Art Staple on Newsday had this on his blog:

We’ll have a web story and one in the paper on the Shockey subject, and here’s the key part for now: Jerry Reese emailed me this response to a question about whether the Giants are shopping Shockey:

“He is our starting tight end.”

I’d say that stands pretty well. Shockey is still a valuable player, especially as a blocker — I think Kevin Gilbride could be pretty excited about the two-TE sets with Shockey and Kevin Boss for next season, especially since Boss has proven to be a very good pass-catcher and an improving blocker. Could be some very good decoy plays run out of those sets.

So don’t expect any type of trade. Besides the Giants need him IMO. Kevin Boss and Shockey can co-exist.

Well you need a punter and Jeff Feagles is a good one. The Giants gave him a new two year contract, so the kicking situation has been sorted out for 2008.

Here’s the Bergen Record:

Jeff Feagles, maybe the NFL’s best punter ever, and NFC championship hero Lawrence Tynes re-upped.

Punter Jeff Feagles, who turns 42 next month, signed a two-year contract extension Tuesday to return for a 21st season. That came one day after placekicker Lawrence Tynes agreed to a reported five-year, $7 million deal that he is scheduled to sign sometime next week.

Feagles, who also serves as the holder for Tynes’ kicks, became the oldest player to appear in the Super Bowl when he punted in the 17-14 win over the New England Patriots, his first appearance in the big game after two decades in the NFL.

 “I still have some years left in me and I think I proved it this year,” said Feagles, who dropped 25 of his 71 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line in 2007. “And I just love being on this team now. I can’t say enough about the organization, either.

 “The decision was really a matter of if the team wanted to sign me back, and they did, and I wanted to play, and then it was just a matter of getting together, working some numbers, and then doing it.”

 Read more here.

Mike Lupica with a nice article in the DN.

Doesn’t matter now. What matters is that the last Giants drive down the field is instantly and marvelously part of the permanent sports memory of the city. Even if the line was out of line. Even if the point spread had more to do with 18-0 than the way the Patriots had looked coming into this game, the Giants go in now with the underdog teams of all time.

These Giants, the run they just gave us, go in with the best sports stories of all time, and not just in New York.

Eli to Amani Toomer to start that last drive, for 11 yards. Eli handing it to Brandon Jacobs on fourth-and-1 and Jacobs grinding for two. Then the greatest single play of any Super Bowl, Eli Manning somehow breaking free from a rugby scrum, from underneath a pocket collapsing around him like a house of cards, setting himself, throwing the ball to David Tyree, whose hand will be pressing that ball to his helmet forever, a football picture for Giant fans like the baseball picture of Willie Mays catching Vic Wertz’s ball at the Polo Grounds in 1954.

Then Eli to Steve Smith after that.

Finally the sweetest spiral you will ever see, Eli to Plaxico Burress in the left corner of the end zone with 35 seconds left.

And you know something? It was an even better ending than you know.

More at the NY Daily News.

Raph Vacchiano writes on how the Giants are back to work so they have a chance to repeat in 2008.

If the Giants are going to become the dynasty that their GM hopes they will be, then there’s plenty of work to be done and it has to be done fast.

“You can’t just go to the Super Bowl and then relax,” Reese said. “We’re working harder than ever because we want to be in this situation every year.”

Reese knows how difficult that is. After all, neither the Indianapolis Colts nor the Chicago Bears came close to reaching Super Bowl XLII, just one year after playing each other in Super Bowl XLI. In fact, only three teams have appeared in back-to-back Super Bowls in the last 14 years while only the Denver Broncos (XXXII and XXXIII) and the Patriots (XXXVIII and XXXIX) have repeated as champions.

There’s a reason for that. Becoming a champion brings issues – some of them unforeseen. There could be a lot standing in the way of the Giants’ path to Tampa, site of Super Bowl XLIII in 2009.

 For more visit the NY Daily News.

During the off-season, we signed Texans FB Vonta Leach to an offer sheet in an attempt to upgrade at fullback, but the Texans matched the offer and forced us to settle on Finn. At the time, I didn’t quite understand why we were so eager to replace our fullback since 2003 who did an outstanding job blocking for Tiki and had always looked pretty good catching the ball as well – I mean, Tiki’s accomplishments over the past few years must have had something to do with Finn, right?

