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November 27, 2007
Giants react to Taylor's death
Giants Jeremy Shockey and Sinorice Moss each played football at the University of Miami, as did late Redskins safety Sean Taylor, who died this morning from a gunshot wound suffered Monday.
Here's what Shockey and Moss had to say about the passing of their fellow Hurricane and NFC East rival:
Shockey: “I first got to know Sean in college when he came in as a freshman and I was in my last year at Miami (2001). He came in with Kellen Winslow (now with the Browns). He was kind of a wild child, like myself, but life changed for Sean after he had his baby girl. Fatherhood really changed him. He grew up and matured. That baby (daughter Jackie) had transformed his life. Working out with him during the offseason, I witnessed a change. You could see it like night and day. I feel so bad for the family.”
Moss: “It’s a tough time for me right now. Sean was really like a brother to me. We were classmates and teammates at UM and he was a guy that just loved football and loved being around his friends. I feel for his family. I know his dad real well, and I feel for his baby girl. He was so proud of his little girl, and it’s just so sad that he’s no longer here and won’t be able to see her grow up. The whole UM family is hurting right now. My prayers go out to his family because they are going to need our support.”
Posted by web editor on 02:19 PM | Comments (11)
November 20, 2007
Kiwanuka on IR
From AP
Linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka was placed on injured reserve today, two days after he broke his left leg against Detroit.
To fill Kiwanuka’s roster spot, the Giants signed running back Patrick Pass, a member of three Super Bowl championship teams with the Patriots.
Kiwanuka, the team’s top draft pick in 2006, was injured on the second play of Sunday’s game when teammate Osi Umenyiora fell on him while they were pursuing running back Kevin Jones.
Reggie Torbor replaced Kiwanuka in the Giants’ 16-10 win.
The 5-foot-11, 238-pound Pass played in 78 regular season games with 11 starts for New England. He played in all nine postseason games for the Patriots in 2001, 2003 and 2004 and started at fullback in Super Bowl XXXIX.
In 2006, Pass played in three games before going on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He was in training camp with the Houston Texans this summer, but was released on Aug. 28.
Posted by web editor on 07:05 PM | Comments (6)
November 18, 2007
Giants beat Lions but suffer key injuries
READ: KIWANUKA AND JACOBS INJURED
Strahan had a season-high three sacks, helping the New York Giants beat the Detroit Lions 16-10 Sunday to gain the advantage in the NFC wild-card race.
From the time he got off the bus, he was very focused," said teammate Sam Madison, who had one of the victory-sealing interceptions in the final 2:04. "He was very energetic. He was the Stra of old. He's getting his legs under him. He's getting his second wind.
"He's showing he can still play the game."
New York (7-3) broke a third-place tie with Detroit in the conference and improved its chances of making the playoffs. In the Super Bowl era, 78.4 percent of teams that won seven of their first 10 games ended up in the postseason.
The Giants lost their first two games, won six straight, then lost to Dallas for a second time before handing Detroit its first defeat at home.
"We'll take the 7-3. I'm too tired to worry about how we got there," Strahan said. "Hopefully, we'll get another run going. We started one today."
The Lions (6-4) dropped back-to-back games for the first time this year, and took it hard after losing their other three games by double digits.
"Yeah, it's more difficult because that is not a better football team than us," quarterback Jon Kitna said. "We gave them the football game."
Strahan took offense to Kitna's take on the game.
"I honestly thought in the first half that was one of the worst teams we played that was 6-3," he said. "I don't quite understand why Jon would say that.
"Maybe we'll see them down the road and if that's the case, we'll beat that a-- again."
Detroit might need to beat the NFC North-leading Green Bay Packers at home on Thanksgiving to maintain a realistic chance at making the playoffs for the first time since 1999.
"Is the season over? Absolutely not," offensive tackle Jeff Backus said. "It's one stumble in our path."
The Giants leaned on their defense to block Detroit's road to success.
Strahan and Co. put pressure on Kitna, forcing him out of the pocket to rush throws.
When Kitna did have time late in the game, Madison and James Butler came through for the Giants with key interceptions to shut down a team that had been scoring in bunches at home.
"They scored 31 points a game here," Strahan said. "The way we played today we should be very happy."
The win came at a price: Jacobs was sidelined in the third quarter with a left hamstring injury and linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka broke his left leg early in the game.
New York coach Tom Coughlin wasn't sure how serious Jacobs' injury was, but said Kiwanuka may be done for the season.
"It's obviously a big loss for us," Coughlin said.
Eli Manning threw a touchdown pass to Jacobs late in the first half and Lawrence Tynes kicked three field goals to give the Giants a 16-3 lead early in the fourth.
Detroit finally put together a strong drive, ending with Calvin Johnson's 35-yard TD catch to pull within six with 4:34 left.
After a three-and-out drive, Detroit drove to midfield and Kitna heaved an up-for-grabs pass to Shaun McDonald that Butler leaped to snag just inside the end zone.
