New York Sports Fan Blog

With Antonio Pierce gone from the Giants and newly acquired Keith Bulluck to take a chance at becoming the starting middle linebacker, only a psychic can predict the future for the starting linebacking core. Last season the Giants had a mix n match time with their linebackers and it seems like its starting over again during the pre-season. Its been said that the coaches have a new set of three linebackers every practice to see which they feel most comfortable with. The Giants are looking for their best three-man lineup at linebacker, which could mean moving Bulluck to outside linebacker as opposed to backing up Goff. The experiment could be an indication of the coaching staff’s confidence that Goff will be the starting middle linebacker. All I have to say is that the season is starting in a few weeks and they need to get situated so players can get accustom to playing with each other. Everyone has their own playing style and tendencies and flipping players screws up the team’s chemistry. The Giants need to settle on their starters and get their defense going.

Last year the New York Giants went 8-8 in a tough NFC east division. The main problem with the New York Giants was their defense. The Giants defense let up the most points in the NFC East at 427 points against. The Giants stepped up their defensive secondary by signing Antrel Rolle. Rolle has been a great player for the Arizona Cardinals helping them make it to a Super Bowl. He is definitely a key player that the New York Giants need for their secondary. Another area of their defense that needs to be looked at our adjusted before the beginning of the season is the linebacker positions. Once they get healthy, continuous starters, they will have a decent core to play with. The offensive line has been very steady and it seems that they will be good once again come this season. The Giants look poised to do well this season and I can see them finishing 2nd in their division with a playoff spot.

The Giants offense its a very good offensive team and will look to up their game next season. Brandon Jacobs played hurt throughout the ‘09 season and was effective at times. After his knee surgery, he will look to return to old form when he first arrived and create havoc on the field.

Justin Tuck has been to the mountain with the New York Giants, winning an NFL title. The defensive end and the rest of the Giants tumbled into a deep valley in their final game at Giants Stadium.

Matt Moore and the Carolina Panthers (7-8) turned the Giants’ 273rd and final game in the 34-year-old stadium into one of their ugliest moments in their franchise history with a 41-9 rout on Sunday.

Coupled with Green Bay’s win over Seattle and Dallas’ victory over Washington on Sunday night, the loss eliminated the Giants (8-7) from playoff contention for the first time in five years, something totally unexpected after a 5-0 start.

New York will close out the season next Sunday at Minnesota.

“It’s tough,” Tuck said after the Giants (8-7) lost for the seventh time in 10 games. “Like you said, we had everything at stake playing a team that was only playing for pride, and I guess pride won today. We should have been playing with a little pride ourselves.”

The Giants knew that they probably needed to win their final two games and hope that either Green Bay or Dallas lost one of their remaining two to get to the postseason.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Tom Coughlin stopped for a moment Sunday night before heading down a hallway leading to the coaches’ locker room. He had a blank look on his face as he stood and stared back into the players’ locker room, saying nothing.


Clearly, Coughlin was still in shock over the most excruciating regular-season loss in his six years as the Giants’ coach, the fourth in a row after the 5-0 start, the one that could eventually blow up the season, if it hasn’t already.

“It’s not the end of the world. We’re not going to panic,” Mathias Kiwanuka said. “We are professional athletes. We are here to do a job. We’re just going to get it done. The bottom line is we got seven more games left and seven chances to turn it around. It’s not over.”


Click here to read the full article – By Gary Myers of NY Daily News

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C.C. Brown told Jenny Vrentas Thursday it was his fault DeSean Jackson got wide open for a 54-yard TD.

The Giants’ coaches apparently agreed.

Aaron Rouse, not Brown, was working with the first-team defense during the portion of Friday’s practice that was open to the media. That’s a pretty good indication Rouse has supplanted Brown as the Giants’ starting safety.

The coaches have apparently seen enough of Brown’s mental and physical mistakes, which began with several miscues against the Saints and continued through Sunday’s loss to the Eagles when he missed a coverage audible by linebacker Antonio Pierce and played his “own coverage” in the middle of the field instead of on the deep right.


Click here to read the full article – By Mike Garafolo of The Star-Ledger

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After saying the Giants had to get back to their old smashmouth ways, Brandon Jacobs had his best game of the season last night, yet he saw the Giants go away from the run — a decision that cost them dearly in their 24-17 loss to Arizona.

And though Jacobs had 76 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries, he refused to put the blame on offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride’s playcalling. Instead, he placed it squarely on the players.

“Not to take anything away from their defense, we just didn’t want it enough,” Jacobs said. “I don’t think they were able to really stop us. But we had to try and mix it up and do a bunch of different things, and that’s what happened. We have to go out and execute no matter what’s called. We didn’t want it enough.”


