Topes
Footballguy
Were I Tom Coughlin, I'd sit this guy.
But I don't know what's in his head. I'd like to know what's going to happen, but can't.
I figured the consensus would be that the starters will be rested.
Then, I see some crazy stuff to the contrary.
All smoke? I can understand the smoke coming fromt he Giants organization, but the Rotoworld pronouncement below seems a bit over the top.
Brandon Jacobs
Brandon Jacobs (ankle) practiced without limits on Wednesday.
Jacobs and the Giants have made it quite clear that his ankle injury is of little concern. New York seemingly plans to play its starters a good amount against the Patriots in Week 17, so Jacobs should see 20+ touches.
Should? I could almost go with 'could' there. Should? That's mighty presumptuous.
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Receiver, running back working for Patriots game
By Tom Canavan, AP Sports Writer
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — If wide receiver Plaxico Burress and running back Brandon Jacobs are any indication, the New York Giants aren't resting anyone in their bid to end the New England Patriots' perfect season.
Burress practiced on a limited basis for only the third time this season and Jacobs worked out on a sprained ankle Wednesday as New York (10-5) got ready for the regular-season finale against the undefeated Patriots at Giants Stadium on Saturday night.
"No one in here is screaming 'Let's rest,' I can tell you that," Jacobs said. "Guys want to play. It's the last regular-season game and it's home. Guys won't want to sit down."
Having Jacobs on the field was somewhat of a surprise. The big running back sprained an ankle in the third quarter of Sunday's 38-21 playoff-clinching win over the Buffalo Bills, and it seemed that he would get some rest this weekend with the Giants looking forward to a wild-card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Jan. 5 or 6.
However, Jacobs, who ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday, was full go in practice.
"The ankle is feeling way better than I thought it was going to end up feeling," Jacobs said. "I feel good. I feel great, as far as the ankle is concerned."
If there were surprises, it was Burress and rookie running back Ahmad Bradshaw.
Bradshaw replaced Jacobs on Sunday and gained 151 yards on 17 carries, highlighted by a game-clinching 88-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Bradshaw did not practice Wednesday because of a calf injury. His status is day to day.
Coach Tom Coughlin caught everyone off guard when he announced that Burress would practice on a limited basis. It was his first workout since practicing in the week preceding the Dallas game on Nov. 11.
"I came in yesterday and told the coach I wanted to go out and get a few reps during the week," said Burress, who has battled a sprained ankle since early in training camp. "I'm starting to feel a little better. It had nothing to do with the game this week. I just want to get out and do what I can. We're approaching this game to go out and win."
Burress leads the Giants with 66 catches and 10 touchdowns, but his production has slipped in the second half of the season. Eight of his touchdowns came in the first six games. He has only had 14 receptions and one TD in the past four games.
It was assumed by many that he would be the one player that Coughlin would rest against the Patriots.
Burress doesn't want the rest.
"I don't think it's a benefit for us to take off," he said. "I think the more we play, the better we'll get. When you get into the playoffs, it's a different speed. The game is a little bit faster. Decisions have to be made a little bit quicker and I think that's the mode that we're trying to get ourselves into."
Quarterback Eli Manning was thrilled to be working with Burress.
"It was just good to get work with the guys that are going to be out there on Saturday, in this instance, but just to work on the routes that we don't get to always throw during practice or during pregame," Manning said. "You get some reps and just get the feel of the timing of what it should feel like during the game."
Coughlin again refused to say whether anyone would be rested against New England. His players shed no light on the situation.
"Coach Coughlin said we're going to play to win the game," Jacobs said. "Whatever we have to do to do that, that's what we're going to do. No matter what it is, we're going to do it."
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Hello-o-o! Giants playing to win the game
BY ARTHUR STAPLE | arthur.staple@newsday.com
December 27, 2007
Tom Coughlin will be keeping his personnel decisions for Saturday to himself. The Giants who spoke to the media yesterday were all of the same feeling regarding the regular-season finale against the Patriots: We all play and we play to win.
"We want to see where we stand. Right now, our mindset is we're going to play the whole game and we're going to play to win," Eli Manning said. "It's not a must-win game, we're already in the playoffs, but we still see it as an opportunity against one of the best teams in the league to see if we can execute our game plan."
Manning is not among the injured players who are up in the air for Saturday, but perhaps his psyche is a little bruised from five straight performances ranging from good in parts (rallies to win in Chicago and Philadelphia), ugly with a win (Buffalo), bad with a loss (Washington) and a just plain ugly loss (Minnesota). Four of those games took place in unpleasant weather conditions and the best numbers Manning could offer are the Giants 3-1 record, capped by Sunday's 38-21 win in the rain, snow and wind in Buffalo.
