BigBlueArrington

http://www.footballfanatics.com/NFL_New_Yo...ld_Coin_Photomi

This ines good too..

Maybe Shockey needs to have a little shockster.

What fans around the league are saying........

This fool EggHead has got some nerve showing back up here after his team got pounded like a 14th street hooker. The Cowbells had 2 weeks to prepare for a 60 minute showdown against what they called an "Inferior opponent". At home no less. All while their fans are still bragging about their regular season wins, poor Cowbells got shown who their daddys were in crunch time.

This guy does a great job of breaking down the x's and o's. I'll post the first quarter. The rest is in the link. Giants Breakdown Great game and I had some time so I re-watched the first half and had some fun. As always, I am not an expert, these things are just my opinions. Unfortunately, the NFL Network uses terrible camera angles and poor, or no, replays to help out with this stuff so lots of guess work comes into play. 1st QUARTER Giants Ball 14:22 2nd & 5 deep Play Action pass completion to Plax out of an Ace formation. Hobbs appears to get smoked here and I'm sure many have been hammering him but I'm not so sure it's all his fault. I suspect Rodney was just as much if not more to blame. (no good replays) From what I can see, the Pats are in a Cover 4 look pre-snap. Sanders appears to be either way out of position post snap or the Pats rolled him to the deep flat on the snap looking to play a deep out route (poor if so, the TE did not release). If they did that, then they were probably playing Cover 3 and Rodney should have been in the deep middle to help out on the throw to the hash but he wasn't. If Sanders screwed up, he should have been there. Rodeny can be seen trying to catch up to the play but he's way behind. I suspect that Rodney fell for the play fake and was out of position leaving Hobbs on his own to make an impossible play. If this is true, at least Hobbs was there. When it happened to Anthony Smith, the Steelers CB was nowhere to be found. Since there has been so much talk about the officiating (as usual), I'll try to look at some of those issues when they come up. 13:30 1st &10: An Eli throw to Smith is ruled incomplete and upheld on the Giants challenge. Anyone who disputes this call is either being disingenous or they haven't watched much football. No question this was incomplete. Things start getting chippy on the next play. A run is stuffed and Harrison finishes and a Giants O-Lineman doesn't like it. At the same time, another Giants O-Lineman finishes and Teddy Bruschi doesn't like it. It was obvious to me that the hype and build-up to this game generated some aggression on both sides that ended up being played out on the field. The Giants had to hear about how good the Pats were and how they were going to kill them. That's one hell of a motivator. After they got out there and smacked the Pats around at the start of the game, the Pats did what they always do, turned it up a notch. Emotions ran high all night. I noticed that Wilfork (I saw him called Vince Pitchfork by someone-great nickname) still has his old teammate Shawn Taylor's number on his helmet along side M. Hill's number. Giants first TD on a pass to Jacobs. I haven't seen much of the Giants this year but I liked what they did here. Teams will run the same pass plays using different personnel, formations and motions. On progession passes, the timing is set up so the 1st read is open first and the last read is open last. This looked like a progression pass where Jacobs was the last read (probably 3 or 4). Having that read come from the backfield may be a wrinkle the Giants like to use. The Giants had great protection here. In a Ref note, the Giants right tackle was holding here. It was a mild hold the type of which we see go uncalled every week and would see again in this game. It shouldn't be called IMO. Pats Ball 10:52 1st & 10. The Pats are limited in what they can do with Kaczur and Kyle Brady out of the game. A big part of their offense this year has been the three TE set using Ryan O'Callaghan as the third TE. He is at Right Tackle for this game so Wesley Britt is getting some use as the second TE for blocking purposes. (I guess Spach isn't the blocker Britt is so they traded Spachs receiving ability (if he has any) for Britt's blocking. This was a nice Play Action Slant to Moss. This slant had no slide to control the second inside defender but the play-action took care of that. This pass is made later than the quick pass type Slant so Moss changed his footwork. He attacked the CB's outside shoulder for a few steps, gaining space inside and making his break when Brady was ready to throw. Nice look at yet another variation of the Pats' slant pattern. A nice touch here was motioning Watson to the inside to sell the run. That TE motion was a game plan key for San Diego last year. Maybe this play is intended to give SD something to think about (Moss is a little scarier than Reche aligned on the outside after all). 