But the thinking behind our souring on Finn, which is alluded to by Mike Garafolo in his piece in today’s Star-Ledger, seems logical enough: The Giants felt that Finn wasn’t physical enough to block for straight-ahead, downhill runners like Jacobs and Droughns. For guys like the running backs we have now, you want a fullback to be able to just blast through a hole and clear a path.

And Finn wasn’t that guy; rather, he was a quick, finesse type blocker whose abilities perfectly suited Tiki’s unique improvisational style. Finn was quick enough to get to a spot and put his body in front of the defender; even if he couldn’t out-physical that defender, Tiki could read Finn’s block (along with everything else happening in front of him) and make the appropriate cut. But, as will be evident at many points throughout the season, Jacobs and Droughns are not much like the one-of-a-kind Teekster.

Now Finn’s gone for the year – his days as a Giant are almost certainly numbered and even if he tries to come back from the most recent of his three shoulder operations that has left him with severe arthritis, he may never play football again. Football is a cold world, and like many of his peers, Finn will quickly be forgotten by most. But NYGMen thanks Jim Finn for playing a vital role in the three best seasons Giants fans have ever seen from a running back, and wishes him good luck in the future.

**

The pressing issue for Jerry Reese now is to replace Finn. Our best in-house option, evidently, is a fellow named Robert Douglas. Douglas has never suited up for an NFL game and has been released four times since he first reported to an NFL camp in 2005, so it would seem like an upgrade should be in order here.

There are a number of fullbacks not currently on rosters who have starting experience in the NFL, including William Henderson, Chris Hetherington, Bryan Johnson, Daimon Shelton, and Jerald Sowell. Another possibility is that we could trade for a guy currently on a roster.

Who knows, but expect Jerry Reese to make some sort of move, if not before camp than after. Douglas may be perfectly capable, but why take the chance? I’d be much more comfortable with a known quantity here.

1) Plax and Shockey: No-Shows Again (Finn too)

So as I’m sure you’ve heard, Plax and Shockey no-showed the optional organized team activities for the third year in a row. I have no idea what kind of difference these workouts actually make, if any – I won’t pretend to know what I’m talking about by trotting out the obvious Eli/Plax Shockey vs. Peyton/Marvin Harrison parallel – but if you were Plax and Shockey, wouldn’t you just go to these things for the sake of having the media shut the fuck up about it already?

I mean, Jesus. Just show up for three days or whatever, run some routes and catch some balls, and then sit back and get showered with good press, content in the knowledge that you don’t have to hear about this shit for the rest of the season. If anything, for two guys who are accused of being uncommitted to the team, this would seem like the path of least resistance.

An aggravating circumstance here is the happy horseshit that Plax was spewing when he showed up for voluntary passing drills in early May. Here’s the quote:

“I’m just here because I want us to get better and I want (Eli) to reach his full potential, which I think can be great. I feel I’m one of the best players in the world at my position. If it takes me to come back and work with my quarterback right now to get to that level, then I’m more than willing to do that because I believe I can be that person.”

Best players in the world? That’s a little, I don’t know, grandiose, isn’t it. Whatever.

Are they doing this out of stubbornness? Are they doing this to spite the media, and/or Colonel Tom (for whom Shockey issued an unexpected, somewhat not-too-credible statement of support after the Giants retained him)? I don’t know. But grow up, fellas – this is ridiculous.

Whether these workouts make a difference or not, it’s gotten to the point where Plax and Shockey’s no-showing is a direct affront to Eli, who has openly stated that he wants these guys there. Here’s Eli’s rather pointed quote:

“(I) accept it. I have to do what I have to do. I have to be positive and make the best out of every workout with whoever’s out there and wants to come to practice and work. So these are the guys I’ll work with and try to get as good as we can with them.”

I can’t think of a better way to show up your underconfident quarterback who is always getting undermined by the media than to openly defy him publicly. (Again, this wouldn’t be that big of a deal if the media hadn’t made it one, but given that the media has acted like the media is expected to act, it has become a big deal, fair or not, and whether these guys like it or not.) The flailed arms during games are bad enough, but somewhat understandable in the heat of battle. Refusing to show up for these workouts after all the media scrutiny is now just a plain dick move to Eli.

