Time for quarterback Eli Manning to assert himself for Giants
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EDITORS: This story may not be used on Web sites () —
By Tom Rock
Newsday
(MCT)
MELVILLE, N.Y. — Maybe we should start calling him Harangue Carson.
Former Giants linebacker and Hall of Famer Harry Carson continued to scold the current members of the team after Sunday's listless performance against the Panthers that not only eliminated them from playoff contention but brought the curtain down on Giants Stadium with a thud.
After the game, Carson questioned the team's heart and pride. Tuesday, in an interview on "The Michael Kay Show" on 1050 ESPN, Carson stood by those comments ... and took them further.
"I really didn't see a whole lot of pride," Carson said. "There were 78,000 people there that I think saw the same thing I saw. When you're closing up your stadium in front of your fans and a team comes in and gangster-slaps you in front of your fans, you should be angry. I didn't see that in these guys. And I was disappointed."
Carson's initial criticisms were met with agreement by some players — Terrell Thomas and Jeff Feagles were those who concurred with his disappointment — and Tom Coughlin said the pride is not absent, just inconsistent. "We talk about New York Giant pride; we do know what it is," Coughlin said Monday. "Perhaps it hasn't been shown in all respects this year. Believe me, it's talked about, and it is there."
But linebacker Michael Boley took issue with Carson's remarks. "It doesn't mean anything to me," he said Monday, adding that all criticism from the outside falls on "deaf ears," even the criticism from one of the franchise's all-time greats. "We don't care who it is," Boley said.
Carson was aware of Boley's comments.
"I wasn't attacking any particular player," he said. "But if the shoe fits, wear it. If they are offended by what I say, so be it. When you're a football player and you don't put up the fight you need to put up in the last game at Giants Stadium, there's something wrong with that picture.
"They can say what they want to say. I didn't miss any tackles on Sunday. I didn't go out and wallow around. They need to look at themselves in the mirror. What they showed on Sunday, it was embarrassing. It was embarrassing for all the former players."
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STORYLINES:
—Mood swings: Tom Coughlin used a graph to illustrate how inconsistent the team has been, but the maddening ups and downs can be highlighted just by looking at the past two weeks. For the first time in Giants history that goes back to 1925, the Giants beat an opponent by more than 30 points (45-12 over the Redskins) only to lose by more than 30 points the following week (41-9 against the Panthers). What's more, the Giants had a 24-0 halftime lead one week and trailed 24-0 at halftime the following week. It's the first time that's happened in the NFL since 1990.
—Sweet 16 for Jacobs? The knock on Brandon Jacobs has always been his inability to get through a full season without injury. This year, for the first time since he became a starter, he has a chance to play in all 16 of the Giants' games. If, that is, his knee lets him. Jacobs had the knee X-rayed Sunday after it stiffened up on him during the game against the Panthers and Tom Coughlin said it is an injury he's been dealing with "along the way." The severity of the knee injury is unclear and sources close to Jacobs are unsure if he will need surgery after the season.
—Looking ahead to 2010: With third place in the division secured, the Giants have a nearly complete list of their opponents for next season. Besides the home-and-home games against the three NFC East opponents, the Giants will travel to play at Houston, Indianapolis, Green Bay, Minnesota and Seattle. They'll be home for the Bears, Lions, Jaguars, Titans and either the Falcons or the Panthers, depending on who finishes in third place in the NFC South. If the Colts win the Super Bowl, it's a pretty good bet that they'll host the Thursday night opener against the Giants as the second professional meeting between Peyton and Eli Manning. The full NFL schedule is typically announced in the spring.
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(c) 2009, Newsday.
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Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
