Charles Woodson Supports The Union Workers

The people in the State of Wisconsin are locked in a battle with Gov. Scott Walker who is trying to limit bargaining power for state employee unions. Not many athletes or entertainers would be in tune to what's going on with others that aren't in their line of work or in the same tax bracket. But the people of Wisconsin have found an ally in the Green Bay Packers' Charles Woodson.

Woodson released this statement on the situation going on in Wisconsin.

Last week I was proud when many of my current and former teammates announced their support for the working families fighting for their rights in Wisconsin. Today I am honored to join with them.



Thousands of dedicated Wisconsin public workers provide vital services for Wisconsin citizens. They are the teachers, nurses and child care workers who take care of us and our families. These hard working people are under an unprecedented attack to take away their basic rights to have a voice and collectively bargain at work.


It is an honor for me to play for the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers and be a part of the Green Bay and Wisconsin communities. I am also honored as a member of the NFL Players Association to stand together with working families of Wisconsin and organized labor in their fight against this attempt to hurt them by targeting unions. I hope those leading the attack will sit down with Wisconsin's public workers and discuss the problems Wisconsin faces, so that together they can truly move Wisconsin forward.
Woodson being part of the NFL players union sympathizing with the working people. I was quite surprised myself because not many take time to get a view of real life issues of people that are less fortunate.

The Clay Matthews Tour

To the victor goes the spoils. That's what they say. The Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl and Clay Matthews seems to be loving it. Matthews has a little victory tour going on. There was Jay Leno, then WWE Smackdown, Ellen Degeneres. Next stop the Grammys.

Matthews will be presenting an award at the upcoming Grammy awards ceremony. There is no word on what category he'll be presenting in. I might watch just to see who he gives an award to. I wonder where the next stop will be on the Clay Matthews victory tour.

Super Bowl Prediction

This is a pretty difficult decision to make for this year's Super Bowl. Green Bay and Pittsburgh are pretty evenly matched. They both have good quarterback play, strong defenses, and good coaching. It'll be a close game and there will be a lot of back and forth.

I feel the team that brings it defensively will win. I think Aaron Rodgers has the capability to pick on the Steelers' secondary if he's given enough time. Key word is if. The Packers' offensive line is suspectible to giving up sacks, so that matchup will be key. Same goes for the Steelers' offensive line. I hate to sound cliche-ish but this game will be won in the trenches. The loss of Maurkice Pouncey is a big one for Pittsburgh.

After all that, my pick is Pittsburgh 21-17.

Some Good News For A Change

Normally on the night before the Super Bowl or in the wee hours of the morning there's always some bad news about one of the participating players. Stanley Wilson, Eugene Robinson, and Barrett Robbins come to mind. But this story has a different twist.

Green Bay Packers defensive end Jarius Wynn and his wife have welcomed a baby boy into this world on Super Bowl Sunday. Something worth more than a Super Bowl ring.

Wynn played in the first two Packers playoff wins against Philadelphia and Atlanta. He was inactive against Chicago in the NFC Championship. There's no word on whether he'll be active for the Super Bowl against Pittsburgh. I'm sure he'd love to be playing, but I know right now he has the greatest feeling in the world.

Pick A Towel, Any Towel

The producer of the Pittsburgh Steelers 'Terrible Towel' has a split loyalty in the upcoming Super Bowl.

Wisconsin towelmaker McArthur Towel and Sports has been making Terrible Towels for years. Now it wants to make one for Packers, since company president Gregg McArthur is a devoted Packers fan.

My suggestion is to churn out as many towels as you can and watch the money roll in. You can't miss on this business oppurtnity.   

Quickie Playoff Predictions

Last week, I went 3-1, despite whiffing on the scores. This week is the final four of football and here are my predictions for the AFC and NFC title games.


