National Football League

Giants lack usual buzz this preseason

Published Aug. 3, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

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Alex Marvez

Almost 30 minutes into round after round of one-on-one media interviews, it had become clear what New York Giants defensive Justin Tuck was being grilled about.

The Giants finished 10-6 last season, but you could never tell based upon the gloom and doom surrounding what is quickly becoming known as New York’s other NFL franchise. Just like former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress, the Super Bowl optimism that usually comes with the franchise has shifted 25 miles west to New York Jets headquarters in Florham Park, N.J.

The NFC East-rival Philadelphia Eagles also have stolen New York’s thunder — as well as that of most NFL teams — with a flurry of high-profile acquisitions. And in another demoralizing development, standout defensive end Osi Umenyiora is trying to force a trade by Giants management over the absence of a new contract.

“Nobody’s giving us a shot already,” Tuck mused Wednesday while sitting on a bench outside team headquarters. “We haven’t even had the first practice in pads, and we’re already at the bottom of the barrel.”

Tuck’s comments reflect the tone of questioning he was facing. But he also is one of the few Giants remaining who knows firsthand what it’s like for the franchise to exceed expectations.

The 2007 G-Men did just that, upsetting the previously unbeaten New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. That squad became known in the postseason for finishing games strong, taking care of the football, solid special teams and camaraderie.

Basically, those were the biggest elements that kept New York from reaching the playoffs last season.

“It’s not just talent that wins in this league,” Tuck said. “Every team has talent. It’s about the team that doesn’t make the stupid mistakes and takes advantage of opportunities — a team that can trust all 11 guys on that field. That’s where we were in ’07, even in ’08, too. I think that’s something that faltered with us last year.”

The Giants only have themselves to blame for missing the 2010 postseason. New York allowed 28 unanswered points in the final 7 minutes, 28 seconds of a 38-31 loss to Philadelphia in Week 15, sending the Giants into a tailspin that continued the following week with a rout at Green Bay. That win helped give the Packers the playoff tiebreaker edge when New York also finished at 10-6.

While notching double-digit wins is impressive, a lack of killer instinct was noticeable. New York scored once or less in 15 of 16 fourth quarters.

Part of the reason was turnovers. New York finished with a minus-3 giveaway/takeaway ratio — a number that could have been far worse if not for an opportunistic defense.

Quarterback Eli Manning was the biggest culprit. He threw a league-high 25 interceptions and lost five fumbles. Especially disconcerting was his tendency to panic and get sloppy protecting the football when he faced heavy pressure.

“When you look at our offense last year, we had all kinds of (good) numbers, but the turnovers top them all,” Giants right guard Chris Snee said. “You can point at that as the reason why we didn’t make the playoffs.”

Giants coach Tom Coughlin doesn’t need a reminder.

“We’ve got to finish better,” he said. “Tell me the last time you’ve heard of a team that led the league in takeaways and giveaways? That’s why we’re stuck at the 10-win mark. If we do the things that take care of the football, we’ve got a minimum two more wins.”

The 2007 Giants were also a 10-win team, but that squad had a special chemistry Coughlin would love to see develop again.

“We preach team — team first, team last, team always,” said Coughlin, who is entering his eighth — and potentially final — season as Giants head coach. “You’ve got to get rid of the individualism. It’s time for us to go on the field and work. When we get that and everybody is on the same page and providing the positive energy you need going forward, then a team will come together.”

Unfortunately for Coughlin, it’s hard to imagine the Giants truly coming together until the Umenyiora situation is resolved.

Seeing Burress rebuff the Giants’ overtures and sign with the Jets was demoralizing enough for the franchise. He was a Super Bowl XLII hero who was well liked by most players despite his perpetual tardiness to meetings and 2008 arrest that helped ruin the team’s season and led to a two-year prison sentence on weapons charges.

Umenyiora commands that same respect from teammates, which makes his battle with Giants general manager Jerry Reese a significant distraction.

One of the NFL’s most productive pass rushers, Umenyiora claims he was promised a new contract by Reese that hasn’t come. Reese allowed Umenyiora’s agent to shop his client elsewhere earlier this week but then revoked permission Wednesday when he couldn’t fetch a first-round draft choice.

Umenyiora has reported to training camp, but the Giants have yet to put him on the practice field. Even though he was allowed to take Wednesday night off, Umenyiora attended, anyway, and spent time on the sideline riding a stationary bike — a fitting scene for a franchise seemingly stuck in neutral after missing the playoffs for two straight years.

“Any time there’s something like this hanging over, you want it to get settled,” Manning said Wednesday. “But we can’t make it a distraction. Everybody’s got to keep working.”

If he is ultimately traded, Umenyiora would become New York’s 15th Super Bowl XLII starter no longer on the roster. That would include the entire defensive front seven that was a huge factor in New York’s championship success.

“It’s tremendously weird,” said Tuck, who was a key backup in 2007. “That being said, you’ve got to have other guys step up. They have to understand what this tradition is about and what we expect from them.”

Snee is going through the same transition on the offensive line where two starters (center Shaun O’Hara and left guard Rich Seubert) were recently released from a unit once renowned for its stability.

“It’s strange,” Snee said. “I look around, a lot of my buddies are gone. All you can do is be thankful of the time you had with them.”

Snee then espoused a message that Coughlin, his father-in-law, hopes players take to heart.

“You’ve got to move on,” Snee said. “There’s no other choice. The season is here.”

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