Eli Manning rips Saints over Bounty-gate

Eli Manning has become the first prominent NFL player to publicly speak out against the Bounty-gate scandal threatening to take down his hometown team— the New Orleans Saints.

The New York Giants quarterback is no stranger when it comes to the violence in the NFL— he has memories of his father Archie get knocked around for 11 seasons in New Orleans and has taken his share of licks himself— but from the sounds of it, Manning is sickened by the suggestion of placing bounties on NFL player's heads and ripped into the Saints if they did it.

"Obviously, it's a big deal, what's going on," said Manning before the premiere screening of the Giants official championship video, "Super Bowl XLVI Champions: New York Giants" at a Times Square theater last night. "It's not good for football and can't be a part of football.  I know [commissioner] Roger Goodell will do a good job of figuring all this out and making sure this doesn't happen again."

The two time Super Bowl MVP— who grew up in New Orleans— went on to say he has heard his own head coach Tom Coughlin instruct the Giants defense to go after opposing quarterbacks in team meetings.

"I'm kind of sitting there and I say, 'I know the opposing teams are saying the same thing about me,'" said Manning.  But when you start talking about injuring a guy and carting him off and trying to end his season or career, that's not what the game is about.  I think we should have more respect for the game than that.  It can't be a part of football."

The Giants were hammered by the Saints, 49-24, on Nov. 28 in New Orleans but Manning said he can't recall any specific foul hits on himself, so he can't say if their defensive coordinator Gregg Williams actually put a bounty on him.

Williams has been accused of collecting money to be awarded to players able to get opposing players carted off the field with injuries.

There was one vicious hit by safety Isa Abdul-Quddus in the third quarter that knocked Hakeem Nicks out of the game with a rib contusion.  Abdul-Quddus got a 15-yard penalty for hitting a defenseless player.  Nicks returned to game but looks at the hit differently now.

"It's just part of the game,' said Nicks at the screening.  "He got a good shot on me.  It wasn't the last time I got hit that hard.  I took one in the Super Bowl too.  You can't be too scared to get hit."

Asked if he thought it was a cheap attempt to injure him Nicks responded," The way he was celebrating you would probably think that regardless."

Giants safety Antrel Rolle echoed his teammate's sentiments but insisted the Giants have no bounty system and said if the accusations against the Saints are true, the tactics are "not good character."

Domenik Hixon wants to "repay" Giants for re-signing him

Domenik Hixon is one happy man tonight and vowed to "repay" the New York Giants for signing him to a new contract even after only playing four games— due to two ACL tears on his right knee— for the team over the past two seasons.

The speedy wide-out was in New York this morning to have his knee examined before meeting with Giants GM Jerry Reese at the team's facility in New Jersey.

He signed an undisclosed contract to return for a sixth season with the Giants.

Hixon couldn't contain his enthusiasm and tweeted,"I Just got done officially signing back with the Superbowl champs!!! #blessed #readytoplay."

How doubly refreshing for a pro athlete to know when he's been given an opportunity to play on a great team and for a pro franchise to show confidence in a player with a good work ethic and bad luck by giving him another shot.

"They gave me an opportunity when I got released from Denver (in 2007)," Hixon said in a press release after the signing.  "And then these past two years with knee injuries.  They stuck with me.  They could have cut me and let me be on my way and be done with me.  But they didn't do that.  They treated me the same and I really appreciate that."

Hixon is confident he'll be ready for the start of training camp and was told by the team physician Russ Warren he'll even be able to get some work in during the off-season workouts, OTAs and minicamp.

The 27-year old will follow the doctor's orders and believes he can come back strong after tearing his knee during a spectacular catch in only the second game of the 2011 season.

"We're just fine-tuning things now," said Hixon.  "My goal when I get back is to be at full speed and show the training staff and everyone else I'm physically ready to play and play it for years to come."

It sounds like Hixon will be battling it out with Ramses Barden and Jerrel Jernigan for the third spot in the receiving corps behind Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks if free-agent Mario Manningham leaves.

Manningham— one of 20 free-agents on the Giants— is trying to cash in on his impressive postseason and big fourth quarter Super Bowl catch.  He has already stated that he thinks the odds of him returning to the Meadowlands are slim.

On the other hand, the Giants will be keeping a player hungry to play and who downplays missing the bulk of two seasons as "interruptions."

"I know a lot of times in the NFL loyalty isn't that big," said Hixon.  "But in this situation, I really felt like I wanted to be here.  They helped me  but time and time again.  I wanted to stay here and repay that."

Classy guy and classy organization.

Niners Player Takes Out Own Teammate in Collision

A vicious collision between San Francisco 49ers safety Dashon Goldson and fellow defensive back Tarell Brown during the NFC Championship game against the New York Giants left Brown sprawled out in the middle of the field before he was assisted off the field.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw the ball in the direction of his wide-out Hakeem Nicks when the two 49ers players both dove towards the errant pass and met each other helmet-to-chest.

