T-Rock's Take: Inside the Giants

Brandon Jacobs (hammy), Aaron Ross (hammy) and Plaxico Burress (ankle, knee) were on the bikes today. Burress was soft-tossing a football with Amani Toomer, but he stood and watched the rest that I was allowed to see. I wouldn't bet on Ross or Jacobs on Sunday... And Plax is a bigger question mark than usual with the added knee problem.

Antonio Pierce (ankle) was working in individual drills, and we'll see about the team stuff. Derrick Ward (ankle, groin) and Gibril Wilson (knee) were working as well in the individuals.

UPDATE: Jacobs, Ross, Burress and Wilson did not practice today... TC said he expects Burress to gut it out again. Burress himself said the knee, his left, was injured two or three weeks ago and has steadily gotten more sore. Between the bad right ankle and the bad left knee, "I'm wobbling like a little table," he said. But he says he'll be just as ready to play on Sunday as he has been before.

No update on Wilson, who has missed two straight days of work... But that could mean James Butler, Michael Johnson and Craig Dahl would be the safeties. Yipes.

Ward had a full practice and said he'll be ready to go.

Steve Smith (hamstring) did practice today, a bit of a surprise, but TC would only say that Smith "is getting closer." That means a no-go for Sunday in coach-speak.

And Pierce had a full practice, so he'll play.
And yes, Froe, there WILL be more later.

A very informal poll of 15 Giants revealed that, among their teammates, Sam Madison
-- aka Ashy Larry, JB Smoove, Michael Johnson -- is the top trash talker on the current squad.

Madison received eight of 15 votes, if you can call them votes... They were more along the lines of this comment from Grey Ruegamer, whose locker is opposite Madison's: "It's that voice. He never shuts up and you can hear it from anywhere."

Others receiving votes inside the locker room...

-- Brandon Jacobs (2). He would have voted for himself, but he swears he doesn't talk much anymore. "The first two years? I never stopped," he said. "Now, I'm quiet." Not according to a couple teammates, especially one who had to intervene during the preseason game against the Ravens when Jacobs nearly started a brawl.

-- Osi Umenyiora. Another reformed trash talker. Justin Tuck recalled some of Osi's greatest hits from 2005, his Pro Bowl year. "You remember that 50 Cent track, 'Window Shopper?' That's what Osi called (Seahawks Pro Bowl tackle) Walter Jones. He stopped though, because Jones was ready the next year when they played." Tuck also said Umenyiora had some fun with Dolphins T Rex Hadnot's name in London.

Among former Giants...

-- Jessie Armstead. "A great talker," noted Strahan, "but no one ever understood a thing he said because he was too hyped up."

-- LaVar Arrington. "Talked a lot and he was funny, too," Jeremy Shockey said.

-- Frank Walker. "I can't imagine that surprises you," Reggie Torbor said. And it's true. Frank Walker was one of the two or three funniest guys I've covered.

And now, for the opponents... The winner, with four votes, is a certain ESPN commentator and noted author.

"Non. Stop," Gibril Wilson said. "He just never stopped. Ever. And he had me laughing too."

"I was a rookie and I was across from him," R.W. McQuarters said, "and he just goes, 'They sent you out to guard me? Come on. What are they doing over there?' So that kind of inspired me to fire back. And I was a pretty good talker in my day."

Madison always enjoyed a game against Johnson's teams, since the two were like a Jerry Springer show when they matched up.

-- Fred Smoot. "Sixty minutes a game, 16 games a year, four straight years," said Antonio Pierce, Smoot's teammate with the Redskins. "Win, lose, interception, pass knocked down, getting beat for touchdowns. None of it mattered. Smoot's your guy."

-- Joe Horn. "I didn't even know if he was speaking English," Pierce said. "When we played them Saints, him and Smoot were speaking Martian or something."

-- Joey Porter. "I only played him once," Jacobs said of the London game, "but he has it on lockdown. No. 1 for sure."

