The first part of the New York Giants’ schedule was made for a college team easing its way into a tough conference.
Now the real tests begin.
After winning five of six games against teams with a combined mark of 12-27, the Super Bowl champions go to Pittsburgh on Sunday to play a team with the same record but in a better position in its division. That’s because the Giants are in the very competitive NFC East, a half-game up on the Redskins; the Steelers in the easier AFC North, where they lead Baltimore by two games.
Tom Coughlin doesn’t apologize for beating up on softies.
“Every game in this league is a hard, hard game. Every game in this league is a difficult game to win: home, away, wherever,” the Giants coach says. “To make the mistake and not recognize it as that is foolish.”
This series goes back 76 games to 1933, although the Giants and Steelers have met only seven times since Pittsburgh moved to the AFC in the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
iage); and the first meeting between Plaxico Burress and the team that drafted him, then let him go.
Start with the QBs, both drafted in the first round in 2004 and both Super Bowl winners by their fourth season. One interesting twist: Roethlisberger might have been a Giant if New York had not been able to complete the trade for Manning with San Diego; the Giants would have taken him over Philip Rivers.
As for Burress, there are times Coughlin might wish he was back with Pittsburgh. After suspending him for one game for failing to show up for meetings during the bye week, the coach and his star wide receiver got into a sideline shouting match during the win over San Francisco last week after Burress was flagged for yelling at an official.
Burress’ parting with the Steelers wasn’t pleasant. He left as a free agent after the 2004 season after he tired of the team and the team tired of his antics.
But he has ties.
“I still talk to some of the guys a couple of times a week,” he says. “When you build your relationships like that and get to know people’s kids and things like that, it is a lot more than football. I still hang with them and still keep in contact with them. I really don’t have any hard feelings with anybody.”
Except, perhaps, his current coach.
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at Dallas; Oakland at Baltimore; Kansas City at the New York Jets; St. Louis at New England; Arizona at Carolina; Atlanta at Philadelphia; Cincinnati at Houston; Cleveland at Jacksonville; and Seattle at San Francisco.
Indianapolis is at Tennessee on Monday night.
Denver, Chicago, Green Bay and Minnesota are off. There is no Sunday night game this week.
Tampa Bay (5-2) at Dallas (4-3)
Roy Williams (the receiver, not the injured safety) arrived last week to join a winner and thought he was back with the Lions.
“I was happy to be out of Detroit,” he said after going without a catch in Dallas’ shocking 34-14 loss to the Rams. “I would have never thought this team would lose a game like that.”
Tony Romo’s broken pinkie will keep him out for another three games.
So 40-year-old Brad Johnson, who was the Bucs’ quarterback when they won the Super Bowl in 2003, will start again for the Cowboys. Tampa’s QB is 38-year-old Jeff Garcia one of a group of old-timers making the Bucs look like a serious contender. The others include Warrick Dunn, Derrick Brooks, Ronde Barber and Kevin Carter.
Indianapolis (3-3) at Tennessee (6-0) (Monday night)
two TD passes went to the Packers.
The matchups favor the Titans, who rushed for 332 yards against the Chiefs last week. Run defense has always been a problem for the Colts, who will have to get ahead early to keep Tennessee from grinding it out.
San Diego (3-4) vs. New Orleans (3-4) at London
The European showcase at Wembley Stadium features two disappointing sides.
The biggest problems for both have been defense and injuries. Reggie Bush didn’t make the trip for New Orleans, instead undergoing knee surgery that’s expected to keep him out a month.
Aside from London, the story line is the Saints’ Drew Brees against his former mates, which include former backup and golf rival Philip Rivers. “I’d be lying if I told you it was just any other game,” Brees says. “But certainly I’m not blowing it out of proportion, and I’m not putting any added pressure on myself or my team.”
Arizona (4-2) at Carolina (5-2)
The Cardinals are seeking their first playoff spot since 1998 and their first division title since they won the NFC East in 1975 as the St. Louis Cards. So far, they have been a much better team at home, where they are 3-0 and have outscored three opponents by a combined 102-51.
just 2 1/2 sacks all last year and has four so far this year.