Goldson rolled over the prone Brown— who was lying on his back motionless on the ground.

A medical team surrounded Brown as Goldson nervously watched his teammate from the sidelines.  Brown sat up after a few minutes, refused the services of a stretcher and was assisted off the field by two men.  He later walked unassisted to the locker room for observation.

The Giants should consider themselves lucky because it looked like an easy INT if the two players didn't crash into each other.

The nasty smash-up occurred with a minute left in the 3rd quarter with the 49ers leading, 14-10, in the defensive tug-of-war.

Hakeem Nicks' Helmet Catch Has A David Tyree Super Bowl Look

Hakeem Nicks incredible catch off the front of his helmet gave the New York Giants a 20-10 halftime lead over the Green Bay Packers and brought back memories of the Eli Manning to David Tyree catch that led to a Giants Super Bowl championship four years ago.

While not as dramatic as Tyree's legendary catch against the New England Patriots, Hicks'  37-yard touchdown catch was sensational because it came as time expired in the half and it looked like the Giants blundered management of the clock and a chance to put at least three more points on the scoreboard.

Instead, Manning's desperate heave-ho gave them seven more points leading the way to a resounding 37-20 win over the Packers in this NFC Divisional playoff game.

Ahmad Bradshaw got the the Giants into field goal range with a 23-yard run out-of-bounds at the 37-yard line to stop the clock with :06 left in the second quarter.  With no timeouts left, Manning went back to pass but was chased out of the pocket as the seconds ticked by.

Then with one second left— and no time left for a field goal attempt— Manning heaved the Hail Mary pass to the back of the Packers end zone.

Hicks leaped between two Packers defenders, pressed the ball to his face mask and tumbled to the ground for the score.  Time remaining on the clock— :00.

Comparisons to the Giants 2007-08 playoff run to this season have been the topic of conversation for weeks and Hicks' grab could be taken as an omen of things to come. 

Like in 2008, the Giants had to roll through frozen Lambeau Field.

The first half of this playoff battle was a back and forth affair— not unlike their Dec. 4 meeting at MetLife Stadium.

The Giants were the beneficiaries of a couple of Green Bay fumbles and had the misfortune of having one taken away on a bad call by the officials.

As the first quarter was winding down, Giants defensive back Kenny Phillips recovered what looked like a fumble after a Greg Jennings catch but it was ruled that the receiver was down.  Giants head coach Tom Coughlin challenged the ruling on the field but the call wasn't overturned. Every camera angle showed that Jennings' knee never hit the ground before the ball came loose.

The Packers continued their drive and tied the game at 10-10 on a Aaron Rodgers TD pass.

The Giants failed to score on a first-and-goal from the five yard line and kicked a field goal to make it 13-10.

The Packers hit the field to start the second half with gusto while the Giants looked flat.

A field goal at 3:50 cut New York's lead to seven, 20-13.

The Packers blew a big chance in the fourth quarter when Rodgers under-threw to a wide open Michael Finley on third down at the Giants 40-yard line, then decided to go for it on the fourth.

Rodgers was sacked and the Giants took over.

The Giants didn't get a first down in the second half until almost four minutes elapsed in the fourth quarter when Mario Manningham caught a pass and the team started to move the ball once again.

The drive stalled and Lawrence Tynes narrowly put the ball inside the uprights on a 35-yard field goal to increase the lead to 23-13 with 7:48 left.

A third Packers fumble by Ryan Grant was picked up and returned by Chase Blackburn to the Green Bay 4-yard line.  On the next play Manning threw his third TD pass of the day— hitting Manningham crossing the back of the end zone.

Giants lead 30-13 with 6:48 to go in the game.

Rodgers couldn't complete a crucial third down play but a phantom "blow to the head" personal foul was called on the Giants Matthias Kiwanuka for knocking the Packers QB down.  The call gave Green Bay new life but the clock was slowing ticking down.

The second bogus call of the day against the Giants would lead to another Green bay touchdown.

Rodgers hit Donald Driver with a 16-yard TD pass with 4:46 on the clock to narrow the Packers deficit to ten, 30-20.

A second failed Packers onside kick was pounced on by Victor Cruz and left the Giants at mid-field.

Manning hit Cruz on a critical third-and-long to essentially lay the Packers to rest followed by a big run by Bradshaw to the Green Bay 10-yard line which closed the lid on the Packers coffin.

Brandon Jacobs rumbled into the end zone to make it 37-20 and put the final nail in the Packers season.
 
Next week, the Giants go to San Francisco to face the 49ers in the NFC Championship game.  The last time the two teams played each other in the playoffs was 2003.  The Giants lost, 39-38, on a botched Giants play that will forever be remembered as "The Snap."