-- Lorenzo Neal. "Wouldn't think a fullback would be so talkative, would you?" Torbor said. "But he'd talk and he'd back it up by running you over. That's a tough combination."

-- Shannon Sharpe. "Funny and relentless with the talk," Strahan said.

OK, gang. There'll be some relevant posts in a bit, once practice gets underway. And we'll see if Madison is up to the challenge of trash talking while it's snowing in Soldier Field. Maybe it'll keep him warm.

Plaxico Burress now has a knee injury to go with his sprained ankle, though none of us geniuses remembered to ask TC about it.

RB Derrick Ward is practicing as we speak; we'll find out later if he made it through the whole thing. Brandon Jacobs was set to do individual work, but not team stuff.

Out of practice: LB Antonio Pierce (ankle), WR Steve Smith (hamstring) and CB Aaron Ross (hamstring).

Something to note: DE Justin Tuck walked over to the trainers' area before individual drills to get his left ankle heavily taped.

More later.

Pierce was limping noticeably as he left today, but said the sprained ankle he suffered late on Sunday was nowhere near as bad as the high sprain that killed his 2005 season. "If it was that bad," he said, "I wouldn't even be here now."

Kareem McKenzie said he was "encouraged" by how he felt today after he suffered a bruised leg on Sunday.

No word on Aaron Ross' hamstring, or the early-week status of Jacobs or Ward.

Eli spoke at length, took everyone's questions about his psyche, and said his usual stuff... We'll have it later.

UPDATE: TC said Ward will likely practice on Wednesday and Jacobs' status is up in the air. Ross will be "limited," according to the coach, so his injury seems to have gotten worse.

And TC on Eli's level personality: "That's him, and that's good enough for me."

OK then... Time to go through yesterday's game. Feels like there are always a few of these pics after each loss, doesn't it?

THE GOOD

-- Hmmm... Ahmad Bradshaw, maybe? He had a couple of nice runs when he finally got into the game on offense. If he can learn his protections better -- and let's be honest, if he'd been in there on passing downs, he would have gotten freight-trained like all the other secondary blockers who were in there -- he may have a shot to play more.

-- Osi. Six tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble that could have changed the game in the first quarter. A good recovery after a so-so day in Detroit.

-- Freddy Robbins. When he plays a lot, he plays really, really well. Had 1 1/2 sacks that should have been 2 1/2.

THE BAD

-- Eli, Eli, Eli, Eli. And to think I forgot to mention in my game story that he had a fifth pick that was correctly overturned on a challenge, and a sixth that went right into Ben Leber's arms but the Minny LB dropped it.

OK folks, the debates will begin anew on Eli and his worth. There's no defending yesterday, of course. He seems to have at least one game every season in which he's confused early by the defensive looks and then he falls apart trying to do too much. In three seasons, yesterday was by far the worst I've seen; the Baltimore game in '04 is a tale often told, but that's the Ravens, a terrific defense all the way around.

This is the Vikings, who have a terrible secondary and a front seven that hadn't been getting to QBs all year. We'll get to the O-line's failures in a moment.

I have defended Eli in the recent past, and I will defend him in the future. For this offense, he's a fine QB because he manages games well and is becoming a more accurate passer and a better defense-reader, yesterday aside. The Giants are not built for a gunslinging QB, as exciting as that sounds; the NFC East has one gunslinger, but that Romo guy has a great O-line, a terrific back in Barber and guys who catch the ball.

So when Eli is his usual, boring self, the Giants aren't bad. It's their defense that wins or loses their games and their seasons, as evidenced in recent seasons.

So... there's still no excuse for what Eli did yesterday. And yes, I put a heaping help of the blame on him, because some of those throws in the first half, when the game was still a game, were hideous. Beyond bad. And the whole offense lost confidence as a result.

-- The O-line. This could be the most worrisome aspect of yesterday going forward. The unit has been very good, and needed to be great yesterday because of the RB situation. It wasn't. Lotta breakdowns, lotta interior blitzes that were well-disguised, lotta Eli running for cover.