Green Bay at Chicago- Based on both games this season, this will be a tightly contested game. Green Bay, specifically Aaron Rodgers has been hot for the last month. Chicago has been steady for most of the season. They split both games they played and both were close. I look for Green Bay to pull out a close win in hostile territory. Green Bay 23-17


New York at Pittsburgh- The Jets surprised a lot of people last week, including myself, by going into New England and laying the smack down on the Patriots. In the last two years the Jets have played and won all their playoff games on the road. This should be another tight game, just like I said about the Steelers last week, they have home field so therefore they should win. Steelers 21-17

Eagles Loss and Layover Make N.Y. Giants Road To Playoffs Harder

The New York Giants made made it back to New Jersey yesterday after being an extended stay in Appleton Wisconsin, due to the blizzard which dumped two feet of snow on the New York City area.  After losing a crucial game to the Green Bay Packers 45-17 on Sunday, the team finally landed at Newark International Airport a full day and half later than scheduled, then later watched the Minnesota Vikings stun the Philadelphia Eagles 24-14. Ironically, the Eagles loss could have put the final nail in the Giants playoff chances.

The Chicago Bears have now locked up a No. 2 seed in the NFC, meaning they will get a first round bye. The Bears play the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.  If the Packers win, the Giants are out of the playoffs for the second straight year.  The Bears are still vying for a No. 1 seed.

The challenges facing the Giants in their quest for a wild card playoff spot are mostly out of their hands now.  The Bears can move up to the No. 1 seed if they win and the current top seed, the Atlanta Falcons, lose to the 2-13 Carolina Panthers.

The Bears play Sunday at 4:15 p.m., so when the team takes the field they should know the outcome of the Falcons-Panthers 1 p.m. game and if the No. 1 seed is still up for grabs.  If the Falcons clinch the No. 1 and home field advantage throughout, do the Bears still go all out or do they pull a Colts and rest the starters?

Right after the Vikings victory, Giants running back Brandon Jacobs tweeted," Let's just hope Chicago play their starters.  But it's always good to see Philly lose.  DAMN."

'Maybe the Giants starters should just play' would be a common lament from New York fans

A couple of other factors could affect the Giants destiny---the one night Wisconsin layover and the second straight hangover from another disappointing loss.  Head coach Tom Coughlin claims his staff would be about a half a day behind schedule from the delay.

The Giants players heads could be a different story.  The last two "playoff clinching games" included blowing a 31-10 lead to the Eagles in the fourth quarter combined with the 45-17 blowout to the Packers.  They could be worse than a New Year's Day headbanger that all the Players Only meetings and Guaranteed Victories won't cure.

Bears head coach  Lovie Smith said he plans on playing his starters but,  it remains to be seen if he uses them the whole game.  Seeing a win by the Falcons before gametime could take away a lot of the Bears' motivation.

Leave it to their old nemesis the Eagles to kick more dirt in the Giants' face.  New York has lost six in a row to Philadelphia including two this season already.  If, and that is a gargantuan if, the Giants do slip into the playoffs, the road will most certainly run down the Turnpike through the unfriendly confines of Lincoln Financial Field and a third meeting with the Birds.  Not a pleasant road trip.

A lot more than the Giants playoff hopes are riding on this game.  If the Giants lose this Sunday at Fed Ex Field to the dreadful 6-9 Washington Redskins, the cries for Coughlin's head could get to Metrodome levels.  Offensive coordinator, Kevin Gilbride could also see his scalp on a stick.  Another December failure could lead to wholesale changes on the Giants.  Can you say Bill Cowher.

It was only a couple of weeks ago the Giants were 9-4, leading the Eagles 31-10 with eight minutes to go.  The NFC East title and fate were in their grasp.  It seems a lot longer than that now.

New York Giants Not Worthy Of Playoffs

The entire New York Giants team and coaching staff should hang their heads in shame after yesterday's 45-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers.  Ironically, last week's whipping boy, punter Matt Dodge, had the best game of any Giant player and last week's whipper, head coach Tom Coughlin, looked clueless and on the ropes.  The Bill Cowher calls are getting louder.

The Giants were stranded in Appleton, Wisconsin after yesterday's interminable game because of the blizzard in New York.  Talk about a snow job.  To rally the troops, after last week's debacle at the New Meadowlands (same as the old) Stadium,  Giants quarterback Eli Manning called his first 'players only' meeting in the seven years he's been in New York and safety, Antrell Rolle all but guaranteed a victory against the Packers, the Giants still folded under pressure...big time.

