So much to talk about, maybe the best thing is to just look around the Land of the Giants and take in the landscape as we begin to turn our attention to the Dallas Cowboys and the opening of Jerryland, er, the Cowboys new stadium.
Injury Updates
- Tom Coughlin said in his Monday press briefing that Hakeem Nicks (foot) and Danny Ware (elbow) will be out at least two weeks and were "week to week" after that. Cornerback Aaron Ross (hamstring) has been ruled out for Sunday, and is unlikely to even practice this week. No word on Kevin Dockery's availability yet.
Other Stuff
- Teams around the NFL are likely to make some roster moves in the next couple of days. With Week 1 by the boards, it is now less expensive to pick up veteran free agents since they can be released later on with less financial obligation. The injuries to Ware and Hicks, and maybe even Ross, might cause the Giants to scour the waiver wire a little more closely. Here are lists of the best offensive and defensive free agents available. Anyone on those lists you find really appealing? Ernie Palladino has some thoughts on possible roster shuffling.
- Gotta give Tom Rock of Newsday some props for this one. T-Rock went to the effort Sunday of charting snaps for each of the Giants defensive linemen. Here are the totals he came up with.
| Player | Snaps | Position |
| Justin Tuck | 40 | 23 DE, 17 DT |
| Osi Umenyiora | 39 | DE |
| Mathias Kiwanuka | 37 | DE |
| Chris Canty | 23 | 22 DT, 1 DE |
| Barry Cofield | 22 | DT |
| Rocky Bernard | 21 | DT |
| Fred Robbins | 19 | DT |
Washington ran 50 total plays. That's a pretty good rotation, and it should help keep guys fresh all season. Kiwanuka, especially, should be happy with those numbers. Basically, he is playing as many snaps as Tuck and Umenyiora.
You know all those wide receiver questions about the Giants. Well, at least one Sporting News columnist in convinced there is nothing to worry about.
Welcome to the '09 Giants, where a star system at wide receiver is no longer in vogue. Four different Giant receivers caught at least one pass Sunday during their 23-17 victory over the Redskins. Steve Smith (six catches, 80 yards) led the way, but Mario Manningham (three catches, 58 yards) had the offensive play of the day, eluding defenders, tiptoeing down the sideline and scoring his first NFL touchdown.
"I was just trying to get to the end zone," Manningham said. "It felt good. There'll be many to come, hopefully."
If Manningham is correct, the Giants will be tough to deal with. We know they can play defense. We know they can run the ball. But we do not know if their young receiving corps can carry the load, now that Burress and Amani Toomer are ex-Giants.
Instead of a go-to guy, the Giants now have a go-to group. Utilizing receivers, backs and tight end Kevin Boss, quarterback Eli Manning completed passes to seven teammates, distributing the ball like a point guard. Granted, none of the Giants' current receivers have Burress' total gifts. But they are hungry, they are developing chemistry with Manning and the competition for playing time is helping all of them improve.
"All summer, everybody was asking, 'Who's going to be the No. 1, who's going to be the No. 1?'," said Domenik Hixon, who had one catch for 10 yards. "We've got seven guys who can play. Hopefully, they'll utilize all of us. You can't just focus on one guy, because then somebody else will step up."