The Giants first team looked competitive and there were more bright spots than one would have expected.

Matt Dodge both boomed and placed his punts well tonight. Jonathan Goff played an excellent game at MLB and OL Shawn Andrews played as if it were 2006.

TE Kevin Boss caught a TD from Eli Manning in the first quarter. He appears to be ready for the season.

Backup QB is still an issue, though….Rhett Bomar showed flashes, but he overthrew too many receivers in big spots, especially WR Duke Calhoun.

That was until the two hooked up with 1:49 remaining on a 60-yard catch and run for a TD.

Gartrell Johnson converted on the 2-point try to make the final score Giants 20, New England 17

Inactives for tonight’s game…

Giants inactives: CB Corey Webster (groin), CB Aaron Ross (heel), TE Travis Beckum (neck), LB Chase Blackburn (knee), LB Gerris Wilkinson (groin), C Shaun O’Hara (ankle), DE Alex Hall (shoulder) and DT Chris Canty (groin).

Lineup changes: Rocky Bernard in for Canty at RDT, Adam Koets will start at center and Bruce Johnson will start at LCB in place of Webster

Sorry for the delay folks but we are going to do a brief version of Depth Detangler tonight.

The running back stable is pretty straight forward right now. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw are the number 1s and as long as both can stay healthy, will see the majority of the carries.

The only real question mark lies with DJ Ware and whether or not the team has faith in him. Can he consistently stay healthy and provide a quick pair of legs to change the pace? Can he be counted on to return kicks and punts? If not, he’s gone, if yes he stays. I told you it was simple.

We will get a glimpse tonight as he is returning from his second career concussion. With Aaron Ross out indefinitely, the Giants may just be forced to keep him around if he can make any type of impact in the return game. His injury prone history could of course continue to be an issue. Return game wise, the Giants are desperate.

Andre Brown is a lock and has shown flashes of potential on both special teams and offense. Gartrell Johnson will be one of the 22 sent home this weekend.

Less than two hours before the last preseason game the more pressing question is which players will seize the last two or three slots. Most of the decisions are likely made but nothing is in cement. Victor Cruz can jump from 90% certainty to 100% with a nice kick return tonight. That is obviously a big point of interest for the organization as well as the fans.

USA TODAY has a very interesting story on Giants’ offensive lineman Shawn Andrews, who is attempting a comeback after being diagnosed with clinical depression. It’s amazing, and very sad, to hear how Andrews has been treated.

“I’ve been called everything in letters,” he says. “Some of the stuff I’m even embarrassed to say. One said, ‘The next time I read your name, I hope it’s in an obituary.’ “

Andrews recalled another fan who once asked for his autograph. The same person turned on him after he could not find it within himself to report to training camp in 2008. “You’re a disgrace to the world,” the man told him.

Yes, the Giants need help on the offensive line. That’s why Jerry Reese and Tom Coughlin are giving Andrews a chance. But anyone with a heart has to love that he’s getting this chance.

Click here to read the USA TODAY article.

“I’m concerned, because I just don’t see the energy,” said Pierce, now an NFL
analyst for ESPN. “You don’t see that swagger that we always talked
about, that me-against-the-world attitude. They can sit there and say
all the right things, but you know that’s not a confident group right
now. I see a team just going about their business. They’re going out
there like, ‘I did my job, coach.’ But they need more.”

READ

PRESEASON WEEK 4
GIANTS (1-2) VS. PATRIOTS (2-1)
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2ND, 7:00 PM
NEW MEADOWLANDS STADIUM
TV: NFL NETWORK

For most NFL teams, Week 3 of the preseason is almost always the final dress rehearsal for the usual Week 1 regular season starters who often take Week 4 off during the preseason. But, don’t tell that to Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin, who said he plans to play a lot of his starters “for at least one quarter” in the Giants’ final preseason test against the New England Patriots on Thursday night.

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You have to be impressed with Osi Umenyiora. Everything we’ve seen and heard from him during training camp has been positive. In a battle with Mathias Kiwanuka for the defensive end job, he says he’s ready to accept any role. His comments yesterday at the Giants’ annual kickoff luncheon are proof of this commitment.

From ESPN New York’s Ohm Youngmisuk:

Umenyiora was the defensive player selected to talk at the event which raises proceeds for the Touchdown Fund, a program that benefits children and cardiac and cancer care. And he delivered his unique take on the mindset of the Giants defense as the season approaches.

“It’s very annoying, and I’m going to take this opportunity to be equally annoying to speak to you in riddles and parables,” Umenyiora continued. “I think in discussing the 2010 New York Giants, the one thing I would say is this: individually, the team is like stars, but the team is the sun. While we might all shine, when the sun comes up, we all disappear. I’m quite sure you Giants fans understand exactly what I’m talking about, but there are some players on our team who have no idea what I just said. I’ll say this again, and by the way, they’re all on defense. Individually, the team is like stars, but the team is the sun. While we might all shine, when the sun comes up, we all disappear. That’s the mantra this year: team first, team last, team everything. We will be physical, we will be aggressive, we will be a dominant football team.”

(more…)

Verizon is kicking off the football season with the production and broadcast of the first National Football League game in 3D on television for the company’s FiOS TV customers in parts of New York , New Jersey ,Massachusetts and Rhode Island .

The preseason match-up between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots tonight at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m., with Verizon FiOS1 pre-game, half-time and post-game shows – all in 3D. The game begins at 7 p.m.

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The Giants were off yesterday.  The team attended the annual Kickoff Luncheon to benefit the Hackensack University Medical Center.  Former Giants WR Amani Toomer was honored as Alumni Man of the Year for his past service and his current charitable efforts.

Here’s a quote from Amani courtesy of Mike Eisen at Giants.com…

“This award means a lot to me, because it not only means that I did a good job on the field, but it means I did a good job off the field,” Toomer said. “There is going to come a day in a player’s life when no one is really going to remember how many yards or any of the stats that you have. They’ll only remember the character of the person. For the Giants to recognize my character, not just on the field but off the field, I really appreciate that.

I’m really thankful not only to the fact that I got to play in such a wonderful city, I also played for the fans. I remember the first time that I had a record for one catch in (98) games, and then one game I didn’t catch a ball. In the next game, we played the New Orleans Saints, and when I caught a pass, the whole crowd went crazy, knowing the situation I was in before. To hear it and feel it from the stands, that’s something I’ll never forget. To all the players I say, ‘Enjoy your time.’ The years slip by really fast, so you can’t think you’re going to have all the time in the world. Because when it comes, it comes, and you have to be prepared for it. I just wanted to thank everyone for having me up here and having me back.”