The three who were left home (Webster, Strahan, Petitgout), plus LBs Tyson Smith and Chris Claiborne, WR Michael Jennings and DT Titus Adams.

But the Panthers' list is noteworthy: QB Jake Delhomme, starting CBs Ken Lucas and Chris Gamble and RB Nick Goings. Chris Weinke is in at QB, rookie CB Richard Marshall and little-used Christian Morton are starting in the secondary.

Carolina is one of a few teams this season that decided to go with just two QBs on the roster, with a third on the practice squad. It makes some sense, since roster spots are precious, and the third QB is really not going to do much.

Luckily for John Fox, they have a roster spot, having placed rookie T Rashad Butler on the reserve/non-football injury list. So signing Brett Basanez off the practice squad doesn't force them to cut someone. But the signing announces to the world that Jake Delhomme ain't playing, and if they had three QBs to start, they could keep the charade up a little longer.

Anyways... Chris Weinke is, by all accounts, the Panthers starter tomorrow. CBs Ken Lucas and Chris Gamble both have bad hammys. What does it all mean? Just what I said earlier this week when I watched Carolina lose to Philly: If the Giants don't make the playoffs, starting with a win tomorrow, everyone from TC down to the chain gang should be fired.

OK, not the chain gang guys... But you get my point.

DE Michael Strahan (foot), CB Corey Webster (toe) and T Luke Petitgout (leg) didn't travel. Strahan didn't practice all week, which is fishy -- I'm betting he won't play next weekend either. Just a hunch.

Sinorice Moss could figure more into the game plan, but he's probably not going to take snaps away from Tim Carter or Dvid Tyree. The kid's still a rookie with two games played out of 12 -- Coughlin won't even adjust the offense to give Brandon Jacobs more touches, so you think he's going to rejigger everything to get Moss the ball more? Patience, please.

And, frankly, the Giants didn't need more Moss last Sunday -- just less defensive time on the field.

I'll say that Eli will be good tomorrow, that the O-line will be solid enough to hold the Panthers front four in check, and that Chris Weinke will be running for his life at times. Giants 30, Panthers 17.

Blauber split his first-place vote between Pierce and Burress, thus confirming the fact that he is, in fact, an idiot. What a joke. Please inundate his blog with comments calling him out for his Blauberness.

The first Giants award of the season was decided today. Plaxico Burress won the George Young Good Guy Award, voted to the player who demonstrates the most "consistent and outstanding cooperation" with the beat writers that cover the team.

Obviously, it's not awarded to the player who provides the most consistent and outstanding cooperation with TC, whom Burress wanted to "lighten up" back in training camp. But even if you don't like what he says or his attitude on the field, I can vouch that he's at his locker every day, answering all of our questions honestly. That's the best you can hope for.

My ballot had Burress second, Shaun O'Hara third and Antonio Pierce first. The final tally was very close between Pierce and Burress.

The previous five winners:

2005 -- Tiki Barber
2004 -- Kurt Warner
2003 -- Ike Hilliard
2002 -- Kerry Collins
2001 -- Lomas Brown

If the past honorees are any indication, Plax will be a former Giant or retired by the end of next season.

On to the news... Pierce practiced today and, having just returned from the practice bubble, it appeared that Corey Webster was going to do some work. Michael Strahan was nowhere to be found, so don't count on a surprise appearance on Sunday.

If the Giants don't make the playoffs, TC should fire himself. Watching the Panthers and Eagles play what was a fairly entertaining game made me think that the Giants, with Strahan and Petitgout in the lineup, might be the second or third-best team in the NFC.

There's every reason to think a 9-7 team with the No. 5 seed can run the table in this conference. Who scares a nearly healthy (save Toomer and LaVar) Giants team? The Bears in Chicago? A little. The Seahawks in Seattle? Only because it's the house of horrors for the Giants. The Saints in New Orleans? The Cowboys in Dallas? Please.

Now, I'm not saying that just because it's there for the taking, the Giants will take it. They have shown an amazing ability to hurt themselves this season with dumb decisions. Not to be Captain Hindsight, but I do recall writing or saying somewhere that the Plaxico-Shockey twosome would be great if things were great, but if the Giants began to falter, you just knew these two would be involved somehow.

To look at the four losses -- really just the last two, since those were the most winnable games -- is really to say that coaching was responsible for two major screw-ups: The play-calling while the lead was fading in Nashville, and the play-calling on the goal line twice on Sunday at home.

The rest... You can't coach that stuff. Injuries meant Frank Walker had to be on the field against the Titans, and Frank did something dumb. Mathias Kiwanuka has to be on the field in both games, and he made two rookie mistakes.

Maybe you want to hold Tim Lewis to account for the lackadaisical defense, and yes, I agree that having William Joseph in as the lone tackle instead of Fred Robbins in the dime is not smart. But Will Demps got a decent amount of dough to be a read-and-react safety. He's reading and reacting wrong, and there's four games left in the season. Bad coaching? Hard to say that.

This is kind of a ramble, since there's a day until the Giants start talking about Carolina. Let's get a jump:

Jake Delhomme looks like some QB we all know around here... Can't think of the kid's name... Starts with an E.

Remember when Delhome was the next Montana? Or the first Romo? Gosh darn, he played poorly last night. And if the Panthers' vaunted D-line can't wriggle free against the Eagles and Jeff Garcia, the Giants -- whose pass protection has been very good the last two weeks -- should be feeling good about themselves.

The Panthers secondary is a mess too. If Eli gets some time and makes smart reads like he did on Sunday, the Giants will be able to move the ball well. The no-run Eagles managed 98 rushing yards on Carolina, so Tiki and Jacobs could do some damage.