It was hard to get a sense of how pissed Colonel Tom was from his comments. Refusing to comment on the absent players, he said: “We’ll talk about the guys that are here.”

Was that a shot at Plax and Shockey, or was that typical Tom gruffness towards the media?

I don’t know, but what I do know is that this season has already gotten off on the wrong foot. Nice job, guys.

(Also, Jim Finn blew this thing off as well. If I were Finn, I, too, would be pretty pissed that we tried unsuccessfully to replace him. This seems like a classic, “I won’t go where I’m not wanted move. Understandable, but another indication of the sour vibe that seems to be carrying over from last year.)

**

2) Antonio Pierce breeds pit-bulls, but thinks anyone who fights them “is a punk.”

This piece turned out to be pretty interesting: Pierce had a pretty strong reaction to the whole Vick thing. Some quotes:

“Anybody who fights pit bulls is a punk. It gives my dogs a bad rap. Everybody loves my dogs because they’re good dogs. So of course I’m not pleased with it.”

Re: Vick, he said, “None of it sounds positive. If (Vick was involved), then (authorities) need to do what they need to do.”

Here’s a nice quote from Kevin Dockery, who owns one of the dogs that Pierce bred:

“It’s all about how you raise them. My dog isn’t aggressive at all. They just have a bad rap because they’re capable of being aggressive and mean. But those dogs are reflective of their owners.”

Too much has been said about the whole Vick thing already, but I thought Deadspin’s Will Leitch put it best, saying of Vick, “You have to give him one thing, though: This was a unique way to go down.”

**

3) R.W. Trims His Awesome Dreads

Finally, some sad news: R.W. McQuarters has given himself his first haircut since his rookie season in 1998. So much for the R.W. – Harold Perrineau (dude in the wheelchair on “Oz”) call; the Antonio Pierce – David’s cop lover from “Six Feet Under” is now the most uncanny resemblance on the Giants. He still has one of the coolest names in professional sports, but the dreads will be missed.

This is actually a really good piece by John Branch of The Times. It shows both how attached R.W. was to his dreads and how quirky he is.

Quoth R-Dubs: “Different energies, relationships you had in the past, I think it all comes with your hair. Because it’s there. It’s always there. It grows. When you cut it off, it’s like cutting off some of the past. So it was really like getting rid of all that negativity…. In eight and a half years? Oh yeah, I’ve been through several negative situations. It was just time for me to change. I was 30, and it was time.”

Branch goes on to say that R.W. sort of started a trend in the NFL of corners with massive dreads. Following in the Dubs’ footsteps were Mike McKenzie and Al Harris, as well as Rashean Mathis, Asante Samuel, and countless others.

A new dreads devotee is corner Darren Barnett, a free-agent rookie from Missouri State. Though he probably won’t make the team, Barnett had an interesting lines about the connection between dreads and corners:

“Most of the top corners, guys who want to stand out there, have dreadlocks.”

Guys who want to stand out there. I love that. They always say corners are “on an island,” alone in their responsibility to prevent a game-breaking and embarrassing big play. Given all this pressure, there must be something psychologically comforting about rocking an awesome tassel of dreads. Like, it’s not just you against the receiver; it’s you and your dreads against the receiver, and that’s more of a fair fight.

–My Jersey Journal article on football allegiances in Hudson County, which, for those of you who don’t know, is the one right across the river that contains Jersey City, Hoboken, Bayonne, etc., and is the purview of the Jersey Journal. Contrary to popular belief, the Jersey Journal is not a diary about my jersey collection.

The article is basically a run-down of a poll conducted by New Jersey City University. Not surprisingly, the G-Men reign supreme in Hudson County, as you would suspect they would in all of northern NJ, which has traditionally been Giants country – the Jets have more of a Long Island fan-base.

Many of the six-hundred respondents are clearly pretty ig’nant when it comes to football, but nevertheless, the poll reveals some interesting stuff: For instance, 62.1% of Hudson County Giants fans identified themselves as Republicans. This is pretty surprising, considering that Hudson County is one of the most Democratic counties in the country – Kerry beat Bush by a 2-1 margin in 2004, and Corzine beat Forrester by a 3-1 margin in the 2005 Gov. race.