-- Reuben Droughns. He is who I thought he was: A very good short-yardage back who doesn't have the acceleration to be an every-down guy. Easy to say in hindsight, but I would have alternated Droughns and Bradshaw each series, especially after it became apparent that Eli couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat.

-- Strahan. Can't let a sack and a tackle-for-loss go, much less on the same series. Ditto for Justin Tuck, who struggled for the first time all season.

-- Aaron Ross. Starting to play more like a rookie, it seems. The coverage on Sidney Rice's long TD catch was just bad, and the Vikes threw at Ross a few more times later.

-- TC. Won't fault him for leaving his starters in deep into the fourth, because he was right to say that meant giving up. I will fault him for some of the play calls and something we've all faulted him (and his offensive coordinators) for in the past 3-plus years: An inability to change the offense mid-game when things are going south. When he does it out of desperation (Philly and Seattle last year), he gets some results; when he thinks they're close enough to keep doing what they do (Jacksonville last year, San Diego two years ago), it just gets worse.

And the Bears are coming up on Sunday. They still play defense too. We'll see what's what out at Soldier Field.

Back with some more after availability in a few hours.

Also no Antoine Winfield and no Mike Doss for the Vikes' lousy secondary.

For the Giants: Jacobs, Ward, Steve Smith, Corey Webster, Adam Koets, Manny Wright, Kevin Boothe. Dave Tollefson makes his Giants debut. Lorenzen is the third QB.

So says our pal Sal Paolantonio of ESPN. He got it from a good source, not the source that said Eli would be out a month (which wasn't Sal's report, either). And this isn't really a surprise, since Ward barely worked this week.

Reuben Droughns and Ahmad Bradshaw are your ball-carriers today.

Back with the official inactives in a few.

Vikings 17, Giants 13.

Here's why:

-- The Giants offense. I'm not sold on Plax still being able to have an impact. I'm not sold on Reuben Droughns being able to carry the load. Definitely not sold on Ahmad Bradshaw in key spots. I can see this being the sort of sputtering day for Eli and company, aided by a big day from the Williams boys.

-- The Williamses. Kevin and Pat will have big days for the Vikes, stuffing the run and creating problems inside. I don't think Droughns has the speed to get to the outside, and Minny's LBs are fast and big.

-- The Vikes will run the ball, and their offense will produce. It's a bit unfair to go back into recent Giants history to see all the mediocre QBs (Kurt Kiittner, Rex Grossman, Joey Harrington, Kyle Boller, Tony Romo) the Giants have turned into stars (the Romo thing -- a little joke. Don't get your britches in a bunch, Cowboy fans). Tarvaris Jackson is not a very good or very experienced QB, but he has some moves.

These Giants have not fallen victim to the so-called "trap" game this season and they've beaten teams they're supposed to. Just not seeing the pieces fall into place for this one, folks.

If I'm wrong, Jon Kitna can tell me where to go.

Derrick Ward and Brandon Jacobs did some individual work during the limited time I watched practice, and Ward was running with the scout team for a bit. We'll wait until the official practice report later to find out exactly what they did, if anything.

Also on the stationary bikes were Steve Smith and Plaxico Burress. Aaron Ross wasn't doing much either, needing a trainer to help stretch him out while the team did special-teams work. Not a good sign, I'd say.

TE Mike Matthews was clearly favoring his foot and was also limited.

More in a few. And thanks to those who gave thanks for the work I do here -- not necessary, but always appreciated. Keep doing your good work too in the comments.

UPDATE: TC said Ross is "sore," and has been a bit limited at times this week. Ward told me he "could play if we played today," but it's out of his hands. He was limited again today all the way through. Jacobs did not practice, neither did Plax or Steve Smith.