"It's just about finding ways to win," said Manning, who has completed just 45.4 percent (79-for-174) of his passes in the last five games, with four touchdown passes, eight interceptions and four lost fumbles. "It obviously hasn't been pretty at times in some tough circumstances, but that's part of playing football in the Northeast. We've been fortunate the last couple of years when we haven't had as many bad-weather games. We've had a few this year and we've been fortunate to get some wins."
The weather should be fine for Saturday, with 40-degree temperatures and a chance of rain. In Tampa next weekend, Manning won't be throwing into wintry weather. So that part of the equation is solved for now.
Who will be running the offense with him on Saturday is still in doubt. Plaxico Burress did some limited work in practice yesterday and swore he would be playing against the Patriots, bum ankle and all. The same is true for Brandon Jacobs, who had a career-high 145 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Buffalo before re-injuring a tender ankle.
"The ankle's feeling way better than I thought it would," he said. "It's not going to bother me."
What would bother Jacobs, who needs just 56 rushing yards for 1,000 on the season (and a likely contract incentive reached), is sitting out. He's missed five games with knee and hamstring injuries and, perhaps more important when you consider a playoff game, has fumbled three times in the two games after his injury layoffs. Rookie Ahmad Bradshaw missed practice with a bruised leg, so Jacobs might not be able to afford to sit this one out.
"I want to play football. I know a lot of guys don't, but I want to play, that's it," he said. "Rest is good and all, but I've had six weeks of rest. I don't need any more."
Burress is 59 receiving yards shy of 1,000 as well, though he's amassed only 41 combined yards in the last two games he has played.
Coughlin was able to crack a few jokes during his news conference, which revolved around what his active roster for Saturday would look like. "I have talked to whomever . . . The janitor went by once and I grabbed him. I wanted to make sure I could bounce it off him," Coughlin said. "How else could we possibly prepare ourselves to play a team of this stature if we don't put everything we have into it?
Gibril Wilson, who missed three games with a sprained knee before returning on Sunday, simply looked incredulously at a reporter who suggested he sit out on Saturday. He then echoed Coughlin's oft-repeated mantra for the week.
"You play to win the game," Wilson said, repeating it for effect.
Saturday
New England at Giants
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Burress, Jacobs want to play vs. Pats
12/26/2007
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- With the New York Giants locked into the NFC's No. 5 seed, coach Tom Coughlin faces a dilemma.
Some observers say he should rest his starters for Saturday's game against the New England Patiots to get ready for next week's playoff contest against the Tampa Bay Buccanners.
Others insist, however, that he should go all out in an attempt to prevent the Patriots from becoming the first team in NFL history to complete a 16-0 regular season.
Wide receiver Plaxico Burress and running back Brandon Jacobs are two of the players Coughlin could rest since they are each nursing ankle injuries.
Coughlin has not yet indicated which way he will go, but there is no doubt what course of action Burress would choose if the decision was left to him.
"No one in here is screaming 'Let's rest,' I can tell you that," Burress said after practice Wednesday. "Guys want to play. It's the last regular-season game and it's home. Guys won't want to sit down."
Burress caught only one pass in last week's 38-21 playoff-clinching win in Buffalo, but leads the Giants in receptions (66) and touchdowns (10).
He practiced Wednesday for only the third time this year due to his season-long ankle injury.
"I don't think it's a benefit for us to take off," Burress added. "I think the more we play, the better we'll get."
Jacobs, who missed five games earlier this season with knee and hamstring injuries, was briefly knocked out of last week's contest after injuring his ankle in the third quarter. But he returned and rushed for a season-high 143 yards.
Jacobs could use the rest but he, too, doesn't want to sit against the unbeaten Patriots.
"I expect to get out and play and try to win the game," Jacobs said. "Coach Coughlin said we're going to play to win the game."
Both Burress and Jacobs are approaching personal milestones.
Burress needs 59 receiving yards for the fourth 1,000-yard season of his career. He fell 12 yards short of the mark last season.
Despite missing the five games, Jacobs is only 58 rushing yards shy of reaching 1,000 yards for the first time in his three-year career.
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I was going to bolden oot the parts from the above three articles which would indicate which way the wind is blowing, but it'd be too much.
Now, all of the entirety of everything everybody's said could be a smokescreen. Why? Boost ratings? I dunno. Cuz teh Giants have nothing to play for. It just doesn't make sensethat they'd play Jacobs more than a series or two, if at all.
We could work ourselves into a frothy lather of self-delusion, thinking Brandon Jacobs will come out and be the man this weekend, given articles like this. That would be a bad thing to do.
On the other hand, anything and everything that would help sort this matter out (especially in the hour leading to kickoff) would be especially helpful.