10:14 1st & 10: Another play action pass completion this time to Welker. 9:42 1st & 10 Pats run Maroney on an Inside Zone that goes no where. The Giants have Strahan in a 6I (inside shoulder of TE) on Britt at TE. Britt can't cut him off in that alignment. 9:00 2nd & 10: A quick screen pass dropped by Watson on a low throw. The blitz disrupted the throw. Welk shows his blocking ability and Antonio Pierce shows his range as he has Watson man to man and would have made a play coming from the middle if the ball was caught. 8:55 3rd & 10 The "Blue Print" Man 2 coverage. 2 deep safeties w/press corner coverage underneath w/pressure. Pats throw a nice screen to Faulk here to set up a makeable 4th down situation. It's a good philosophy to show screens early to blitz/pressure teams like the Giants. If you can hit a few early on, it will slow them down. 4th & 2. The Giants are in a version of Cover 2 with a bump & run corner on Moss and loose (possibly zone/bracket) coverage on Welker. Brady hits Moss on a hitch for the first down. The CB has nice coverage. He is jamming Moss but this contact is within five yards and is legal. Moss gets away with a push here IMO. A flag would have been justified there. I've seen comments about this play where people thought that Brady should have been flagged for taunting as in "any other QB does that and it's a penalty but they let Brady get away with it." After the completion, Brady jumps up after taking a shot from Justin Tuck with the old Deion Branch/Troy Brown 1st Down routine. Afterwards he turns to Tuck, who is walking back to the hudlle and screams at him and wacks him in the butt. I don't see taunting there. I see a "nice hit" type of moment. Usually, playes don't pat each other on the helmet, slap someone on the ass or pads unless they are complimenting them. Anyone who has played or watched a lot of football can recognize what that exchange was all about (personally, I like the excitable Brady more than the robotic one we see most often). 7:38 1st & 10 2 Back Inside Zone. The Giants D Tackle does a great job of beating a Mankins/Koppen double team while Strahan again beats Britt from a 6I alignment. If Maroney had cut this back as soon as he saw the DT beat the front side double team, he may have had a chance to hit a seam but it's doubtful. It also appears that the Pats don't want him cutting this play all the way back either. 7:00 2nd & 10 Giants in a version of Man 2 with the CBs in man and the LBs in Zone. Pats keep Evans on the field which keeps the Giants base personnel on the field. Evans then splits out wide as the #1 in a trips set. He is just a decoy used to gain a personnel match-up elsewhere. The view and replay are poor but it does show a nice option route by the #3 (Watson). This move with Evans put Welker in space against LBs for a 1st down. Watson's option route (and Brady's pump fake) pulled the LB out of the middle and there was nice protection on this play. Light had a minor uncalled hold on this play just like the uncalled one the Giants had earlier. No problem with the non call. 6:19 1st & 10 Pats run an Inside Zone. An earlier Play-Action pass came off of this look. Another great job by the Giant's DT (#98) here splitting the Hock/O'C double team. The Mike backer played this well too. The Giants have their LB's playing very tight against this look. I would like to see Maroney cut this back but again, I don't think the Pats want him doing that. On 2nd Down Watson dropped the pass after Brady made a great play to get the ball off. Watson has to make these catches if he wants the ball thrown his way more often. 5:30 3rd & 10 Giants in Man 2 again and drop a DT into low coverage. Collinsworth called this a zone blitz but there was no blitz, just a drop into coverage. The dropping DT could have been called for a hold on Welker as he wrapped him up on his drag route but it was a good non-call as it didn't effect the outcome of the play. Pats kick the FG; nice game for the Ghost. 5:13 1st Quarter Giants ball 1st & 10: This is a nice look at a strong side power. The Giants run it from a pro left off-set strong (King) I formation. This power consists of the FB kicking out and the back-side guard pulling and leading through the hole. Wilfork & Bruschi blew this play up and Warren did a nice job playing the cut back. 4:40 2nd & 9 This was an Outside Zone with a pull (the way Indy likes to run it). AD did a nice job keeping the ball inside and Seau showed some of his old skills hitting the open window off the pull (this will cost him later). Seymore played this well too. 3:54 3rd & 11. There are a couple of ref type things here. If you stop the film you will see that the play clock says 0 before the ball is snapped. It's a difference of a fraction of a second. There must be a conspiracy because the refs didn't flag Eli with a delay penalty. Actually, the time is kept on the field and there is a slight delay, so no, there is no conspiracy (I know most football fans are aware of this but it seems to need mentioning for some reason). The second thing on this play is Rodney's hit after the incompletion. Normally, I would think this should be a penalty but the same thing (almost exactly) happened last week to Dante Stallworth and no flag was thrown there and I saw it happen in a game yesterday as well so I guess it's not a penalty unless the reciever has left his feet or if it's after the whistle. 