If the Giants keep rolling along like they have, maybe the Hicks catch is a sign of things to come.

Right now, Giants fans would rather be reminded of "The Catch."

Coughlin Is "Optimistic Right Now" That Nicks and Manningham Will Play

The New York Giants passing game may have to Cruz alone this Sunday night if injuries to Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham keep two-thirds of their three-headed monster sidelined.

But not if Tom Coughlin's outlook is as rosy as his cheeks.

The head coach said he was "optimistic right now"  that both players could take the field in the do-or-die game against the Dallas Cowboys and join Eli Manning's latest favorite target Victor Cruz on the field.

Nicks—who re-injured his hamstring in the first quarter Saturday against the New York Jets—expects to be ready when the Giants meet the Cowboys for the NFC East title at MetLife Stadium.

The receiver sat out yesterday's practice but is feeling Coughlin's optimism.

"I don't see myself missing this game," said Nicks.

Giants fans shouldn't take that remark to heart— just yet.

"If I'm out there, I'd like to say I'd be myself, but you never know," he said.  "These things are tricky.  I'm gonna go ahead and claim I'll be myself out there.  I always got to think positive."

D'oh!  That's a big IF.

Manning will need all the help he can get in Sunday night's big game if Cruz is the only deep threat in his repertoire.

A wobbly Manningham returned to practice on Wednesday on a limited basis after resting his knee against the Jets.  He had been nagged by the swollen joint for weeks and spent most of his game time on the sidelines.

Nicks could be the key to unleashing Cruz once again if  Manning gets into a shootout with the Cowboys Tony Romo.

Cruz won't catch an opposing team by surprise any more.  After all, he leads the Giants with 76 receptions for a Giants season-high record 1,358 yards.  You can bet the Dallas D will be keying on the speedy wide-out.

As for Nicks (71 rec., 1116 yards, 6 TD's), who had only one catch for 20 yards while being blanketed by the Jets All-World DB Darrelle Revis, it sometimes comes down to a case of the dropsies.  He's dropped a couple of crucial passes over the past two games but said the weather was a factor.

"I can go a stretch where I won't drop a ball for five, six weeks," said Nicks.  "I don't normally have drop after drop after drop after drop.  It's normally... I go a whole season without drops, then I have a period where I might fit some in there, but that's me because I'm starting to lack concentration or something like that."

Concentration is one thing, injuries are another.

Asked about how far along the hamstring was Nicks said, " I notice it, I can't really dig like I want to right now."

He then put it in perspective.

"[I'm] close to 100 percent as I can get.  I don't think nobody's gonna be 100 percent playing football this time of year.  Something's gonna be hurting, but come game time, you know how to put all that stuff behind you."

How important are Nicks and Manningham in this game?

Nicks had eight catches for a season-high 163 yards and Manningham had a 47-yard TD in the Giants 37-34 win against Dallas on Dec. 11 at Cowboys Stadium.

"I ain't the type of guy that looks for no excuses," said Nicks.  "If I am out there, I've got to be ready to go."

Giants Limp Into Game Against Patriots; No Surgery For Bradshaw

It didn't take long for the New York Giants to turn their practice facility back into a M*A*S*H unit after fielding a full roster for the first time last week. The only good news out of Giants camp today is the news that Ahmad Bradshaw won't need surgery on his broken foot.

The running back is still listed as "doubtful" for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots. 

Joining Bradshaw on the doubtful list are DE Jason Pierre-Paul (concussion), wide-out Hakeem Nicks (hamstring) and center David Baas (knee).

Tom Coughlin updated the condition of Bradshaw's right foot after Friday's practice.

"The doctors felt that it wouldn't be necessary for him to have surgery right now," the head coach said.

He said that Bradshaw might try to play through the injury but it was unlikely the team would take a chance.  Bradshaw played the last eight games of the 2009 season with the same symptoms.

Coughlin said Pierre-Paul would be a game time decision after showing signs of concussed head— the result of getting sandwiched between two helmets during Thursday's practice.

"I didn't think anything of it, and then all of a sudden he was off to the side, didn't feel so good so they shut him right down," said Coughlin.  "He had a headache, so we put him through all the tests for a possible concussion.  We'll see how that goes."

Losing Pierre-Paul would be a huge loss for the Giants pass rush.  He leads the team— and is fifth in the NFL— with 8 1/2 sacks.  His presence was being counted on against the Patriots sniper Tom Brady.

Pierre-Paul and Baas didn't work out at all on Friday.  If Baas can't play expect Kevin Boothe to make his second start of the season.

While those four players probably won't see any action this Sunday, expect four other gimpy players to hit the field.

LB Michael Boley (knee), receiver Mario Manningham (illness), DE Justin Tuck (groin/neck) and Osi Umenyiora (knee) are all listed as probable.