As the Giants do their all-too-familiar December swoon, it all comes down to coaching and basics.  Tough-love coach Coughlin looked like a man out of his element yesterday.  His chance to challenge a fourth-quarter Packer interception was lost because he wasted it on a foolish challenge earlier.  Even a sure-bet reversal of a kick-off fumble by Hakeem Nicks took Coughlin a couple of agonizing minutes before Nicks finally convinced the head coach to toss the red flag.  Nicks was correct.

Coughlin doesn't deserve all the blame--just most of it.  The whole team looked uninspired and unprepared.  You know something is wrong when a veteran team fails to perform fundamental football duties.  Turnovers, pouncing on loose balls, on-side kick coverage, punt coverage and kickoff returns are all problems with the team.  The team has no one to blame but themselves.

There are no excuses for the Giants poor play.  Center Shaun O' Hara was back and the offensive line was complete but Manning still threw 4 interceptions to a Packer defense depleted by injuries.

"They played harder than we did," an exasperated Justin Tuck said, "It's a sick feeling in my stomach to be able to say that, considering what we had at stake."  What they had at stake was destiny.  Beat the Packers, make the playoffs.

The Giants vaunted backfield continues to underachieve and lose balls.  Ahmad Bradshaw continues to drop the football at the first hello and Brandon Jacobs got the ball poked out of his arms after being chased down by linebacker extraordinaire, Clay Matthews.  On the end of that romp, the usually clutch tight-end Kevin Boss tried to pick up the loose ball instead of hopping on it.  Green Bay's recovery shot down any chance the Giants had to make a game of it.  That makes 41 Giants turnovers this season.  They had 13 all year in just two years ago.

The Packers QB, Aaron Rodgers, played lights out yesterday, only couple of weeks from being knocked out by a concussion.  He riddled the Giants D for 404 yards and 4 touchdowns.  He made  "victory guaranteed' Rolle bite on an eighty yard TD throw to Jordy Nelson. Packer running back John Kuhn looked like a reincarnation of Jim Taylor against the over-rated and under-whelming Giants D-line.

Over the last 68 minutes the Giants have given up 73 points.  Not exactly Giants football.

Coughlin--who could be coaching his last game for the Giants this Sunday--said, "I'd like to see us get the 10th win, and I'd like to see us come back from a game of this nature."  Didn't he say that last week?  " There's not a whole lot out there to be proud of," continued the coach, "And literally stop talking about it and do it."  Again, last week?

All the Giants keep repeating is that they are still in the playoff hunt, but now they are the prey.  This Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins in D.C. has been pushed back to a 4:15 starting time.  Oh goody, three more hours to prepare.

The Giants are in the playoffs if they beat Washington and the Bears beat the Packers.  Or if they beat the Redskins and the Saints lose twice, starting with tonight's game.  Good luck with that.

Here is a scenario which is much more likely to pan out.  The Giants are in the playoffs if Brett Favre and Jenn Sterger kiss and make up, Michael Vick is voted  PETA's Man of the Year and Rex Ryan becomes a spokesperson for Dr. Scholl's.  Only then can you believe the Giants are playoff bound.

Eli Manning Finally Speaks Up: Giants Must Man Up Against Packers

Eli Manning did something he has never done in seven years as the New York Giants quarterback.  The usually reserved quarterback asked head coach Tom Coughlin if he could address the team in a players only meeting "before he [Coughlin] came in."  The head coach was more than happy to oblige his offensive leader after the horrendous 38-31 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday.

The five minute speech wasn't a last gasp of desperation.  It was Manning's way getting order back in the Giants' house after all the finger-pointing.

If you totaled up all of the Giants mistakes and misplays of the previous thirteen games, it wouldn't be more than the final seven and a half minutes of Giants futility against the Eagles.  Sunday's epic collapse was so bad Coughlin went home and recounted the game alone "in a room with the lights out for about 2 1/2 hours."

Manning spent his time after the game recounting the game to an empty press room for a while.  Contrary to a video making the rounds, the Giant quarterback was not stood up by the media.  The classy Manning had to wait a few minutes for the press room to fill.  He took the loss like a leader should.

