Good morning, New York Giants fans! And yes, it is a good morning despite Sunday's loss. Here are your Tuesday Giants notes.
Coach Tom Coughlin certainly did not enjoy watching the film from the 36-25 loss to Seattle.
It was kind of fun for three weeks. I like it better the other way. We're just as disappointed after looking at the tape as we were yesterday afternoon," Coughlin said on Monday. "I still say the one obvious fact, which needs to be said, you're not going to play that kind of football and win. It just doesn't happen.
"We continue to shoot ourselves in the foot. The oldest axiom in the world is you have to first keep from beating yourself before you can expect to beat the other guy. We didn't do that."
Seems like Coughlin has been talking about this way too much for two seasons, or longer.
One good thing Coughlin did want to talk about was the work done by rookie offensive lineman Jim Cordle, forced to long snap and play some offensive line due to the concussions suffered Sunday by Zak DeOssie and Chris Snee.
"That is a young man that should be recognized. The reason that I say that is, a couple of years ago if you remember, when we went over to Pittsburgh, they lost their long snapper. The backup long snapper heaved one over the punter's head. We got a safety out of it. It provided great momentum for us," Coughlin said. "This kid comes in the game and really made a number of very good snaps, got involved in the coverage. Had to go in and play at the guard spot, at the center spot - did a nice job of coming into a game of that magnitude and maintaining his poise."
Quarterback Eli Manning said Sunday's game was a "step backwards" for the offense.
"Obviously there were too many mistakes but I am proud of the way we fought and made some plays in the fourth quarter to give ourselves a shot to win the game ... there were too many bad plays that prevented us from winning," Manning said. "We haven't been perfect but I thought we had been making strides or progressing in our offense and maybe this is a step backwards."
Peter King Did Not Like The Giants' Pink Socks - SI.com
Pink socks on the Giants. Pink gloves, okay. Pink cleats, I guess. But long pink socks with the blue uniform? Yeccccch. What's next? Full pink uniforms? i. I mean, really. Is someone going to buy Victor Cruz's pink socks at an auction to benefit the battle against breast cancer? I don't want to diminish that effort, but there's got to be some limit. Some of the stuff players have worn the last two weeks looks absurd.
You know what? I didn't like them, either. I thought it was waaaay over the top.
Sean Hartnett: New York Giants Fans, Keep Faith In Rookie WR Victor Cruz " CBS New York
It must have been infuriating for Giants fans to see the good, the bad and the ugly from Cruz in the span of one game but he’s a young player who is becoming more involved in the G-Men’s offense with every passing week. When watching Cruz, it’s clear that he has a ton of potential and his agile catches have shown fans that he is a serious talent.
Once he finds the consistency and maturity needed in his game, Giants fans will be delighted with their trio of gifted receivers. Along with the all-world capable Hakeem Nicks and deep-threat Mario Manningham, a more experienced Cruz will combine to provide a difficult task for opposing secondaries around the league.
Experience is the key word with Cruz. It’s just a matter of time before he puts it all together. His ability is immediately apparent and Week 5 is a lesson that he can learn from as he continues his progression into a reliable target for Eli Manning.
Green Lantern: Do Jets Or Giants Own NYC? Why Do You Care? They Sure Don't " CBS New York
You hear the debate on a daily basis on the radio, in print, on television and on the Internet: which team is the true representative of New York City and its outlying areas? The new-age swagger of the Jets or the old school mentality of the Giants? The Gang Green Army led by the latest incarnation of Patton or the Big Blue Machine that’s carried the torch, often admirably, for 60 years?
The answer is simple and undeniable.
Neither.
This I actually agree with. Giants fans are Giants fans. Jets fans are Jets fans. That really isn't going to change. The 'who owns the city?' stuff, which I know we talk about sometimes, is really just something for the media to talk about based on which team is hot at that time.
Giants' inconsistency won't go away - NFC East Blog - ESPN
So, what are we to make of these New York Giants? Are they the team that showed so much heart and toughness and poise in the fourth-quarter comebacks in Philadelphia and Arizona? Or are they the team that turned the ball over five times and fell asleep on Sunday's game-deciding touchdown pass by the Seahawks' backup quarterback? What's the reality here? Well, how about all of it?
"Guys have sat out two, three years and the come back and made the Pro Bowl," Austin said. "It’s not something that I worry about. I’m excited to get back out there. I can’t wait."
Giants' Struggles on Defense Causing Much Concern - NYTimes.com
"Yeah we had six sacks, but they played 76 snaps," backup defensive lineman Dave Tollefson said. "That's six of the 76 snaps we sacked them. There are 70 other plays we have to play better on. I'm not saying we played bad on 70 of those 76 snaps, but you can't hang your hat on getting sacks."