A few notes as we wait anxiously for Thursday night -- when theGiants face Washington and open defense of their Super Bowl title for real.

• Turns out, the Giants have wanted defensive end Jerome McDougle for a long time. Both sides seem happy to be together at last.

"We think this is going to be a real good investment for us," coach Tom Coughlin said.

"I look good in blue," McDougle, 29, said. "I feel good to be here, staying in the division, so not really much of a difference as far as guys you are going against. I just feel good to be here, to be wanted."

McDougle seems like a talented guy for whom things just didn't work out in Philly. Is he football's Carl Pavano, as TerryByte suggested? We will see.

What is really interesting to me is that with McDougle on the roster the Giants will open the season with just three defensive tackles. That, plus just two quarterbacks and I guess you can see that GM Jerry Reese meant it when he said recently that the Giants would keep the best players regardless of position.

• Giants "don't really know" what to expect from Redskins.
• This is a couple of days old, but Antonio Pierce is sounding unhappy as the season draws near. My advice to Antonio: No Strahan, no Umenyiora, go earn the respect you want. It's there for the taking.
• Mathias Kiwanuka is thrilled to be back at defensive end.

“I was never not a defensive end, I just played linebacker as well,” said Kiwanuka, who was drafted out of Boston College in first round in 2006 as a defensive end, a position he had played since he was 7-years-old. “Now I’m getting back into this on the first and second down, and getting the calls and the reads down. To be honest I am so excited about it that I will take any challenge that comes up.”

NOTE: Check back this afternoon. I am hoping to post this week's '5 Questions' segment with 'Skin Patrol' from Hogs Haven, our Redskins blog. I'll give you a preview: 'Skin' has gone on record as predicting that the Giants would go 7-9 this season. I have asked him to defend that statement.