Good morning fellow Giants fans. It's Wednesday, four days before the Giants' next game, their third straight home contest, against Miami. In the team media notes sent out on Tuesday, there were some interesting statistics thrown out. For one thing, this will be the Giants' 1200th regular season game, joining the Bears, Packers and Cardinals as the only teams to reach that milestone. In addition, the last time the Giants faced a team with zero wins and six or more losses was on October 28, 2007 when they faced the 0-7, ahem, Miami Dolphins--in London. You might remember that rain sloshed 13-10 game that put a scare in the Giants in what became a Super Bowl winning season. Hopefully Eli Manning, Osi Umenyiora, Chris Snee and some of the other Giants' players left from that season remember how they almost lost to a winless team, and keep their eyes on the field and on the ball. Here are some other bits of Big Blue news....
NY Giants defense gets Justin Tuck 'bonus' as he joins Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora, Kiwanuka
Just because it's a good problem doesn't mean it's not a problem. The word that Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell prefers is "bonus." That's how he describes the likely return of defensive end Justin Tuck on Sunday. That means, for the first time since Week 3 of last year when Jason Pierre-Paul was still a little-used rookie, he'll have Tuck, Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka all available.
Giants Snee, Ballard, Pascoe, Boothe open school playground in West New York | NJ.com
Four players from the New York Giants came to town to unveil new playground equipment for the middle school as part of their annual Hometown Huddle. Starting guard Chris Snee was on hand with his teammates tight ends Jake Ballard and Bear Pascoe and offensive lineman Kevin Boothe, who were welcomed to the school by a sea of sixth-grade students and faculty members sporting Giants jerseys and the color blue.
State's biggest pumpkin travels from LaFayette to NYC to be carved at Giants game | syracuse.com
Adams, of LaFayette, is a plumber by trade. In his spare time, he tends to some of the largest pumpkins in the state. Most recently, Adams won first place in a weigh-off hosted at The Great Pumpkin Farm in Clarence. His pumpkin is currently the largest measured in the state this year - 1,613 1/2 pounds, nearly 6 feet across and a little less than 4 feet tall. On Monday, he took the behemoth to New York City to be carved and possibly displayed at halftime during Sunday's New York Giants - Miami Dolphins football game on CBS. But not before he and Giants defensive end Justin Tuck show off the pumpkin to young students in a Manhattan school.
Miami Dolphins sign QB Losman, have interest in Bill Cowher - Miami Dolphins - MiamiHerald.com
CBSSports.com reported Tuesday that intermediaries for the Dolphins have contacted people close to Bill Cowher about Cowher becoming Miami’s coach.
Taking the ball and rushing it with some NFL observations - The Boston Globe
Are you enjoying the NPL season? That would be the National Penalty League. I mean, I’m all for protecting the quarterback, but what we are witnessing each weekend is an NFL descending into two-hand touch territory. Don’t laugh.
Congress Wants Hearing on H.G.H. Testing in N.F.L. - NYTimes.com
Three members of Congress called Tuesday for a hearing on the delay in beginning testing for human growth hormone in the N.F.L. The recently completed collective bargaining agreement included blood testing for H.G.H., which the league had hoped to begin by the start of the season.
Brady looks to continue dominance of Steelers - The Boston Globe
The Rooneys aren’t the only Irishmen who own the Steelers. Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. apparently has a stake as well, because he has been at his best against one of the other AFC powers. The Patriots quarterback is 6-1 in his career against the Steelers, including two victories in AFC Championship games.
I'm sorry guys, I had to peek ahead to our opponent a week from Sunday. Let's hope most of the Giants aren't reading this, and if they are I hope they will skip over any mention of the Patriots.
And I will leave you guys with this--Pro Football Weekly's MVP Meter. They actually begin by talking about Peyton Manning as an MVP candidate because of how bad the Colts are without him. I sort of get that, but what I don't understand is that Eli Manning is not in the Top 10 as guys like Matt Forte, Darren McFadden and Mike Wallace are. Manning is mentioned as "on the cusp" along with Arian Foster, Greg Jennings, Ray Rice and Darrell Revis. Manning has put up very good numbers so far (almost 300 yards per game, 11 TDs to 5 picks), but he also has willed the Giants to at least one win. We can debate this all day, and while I've never been Manning's biggest supporter, I think he does a lot under the radar a bit. I'm curious where you guys weigh in on this one, so let it rip in the comments below. And have a great hump day....