The Giants QB, whose emotional range usually runs from the occasional fist pump to the more common befuddled head shake, took matters into his own hands by being the only speaker in his  attempt to raise the spirits of the fragile team's ego.

Never the outspoken team leader in the mold of a Michael Strahan or even the resident loudmouth safety Antrell Rolle, one can only hope the quiet Manning's rallying cry was in the style of John Belushi's character, Bluto, in "Animal House."  In that scenario, Manning might have began his fist-pounding speech with, "Remember when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor..."  At which the surprised Giant players all stare at their animated QB, then at each other.  Justin Tuck nods his head and says to no one, "Leave him alone, he's rolling," in reaction to Manning's first pep talk.

In reality, Manning matter-of-fact speech boiled down to this, " We're going to write the ending to this story, no one else." When asked to elaborate on what he said, Manning explained, "Just team stuff."

 Most of the veteran players couldn't remember their QB addressing the team like this, but said they will remember what he said in his non-confrontational style.  While Manning was calling a civil meeting of Giant minds, fans were still ranting for punter Matt Dodge's head. 

Manning's mild demeanor was a sharp contrast to Coughlin's public chewing out of the A.J. Burnett wannabe, Dodge, on the sideline the New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday.  The quarterback knows winning is a team effort and there were ten other players besides Dodge who could have tackled DeSean Jackson before his game-winning punt return. 

"It wasn't necessarily a speech.  He was just very prolific in saying [what] we had to do," said the defensive captain, Tuck.  "He just wanted to make sure we were on the same page, that our minds were set on coming in here on Wednesday and working our butts off," said Tuck.

The Giants (9-5) can take comfort that they are still be in the playoff hunt.  They control their own destiny for a wildcard position, but another December swoon would be two failed seasons in a row and Coughlin's  job could hang in the balance.

The Giants must purge the bad memories of Sunday.  Riding on this week's game against the Green Bay Packers (8-6) is the final wildcard position.  Packers star quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, has already been cleared to play after missing last week's game due to a concussion.  A Giants loss at Lambeau Field would give the Packers the tiebreaker.

In his heart, Manning's message was an attempt to stem the tide of damage from the embarrassing loss and soothe the fractured Giants psyche.  Teammates said he put on stoic face, but could tell he just wants to win.  Now they head to the frozen turf in Green Bay and try to put all the bad memories of blowing a 31-10 lead behind them. 

 If Manning was trying to rally the troops by stirring up ghosts of Super Bowl seasons past, he has a tough road ahead.  If they can't win at home with a three touchdown lead, how can they expect to win three straight playoff road games.  They haven't even won a playoff game since the '07 Super bowl victory.

All and all, the Giants are still in the playoffs today.  It's up to the team to react positively to last week's collapse.  Maybe this veteran team will recall that '07 team of road warriors, but all the 'Win one for the Gipper' speeches in the world won't mean a thing if the Giants team can't make one loud statement on the field--together.

New York Giants Will Have Dogs Ready For Vick On Sunday

Michael Vick better watch out what he wishes for because sometimes you get more than you want.  The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, who is enjoying an MVP caliber season after doing time for federal charges of dogfighting said, in a surprising request, he would like to have "another dog" as a pet.  The New York Giants defense may grant Vick his Christmas wish early this Sunday.

In an unbelievable year, after serving 19 months at the Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, the troubled QB has taken over the Eagles starting job and is the front runner for Comeback Player of the Year.  All the talk of redemption means nothing to the Giants as they battle the Eagles in another "Turnpike Tussle" for a playoff spot.

The Giants will get a second chance at stopping the scrambling Vick.  The two teams meet Sunday at the New Meadowlands Stadium tied for first place in the NFC East and, pardon the poor cliche, and expect the Giants to come out like a pack of mad dogs.  The Giants can clinch a playoff spot by beating the Eagles and the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all lose.

During their first meeting on Nov. 21, the Giants pressured the Philadelphia QB with a variety of blitzes and held the free-wheeling QB to a total of 34 yards and he didn't account for any of the touchdowns in a 27-17 Giant loss to the Eagles.