Gibril Wilson (knee) had a full practice today, RB Derrick Ward (groin) was limited again and TE Mike Matthews (foot) joined WR Plaxico Burress (ankle) and RB Brandon Jacobs (hamstring) on the sideline. WR Steve Smith wasn't on the initial report, but I'm guessing he did not practice today after pulling up during individual drills yesterday.

For the Vikings, CB Antoine Winfield (hamstring) did not practice for a second straight day and RB Adrian Peterson (knee) was limited for a second straight day.

Enjoy the day, gang. I'm anxiously awaiting the Goo Goo Dolls at halftime of Packers-Lions. I'm also eagerly awaiting Jon "Bitter Beer Face" Kitna's next on-field face tantrum.

He was running a route in individual drills and pulled up just before Eli Manning's throw, which almost conked Smith in the head. Bad sign for the rookie.

Reggie Torbor is working in Kiwanuka's spot, with Gerris Wilkinson backing up.

TC said Wilson has a sore knee but did the walk-through this morning. Ward will try some individual work and go from there. Jacobs won't practice. "If it's not day to day, then it's week to week," TC said, a bit ominously.

He has an unspecified knee injury, according to the list just handed out.

The other names on it are Plaxico Burress, Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Steve Smith.

He has an unspecified knee injury, according to the list just handed out.

The other names on it are Plaxico Burress, Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Steve Smith.

Pass won three rings with the Pats and was cut after spending most of 2006 on IR. He went to training camp with the Texans and was cut on Aug. 28. He's 29 and a reliable player and blocker, so he'll be insurance behind Reuben Droughns and Ahmad Bradshaw.

Oh, and for those who think Brandon Jacobs' hamstring injury is no big deal, this move should tell you it's not a quick-healing thing.

The Giants also lost WR Anthony Mix off their practice squad to the Redskins, replacing Mix with Todd Lowber, who had been on the PS earlier this season. Mix was active for four games this season, with three catches.

Seems like a few folks -- OK, maybe just you, Wolf -- feel like Eli is the thing that'll keep the Giants from succeeding in the playoffs. Maybe some others of you feel it's the secondary, which is very young and mistake-prone. Others may feel it's the offense as a whole, that it's too out of sync at times to do well.

I say it's depth, the same culprit that felled them the last two seasons. They're certainly not to the same level they were two years ago or even last season; blasts from the recent past Jay Foreman and William Joseph (that's starting defensive end William Joseph -- remember that from last year?) are pictured here.

I do miss Willie Joe's smilin' face around the office.

Anyway, yes, I'm saying the success or failure of this Giants team rests on the worth of guys like Reuben Droughns, who has been solid for the Giants so far but needs to take a big step up if Brandon Jacobs isn't back in a week or two; guys like Reggie Torbor, who has had plenty of chances to seize a linebacker job over his four-plus seasons; and guys like Fred Robbins, who's hardly a role player but has to find some extra push over the last six games to make up for the loss of Mathias Kiwanuka in the pass rush.

Someone asked recently about Zak DeOssie being Kiwanuka's replacement. Highly, highly doubtful; DeOssie fills a need role (long-snapper) and there are three guys (Torbor, Chase Blackburn, Gerris Wilkinson) who have had some experience playing. I like DeOssie a lot too, but he's in study mode on defense this season, barring another huge rash of injuries.

And the Ahmad Bradshaw lovers out there get your chance to watch him on Sunday, I bet. Can't say for sure that Jacobs and Ward are out, and maybe Ward can recover enough to dress, but I can't see him being effective after such a long layoff; they have to be careful with Jacobs and his hammy, so I really can't see him playing, despite his confidence that he's fine.

We'll see what Bradshaw can do... And if he's on a short leash because of his fumble 8 games ago, well, TC has to put that punishment to bed. He's got a lead RB who's fumbled twice, and Bradshaw needs a shot in the arm before he goes out to face a pretty stingy Vikings defense.

OK, folks. I say it's depth that will keep the Giants from the playoffs, if anything can. What say you?