Peter Handrinos, author of the forthcoming Best New York Sports Arguments: The 100 Most Controversial, Debatable, Questions for Die Hard New York Sports Fans, offers some good insight into this Republican affinity for the G-Men.

“The Giants have always been more associated with the establishment. You can even look at the nicknames: ‘The G-Men.’ ‘Big Blue.’ Even the red, white and blue colors speak of old-time values. In the sixties, the Giants were the guys with crew cuts, and Joe Namath and the Jets were the guys with long hair and beards.”

–Check out this on-point and really well-written blog post by Michael Waxenberg about the return of Colonel Tom to Jacksonville. He writes, “Coughlin was the unitary executive in Jacksonville. He truly was the organization. The team’s ascent disguised his quirks, and its decline unmasked his hubris…. [But] Coughlin seems to have learned from some of the mistakes he made in Jacksonville. The Patton act isn’t quite so overbearing, except perhaps in his interaction with the media. He has made a genuine effort to connect with his players on the basis of mutual respect and not fear.”

–Well, it will be Bob Whitfield at left tackle on Monday – forget about sliding Diehl over and sticking Seubert in Diehl’s spot. It’s important to remember that Whitfield, for as bad as he looked last Sunday, was coming in completely rusty off the bench, working at a different position (left tackle) than he had the week before (right tackle, when he filled in for a migraine-ridden McKenzie.) Those subtleties in footwork make a big difference, especially when you’re coming in cold against Alex Brown.

Who knows? Maybe the loss of Petitgout won’t be so debilitating after all. And if Whitfield falters, there’s always the option of sliding Diehl over. This week should be a good test – Whitfield’s matched up against speed-rusher Bobby McCray, who comes into the game with 6 sacks. If he can handle this assignment, we’re not in bad shape.

–Tim Carter’s gotta step up, and it didn’t look encouraging when Amani’s replacement was blanked by the Bears. But as Mike Garafolo writes, the coaching staff was actually extremely pleased with Carter’s play. Let’s try to get him the ball – the guy can be a playmaker.

–So yeah, as you all know, Tuck is out for the year with a mangled Lisfranc joint. Jesus Christ, what’s the deal with our D-Ends and this Lisfranc thing? (Who is this Lisfranc character, you might ask? Well, check out the Wikipedia entry.) And I thought Tuck was, like, set to come back any day now? As commentator Fred ominously points out, “2006 DEs = 2005 LBs.” Let’s hope Strahan and Osi get well before we play Dallas on December 3rd. If we have to rest them against the Titans the week before, fine (although it would be nice having them to contain Vince Young).

–Welcome back, Lance Legree, who will split time with Joseph at the left DE spot while Osi (who is doubtful) and Strahan (who is out) convalesce. Obviously it’s a huge downgrade going from Osi and Strahan to ‘Nuke and Joseph/Legree, but at least these are pro-quality players we’re trotting out. It would obviously be great to have our playmakers, but we should be okay.

–Also in this Garafolo piece, Sinorice Moss continues to progress, but both he and Colonel Tom are being cagey about whether he’ll play or not. How ‘bout not? I want this guy completely healthy, if that’s possible, for the stretch-run and the playoffs.

–In other injury news, Brandon Short is out and Carlos Emmons might play. We could use Emmons back, but let’s not rush him – Torbor and Gerris should hold up fine.

–And Sam Madison is questionable, and may actually miss a few weeks. This isn’t good – we’re really thin at corner now, and losing R.W. or Webster would be kinda devastating.

–Speaking of Webster, his improvement at corner is about as critical as Whitfield’s improvement at left tackle. Two things you simply cannot have are a vulnerable left tackle and a vulnerable corner. We know Webster has the tools: he just needs to play better.

–Last but not least, NYGMen wishes a Happy Birthday to Dan, a regular NYGMen commentator, die-hard Giants fan and close friend since Kindergarten.