Philly head coach admired Big Blue's defensive scheme.  He said they "had a great game plan."

That wasn't good enough for the Giants.  It just showed they could contain the speedy QB and keep him in the pocket.  They plan to prove they aren't scared of the dangerous Vick and charge him with increased safety blitzes.  The Giants D has 31 sacks this season and has already put six quarterbacks on the sidelines. Vick has been slowed down by a cracked sternum in recent weeks.

Giant safety, Deon Grant said, " A defense never plays scared."

Vick is not your typical offensive weapon.  He has thrown for 2,513 yards and rushed for an additional 483 yards.  "I'm just trying to be a leader," the re-invented quarterback said.

The Philadelphia offensive line's game plan is to offer added protection for their much-maligned QB.  On a wall in the Eagles locker room are six photos with the inscription "illegal helmet hits against defenseless players."  Below the images is the word "PROHIBITED" in red ink.

It is to remind the team about the number of questionable "hits" Vick's body has absorbed after he leaves the pocket and scampers for the sidelines.  Eagle players believe, even with all of the NFL's tough talk about illegal hits, there is a double-standard for Vick.  They are frustrated by the lack of calls from the referees and, among his teammates, believe it all leads to Vick's well-publicized past.

The Giants are going into the game with a shortened rest week, due to last Sunday's postponement and relocation of their winning game against the Vikings.  Expect them to hit the field with more than just bark.

Vick has made appearances on behalf of the Humane Society since being released from the pen, but is prohibited form owning a dog due to the conditions of his release from prison.  Vick claims he owned a beagle-mix while growing up in Virginia and said, " I could take care of an animal in my household."

On Sunday, he will be staring into a pack of eleven crazed animals in their household.

New York Giants Should Thank Detroit Lions Three-Fold

Who could have predicted that the lowly Detroit Lions and their fans would play a crucial part in the New York Giants quest to make the playoffs?  The Giants will play the Minnesota Vikings Monday night at Ford Field in the Motor City, after spending Saturday night in Kansas City, because a snow storm collapsed the roof at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.  To the Giants benefit, a road game will now be played at a relatively neutral site.

The Giants spent Saturday night hanging out and wondering, and not knowing, when the game would be played.  Where was never in the equation.   Now it is the Vikings who are scrambling to the airport.  

In what looked like a lost and frustrating weekend for the New York Giants,  Mother Nature's fury has turned their misfortunes into a slight advantage.  Even the oddsmakers have noticed.  The Giants opened as 1-point favorites against the Minnesota Vikings, then the number shifted to 2 1/2 points when bettors went all in on the Giants then,  after the game was moved to Detroit, the Vegas odds jumped to 4 points.

Big Blue's odyssey began Saturday when their charter plane was diverted from Minneapolis and the team was forced to cool their heels overnight in a Kansas City hotel not knowing if they were even going to make it to Minnesota the next morning.  The Metrodome's roof collapsed at 5 a.m. Sunday morning and the NFL relocated the game to Detroit.

Going to Detroit gives the Giants a three-fold boost to the playoffs, which they didn't have two days ago, and the team can quietly thank the Lions.

The Giants (8-4) are still trying to keep pace with the Philadelphia Eagles (9-4) in a tough NFC East Division title battle while hanging with the New Orleans Saints (10-3), Green Bay Packers (8-5) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-5) for a wild card spot.  Any strategic advantage for the Giants after this weekend's conundrum is a bonus down the stretch. 

After the Metrodome's roof ripped open and dumped a couple of tons of snow onto the field, Giants owner, John Mara, suggested moving the game to his home field, the New Meadowlands Stadium, but the idea was immediately shot down by the NFL.  Hey, the New Orleans Saints played a "home" game there after Hurricane Katrina closed down the Superdome in 2005.