Atlanta (4-2) at Philadelphia (3-3)
A homecoming for Matt Ryan, who grew up outside Philadelphia. This is likely to be one of the rookie QB’s toughest tests. Jim Johnson’s blitz schemes led to nine sacks of Pittsburgh quarterbacks earlier this season.
The Eagles, off for a week, figure to have star running back Brian Westbrook healthy after ankle and rib injuries that kept him out of the win in San Francisco and hampered him in losses to Chicago and Washington. If not for upsets of the Redskins and Cowboys by St. Louis, and of the Giants by Cleveland, Philly would be in a deeper hole in the NFC East.
Buffalo (5-1) at Miami (2-4)
The Bills’ win over the Chargers last week firmly established them as the team to beat in the Tom Bradyless AFC East. But in a scheduling quirk, this is their first division game; the Jets and Patriots come in the next two weeks.
In their last two games, the Dolphins have lost to previously winless Houston and then to Baltimore, the only team they beat last season. Last week, they got only 4 yards on five tries from the unconventional Wildcat formation featuring RB Ronnie Brown.
St. Louis (2-4) at New England (4-2)
-yard-line. Steven Jackson, who ran for 160 yards in the upset of the Cowboys, strained a quadriceps last week but is expected to be ready.
The Patriots lost safety Rodney Harrison in the 41-7 Monday night win over Denver, but generally were upbeat after a game in which they rushed for 257 yards and had five takeaways. “We have a lot to get ready for on a team that we don’t know very well,” Bill Belichick says of St. Louis.
Washington (4-2) at Detroit (0-6)
The Redskins are probably glad to be back on the road, where they’ve played their best this season. During a two-game homestand, they were upset by the Rams and nearly upset by the Browns in a game that could have gone to overtime if Phil Dawson hadn’t been wide right with a field goal.
Detroit has only two games left with teams currently under .500: the 3-4 Vikings and 3-4 Saints. That might give the Lions a shot at the first 0-16 season, although going winless may be harder than going unbeaten. A questionable pass interference call kept them from winning in Minnesota two weeks ago.
Cleveland (2-4) at Jacksonville (3-3)
lined him for a game.
The Jaguars seem to match up well here. They aren’t running as well as in past years, but should be able to control the ball against a weak run defense.
Seattle (1-5) at San Francisco (2-5)
Mike Singletary’s debut as head coach for the 49ers, who fired Mike Nolan after the team’s fourth straight loss last weekend. Singletary is an interim coach hoping to do enough to earn the full-time job.
One of the names being mentioned for the Niners’ future is Bay Area native Mike Holmgren, who is stepping down as Seattle’s coach after this season and made his reputation as the 49ers’ offensive coordinator two decades ago. But Holmgren says he will stick to his pledge to take off in 2009.
Kansas City (1-5) at New York Jets (3-3)
Chiefs coach Herm Edwards probably wishes he stayed with the Jets. With Damon Huard banged up and Brodie Croyle out for the season, he’s down to Tyler Thigpen as his quarterback on a team that’s bad anyway. He also will sit Larry Johnson for the second straight week for his off-field problems.
er been a part of.”
Oakland (2-4) at Baltimore (3-3)
Another one of those early eastern starts for a western team – the Raiders start at 10 a.m. on their body clocks. But at least they come in upbeat after Tom Cable’s first win as a head coach.
Just when Joe Flacco seemed to be hitting the rookie quarterback wall, he stood out in Miami, completing 17 of 23 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown as Baltimore ended a three-game losing streak.
Cincinnati (0-7) at Houston (2-4)
As the Bengals and Lions race for 0-16, the Texans revel in their two-game run that removed them from the winless column. QB Matt Schaub has played well, but the stars have been two high draft picks: DE Mario Williams and WR Andre Johnson.
The demoralized Bengals don’t know when they’ll get Carson Palmer back at quarterback, so Ryan Fitzpatrick continues to start. The closest they’ve come to wins were on the road against the supposed elite: the Giants and Cowboys.