[cassiusclay]

don't ask yourself if the pats are or are not going to play hard tonite, the answer to that is obvious. the real question is how hard are the giants going to play? if the giants were smart they would let their first team get some rest, pull them after the first half but.....tom coughlin might not be that smart. no-one is going to remember that the pats beat the giants to go 16-0, just that they went 16-0 so who cares? also, no-one is mentioning the fact that the giants are a pretty respectable 10-5 this year. this game is a no play for me for now although with the public all over the pats the giants are looking enticing.......

[cassiusclay]

--Ironically, the Giants find themselves in an almost identical position to the one in which they found themselves on Dec. 13, 1998, when the undefeated Denver Broncos came to Giants Stadium boasting a 13-0 record. The Giants engineered an upset, winning in the final minutes on a TD pass to WR Amani Toomer, 20-16. Toomer is still a member of the Giants' starting offensive unit.
--QB Eli Manning is not considering sitting down for this game. "Right now," he says, "our mindset is starting and playing all game and doing our best to win. I think teams have figured out a little bit of what they're doing, and now it's up to us to find more answers and win the game."
--The Giants lead the NFL in sacks with 52, and the Patriots are second with 46. "That's a strong pass-rushing team," said Manning. "We need to make sure of our blocking schemes."
--WR Amani Toomer, who had five of Manning's seven completions last week for 99 of his 111 yards gained: "We came back and won that game (in Buffalo) because this team will never quit. Now we can win one more before the season is over, and we have every intention of doing so."
--Giants head coach Tom Coughlin and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick spent time together on the Giants staff when Bill Parcells was the head coach (198801990), and actually worked with each other since Coughlin was the WRs coach and Belichick handled the DBs.
BY THE NUMBERS
32 -- The unusually high discrepancy between TDs scored by the Patriots (71) and the Giants (39). In fact, New England WR Randy Moss has caught more TD passes from QB Tom Brady (21) than Giants QB Eli Manning has thrown (19) to his entire team.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"I never questioned it. I know you people (the media) did, but I never did. But thanks for asking." -- Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, on whether he got satisfaction from seeing that his core values still work with respect to coaching a team

Team Reports | NFL Football at CBSSports.com

[cassiusclay]

The Giants want to win their final game of the regular season on Saturday night, and the fact that it is against the undefeated New England Patriots merely enhances that determination.
That, at least, is how head coach Tom Coughlin sees things, and while he won't come out definitively (he never does) his statements are clear and precise -- the Giants, already in the playoffs as the NFC's first wild-card entrant, would like to continue to win games.
"That's what we always try to do," Coughlin said. "The objective for our team in Week 17 is no different than when we started the season, or if this was Week 3 or Week 5. Our expectation is to try to improve every facet of our game."
That's boilerplate stuff, coach.
"It will be no different this week," he continued, "but having said that, we acknowledge the fact that this is an exceptional Patriots team that we are playing. They are 15-0, they are No. 1 in the league on offense, No. 4 on defense. They are very well coached, a very good team and obviously being 15-0, they have a challenge, too. We are excited about the challenge they present and we look forward to it."
But he held back just a small amount of total commitment. "I think we have made it clear, that the best interests of our team will be focused on always, but we are going to prepare to play as hard as we can."
There are at least two ways to approach this game. With the playoffs looming the next weekend -- and because the Giants are a wild-card team they get no bye opportunity -- it might be prudent to rest the sore, tired starters and give them, in effect, a "bye" opportunity for the small nicks and bruises to heal.
On the other hand, professional athletes pride themselves on trying to win each game they play, and in this case, the temptation of denying the Patriots the miraculous undefeated season might prove to be too enticing to pass up.
"We have an obligation to ourselves," says veteran center Shaun O'Hara. "We need to be in the best shape we can reach in order to play well in the playoffs. But this is a matter of pride. It is a game that counts. And the history that goes along with it (the undefeated season) is something you must address."
Coughlin's approach appears to be this -- he will start the regulars and play them as long as there is a chance to win. Should the Patriots begin to pull away, that would be the time to send in younger players and finally rest the vets.
SERIES HISTORY
Eighth meeting. Patriots lead series, 4-3. New England has won the last three games (1996, 1999, 2003). The last meeting, a 17-6 Patriots victory in Foxboro, was the final season prior to the arrival of Tom Coughlin as head coach, and the game was decided early when RB Tiki Barber fumbled and lost the ball deep in Giants territory.

Team Reports | NFL Football at CBSSports.com

[cassiusclay]

i'm taking the giants plus 14.5...been on the pats all year...jumping off the band wagon tonite. gl guys.

[cassiusclay]

[cassiusclay]

this shit is 2 easy....

[miami*Vette]

GOOD CALL!!

I PLAYED THE PATS THINKING COUGHLIN WILL LIMIT HIS PLAYERS.

GIANTS ARE DONE FOR NEXT WEEK AS THIS GAME IS AN EMOTIONAL LET DOWN. DUMB MOVE ON COUGHLIN..TOO MUCH PRIDE AND WILL COST HIM AND HIS TEAM.

GL TODAY!