3:36 Pats Ball 1st & 10: This was a good throw away in the face of pressure. The QB never wants to take a sack on first down. 3:31 2nd & 10: Pats run a rare Toss (we saw some of this in preseason but not much since). Maroney had no chance. Giants were expecting a Pass and stunted two LBs and there was no one to pick up the trailing blitzer. 3rd & 14 Sack followed by a flag for illegal contact (conspiracy exihibit #1) Webster maintained contact with Stallworth all the way to his break at twelve yards deep, seven yards beyond what is legal. This is a blatent penalty right in front of an official after which the Giants removed him from the game for a little coaching. Again, only an unabashed homer, troller, hater or football neophyte would find fault with this call. The Giants certainly didn't. Collinsworth mention the upfield push the Giants were getting with their D-line. They really were doing a nice job not allowing Brady to step up in the pocket, one of his strengths. O'C did a nice job on Strahan on this play though. 1:49 1st & 10: Great screen out of bunch here. Moss and Watson had nice blocks here (Moss' rolling cut block is standard) and Welk was explosive as usual. There are a couple of issues here. One is a last second hold that went unflagged by Moss (he reached out and hooked the DB's leg at the end of his block). This was behind the play at the time it happened and I'm not surprised it wasn't called (or even seen). The second issue is the uncalled horse collar tackle at the end of the play. I don't think a flag would have been warrented there. If the DB had used his body weight to pull Welk down a flag would be justified but it looked to me that the DB realized his position and changed his tactic in mid-stream. There was no chance at injury and a good non-call IMO. 1:19 1st & 10: This was a trap play well executed at the point of attack. Unfortunately for the Pats, it was wellexecuted on the edges by the Giants with their DEs sliding down to make the play. I think the Pats were trying to bring the DE's upfield on a pass rush (Light sells pass) but Strahan's 6I alignment gives him an easy read (Watson had no chance) as does Light's inside shuffle. Light wanted the DE to rush upfield so he could release to the next level but the DE played collapse techique instead. Nice job by the Giants DEs. 00:34 Hitch to Faulk who has a great nose for the first down marker. The CB was playing way off making this too easy for Brady and Faulk. This was the play I mentioned in another thread where Faulk asked out after the play and no mention of it was ever made. Moss was also injured on this play. I hope the fans in Foxborough never react to an opponents injury this way but it's possible. There are always a few idiots who cheer opponents (or their own player's) injuries but this sounded like the majority of the crowd. An injury to Moss is cheered because he is good? Booing him when he gets up because he is on the other team? There isn't even a rivalry between these teams. Pretty sad. Especially for fans of a team that's going to the play-offs again and are being treated to an outstanding effort. On a side note: How many NE fans were booing (or cursing) BB when they first saw Moss down like that? Regarding the play: IMO this was a blatent illegal contact penalty that went uncalled. Moss was running a post and tried to cut under the Safety to split the middle. The Safety stepped up and put a shoulder into Moss' chest. The ball was already thrown towards Faulk when the contact is made but still in the air (you can see it in the replay). I'm surprised a flag wasn't thrown (there was no helmet to helmet here though as some have suggested it, although a different re-play angle may have given us a better view). I would also like to know what Brady and Strahan were talking about during the lull in the action. If Harrison had done this to Plax without a flag, Giants (or the haters) fans would be screaming but the conspiracy theorists only see things that help the Pats. 00:05 1st & Goal: Nice Draw run by Maroney. Strahan beat Watson from the 6I again but Maroney made a nice move to pick up a couple of yards. The unblocked Safety made the play here. Giants were in man with a double team on Welk. This was the end of the First Quarter. An entertaining quarter to be sure http://www.patriotsplanet.com/BB/showthrea...mp;pagenumber=1

