EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -Maybe it’s time to start giving the Super Bowl champion New York Giants a little more respect.
Overlooked by the experts heading into the season, the Giants were impressive in a 16-7 win over the Washington Redskins on Thursday night in a game that really wasn’t that close.
“Let people doubt us, it doesn’t matter,” offensive tackle David Diehl said Friday. “It’s what you do on Sundays. That’s always been the case and last year was not different. People counted us out and said we weren’t going to do anything. That’s fine. This year we are playing with a chip on our shoulders.”
The Giants displayed that chip repeatedly in the nationally televised season opener.
Running back Brandon Jacobs slapped Redskins linebacker Marcus Washington on the helmet after a play on the opening drive. Linebacker Antonio Pierce squared off with Washington guard Pete Kendall in the second half.
There were no clear-cut winners in the tiffs, but the Giants dominated the statistics.
New York outgained Washington 354-209. It held a 21-11 advantage in first downs and had the ball for almost 36 minutes.
Washington crossed midfield three times, the last two coming on its final two possessions against a defense that held it to 3 of 13 on third-down conversions.
“Nah, we didn’t make a statement,” said Justin Tuck, who was outstanding in his first game as Michael Strahan’s replacement at defensive left end. “It’s the first game. If anything, we went out and played our style of football. I don’t think it was a statement game. We could have played a whole lot better.”
That’s the scary thought for the rest of the NFL. The Giants were in total control despite leaving a lot out on the field.
Offensively, Eli Manning and company scored on their first four possessions, including three John Carney field goals. Manning scored the TD on a 1-yard run to open the game. The next two drives got inside the Redskins’ 10-yard line and New York had to settle for short field goals.
“I get excited because we did a lot of good things,” said Manning, who completed 19 of 35 for 216 yards and an interception. “We played well. All our drives we were moving the ball. If you are getting points, you are doing good things. We scored enough to win the game. We would like to get better, but that’s exciting.”
Coach Tom Coughlin looked at the tape on Friday and found other areas of concern. There were seven penalties for 70 yards, including three that resulted in first downs.
Washington’s touchdown was set up by a special teams breakdown on a kickoff return seconds after Carney kicked his third field goal.
“I think we are happy with some things, especially the first half,” guard Chris Snee said. “Obviously, we had all the yardage and the defense shut them down. Yeah, we won 16-7, but we left a lot out there. It’s good that you come out with a win, but you want that much more. There were some good things but things we have to clean up.”
One of the people who was most impressed by the Giants performance was Carney. Signed last weekend to replace the injured Lawrence Tynes, the 44-year-old saw a very motivated group on Thursday night.
“They are very composed and very disciplined,” said Carney, who didn’t hurt his own cause going 3-for-3 on field goals while hitting his kickoffs inside the 5-yard line.
“They are well-coached and comfortable with the personnel,” he added. “I can see they are coming off a very good season, and they have a lot of confidence. They don’t get rattled and that breeds confidence. That composure and confidence will carry them deep into this season. I think this is a playoff-caliber team, and they will be back in the playoffs.”
Pierce and most of the players aren’t looking that far ahead.
“We’re a new team,” Pierce said. “We’re not worried about proving we’re not a fluke. I don’t even know where that word comes from. The New York Giants are 1-0 in the league, 1-0 in the division, and we’re excited about that.”
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