Click here to read the full article – By BRIAN LEWIS of New York Post

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The emotions were understandably intense for Eli Manning, who grew up just a few miles from the Superdome yet had never played in the building his father, Archie, toiled in during the 1970s and ’80s.


Coming out of the tunnel in the moments before the game Sunday, he admitted to being more pumped up than usual.

“It’s a special moment for me to play in New Orleans, to be able to play in my hometown,” he said. “It’s something I was excited about.”

Unfortunately for Manning, the most enjoyable part of his day came before the game; after a 48-27 loss to his hometown team, the Giants’ quarterback left the Superdome crestfallen.

Manning had his moments — there was a 15-yard TD pass to Mario Manningham in the second that cut the Saints’ lead to 27-17. A TD pass to Brandon Jacobs in the fourth would have made it 41-24, but it was negated by a Shaun O’Hara holding penalty.

There were enough missed plays for Manning to lament.

His fumble on a sack late in the second quarter set up a crushing Saints touchdown that made it 34-17

Click here to read the full article – By BOB GLAUBER and TOM ROCK of Courant.com

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Below are links to memorabilia available for Eli Manning.

Eli Manning spent a second straight practice session with the training staff Thursday, but the Giants continue to be encouraged as he fights through an injured plantar fascia in his right foot.

“He spends about 24 hours working on it, so it’s good to see the progress, even if it is small,” Tom Coughlin said.

It wasn’t much of a surprise that Manning did not practice Thursday. The most revealing day of the week will be today when the Giants hold their final full practice leading up to Sunday’s game against the Raiders. When Manning injured his shoulder in 2007, he was able to test the injury in the Friday workout before playing against the Packers. He’ll likely want to test his foot in a practice setting today before making any decisions on his availability Sunday.

The Giants will announce today whether Manning will be out, doubtful, questionable or probable for the game on their injury report. If Manning is unable to play, David Carr would start.

Beatty in place of Boss? Giants tight end Kevin Boss also did not practice. If he can’t play, the Giants could use a combination of former UConn tackle Will Beatty as an extra blocker and tight end Travis Beckum to replace him. “Monday and Tuesday I wasn’t able to walk right,” Boss said. “I’m finally starting to feel like I’m walking normal.” … Defensive end Chris Canty (calf) visited a doctor Thursday. “He’s got issues,” Coughlin said. “It’s just very difficult to get him beyond a certain point.

Edwards practices with Jets: Braylon Edwards spent most of his first few hours with the Jets meeting his new teammates and coaches and digging into the playbook. A day after being traded from Cleveland, the receiver was on the practice field, already feeling like one of the guys.


Click here to read the full article – By Combined Wire Services of Courant.com

New York Giants Sports Memorabilia
and other New York Giants Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Eli Manning.

4 October 2009: New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) drops back to pass during the Giants 27-16 win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

Bet on him playing.

That’s not medical advice but it is a prediction based on the unseen toughness and determination that Eli Manning brings to the field, every week. Manning is battling through a physical problem the Giants are calling “an injury to his plantar fascia” that caused his right heel and arch to become sore and swollen.

But — and this is telling — Manning was not any more sore or swollen yesterday than he was immediately after he was forced out early in the fourth quarter of a 27-16 victory over the Chiefs. He says his “gut feeling” is that he will start on Sunday against the Raiders as the unbeaten Giants return home after three straight road games.


Click here to read the full article – By PAUL SCHWARTZ of New York Post

27 SEP 2009: Ahmad Bradshaw (44) of the Giants breaks away from Geno Hayes (54) of the Buccaneers during the game between the New York Giants and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

With 10 players already on their injury report, coach Tom Coughlin found a new name on the list Wednesday: backup halfback Ahmad Bradshaw, who rushed for 104 yards in New York’s 24-0 win over Tampa Bay this past weekend.

Bradshaw walked to practice wearing a boot on his right foot to protect sprains to his ankle and foot. He did not work out.

Neither Coughlin nor Bradshaw seemed concerned whether the backup to starter Brandon Jacobs would play Sunday when the Giants (3-0) travel to Kansas City (0-3).

It’s an old college injury, Bradshaw said, remembering his initial injury — a high ankle sprain — came on a toss play during his freshman year at Marshall.

“You know what, I have played through a lot of pain during college, when I first injured it,” Bradshaw said. “I have just been able to do that ever since. It always hurts during the game. There is a lot of pounding in the game, somebody might fall on it a different way.”


Click here to read the full article – By TOM CANAVAN of salon.com