New York Giants' notebook, 09.20.08

Here are a few Giants' notes for a Saturday morning.

• SPAGS IS THE MAN: A year ago, Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was on the hot seat. Now, he is a hot candidate for head coaching jobs.
• COUGHLIN'S CORNER: Giants.com has a Q&A with coach Tom Coughlin. Following is Coughlin talking about the Cincinnati Bengals.
• PASSING FANCY: Wide receiver Steve Smith is finding his place in the Giants' passing attack. Meanwhile, Sinorice Moss is still looking for his opportunity.

Q: You have the Cincinnati Bengals coming in here Sunday with an 0-2 record. Do you think their mindset could be, "Look, we are playing a team that was 0-2 last year? The Giants turned it around.  We can turn it around?"

Coughlin: "Absolutely. Every team in the league is thinking the same thing. They are looking at that and trying to make a positive out of it. But that is certainly not to be held against them. This is a talented team. Here is a team that was 10th in the league in total offense, threw for over 4,000 yards and gave up only 17 sacks. They are talented. They have (T.J.) Houshmandzadeh, who had 112 receptions last year. (Chad) Johnson (now Ocho Cinco) had 93. They have people that can do a lot with the ball. Their offensive line, we give them a lot of credit. Their right side (tackle Stacy Andrews and guard Bobbie Williams) is really physical with big, big, strong people. You are talking 330, 340 pounds - these guys are big guys. Defensively, Keith Rivers is a good looking young linebacker, (Domata) Peco is an outstanding sized nose tackle.  They have some issues at corner this week, which I’m sure they are shoring up right now. Their return game is good. (Kickoff returner Glenn) Holt averages 30 yards a return. The quarterback (Carson Palmer) is outstanding. And on top of that, he is mobile. You think he wouldn’t be, but he is."

• WHAT DID HE SAY? Bengals' coach Marvin Lewis told reporters Friday "I like where we are." Huh? The Bengals are 0-2 and have looked awful. Is Marvin watching the same games everyone else is?
• IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: My answers to questions from Cincy Jungle appeared Friday.