But I don't know what's in his head. I'd like to know what's going to happen, but can't.
I figured the consensus would be that the starters will be rested.
Then, I see some crazy stuff to the contrary.
All smoke? I can understand the smoke coming fromt he Giants organization, but the Rotoworld pronouncement below seems a bit over the top.
Brandon Jacobs
Brandon Jacobs (ankle) practiced without limits on Wednesday.
Jacobs and the Giants have made it quite clear that his ankle injury is of little concern. New York seemingly plans to play its starters a good amount against the Patriots in Week 17, so Jacobs should see 20+ touches.
Should? I could almost go with 'could' there. Should? That's mighty presumptuous.
==============================================================================
Receiver, running back working for Patriots game
By Tom Canavan, AP Sports Writer
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — If wide receiver Plaxico Burress and running back Brandon Jacobs are any indication, the New York Giants aren't resting anyone in their bid to end the New England Patriots' perfect season.
Burress practiced on a limited basis for only the third time this season and Jacobs worked out on a sprained ankle Wednesday as New York (10-5) got ready for the regular-season finale against the undefeated Patriots at Giants Stadium on Saturday night.
"No one in here is screaming 'Let's rest,' I can tell you that," Jacobs said. "Guys want to play. It's the last regular-season game and it's home. Guys won't want to sit down."
Having Jacobs on the field was somewhat of a surprise. The big running back sprained an ankle in the third quarter of Sunday's 38-21 playoff-clinching win over the Buffalo Bills, and it seemed that he would get some rest this weekend with the Giants looking forward to a wild-card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Jan. 5 or 6.
However, Jacobs, who ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday, was full go in practice.
"The ankle is feeling way better than I thought it was going to end up feeling," Jacobs said. "I feel good. I feel great, as far as the ankle is concerned."
If there were surprises, it was Burress and rookie running back Ahmad Bradshaw.
Bradshaw replaced Jacobs on Sunday and gained 151 yards on 17 carries, highlighted by a game-clinching 88-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Bradshaw did not practice Wednesday because of a calf injury. His status is day to day.
Coach Tom Coughlin caught everyone off guard when he announced that Burress would practice on a limited basis. It was his first workout since practicing in the week preceding the Dallas game on Nov. 11.
"I came in yesterday and told the coach I wanted to go out and get a few reps during the week," said Burress, who has battled a sprained ankle since early in training camp. "I'm starting to feel a little better. It had nothing to do with the game this week. I just want to get out and do what I can. We're approaching this game to go out and win."
Burress leads the Giants with 66 catches and 10 touchdowns, but his production has slipped in the second half of the season. Eight of his touchdowns came in the first six games. He has only had 14 receptions and one TD in the past four games.
It was assumed by many that he would be the one player that Coughlin would rest against the Patriots.
Burress doesn't want the rest.
"I don't think it's a benefit for us to take off," he said. "I think the more we play, the better we'll get. When you get into the playoffs, it's a different speed. The game is a little bit faster. Decisions have to be made a little bit quicker and I think that's the mode that we're trying to get ourselves into."
Quarterback Eli Manning was thrilled to be working with Burress.
"It was just good to get work with the guys that are going to be out there on Saturday, in this instance, but just to work on the routes that we don't get to always throw during practice or during pregame," Manning said. "You get some reps and just get the feel of the timing of what it should feel like during the game."
Coughlin again refused to say whether anyone would be rested against New England. His players shed no light on the situation.
"Coach Coughlin said we're going to play to win the game," Jacobs said. "Whatever we have to do to do that, that's what we're going to do. No matter what it is, we're going to do it."
==============================================================================
Hello-o-o! Giants playing to win the game
BY ARTHUR STAPLE | arthur.staple@newsday.com
December 27, 2007
Tom Coughlin will be keeping his personnel decisions for Saturday to himself. The Giants who spoke to the media yesterday were all of the same feeling regarding the regular-season finale against the Patriots: We all play and we play to win.
"We want to see where we stand. Right now, our mindset is we're going to play the whole game and we're going to play to win," Eli Manning said. "It's not a must-win game, we're already in the playoffs, but we still see it as an opportunity against one of the best teams in the league to see if we can execute our game plan."
Manning is not among the injured players who are up in the air for Saturday, but perhaps his psyche is a little bruised from five straight performances ranging from good in parts (rallies to win in Chicago and Philadelphia), ugly with a win (Buffalo), bad with a loss (Washington) and a just plain ugly loss (Minnesota). Four of those games took place in unpleasant weather conditions and the best numbers Manning could offer are the Giants 3-1 record, capped by Sunday's 38-21 win in the rain, snow and wind in Buffalo.