That's the latest news from TC... Jacobs will be further evaluated this week, as will Derrick Ward, who is going on a month of missed action with a badly sprained ankle and a groin pull. If they're both out Sunday against the Vikings, TC did say that Ahmad Bradshaw would be ready to play more and that the rookie RB has been more involved in the offense during practice. He did have a snap on Sunday, when he dropped a go screen.

As for Kiwanuka, the surgery today will stabilize his ankle and lower leg and he'll be on injured reserve shortly. No chance of a return this season.

TC listed Reggie Torbor, Chase Blackburn and Gerris Wilkinson as possible replacements at SLB and said he hoped that the Giants wouldn't have to change much in their pass rush with Kiwanuka out. Fred Robbins got some of those passing-situation snaps yesterday and should get more.

Just announced -- broken left fibula. Season's over for him. Reggie Torbor has been playing SLB, and Fred Robbins has stayed in on passing downs.

As expected. Also out: RB Tatum Bell, CB Dovonte Edwards, CB Tony Beckham, G Manny Ramirez, T Jonathan Scott and DE Ikaika Alama-Francis. Dan Orlovsky is the third QB.

Lions do have Jared DeVries in White's spot, and DeVries has 4 1/2 sacks this season.

Otherwise, it's all the same... Steve Smith, Dahl, Derrick Ward, Adam Koets, Dave Tollefson, Manny Wright, Kevin Boothe, Jared Lorenzen (third QB).

Nothing from the Lions yet.

Walking up to Ford Field today -- there's an old-style bar and grill on the corner, right between the football stadium and Comerica Park. Radio-sponsored tailgate-type deal, loud music blaring from the speakers.

It's Detroit Rock City -- what were they playing?

Carly Simon.

That'll get you in the mood to play some football.

Giants 24, Lions 20

Here's why:

-- Osi and Justin Tuck. The Lions keep their tight ends in to block almost always, and send three or four or five wideouts on the hunt. Jon Kitna will be trying to get the ball out quickly, but he's been sacked 40 times, which says the Lions aren't very successful at getting the ball out quickly. Osi will get a lot of one-on-one time with Jeff Backus and Tuck will be on the field a lot.

-- It's a big game. For those who think Eli and the Giants aren't big-game players, what can you say about the Lions and Kitna? They haven't had a big game since 2000. I have a sneaking suspicion it'll be a lot like being indoors in Atlanta -- very pumped up to start and once the mistakes happen, very quiet.

-- Brandon Jacobs. Yes, I said this last week too, and I was sure not right about it. But if the Giants can play-action the Lions defense and hit a few big passes to get a lead, Jacobs will jam the ball down their throats. And no, I don't think he'll fumble.

But I've read over on BBI that a few fans want Ahmad Bradshaw in there more, especially to catch passes with Derrick Ward out. Ain't gonna happen -- not with Bradshaw having fumbled twice this season and having barely played on offense. Jacobs should be good for 125 yards and a score.

-- The Lions secondary. It's not good. I wouldn't get all mushy about the Giants secondary either, but the Lions won't have DE Dewayne White, it seems, so their pass rush may be a bit diminished.

So there you have it. I did have visions of Mike Furrey and Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams running free for days, but I just don't see that Kitna will get the kind of time the Giants afforded that other old QB, Favre. Romo had to produce some nifty moves to break free, moves that Kitna doesn't have.

Oh, and David -- you win the prize on the lookalikes. I bow to you, sir.

vs.

We already know about Sam Madison... JB Smoove, aka Leon from "Curb Your Enthusiasm," is a comic genius. He also beats up skinheads/cancer patients.

No restrictions on this blog, it seems. Post away. I'm happy to report that the high-quality tone of your comments has kept this from being restricted. Good job, everyone.

In true self-congratulatory blog style, I can say that this is one of the finer blog moments: The blog has been Hot Clicked. And, also in true Newsday blog style, the link back here is below an Erin Andrews pic/interview. My man JTrain keeps things interesting over there, though not always SFW.