• It’s shaping up to be a lost season for Sinorice Moss, who suffered yet another set-back. That’s too bad – Tim Carter hasn’t been doing much, and it’s always nice to have more playmakers on the field. But it’s not really the biggest deal: I mean, there’s only one ball to go around, and between all of our star-power and their egos it’s not as if we need a weapon that badly. Hopefully all of this won’t have a detrimental effect on his progress for next year.  
• Brandon Short also strained his quad. He went for tests Tuesday which won’t be released until Wednesday, so we’ll see about that. Short’s injury explains why Gerris Wilkinson got so much burn this past Saturday. Wilkinson played well, forcing a fumble on Anthony Becht that was recovered by the Bucs.
• Short’s the third linebacker to go down since the beginning of this year (LaVar, Emmons). And while only LaVar’s injury is serious, Ernie did a good thing by signing Chris Claiborne as a street free agent today. Claiborne’s not great, but he’s been a competent starter, and you have to think that the crop of available guys is much better now than it is in late December, when we had to rummage through the scrap-heap last year. Mike Garafolo calls it a “pre-emptive strike.” To make room for Claiborne, the G-Men cut the immortal N’Shan Goddard. (I did not know this, but apparently, Claiborne’s a former Butkus Award winner at USC and was the 9th overall pick of the 1999 draft. I guess the guy’s had a pretty disappointing career.)
• In other injury news, it looks like Osi (hip flexor) and Madison (hammy) will both miss Sunday’s game against the Texans. Coughlin said that the two of them were “questionable at best.” That’s ok. Let’s just get these guys healthy for the Bears.
• Justin Tuck is also feeling better, although Garafolo’s report didn’t give us a status for Sunday. William Joseph replaced Barry Cofield in passing situations last Sunday, which Tuck was doing before he got hurt.
• Will Demps is feeling much more comfortable out there, says Mike Garafolo’s article. And the proof’s in the pudding: The Giants pass D has been great the past few weeks.
• Plax has made an effort to be a better teammate this year, writes Ralph Vacchiano. Apparently, he had an epiphany about his body language while watching himself on game tape during the off-season. It reminds me of that “Family Guy” when that violent felon who wanted to kill Joe Swanson for putting him in prison up cut himself with a knife and then said, “So that’s what I’ve been doing to people? That hurts. Jeez, no wonder I’m in here.” But good for Plax. There’s a real good atmosphere surrounding this team these days.
• Good point here by John Branch about Eli: “It is not a ritual, as it had been, that Manning’s performance come under play-by-play scrutiny, that everything from his decision-making to his accuracy to his demeanor be fodder for someone’s analysis. Instead, he has melded into a piece, a pivotal piece, of the machinery that is one of the NFL’s top offenses.” Good call: Not every game presents a referendum for Eli as it did last year. And although, statistically-speaking, he’s had the worse three games of his season the past three weeks, the stats are much better than they were last year. His completion percentage is up from 52.8 to 61.4, and his rating is up from 75.9 to 88.9, eleventh best in the league. The guy is good, okay?
• Allen Barra sings Big Blue’s praises in a well-written piece.
• Finally, a strange-but true story. The Eagles signed William James, nee William James Peterson, the former up-and-coming G-Man cornerback. A good gamble by the Eagles: when healthy, the guy can play. We don’t know why he changed his name to James (for readers of this blog who know me, he is the second person to have changed his last name to James.) Perhaps he is a fan of the 19 century philosopher William James, the elder brother of Henry James, in the same way that Bobby Zimmerman named and then styled himself after Dylan Thomas.