http://www.patriotsplanet.com/BB/showthrea...?threadid=29977

http://boards.giants.com/forums/669172/Sho...ead.aspx#669172

Firs of all, what are you all talking about? I'm assuming we are keeping Gibril. I am speaking of SS. Butler fucking sucks and should be released ASAP!!

I can't stand college football either but I like it when really good players become Giants. Highsmith is only the top 3 or 4 projected Lb so he should fall late first early second. If not, there are a few others who would upgrade the Giants LB core and start right away. Now what to do with Kiwi/Mitchell.

Ali Highsmith anyone? This year's draft is WEAK at the obvious position of need, Safety. I think we may can develop Craig Dahl or Miochael Johnson as both are decent athletes and Dahls combine numbers were pretty impressive. Shame about the ACL. IMO we don't need a CB. If the price is not outrageous, maybe we pick up a stud via free agency and move Madison to nickel. One things for sure, the draft is deep and a stud LB will be available. Thoughts?

Carl hit it right on the money!

I don't think it's that big of a deal and I know for a FACT that the report was missing hundreds of names. To me the report was bogus and IMO, they'll be a more accurate bootleg report coming right around the corner. Just watch.

C.J. Nitkowski pitched for several major league teams, including the New York Yankees, from 1995-05. He played in Japan this year and writes periodically for The Associated Press. He trained for seven years with Brian McNamee, the strength coach who impli By C.J. NITKOWSKI December 15, 2007 AP - Dec 15, 3:15 pm EST Following the release of the Mitchell Report, the name of Brian McNamee was thrust upon the baseball world. Already known in some of baseball's smaller circles, Mac has now become synonymous with Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and steroids. Let me share who this trainer really is. I've known Mac for over 10 years and I have been a client of his since 2001. It pains me to see what he was forced to do, and you can be assured it has been awful for him. Mac is one of the best in his field and he takes his job seriously. He is well educated in exercise science with multiple degrees and is even more dedicated to his clients. This is testimony he never wanted to give. Only when it appeared that jail time was imminent and when he was under immense pressure did he give federal investigators and Senator Mitchell the information they were looking for. On Saturday, two days after the report was released, Andy Pettitte acknowledged he twice used HGH. ADVERTISEMENT A reckless conclusion would be that Mac is a "rat." For those who believe such a thing, I'd recommend less television. This is real life, not "The Sopranos," and with a family Mac was left with no other alternative. There are a lot of people I love in my life, but none more than my family. There isn't a friend or teammate that I would desert my family for and go to jail. An inaccurate assumption that has bothered me is that Mac pushes and supplies steroids. In my seven years of training with him, Mac never suggested or even hinted that I might want to consider taking steroids or HGH, even when I suggested it. He believed strongly in his program and so do I. During my first year of training with Mac, I was seriously considering getting on the juice. I was coming off a bad year and I was looking for ways to make improvements. Getting on Mac's strength and conditioning program was part of the equation. I thought maybe the steroid Winstrol would be another. I consulted Mac about it. He answered all my questions and clarified things I had heard in the clubhouse from other guys that I knew were taking it. It was 2001, quite possibly the height of the Steroid Era. At no time did he ever tell me it was a good idea. Because he cares about his clients, Mac wouldn't let them do something like steroids without knowing what they were getting into. What they were and how to take them is information someone with his level of expertise would have. His preference would be that guys just take the over-the-counter supplements we use and stay on his program. But Mac is not dumb. He knows that once an athlete has decided to take a performance-enhancing drug, there is no changing his mind. His concern was that if a client chose to take them, he would take them the right way, reducing the risks that are associated with steroid abuse and misuse. In the end, I decided against it. Not because of Major League Baseball and not because of health risks. I chose not to use steroids because I was concerned with the potential legal trouble I could get into possessing or buying them. Had I taken them, most certainly my name would have been in the Mitchell Report and I would have had to have an uncomfortable conversation with my two children. Lucky for me, I didn't have a trainer who encouraged me to take them. That is not who Brian McNamee is, even when I, as his client, suggested it might be a good idea. Is he a saint and innocent in all of this? No. But it would be wrong to assume that the man that trained two of the best pitchers of my generation is liar or a steroid pusher. Big boys make big boy decisions, and if we get caught we must stand up and face the consequences. As disappointing as it is to hear, I don't doubt what he was forced to say is true. I don't have proof and I can't corroborate his testimony. Mac had no motivation to lie. What matters to me is that my trainer is not misunderstood for who he really is. He is dedicated to his profession and to his clients, and having to do this was the last thing he ever wanted to do.