I'm sure Best and Glauber will be linking on over.

Oh, and it appears that from now on, I'll have to approve all comments. I'm a liberal-minded sort when it comes to that, so it'll only be a matter of how often I can approve them. Don't stress if it's not promptly posted, that's all.

Game preview tomorrow, before landing in Detroit.

At least for the early portion. He was in pads with his helmet on, which at least seemed to indicate he'd do the team portion of practice after the media was excused.

More in a bit.

UPDATE: Pierce practiced fully and took every snap. Derrick Ward and Steve Smith took zero snaps and are both out for Sunday. Plax didn't practice, but he's in.

After a brief hiatus, the List is back... And labor-intensive. We've taken (OK, stolen) one of Blauber's favorite games, the lookalikes, and put a twist on it.

So here's the FridayList: Giants lookalike matchup boxes... You'll figure it out as we go:

vs.

Eli has 62 touchdown passes in the last two-plus seasons, was the No. 1 overall pick in 2004 and signed a $54-million rookie deal. Despite plenty of criticism, he's pretty well unaffected off the field... Eeyore had a good run in the Winnie the Pooh series, but he's a donkey and tends to take criticism to heart.

Edge: Eli

vs.

TC has over 100 NFL wins, two AFC championship game appearances and could become the first Giants coach to go to the playoffs three years in a row since Parcells... Scott Hoch has 11 career PGA Tour wins, including two at the Greater Milwaukee Open (1995, 97). No word on whether Hoch requires his caddy to be early.

Edge: TC

vs.

Sam Madison, despite looking older than his 33 years, is having a very good season, with two interceptions... Ashy Larry (Donnell Rawlings) has much flakier skin, no clothes and no show anymore.

Edge: Madison

vs.

Chris Snee may be on his way to his first Pro Bowl, in his third season. He is also TC's son-in-law, which raises all kinds of nepotism questions about his job... Gutter, Jon Favreau's character from "PCU," had little going for him. Favreau went on to write and star in "Swingers," so until that Pro Bowl comes along, Snee's got no shot here.

Edge: Favreau

vs.

Kareem McKenzie has been a solid right tackle for the Giants since he signed a $25-million free agent deal in 2005. He is without a doubt the calmest, most self-possessed man in the locker room... Suge Knight is not quite as calm. His Death Row Records was once atop the hip-hop world, but Knight's time in prison knocked the company off its perch. Knight has also never used the word "splendiferous."

Edge: Kareem

vs.

Madison Hedgecock has been a nice surprise for the Giants, having just signed a five-year extension after being plucked off the waiver wire in week two... Dennis the Menace is a mischievous little rascal who delighted humor-impaired comic readers for decades with his antics.

Edge: Menace

vs.

This is more of a soundalike, but we're getting down to it. So whatever. Barry Cofield is only in his second year, but he hasn't missed a start in his 25 games at tackle. Very reliable on the field and very quotable off, reporters enjoy listening to his deep voice... Don Cornelius hosted "Soul Train" and has long been one of the coolest guys ever to wear tinted glasses indoors. His voice is also deep, and he says a lot of cool things.

Edge: Cornelius

vs.

Michael Strahan is a sure Hall-of-Famer and has been a leader of the Giants for many years. He also has a large gap between his two front teeth, which is somewhat of his signature look... Ollie, from the long-ago puppet show "Kukla, Fran & Ollie," was a leader of the kids' television show movement from its earliest beginnings. He also has a signature look that involves his teeth.

Edge: Strahan

Bonus -- Newsday lookalike matchup boxes!

vs.

Blauber has had a good run at Newsday, over 20 years of football coverage. He's also on TV a lot -- well, that's what he tells me, anyway... Tom Crean lead Marquette to a Final Four.

Edge: Crean

vs.

Dave Lennon covers the Mets for Newsday and often wonders aloud to me how it's possible that I have time to do nonsense such as these lists... Mike Richter won a Stanley Cup with the Rangers in 1994 and, like, Dave, has run the NYC Marathon. Faster than Dave, I think.