Hate to say it, but I kind of like this matchup for the Giants on Sunday... Kiss of death, I know. Maybe I'll change my mind before the week is out.

Oh, and Giants-Eagles on Dec. 17 is now 4:15. Who'd have thunk that game would mean something to both teams?

The Giants still have their fate in their own hands. Heck, even if they lose in Charlotte on Sunday, they can still say that... But 5 straight losses wouldn't have the Giants' collective psyche in such good shape.

The few players who spoke today were, like the head coach, rather upbeat. Sunday's was the first game in this four-game losing streak in which the Giants played well enough to win, and Eli Manning definitely played well enough to win -- both encouraging signs. That the Giants didn't win and made a few stunningly bad plays in doing so is painful to them, but still. They know they can play well enough to win, so that's a start.

TC had one word for Plaxico Burress' and Bob Whitfield's personal fouls: "Stupid." He's right, and I'm not really sure anyone can say the coach has lost control of his team when a guy runs halfway across the field to deck an opponent, or head-butts an opponent. Discipline can be preached, not beaten into someone.

Apparently, neither can coverage schemes. Will Demps... What can you say? He did have a gift-wrapped INT yesterday, but he was way out of position on the biggest play of the game, Tony Romo's 42-yard throw to Jason Witten. Antonio Pierce was chasing Witten as far as an LB's legs could carry him, but Demps went over to the sideline to check on T.O. as Romo rolled out. Just bad, and costly. Gibril Wilson didn't have a great night either.

There was plenty of debate, both yesterday and even today among some of my colleagues, about Burress calling time out with 1:42 to play. TC didn't want the time out, but it wasn't such an awful call; the Giants changed personnel and were in the end zone two plays later. Some people think you have to leave as little time on the clock as possible when you score.

I say you have to score, period. The Giants had failed twice from inside the 5 in the second half, so when you absolutely have to get in the end zone, you do it, no matter how much time is left. The defense needs to make a few plays to get the thing to OT. You can't play as if you have no faith in one side of the ball.

And I'll say it again: Where's Brandon Jacobs when the ball is inside the 10? Even if you play-action with him, he's a better threat to fight through tacklers on a screen pass than Tiki and he makes the opponent think run. TC said today that Jacobs only comes in with certain personnel, that he's a designated down-and-distance guy. Fair enough. I'd say anything-and-goal is good for him at this point.

This is the last moral victory the Giants can afford. 3-1 gets them to the playoffs, 4-0 might get them a favorable first-round matchup -- back to Big D, or New Orleans, whom the Giants would have to beat anyway in three weeks. All is not lost.

Michael Strahan was stretching and chatting up his new best friend, Plaxico Burress, on the field a couple hours before kickoff, but there will be no dramatic return for No. 92.

Or for No. 5... That's Sean Landeta, in case you forgot. Jeff Feagles' right knee is good enough for the Giants punter to make his 300th straight game. And it's good, really. The Giants need to get younger.

WR Sinorice Moss returns to action today, however. Maybe he'll actually have an impact this time. Michael Jennings is a healthy scratch, along with LB Tyson Smith and LB Chris Claiborne. CB Corey Webster (toe) is also out.

OK, no more self-referential blogging. Swear. Can I keep my music references, BB?

No more motivational ploys, no more back-page hysteria... Giants. Cowboys. Bring it.

I said it in the hours after the debacle in Nashville: I thought the Giants would win this game tomorrow, and I still think that, putting aside all the nonsense this week. Here's why:

-- For three quarters, Eli played well last week. No flash, no need for the long heaves that have turned him into a fundamentally unsound thrower -- just short passes and runs. The Giants can win games that way.

-- The three guys back on defense can only help. Reggie Torbor and William Joseph are back where they belong, on the bench, ready to step in and spell the starters. Corey Webster is out, but is that really going to hurt the secondary? Sam Madison and R.W. McQuarters have been by far the best CBs this season, and they'll be needed against Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn. Osi's return is the hugest, though, because the Cowboys may actually worry about a pass rush instead of chuckling every time Willie Joe tried to speed rush.

-- I cannot be wrong every week. Seriously. I gotta get a Giants game right once. Why not now?

Giants 27, Cowboys 17

In a move designed to add veteran leadership... Seriously, the Giants did sign 44-year-old punter Sean Landeta today as a precautionary measure. Jeff Feagles has soreness in his right knee, so the Giants added their former punter -- and the former punter of the Rams (L.A. and St. Louis), Bucs, Packers and Eagles -- who could play in a 22nd season if he gets in tomorrow.

The irony, of course, is that Feagles -- slated to play his 300th career and consecutive game tomorrow -- broke all of Landeta's punting records within the last couple seasons.

The Giants waived DT Lance Legree, expendable now that William Joseph can return to the inside.

Maybe Landeta can psych out Parcells as the only player left in the league from the '86 Super Bowl team...

Antonio Pierce provided the entertainment during reporters' brief stay in the practice bubble today, calling out to Strahan. Some other nuggets from Pierce:

"I hate you guys because you're my teammates!"

"I hate you Will Demps, because all the girls like you!"

Burress was excused from practice today due to a death in the family. But, obviously, Strahan was on hand, though he was not lined up with the first-team defense at the start. Osi was at DE, Brandon Short was at WLB and Sam Madison was at CB. Looked like a real NFL defense.

When the horn sounded for us to leave, Shaun O'Hara ushered us out. Glad they're not distracted by us evil Media.