"It's just about finding ways to win," said Manning, who has completed just 45.4 percent (79-for-174) of his passes in the last five games, with four touchdown passes, eight interceptions and four lost fumbles. "It obviously hasn't been pretty at times in some tough circumstances, but that's part of playing football in the Northeast. We've been fortunate the last couple of years when we haven't had as many bad-weather games. We've had a few this year and we've been fortunate to get some wins."
The weather should be fine for Saturday, with 40-degree temperatures and a chance of rain. In Tampa next weekend, Manning won't be throwing into wintry weather. So that part of the equation is solved for now.
Who will be running the offense with him on Saturday is still in doubt. Plaxico Burress did some limited work in practice yesterday and swore he would be playing against the Patriots, bum ankle and all. The same is true for Brandon Jacobs, who had a career-high 145 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Buffalo before re-injuring a tender ankle.
"The ankle's feeling way better than I thought it would," he said. "It's not going to bother me."
What would bother Jacobs, who needs just 56 rushing yards for 1,000 on the season (and a likely contract incentive reached), is sitting out. He's missed five games with knee and hamstring injuries and, perhaps more important when you consider a playoff game, has fumbled three times in the two games after his injury layoffs. Rookie Ahmad Bradshaw missed practice with a bruised leg, so Jacobs might not be able to afford to sit this one out.
"I want to play football. I know a lot of guys don't, but I want to play, that's it," he said. "Rest is good and all, but I've had six weeks of rest. I don't need any more."
Burress is 59 receiving yards shy of 1,000 as well, though he's amassed only 41 combined yards in the last two games he has played.
Coughlin was able to crack a few jokes during his news conference, which revolved around what his active roster for Saturday would look like. "I have talked to whomever . . . The janitor went by once and I grabbed him. I wanted to make sure I could bounce it off him," Coughlin said. "How else could we possibly prepare ourselves to play a team of this stature if we don't put everything we have into it?
Gibril Wilson, who missed three games with a sprained knee before returning on Sunday, simply looked incredulously at a reporter who suggested he sit out on Saturday. He then echoed Coughlin's oft-repeated mantra for the week.
"You play to win the game," Wilson said, repeating it for effect.
Saturday
New England at Giants
==============================================================================
Burress, Jacobs want to play vs. Pats
12/26/2007
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- With the New York Giants locked into the NFC's No. 5 seed, coach Tom Coughlin faces a dilemma.
Some observers say he should rest his starters for Saturday's game against the New England Patiots to get ready for next week's playoff contest against the Tampa Bay Buccanners.
Others insist, however, that he should go all out in an attempt to prevent the Patriots from becoming the first team in NFL history to complete a 16-0 regular season.
Wide receiver Plaxico Burress and running back Brandon Jacobs are two of the players Coughlin could rest since they are each nursing ankle injuries.
Coughlin has not yet indicated which way he will go, but there is no doubt what course of action Burress would choose if the decision was left to him.
"No one in here is screaming 'Let's rest,' I can tell you that," Burress said after practice Wednesday. "Guys want to play. It's the last regular-season game and it's home. Guys won't want to sit down."
Burress caught only one pass in last week's 38-21 playoff-clinching win in Buffalo, but leads the Giants in receptions (66) and touchdowns (10).
He practiced Wednesday for only the third time this year due to his season-long ankle injury.
"I don't think it's a benefit for us to take off," Burress added. "I think the more we play, the better we'll get."
Jacobs, who missed five games earlier this season with knee and hamstring injuries, was briefly knocked out of last week's contest after injuring his ankle in the third quarter. But he returned and rushed for a season-high 143 yards.
Jacobs could use the rest but he, too, doesn't want to sit against the unbeaten Patriots.
"I expect to get out and play and try to win the game," Jacobs said. "Coach Coughlin said we're going to play to win the game."
Both Burress and Jacobs are approaching personal milestones.
Burress needs 59 receiving yards for the fourth 1,000-yard season of his career. He fell 12 yards short of the mark last season.
Despite missing the five games, Jacobs is only 58 rushing yards shy of reaching 1,000 yards for the first time in his three-year career.
==============================================================================
I was going to bolden oot the parts from the above three articles which would indicate which way the wind is blowing, but it'd be too much.
Now, all of the entirety of everything everybody's said could be a smokescreen. Why? Boost ratings? I dunno. Cuz teh Giants have nothing to play for. It just doesn't make sensethat they'd play Jacobs more than a series or two, if at all.
We could work ourselves into a frothy lather of self-delusion, thinking Brandon Jacobs will come out and be the man this weekend, given articles like this. That would be a bad thing to do.
On the other hand, anything and everything that would help sort this matter out (especially in the hour leading to kickoff) would be especially helpful.
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