New York Giants Notes: The "Friday After" Cornucopia Edition

Hope you all had an excellent Thanksgiving. And just like all of those various leftovers in your fridge, I found a lot of interesting reading material about the Giants and their upcoming or recent opponents. Here we go....

New York Giants face test from streaking Jacksonville Jaguars - am New York
The alarm is sounding on Big Blue’s season. The Giants are now faced with a slew of injuries and challenged by an incoming Jaguars team ready to pounce on Sunday at the New Meadowlands Stadium.

Well, yeah, we all know this. But one thing caught my eye in this preview--the fact that Jacksonville is ranked 28th against the pass. So while Kevin Gilbride and Tom Coughlin will try and run the ball on Sunday as much as possible, they should find a way to mix in some pass plays, albeit to a group that currently lists Mario Manningham as No. 1 on the depth chart.

Giants Looking to Rebound Against Jaguars | Sports | Epoch Times
For the New York Giants (6–4), Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars (6–4) is no longer a trap game, it's a must win.

A few weeks ago, the Giants were the top dog in the NFC, and now they rank outside of playoff contention. Also a few weeks ago, we would have considered Jacksonville an easy "W," but not now as they are playing to win the AFC South, and are extremely dangerous.

Justin Tuck, Giants defense know how tough the next few weeks will be | NJ.com
And that’s not just standard there’s-always-room-for-improvement chatter. This defense can be better. And frankly, with a banged-up offense that’s plucking wide receivers from the UFL and the waiver wire, juggling running backs to cure its fumble-itis and is one more offensive-line injury away from being forced to give Eli Manning hazard pay, it has to be better — starting this Sunday against the Jaguars.

A-freaking-men.

Selfish approach works for Giants defensive linemen | jacksonville.com
Beginning with starting defensive ends Tuck and Osi Umenyiora and on to tackles Chris Canty and Barry Cofield, the Giants can wreak havoc.

And sure, David Garrard isn't exactly Michael Vick, but he's got some talent and he also has plenty of talent to spread the ball around to (MJD, Sims-Walker, Marcedes Lewis)

Under Review: How the Giants Slowed Down Vick
What Fewell came up with was a combination of the aggressive and the conservative. He threw a lot of all-out blitzes at Vick, mostly on third down and in the red zone. But he did a nice job of mixing the pressure with a lot of two-deep safety looks that made it hard for the Eagles to hit the big play. That approach – going from fastballs to changeups – was pretty effective.

Somewhat lost in Eli's turnovers and a lot of sloppy play last Sunday is the fact that the Giants (and in particular Fewell) were very effective at slowing Video Game Vick. Let's hope they can do the same on December 19.

Former Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin defies age, critics with Giants | jacksonville.com
Few NFL head coaches have battled the ravages of time as well as Coughlin. He earned a reputation as an iron-fisted ruler during his eight seasons with the Jaguars (1995-2002). Coughlin has shown a softer side in recent years, but what hasn’t changed is his remarkable ability to keep coaching at warp speed. You hear coaches talk admirably of players who play with a "high motor." Well, good luck finding anyone coaching with a higher motor than Coughlin.

So true. Sometimes we forget that Coughlin is in his mid-'60's, but he is, and he almost never seems tired. And hey, this is a really nice piece on Coughlin from the city where he began his NFL head coaching career.

Giants WR Michael Clayton back with Eli Manning - WSJ.com
Michael Clayton may not need a lot of time to get on the same page with New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. While they have never played on the same team, Clayton and Manning were roommates for three months at a camp in Florida prior to the NFL Combine in 2004.

Okay, that first line is an extreme exaggeration, but hey, it's interesting.

NFL fines Eagles' Asante Samuel $40,000 for illegal hit - The Huddle: Football News from the NFL - USATODAY.com
The NFL fined Philadelphia Eagles CB Asante Samuel $40,000 for an illegal hit on New York Giants WR Derek Hagan in Week 11. It's the latest significant fine handed down under the league's stepped-up enforcement of its policy against illegal hits. Samuel told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the NFL was set to fine him $50,000 before Eagles coach Andy Reid interceded. Reid convinced the league to trim the fine by $10,000.

Really? What could Reid possibly have said to the league to reduce the fine? That was a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit on a player fresh off the street.

Eagles Notes: Herremans: 'I'm not a dirty player' | Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/25/2010
Guard Todd Herremans said the NFL fined him $5,000 Wednesday for his cut block Sunday night on the New York Giants' Chris Canty. But Herremans, responding to critical comments Canty made to the Star-Ledger, said he is not a dirty player.

Ha! And Howdy Doody doesn't have a wooden schwang.

Lions QB says Pats tried to break his arm - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston
According to several online reports, Detroit Lions quarterback Shaun Hill is accusing an unknown Patriots player of trying to re-break his left forearm.

Wow, speaking of playing dirty. I'm not going to name names, but a certain #75 came to my mind when I read this. Maybe it's because that same guy tried to poke one of the Giants' eyes out in Game 16 of 2007. Does anyone remember that? Was it Jacobs?

Tony Romo wants to play again in 2010, says Jason Garrett has done 'great job' | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News
One of the Fox announcers mentioned Thursday that Romo had been criticized in Dallas for not talking to the media recently, so here he was after the game yesterday supporting his new coach. And hey, speaking of Thursday's game in Dallas, did that Roy Williams fumble and subsequent game-winning drive orchestrated by Drew Brees seem eerily familiar?

Finally, back to those leftovers in your fridge. I put this group of recipes together in Bullz-Eye.com's Grub for Guys last year. Man, I'm hungry now. Just like the Giants should be for a win on Sunday, so let's hope they STEP UP AND MAKE BIG PLAYS. Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone....