By Tom Canavan, AP Sports Writer
Walking through the locker room after the Giants went over corrections from another embarrassing loss, it was hard to tell that they were coming off a third straight setback and were no longer in first place in the NFC East.
Several players were teasing linebacker Danny Clark, and all around there were more smiles than expected.
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) fumbles the ball as he is sacked for an eight-yard loss by Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Tamba Hali, bottom, during the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs' Glenn Dorsey recovered the fumble. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
While their fans may be pushing the panic button, the Giants (5-3) obviously aren’t, even after a 40-17 loss to the archrival Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday that defensive end Justin Tuck hopes is “rock bottom” for the defending division champions.
If there was a positive for Tuck, it was watching his teammates. In the hours after the game, he felt the team’s confidence slipped as low as he has seen it. Noting how the players responded in meetings Monday changed his feelings.
“I don’t know what has happened to us the last three weeks,” Tuck said. “That’s kind of disheartening, but it lets me know the guys care. You can just tell that frustration is kind of boiling over. A lot people say you shouldn’t be frustrated, but I actually like it when guys are frustrated because I know it’s something deep inside of their persons letting me know they care about what is going on here and they want to change it.”
The Giants will get that chance to right things Sunday when they host the San Diego Chargers (4-3) in New York’s final game before a bye week.
Coach Tom Coughlin didn’t have much fun watching videotapes of the Eagles game early Monday. Special teams were poor. The defense didn’t tackle well and gave up four plays of 30 yards or more, including three for touchdowns. The offense again was error prone, with Eli Manning throwing two interceptions, both of which set up Philadelphia touchdowns.
Some of the mistakes were obvious, especially the ones on defense. Safety C.C. Brown missed a two-deep coverage call on DeSean Jackson’s 54-yard TD catch after New York got within 16-7 late in the first half. Not staying in the right defensive gaps allowed Leonard Weaver and LeSean McCoy to score on long runs.
Tuck doesn’t know why communication problems have popped up halfway through the season. But he said it’s obvious some people aren’t getting the calls by the way players look at each other after a big play.
“That’s an easy thing to fix, I’m not too worried about that,” he said. “The right word is swagger, that’s what we need to get back. We haven’t had that the last few weeks and we need to get it back.”
Manning isn’t worried about the offense either. He insists the plays are there to be made. The offense just has to make them and not turn over the ball.
“There is no secret ingredient,” said Manning, who has thrown six interceptions in the slide. “There is no ‘We have to change our philosophy.’ There is none of that. We are not in panic mode right now. But we do need to get better and we do need to play better than what we are playing right now. This is going to be a big week for us, this week versus San Diego, and hopefully we get back on track.”
When informed that Giants fans are probably panicking, Manning wasn’t concerned.
“Fans can get in panic mode and that is all right,” he said. “We can’t have the players get in panic mode, and that is the most important thing.”
Center Shaun O’Hara, one of a handful of players who stayed around to talk to the media Monday, said the Giants simply weren’t playing ‘Giants football,’ noting turnovers, penalties and mistakes have been the common theme the past three weeks. The absence of them was crucial to a 5-0 start.
“We know how to win football games,” O’Hara said. “They key is just going out and doing it, and that’s what has been frustrating, we’re just not getting it done on Sunday.”
That’s the message Coughlin delivered Monday to his team.
“There wasn’t any sugarcoating,” he said. “You’ve got to be a man about the good and the bad. When things happen like this you just have to learn from it somehow, some way, and eliminate it, and maybe the next locker room will be a cheerful one. There should be no hanging of their heads or none of that stuff. What we did not get accomplished on the field is no one’s fault but our own.”
The Giants, who have lost starting safety Kenny Phillips and backup tackle Jay Alford to season-ending knee injury and have seen cornerback Aaron Rose sidelined with a hamstring injury all year, are getting some help on defense. Defensive tackle Chris Canty, who played only in the season opener, and weakside linebacker Michael Boley are expected to practice this week. Canty has been sidelined with an injury to his right calf, while Boley had surgery on his right knee in early October.
Coughlin said Ross may start doing individual drills soon.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