Edge: Richter

So he told me today... As I said in my earlier post, he's the fourth leading receiver with 24 catches. If it's true that Eli doesn't trust many of his receivers, he clearly trusts Ward. Jacobs has only seven catches this season.

As does Sinorice Moss, who told me that he's still being patient and trying to improve his chemistry with Eli in practices, where Moss runs all the plays in place of Burress.

"I feel like it's coming along," Moss said. "There's just going to be one of those games where things just happen, and then it'll take off. I have to keep showing the coaches that I'm open and I can make plays for this team."

TC is holding Pierce out of practice today with that "mild" concussion, even though there's no such thing. I could go into painstaking detail, but basically, a concussion is a concussion. He could certainly be back for the game Sunday, but these things aren't subject to the mild/major scale anymore. Have to wait and see.

I thought Pierce got poked in the eye on Sunday, but I guess he got his bell rung when he missed a play.

Plax is out of practice and Steve Smith (hamstring) may already be out for Sunday; TC said there was little improvement on Smith's hammy, and the rookie needs to practice in order to play. No word yet on Derrick Ward, whose role as a receiving option out of the backfield can't be underestimated anymore with Plax's effectiveness on the decline.

More after practice.

Funny you should bring up Eli's personality, Wolf. That's just the topic I'd like to get into today and will be addressing in further depth in the Chalk Talk.

My man Wally Matthews, never one to shy away from a strong opinion, offered this take today. Saying Eli is akin to Joey Harrington might be the biggest blasphemy laid at the feet of St. Eli so far, but hey, Wally pulls no punches.

My take? Eli is boring with the media. His demeanor is boring on the field. Who cares? He's won some big games, and the playoff losses were not solely on him -- what else could he have done in Philly last season, except maybe play some D and make a tackle?

It's the biggest knock on him, and it's wrong in my book.

So let's hear it, people. Eli: Boom, bust or just plain boring?

So he said today. "This is probably the worst it's felt," he said after the Giants' jog-through. He has no plans to take a game off though, noting that he had a whole week off and it didn't get better.

"I'll be glad when it's all over and I can rest it," he said.

Eli was also good, standing up for himself to a question about whether he feels worse because of the way he played. "I'm not the one to blame for a loss," he said. "You're going to lose games, it's part of football. You win the next one, you're back in a good spot."

Still a lot of confidence all the way around the room. "There's a totally different attitude," Gibril Wilson said. "Guys aren't worried about what happened last year, last week, yesterday. We're thinking about what's next."

Kareem McKenzie said his bruised back felt "spectacular," though that's just because he likes multisyllable words.

Lots of debate among the scribes about whether Kevin Boss' and Chris Snee's holding calls were valid and whether Romo was over the line on his first TD pass. What do you all say?

You could have had this guy as your QB last night. Can't imagine there's a lot of recapping going on with the family today.

"Hey son, it's Dad. I've got Eli on the three-way... Uh, boys, I had so many games like you two had yesterday, I don't know where to begin..."

Anywise, since this wasn't exactly what I thought would happen, we'll start with the bad first:

THE BAD

Eli: He's always had extenuating circumstances for his second-half mess-ups, usually to do with missing O-linemen or missing go-to receivers. Only thing missing in the second half last night was his ability to manage the game, which has always been a strong point. TC wanted to take the rap for the 3 delay-of-game penalties, but that's all Eli, as Troy Aikman pointed out. This isn't a new offense, he's not been saddled with more responsibilities all of a sudden. Just flat-out poor play.

O-line: Five sacks isn't pretty, though at least three were coverage sacks and one by DeMarcus Ware was just a complete whiff by David Tyree on a chip block. Still, the line didn't do it's usual good job.

Brandon Jacobs: Found some running room later, but did it seem that he was slow hitting the holes (which were there) early and picked some bad rushing lanes?