• Fortunately, some of the Giants came to Colonel Tom’s defense. This is a good: you’d be worried if the G-Men pulled a Yankees-with-A-Rod and were like, “That’s between Jeremy and Tom.” But it looks like they jumped to defend him, showing that they realize the importance of staying unified behind the coach. Tiki, the guy who brought “outcoached” into the lexicon, said that the team’s morale is “solid. It is very decent. Mainly because we have a good leader in Coach Coughlin.”
• Mike Garafolo on the Tim Lewis press conference. It remains pretty confounding that the defense has been so bad. According to Secondary Coach Peter Giunta, when it comes to the D-backs, “It’s more mental than physical.” I guess that’s better than if our guys just weren’t very good. It somewhat explainable, too, if not acceptable: three out of the four starters in the secondary are new to the starting Giant defensive backfield.
• Another article about communication problems in the secondary. After last Sunday’s embarrassing performance, during which the Seahawks receivers found themselves wide open on at least four touchdowns, it certainly seems like something that needs to be addressed. Strangely, the Giants are citing the off-season loss of… Brent Alexander(!) as a big factor in their defensive confusion. Apparently, Alexander, despite his declining physical skills, was very knowledgeable about Tim Lewis’ defense and would direct his secondary-mates before the snap. Will Demps, who stepped into Alexander’s role this year, is new to the system, and admitted that he hasn’t done the best job of quarterbacking the secondary. It’s been a bad start, but look at it this way: there are a lot of things about this team that you can reasonably expect will substantially improve as the year goes on.
• Carlos Emmons is out 3-4 weeks with a partially torn pec. This guy hasn’t been able to stay on the field, and at this point, I’d rather just see what Gerris Wilkinson can do. If not Wilkinson, Brandon Short is a solid option. I have to say, I’d be somewhat disappointed if Emmons regains his starting job when he comes back – he’s a fine player, but there’s no reason not to think that he won’t just get injured again.
• If you want to look through it, here’s the complete transcript of the interviews with the positional coaches. If you don’t want to look through it, Ralph Vacchiano pulls out some excerpts. Bill Sheridan, the linebackers coach, spends every single question on LaVar. Let me ask you this, though: If Antonio Pierce had been the marquee free agent this year and LaVar was the guy that had the good year last year, wouldn’t people be all over Pierce like they are LaVar? I mean, it’s not as if LaVar’s the only guy on the defense who’s not setting the world on fire.
• Scrolling down a bit, one of the reporters asked a good question about Corey Webster’s difficulties playing the ball, as evidenced by the touchdown surrendered to Brown in the Eagle game, and against Jackson in the Seattle game. Good question: I thought Will Allen and his horrific ball-skills went to Miami? Besides, I thought Webster, a former wide receiver, was supposed to be really good at playing the ball.
• And finally, the interview with the special teams coach reminded me of something I’ve been thinking: Have you noticed that our wedge on kickoff returns doesn’t get out in front of the returner sufficiently? It seems like Morton has to run laterally for far too long in order to get into the wedge before he heads up-field. Our poor return game is hard to fathom since we were so good in this area last year. According to FootballOutsiders, our kick return game is the 6th worst in the league with a -1.7 DVOA. Our punt return game is below average too, with a DVOA of -0.6. Overall, our special teams ranks 18th in the NFL with a -0.9%. It hasn’t been disastrous, but it certainly hasn’t been a strength like it was last year, when we posted a 4.4% DVOA, 2nd in the league.
• If you haven’t seen this on Deadspin yet, Bob Whitfield is a Suzy Kolber fan.
• Strahan’s not worried about the lack of sacks; he even contends that the front four “played very well” against Seattle. This doesn’t really seem accurate: Hasselbeck had all sorts of time in the pocket. It also flies in the face of Tim Lewis himself saying, “We’re not getting nearly as much pressure on the quarterback as we need to.” Of course, it’s hard to get a clear take on the pass-rush because the secondary has been so terrible. On the other hand, that goes both ways.
• Michael David Smith says that Tim Lewis needs to get creative in finding ways to get to the quarterback. He puts the Giants pass-rushing difficulties into stark clarity with the following statistic: “Big Blue’s ratio of one sack for every 59.5 pass attempts is by far the worst in the NFL, and it is light years behind the team’s performance last year, when they had 41 sacks in 580 attempts, or one for every 14 passes.”
• Ernie Palladino says the Giants have just concluded a week of practice “that included two ‘unity’ speeches by Coughlin, a load of introspection, and two hard practices stressing fundamentals with a hopeful feeling.” Later in the article, he says the Giants worked a lot on red-zone situations. The Giants red-zone defense has been bad, 8th worst in the league, with opponents scoring eight touchdowns in twelve trips (66.7%). Offensively, they’re 4 for 5 (80%).
• Thanks to the bye-week, Plax’s back has had time to heal. His back had anything to do with the three horrendous mistakes in last Sunday’s game (the push-off, the fumble, and the dropped pass that became an interception), but it’s good that the injury won’t be an issue like it could have been had he continued to push it.
• The Giants coaching staff continues to resist the no-huddle, giving the rationale that being in the shotgun limits what they want to do in the running game with Tiki. The way I see it, however, is that Tiki is really good at running traps and draw plays out of the shotgun. When he is in space, with a moment to read the field, he is awesome. I really think we should give more serious consideration to the no-huddle as a viable option, especially because Eli is such a rhythm passer.
• There are rumblings that R.W. will replace Madison as the starting corner (look at the end of the article). Madison is really struggling, that’s for sure.