Dude, I KNOW WHAT THE ARTICLE SAYS....I'm giving you what the Yankees will probably counter offer, and what Minnesota will not turn down. It's not a bad deal for both teams IMHO. Melky's a very good player and is only gonna get better...sames goes for Wang.

Yeeaaaahhh right! Who are the Mets going to offer better than Cabrera and Wang (19 game winner) Pelfrey, Gomez,?????

He meant to say Wang and Cabrera.......especially since they'll likely be losing Tori Hunter. It's perfect, let's make a deal. Although Cano loses his best friend. Who will run trains on young ladies with him now?

No, I jumped to the first few pages where early in the season, you can see the Yankee fans supporting there team and the Met + Red Sox fans claiming they were done.

No need to be sorry, Just don't give me that crap that MOST Yankee fans gave up on them early in the year. That's plain BS. That's like me saying that most Met fans want Willie Randolph gone. How the F do you calculate that?

http://boards.giants.com/forums/80/349398/...ead.aspx#349398 Funny, where did you get MOST from? Imagine that, a Mets fan who's more qualified on the Yankees state of mind than a Yankees fan himself? I'll tell you what. Since YOU are so adamant that MOST Yankee fans gave up on their team months ago, why don't you call in to.....ohhh, let's just sayyyyyyyyyy......Espn radio and ask any radio host what he thinks? They speak to hundreds of Mets and Yankee fans of all types, bad and good. Oh that's right, you won't do that cause they'll most likely agree with me. Not you.

That's BS. Feel free to pull up my posts from months ago. Here AND mostly on Giant.com, other sports section. Inever once gave up on the team or was ever worried. The Yankees problems were mainly due to the fact they were derailed with injuries. I work in Westchester NY for a Fortune 50 company and the office is split between Yankee fans and Met fans with a sprinkle of Red Sox fans. Met fans were the ones crying about the Yankeees. Not the Yankee fans. Most Met fans in May - June were parading around on how they were the "New Kings of NY" "Yankees are done". lol all while myself and every single Yankee colleague confidentally knew they would make a strong comeback. We claimed how it was early in the season, Mets fans didn't want to hear it. Even the nationally syndicated 1050 Espn and WFAN hosts today talked about how the Yankee fans who called in all season never gave up hope even at sub-500. Mad dog mentioned that he was surprised he never saw empty seats in Yankee stadium. So, while you may conveniently claim that Yankee fans gave up on their team, other than that one pessimistic Yankee friend you must know, it was more the Mets and Red Sux fans that gave up on the Yankees in May. Not the Yankee fans.

Toomer is one of my favorite all time Giants. If not my favorite. Total class. If I were Jerry Reese I would give Amani a raise just to spite Tiki and Strahan.

Thanks. Yes of course. This is the 3rd time that I've been banned; but they can't get rid of me. There's this one guy on there (SN Dejavue) that keeps snitching on me in "Around the NFL". He know's its me because I'm the only one that diagrees with his blind Eagle homerism. Tell him I'm coming for him. I feel it's my duty to knock those fucking eagle fans off their high horse. They fucking suck and they were lucky to win the division last year. Go Giants.