First blessing, the new locale takes away the home field advantage for the Vikings.  Playing the game in what the NFL is calling a "neutral" site is misleading.  Ford Field will be filled with as many anti-Viking fans, rooting against their inter-divisional rivals, as Giant fans.  It gives the Giants a slight "home" field edge.  However slight, it sure beats the high-decibel roar the home town fans would rein on the visitors in the Minneapolis Thunderdome.   Giants quarterback, Eli Manning, was poised and handled the noise factor in a rout against the Seattle Seahawks  inside Qwest Field--arguably the league's loudest venue--a few weeks ago but, when the decibel level rises so does his interception rate.  The less hostile surroundings should help keep Eli from getting rattled.

Second, the Giants must tip their helmets to a  Detroit Lions team which held on to defeat the Packers yesterday at Ford Field.  The shocking upset gives the Giants a half game lead on the Pack and, in the course of the game, Detroit managed to lay out Green Bay's star quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, with a concussion.

This lends itself to the third--injuries are part of the game--benefit of the Detroit Lions factor in the Giants good fortune.  Rodger's  head injury is his second of the season and there is concern he may not be cleared to play when the Giants visit Green Bay in two weeks.  This leaves open the possibility of the ineffective backup, Matt Flynn, facing the Giants defense in a typical December-chilled Lambeau Field in what will probably be a game with playoff spot implications for both teams.  The Giants D is already looking ahead.

The Giants arrived in Detroit yesterday at 3 p.m.   Oddly, there could be as many fans for tonight's 7:20 EST game for two visiting teams as there are for the barely watchable, but improving Lions. Free general admission tickets will be available at the Ford Field box office beginning this morning.   The game will be broadcast by Fox in the New York and Minnesota markets. 

It all remains to be seen how the Giants respond to this adventure.  Next week they play their division rival the Eagles in the Meadowlands, but the shortened and disruptive week could take it's toll.  In a week that started with the Giants generously offer their practice field to a visiting Miami Dolphins team, it has ended with the Detroit Lions returning the favor.  One good deed returned in triplicate.  Merry Christmas from Detroit.

Winning Ugly

The Detroit Lions pulled out a 7-3 win over the Green Bay Packers today. I swear that game was played like it was outdoors. To both teams credit, the defenses stepped up. It helped the Lions that Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had to leave the game with a concussion. DeAndre Levy also came up with a timely interception that thrwarted a Green Bay scoring oppurtunity. It was an ugly win but I'm sure coaches, players, and fans will take a win any way they can get it.

Both teams were offensively challenged but the Lions were picked apart by a short passing game. Drew Stanton wasn't as sharp as he was last week, throwing two ill advised interceptions. I'll give him some credit, he didn't fold and led them to the winning scoring drive. He may not be a Lion next year, but if he keeps playing well he'll have a job somewhere. Green Bay's defense isn't chopped liver and neither is Chicago's. Stanton earned another start next week if Shaun Hill isn't able to come back from injury. And no, Matthew Stafford shouldn't be brought back under no circumstances.

This was a good win for the Lions as they've been 0 for forever in the division. They actually won a game no one gave them a chance of winning. There wasn't a gang of pre snap penalties or penalties that came at a bad time. They didn't fold when it counted and they playe through mistakes. Today, they were big. Now we'll see if they can handle a little prosperity. The last time we thought they turned the corner they had a disheartning loss to the Jets. This time let's see them build some momentum and translate this into a few more to close out the year. Then we'll start talking about progress. 

Eli Manning Has Something To Prove In Minnesota

Nobody has to remind the New York Giants about last January's season-ending bashing at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings--especially quarterback Eli Manning.  While the Vikings were lighting up the Giants defense like the Rockefeller Christmas tree, Manning continued his five-year streak of futility against the the Northmen.

Last year's rout was the fourth straight loss to Minnesota and put an exclamation point on the Giants dismal 2009 season.  Manning has never beaten Minny in four tries and, except for  a game in 2008 when he was pulled at halftime because the Giants already had the top seed in the NFC in their future, he has been brutalized by the purple defense.

One time in 2007, Manning was chastised by the press and Giants front office after throwing three interceptions which were returned for touchdowns in a lackadaisical effort against the Vikes.   The Giants GM Jerry Reese called his quarterback "skittish."  The press said he quit.