Youngsters in the secondary: Aaron Ross made one terrific pass breakup, but let Patrick Crayton slip through his grasp for the second-quarter TD. Michael Johnson was too aggressive with a late hit on Marion Barber in the second quarter, then not aggressive enough in pulling Barber down on 3rd-and-1 in the fourth.

THE GOOD

Shockey: Career best 12 catches, and gave a good hint to future Dallas opponents: Make Horse Collar Williams cover guys.

Gibril Wilson: Yes, T.O. got past him for the 50-yarder, though I suspect Kevin Dockery, who was playing in off-coverage over the top, was supposed to be back and help. Wilson had a great pick and a couple of strong tackles.

THE UGLY

Trash talk: Patrick Crayton called the Giants "scared," and (incorrectly) said Brandon Jacobs was doing some talking all week. Jacobs fired back and said, "He (stinks), first of all. So it's unfair for him to say something like that." Kind of makes you hope there's a playoff rematch.

Dumb penalties: Cowboys could very easily have been the ones talking about how they blew it. Kevin Burnett's taunting penalty at the end of the half might have been the dumbest penalty in the history of the NFL; he handed the Giants three points and a tie game.

Red jerseys: Enough already with this.

No injury for Webster, just a desire seemingly for Craig Dahl to be active for special teams duty. Same for Ahmad Bradshaw, who's in. Also out: Steve Smith, Derrick Ward, Adam Koets, Dave Tollefson, Manny Wright and Kevin Boothe. Jared Lorenzen is the third QB.

Tyson Thompson is out for Dallas, and Jacques Reeves will start while Anthony Henry backs up.

Nice to get back to writing about a game... Been a couple weeks, you know?

Giants 28, 'Boys 20.

Here's why:

-- Brandon Jacobs and the O-line. We've been talking and writing a lot about the Dallas O-line and how big and strong it is, but what about the Giants' front? If it's supposed to be the Pro Bowl for Chris Snee, Shaun O'Hara and Dave Diehl, then this is the game to show why. And Jacobs, averaging a gaudy 5.6 a carry -- Marion Barber, who is a force, is averaging 5.4 a carry, but he's the guy who comes in and softens up worn-down defenses after Romo's been flinging the ball all over the place -- will be able to run, I think.

-- Happy Feet. Romo is a compelling character, but I remember the visit he and the 'Boys paid last year. He made some mistakes and needed that late rollout and heave to Witten to save the day against a Giants defense that was missing Strahan and just got Osi back. I believe that was Will Demps who let Witten run free. But otherwise, Romo wasn't so great. If the Giants D contains him, Romo will make mistakes.

-- Eli. We all worry about Manning getting tired, and that seems to be the common thread among his bad outings. He ain't tired now. I also like his chops in big divisional games.

Useless stat that helps my position: Manning has had a 100 or better passer rating nine times in his career. The last five have been against NFC East opponents. The last two have been in the last two Cowboys games. So there.

I hope I justified my prediction well... I seem to recall a few weeks back getting ripped for not "basing" my prediction on enough evidence. If I'm wrong here, I guess I'm just a moron.

Not that I have a long memory or anything.

Same three as usual on the sideline in the cold and rain.

Smith clearly won't play; Ward hasn't worked in several weeks, and his presence isn't as necessary as, say, Plax's is.

Guess TC didn't get the memo... Me either.

Burress practiced today, doing all the individual drills and "mixing it up" in the team drills. He said the soreness in his sprained right ankle is at a more manageable level than it'd been before the bye week, and the 10 days of treatment got him to the point where he was cleared to practice today.

Can't be sure what that means for the rest of the week, and I dare not speculate. Too many times being wrong.

Not much else new from the locker room... No trash talk, no bulletin-board material from anyone, particularly Brandon Jacobs, who talked some trash before the season opener and ended up with a sprained knee for his troubles.

"I haven't said a thing about anyone, kept my mouth shut and I've had over 100 yards three times," he said. "That's the way it's going to stay."