The Lions had one more chance, getting the ball at their 32 with 1:25 left, but a pass went off McDonald's hands in New York territory and right to Madison in the final minute.
"That's the position we want to be in," McDonald said. "I didn't make the plays at the end."
In the second and third quarters, New York kept the Lions in the game by fumbling twice inside their 30.
But Kitna threw three interceptions, overshadowing the 28 passes he completed for 377 yards and a score. McDonald and Roy Williams both went over the 100-yard mark as the Lions were forced to throw because they could not run. Kevin Jones was limited to just 25 yards on 11 carries.
Manning was 28-of-39 for 283 yards with a score, spreading the ball around to five receivers who made at least four catches.
Notes: Strahan, who missed all of training camp while deciding whether he wanted to play or retire, leads all active players with 140 1/2 sacks. ... Detroit S Idrees Bashir (knee) was injured on the opening kickoff and is scheduled for an MRI on Monday. ... Detroit fell to 0-3 vs. the NFC East and hosts division-leading Dallas next month.
© 2007 The Associated Press
Posted by web editor on 10:13 PM | Comments (1)
November 16, 2007
George Martin Walks For 9/11 Charity
Former Giants defensive end George Martin is taking a 3,000-mile Journey for 9/11, which he hopes will raise $10 million for hero first responders at Ground Zero and their families.
This Sunday, Post columnist Kevin Kernan tells the compelling tale of Martin’s journey, even walking part of the way with him in Tennessee.
Click here for a picture preview of Sunday’s story, only from the New York Post.
Posted by William Vitka on 07:36 PM | Comments (4)
November 11, 2007
COWBOYS SNAP GIANT STREAK
Tony Romo hit Terrell Owens on two of his four touchdown passes and Dallas opened a three-game lead in the division by ending the Giants' six-game winning streak with a 31-20 victory on Sunday.
Romo and Owens broke open the NFC East showdown in the second half by combining on scoring passes of 25 and 50 yards to help Dallas (8-1) match its best start since 1995, the last time it won the Super Bowl.
Romo, who was 20-of-28 for 247 yards, also threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Tony Curtis and a 20-yarder to Patrick Crayton in helping the Cowboys sweep the season-series with the Giants (6-3). Nick Folk added a 44-yard field goal.
Eli Manning threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey, who tied his career high with 12 catches for 129 yards. Reuben Droughns scored on a 1-yard run and Lawrence Tynes kicked field goals of 40 and 26 yards.
The second field goal came after New York had a potential game-tying touchdown run early in the fourth quarter by Brandon Jacobs nullified by a questionable holding penalty against guard Chris Snee.
Until that point, the Cowboys were the ones hurting themselves with undisciplined errors. Four penalties in the first half gave New York 10 points and had Dallas heading to the locker room tied at 17.
The Cowboys were called for three penalties on the Giants' opening TD drive but the one that everyone will remember was a taunting call against linebacker Kevin Burnett with the Cowboys ahead 17-14 in the waning seconds.
Jacobs had just been stuffed on a run from his own 35 and Burnett yapped at him. The 15-yard walkoff moved the ball to the 50 with 12 seconds to go. Manning found Shockey for 29 yards to set up a 40-yard field goal by Tynes that tied the game.
The Cowboys defense, which sacked Manning five times and intercepted him twice, stopped the Giants on the opening possession of the second half and then Romo and company took over.
The go-ahead 25-yard touchdown pass from Romo to Owens came on a play where T.O. ran past cornerback Sam Madison and was wide open. It capped a 12-play, 86-yard drive on which the Cowboys converted three 10-plus-yard situations, the last a 13-yard pass to Crayton on a third-and-11 from the New York 38. Owens scored on the next play.
The Giants came right back and marched down the field, driving from their own 17 to the Cowboys 6. On second-and-goal, Jacobs went through a hole on the left side and stormed into the end zone, but referee Jeff Triplette called Snee for a shoulder hook on a defensive back away from the hole.
Tynes' field goal got New York within 24-20, but the Cowboys came right back and went 70 yards. Romo again found a wide-open Owens, who had six catches for 125 yards, from midfield after the receiver blew by safety Gibril Wilson.
Romo's other touchdown passes were just as easy against an improved Giants defense that gave up 45 points in the first meeting in Dallas on the opening week of the season.
His 15-yard pass to Curtis on the opening series came after he broke containment on a pass rush. Just before reaching the line of scrimmage, he saw a wide-open Curtis in the corner of the end zone.
Manning, who was 23-of-34 for 236 yards on a day he threw mostly short passes, tied the game with his TD pass to Shockley.
Folk's field goal gave Dallas a 10-7 lead before Wilson's interception set up a 60-yard drive that Droughns capped with his run.
Crayton gave the Cowboys a 17-14 lead with 20 seconds to go with a 20-yard catch and run after breaking a tackle by cornerback Aaron Ross
BY AP
Posted by web editor on 07:48 PM | Comments (41)