Last year's mauling was just the Vikings way of using an elephant gun to put the staggering G-Men out of their misery.  This year the Giants (8-4) are tied for first place with the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East and claim they have have something to play for this time around.

The Giants have upcoming games against Philly and the Green Bay Packers--both in the playoff hunt--and a loss against the Vikings could push them out of the wildcard race.  A 10-6 record could leave any teams out of the playoffs because of strong teams like The Packers (8-4) and the New Orleans Saints (9-3) building up steam.

Despite walloping the Washington Redskins last week, the Giants have been inconsistent and hurt.  Eli has still thrown too many interceptions and the offense has trouble getting six inside the red zone. The team had been decimated by injuries to the offensive line and receiving corps and has more guys on the DL than "Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark."

While that Broadway musical deals with flying actors crashing into the mezzanine and opening night jitters, the Giants were besieged by blitzing safeties and Sunday fumbles.  Lately though, the Giants have been successfully using understudies and hitting their marks.

Reese has been making all the right moves.  He brought back Derek Hagan--who was cut by the Giants in training camp--and has filled in admirably as a receiver.  Tight end Bear Pascoe was on the taxi-squad and now fills in at fullback.  They are two of many fill-ins who have played crucial roles in the Giants modest win streak.

Reese's wheeling and dealings are reminiscent of his magic touch in 2007 when he brought in role-players like Madison Hedgecock, Dominik Hixon and Kevin Boss in the Giants' stretch-run to Super Bowl XLII.  They have been important cogs--when healthy-- on this year's team as well.

For a team that has a record of 11-15 in the crucial month of December, since Head Coach Tom Coughlin took over, the team is confident.  Coughlin knows he doesn't have to fire his players up against the Vikings and the players are responding.

Defensive tackle Barry Cofield said the team is motivated especially the way the defense has been playing the past two weeks.  "That's what you live for," said Cofield.  "You want to have pressure and have something to play for and have things at the end of the season to play for."

For now,  the Giants have been fortunate to win with new replacement players but maybe some old faces will be back on the field this Sunday.  Wide receiver Steve Smith--who missed four games with a torn pectoral muscle--said he could start and offensive lineman David Diehl (hamstring injury) might be back too.

Manning's woes against the Vikings stand out in bright red ink on the stat pages.  While he has shown flashes of brilliance against most teams, he has been a dud against Minnesota.  Manning's 0-4 record, nine interceptions, and a passer rating of 47.7 against the Vikings blink like the North Star on a clear night in Hibbing.   

This is the game in which Manning must come up big.  His emotional void is sometimes mistaken for a weakness--a lack of competitiveness.  All said, Manning has handled six years in New York and wears a Super Bowl ring.

Sunday, he is playing for pride, respect and the playoffs.  A loss this weekend and it could be back to playing out the season...again.

Rex Ryan Tells 'Cheeseheads' To Watch Their Backs

By Tony Mangia

The head coach of the New York Jets, Rex Ryan, had his stomach tied up last spring to limit his intake of food and lose weight.  Too bad they didn't stitch his mouth shut so we wouldn't be prone to his press outtakes as well.  The Meadowlands mouth may have only been joking yesterday when he warned the cheesehead fans of Green Bay about venturing into the New Meadowlands Stadium or cheering for their beloved Packers in New York bars, but  knowing Jets fans, it could cause some trouble.

"I wouldn't want to wear Green Bay stuff coming to our stadium---no way," the human bobble head  said when he was asked about the throngs of green and gold wearing fans who are known for taking over huge chunks of stadium seats--home or away.

"This is our fans...our team," the coach stressed.  I don't know if a Packer fan would want to waste his time coming to this environment.  But if they travel well, they travel well.  We'll see.  As long as they travel home mad and disappointed with the game, that's fine with me."

Ryan didn't stop there.  He riled up Jets and Packer fans who might cross paths in their local sports bars. "I'm not saying go to your local establishment, but go to your local establishment. Hopefully they'll have the game on there (fans can) pound a couple of beers.  I'm not responsible if they pound someone wearing a Green Bay Packer (jersey).  I just want to make sure that's been documented."