Ok, I haven’t even looked at the newspapers since Sunday, but it’s been long enough.  Here we go:

• Only three false starts on Sunday, but as Lisa Kennelly points out, they all came in the first quarter and were all costly at the time.  And there wasn’t really anything of consequence in that game after the first quarter, so…
• There was some unbelievably bad play in the defensive backfield Sunday, and Mike Garafolo points out the obvious.  Frankly, I don’t know what’s worse: the pass rush or the secondary.  Either way, each one’s awfulness is reinforcing the other’s.  It wasn’t supposed to be this way: An outstanding pass rush was supposed to bail out an average secondary, and our pass defense was supposed to be above average.
• Also in this article, Colonel Tom fires back at those who would say that it was the scheme, and not the way the scheme was executed: “Our pass coverage was practically non-existent….  The scheme was fine, but the individuals playing the scheme…we’ve got to get better with regard to that.â€? 
• Or maybe not.  In this article, Colonel Tom blames the defensive scheme, but then says, “If you want to point the blame, point it right at me.â€?  But as Mike Garafolo writes, “Only one problem.  Coughlin is primarily an offensive coach and doesn’t design the defensive schemes.  Coordinator Tim Lewis is responsible.â€?  Indeed.  Coughlin makes mention of “those obvious, wide open seam balls.â€?  If you forget some of these, let me refresh your memory:
• 1) Hasselbeck’s 12-yard TD pass to Burrelson, where it looked like Madison pass the coverage off to safety help (Demps), which didn’t come even remotely close to getting there.
• 2) The 4-yard TD pass to Jackson that followed.  Remember this one?  Aikman mentioned that it was Hasselbeck’s third read, and that the pass-rush was primarily to blame for letting him calmly go through his reads like that.  True, but that doesn’t nullify the fact that Jackson planted himself in the middle of the endzone with nary a Giant within five yards of him.
• 3) The 10-yard pass to Will Heller that made the game 28-0 and officially out of reach.  This was the one where R.W. completely let the guy get to the spot – he noticed him run by him, he just didn’t play him.  Very strange.  Troy Aikman talked about his “poor outside techniqueâ€? on this one.
• 4) The pass where Engram caught it and then rolled into the endzone, which was emblematic of the entire afternoon: Shockingly, there wasn’t a Giant in sight, and when they finally got there, they gave an embarrassingly piss-poor effort.  But anyway, Engram looked like he was R.W.’s man on that play.
• I haven’t been reading since Sunday, so I haven’t really seen the response to the Shockey stuff, but apparently, O’Hara called him out pretty good.  So did Petitgout.  As for the defense, Pierce, the proud leader, is clearly embarrassed and enraged: “We’re not (a postseason contender).  Right now, we’re a horrible 1-2 team, and that’s a fact.â€?  (Speaking of Pierce, two people have pointed out that he’s a total Keith from “Six Feet Under.â€?  I agree, but I think that Keith from “Six Feet Underâ€? is actually a much bigger Mike Jarvis.  By the way, have you noticed that Will Peterson is the biggest Robinson Cano is the biggest Trevor Ariza?) 
• The Giants have to “man up,â€? says Sam Madison in Ernie Palladino’s piece.  Oh, and if Plaxico wasn’t actually benched for his poor play, he should have been.  The dropped pass, the fumble – which was exactly the same as the one he had last week – and the blatantly obvious push-off had nothing to do with his back.
• Speaking of Plax, Michael David Smith rips into him in his “Overrated Player of the Weekâ€? piece (Thanks to Oakland Raiders fan and NYGMen reader Seth Werkheiser for the tip!).  It’s the second time he’s ripped a high-priced G-Man in the last week.  I think he’s a little harsh in his assessment.  Plax might be a bit of a space cadet, but I’m not willing to say that he doesn’t play hard.  I mean, he’s an excellent blocker.  Plus, he fits into the category of guys with long, effortless strides that always seem to not be hustling as much as they are.
