New York Giants Notes: From Misery to Fight Mode Edition

So on Sunday during the game, my wife was at book club. When she came home, Eli had just thrown his second interception to ice it. I heard my wife telling a co-worker over the phone Monday that when she came home Sunday night, it was like someone had died. That's how we Giants' fans take losses, don't we? Especially losses that are supposed to be wins. And yeah, that Monday nighter was ridiculous. But now that it's hump day, it's time to get into fight mode. If anyone can beat the Eagles, we can. Anyway, here are some notes from around the globe, so to speak.

New York Giants bring back WR Derek Hagan after Smith injury - ESPN New York
The New York Giants are bringing back wide receiver Derek Hagan. According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, Hagan is signing a one-year deal with the Giants on Tuesday for the minimum. Hagan was with the team until the start of the season, when the Giants released him during final cuts.

Well, something had to happen here. Because who was the fourth guy behind Duke Calhoun?

Was Hakeem Nicks the reason for Bryan McCann's pick-six? - Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
...according to (Bryan McCann), the targeted receiver -- Giants star wideout Hakeem Nicks -- is easier to read than anything on certain routes. After the game, McCann told Jan Hubbard of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that Nicks jukes at the line on inside cuts, and runs flat-out from the line on fade routes.

Which begs the question, "Then why couldn't you guys stop him in Dallas?"

And then there's this ...

Bryan McCann named NFC Defensive Player of the Week | Dallas Cowboys Blog | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | The Dallas Morning News
Really? Because Nicks didn't finish his route? Sure the guy read the play and Eli Manning and everyone on the Giants' offense was not going to catch him, but Defensive Player of the Week?

New York Giants face tall order in trying to stop Eagles' Michael Vick Sunday night in Philadelphia
Michael Vick did everything on Monday night and more in an absolutely dazzling display. He fired the ball with his arm. He used his lightning-quick feet to make defenders miss. He combined the two with devastating results. He was the Vick he was always supposed to be.

Vacchiano goes on to give a few ideas on how to potentially stop or slow the Philly offense. Read on and see if you agree.

New York Giants have less than a week to figure out Michael Vick - ESPN New York
I lived in Nashville for seven years, and I got to know (i.e. read about) Albert Haynesworth quite a bit. He gives a great quote that was in this article: "It was embarrassing," Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth said. "They played like they were racking up BCS points. They should be ranked No. 1 now."

NFL Rewind: Cowboys' Jason Garrett on the rise, Jets' Santonio Holmes continues clutch play | NJ.com
In the aftermath of the Giants’ 33-20 loss to the Cowboys, this is a fact: There are worse losses out there, believe it or not. Though the Giants were nearly two-touchdown favorites, it’s not that surprising the Cowboys were able to muster some pride and put up a fight. This team has lost worse games. The Giants should be more worried about the injury situation than what that game might have revealed.

Eli Manning shows edge as he prepares for Philadelphia Eagles - ESPN New York
That Manning admitted to being upset at all was a rare public admission. Manning's entire philosophy about navigating New York has always seemed built on the Jeter-esque principle of staying imperturbably calm and saying as little as necessary. But if you want to know what Manning's teammates mean when they insist he constantly shows leadership the rest of us don't always see or appreciate, the 20 minutes that Manning spent talking by his locker Monday provided a good, if typically subtle, insight into what the other Giants mean.

We all know Eli is calm during battle and not a fiery guy on the outside, but it's always interesting to see how others perceive it.

Finally, I'll leave you with this. In one of the premium fantasy sites I belong to, The Huddle, I read one of their columnists' "misery index" Tuesday, and he still had the Cowboys ranked No. 1. His analysis, and brief pat on the back to Giants' fans, really puts things in perspective:

1) Cowboys: Okay, so you got it up after melon-head rolled, and proved once and for all that you don’t suck, you were simply a bunch of quitters. Big news. Those lamenting the Giants pulverizing at the hands of the NFL’s version of the French during wartime, should not feel bad. The Cowboys were coming off about a 5 or 6 week bye.

Now, doesn't that make all of you feel a little better? Either way, it's Wednesday and that means it's four days until Sunday. Let's start putting our game faces on.