• Speaking of Plax’s long strides, Troy Aikman made a really good point on this matter, saying that the way he runs is not conducive to getting separation on shorter out patterns (this was after the push-off), and that his speed kicks in more as he gets downfield. 
• Carlos Emmons strained his pec again.  Yes, it was the pec that cost him the better part of last season.  This guy is hurt much more often than he’s healthy.  Let’s get Gerris Wilkinson in this piece.
• Here’s a Palladino piece on Shockey’s apology, which was of the “I didn’t mean to bring any distractionsâ€? variety, as opposed to the “I should have never undermined the coach.â€?  Coughlin’s reaction is disappointing as well: “I’m surprised…  It’s disappointing.  What can I tell you?â€?  You see, what he should have said was, “That’s the last time I’m taking any shit from any one of these players.  I’m the coach, and anyone who has anything to me had better say it to my face, behind closed doors.â€?
• Granted, I’ve pretty old-school/conservative on the question of a coach’s authority, which isn’t exactly in keeping with my personality.  But to me, it’s like Chris Rock says about politics.  He’s not a “Democratâ€? or a “Republican.â€?  He chooses his positions issue by issue.  “Conservative on crime, liberal on prostitution,â€? he says. 
• But anyway, I feel that football is unique in that it mandates a very strict chain of command, from the head coach on down.  To undermine the head coach is to threaten that chain of command and with it, threaten the fragile balance that keeps 52 exceptionally talented guys – most of them who probably have well-earned huge egos – both risking and busting their asses for an organization that doesn’t even compensate them that well, at least relative to other pro athletes.  Taking a public shot at the coach really opens up a pandora’s box.  So it’s not like I’m taking Colonel Tom’s “sideâ€? in this matter, or even necessarily saying that I disagree with what Shockey said.  I’m merely saying that he should never have said it, and that as a player, he has no right to say it.  And he should apologize more than that “I’m sorry if my words offended anybodyâ€? bullshit.
• I, on the other hand, am not one of those 52 exceptionally talented guys, and from my lofty perch as a blogger, I say we should run more of the no-huddle offense.  My rationalle?  Eli is so obviously a guy that needs to get into a rhythm.  When is he most successful?  In the two-minute offense, or when he’s mounting a massive comeback.  Get and keep him in a rhythm and he is awesome.  There’s no reason we shouldn’t see this quality as an asset and at least be open to taking advantage of it.
• Ralph Vacchiano writes a really good piece in his blog about the whole “out-coachedâ€? thing.  Disturbingly, the team’s dissatisfaction with the coaching staff has been a recurring thing.  The grumblings began after last year’s 16-13 loss to Dallas.
• This is probably the most intelligent thing I’ve read about the Giants all year.  Allen Barra takes Coughlin to task based on the evidence.  Did you know that we’ve had more penalties than our opposition in 16 of the last 19 games?  That’s really insane.  And seriously, what’s the deal with the pass rush?  As Barra writes, “[Getting sacked nine times and having only two sacks] alone would indicate a losing team even if everything else was going right.  And everything else is not going right.â€?  (That said, I’m not throwing in the towel on Colonel Tom.  It’s reached a critical point, yes, but this team will right the ship.)
• Barra also goes out of his way to give kudos to Eli Manning, which I agree with wholeheartedly.  “Let’s be clear on this,â€? he writes.  “Eli Manning is about the only thing on this team going right.â€?
• Tim Lewis finally speaks up in what John Branch calls “a case of unfortunate timingâ€? for him: by Coughlin’s autocratic rules, coordinators are only allowed to address the media three times a year, and during the bye week is one of those times.  He indicated that changes were in store, which is obviously a good thing: “Coach Cowher always used to say, ‘If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.’  We don’t want to get any more of this, so we’ve got to do something differently, no doubt.â€?