Giants positive 2007 will be better -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By RALPH VACCHIANO DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Thursday, September 6th 2007, 11:03 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Print Email Suggest a Story Discuss Biggest BlueWho do you think will be the Giants' MVP this season? Eli Manning Brandon Jacobs Plaxico Burress Jeremy Shockey Michael Strahan Osi Umenyiora Other The Giants tried their best to put up a united front last season, but nobody really believed it. Their coach was under fire, from both outside and inside. The star running back was retiring and firing bullets on his way out the door. It was obvious from their play during an 8-8 season that all the controversy was too much to handle. "I don't care how strong-willed you are," said linebacker Antonio Pierce. "Sometimes it brings you down." "That negativity at times was a distraction," added guard Chris Snee. "No matter how much we said it's not." But the depths of last season apparently have given rise to a newer, tighter version of the Giants this year. Their coach, Tom Coughlin, has lightened up and warmed up to his players. No quotes from anonymous Giants have reared their ugly heads. In fact, after spending nearly every day of the last six weeks together with his teammates, Pierce insisted the team, as it heads into its Sunday night opener in Dallas, is "tighter than it's been the last three years." "It's probably the tightest-knit team I've been a part of with the New York Giants," Pierce said. "Guys talk to each other. Offensive players even talk to defensive players. Before it was kind of segregated a little bit. "I think that's key. With all the stuff we're going to deal with this year, we've just got to stay focused. Everything we do is more team-oriented." It's hard not to think that has to do with some of the personalities gone from the locker room - most notably Tiki Barber, who was critical of Coughlin often last season and has ripped both the coach and Eli Manning since he retired eight months ago. Pierce smiled and looked away when he was asked if it was a case of addition by subtraction. "Maybe it's just the guys that are here changing the way they go about things," he said. "That's all I'm going to talk about - the guys that are here." Those remaining Giants seem to have worked overtime at team-bonding, and not just at Coughlin-organized events such as their offseason casino night or their bowling trip during camp. Several players say they hang out together more often than they used to, and not just in the usual, position-specific cliques. "That's something that (Coughlin) wanted," Snee said. "We knew that something had to change from last year. But he's the one that organized the team functions. Two years ago he wouldn't have even dreamed of doing something like that (bowling night), taking us away from a meeting. It starts at the top." Whoever is responsible, it has clearly helped the Giants, who have had more than a few potential distractions this summer. There was the 38-day holdout by Michael Strahan that turned into a summer-long soap opera. There was the mini feud between Barber and Manning, followed by the firestorm set off by Barber's upcoming book. None of it has seemed to faze the Giants. "We're all on the same page in here," said running back Brandon Jacobs. "People outside have the idea that we don't get along, but they don't know what's really going on in here. It's way better chemistry." "There's no negativity," Snee told a group of reporters. "At times you guys are bored because there's nothing going on."

Giants positive 2007 will be better -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By RALPH VACCHIANO DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Thursday, September 6th 2007, 11:03 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Print Email Suggest a Story Discuss Biggest BlueWho do you think will be the Giants' MVP this season? Eli Manning Brandon Jacobs Plaxico Burress Jeremy Shockey Michael Strahan Osi Umenyiora Other The Giants tried their best to put up a united front last season, but nobody really believed it. Their coach was under fire, from both outside and inside. The star running back was retiring and firing bullets on his way out the door. It was obvious from their play during an 8-8 season that all the controversy was too much to handle. "I don't care how strong-willed you are," said linebacker Antonio Pierce. "Sometimes it brings you down." "That negativity at times was a distraction," added guard Chris Snee. "No matter how much we said it's not." But the depths of last season apparently have given rise to a newer, tighter version of the Giants this year. Their coach, Tom Coughlin, has lightened up and warmed up to his players. No quotes from anonymous Giants have reared their ugly heads. In fact, after spending nearly every day of the last six weeks together with his teammates, Pierce insisted the team, as it heads into its Sunday night opener in Dallas, is "tighter than it's been the last three years." "It's probably the tightest-knit team I've been a part of with the New York Giants," Pierce said. "Guys talk to each other. Offensive players even talk to defensive players. Before it was kind of segregated a little bit. "I think that's key. With all the stuff we're going to deal with this year, we've just got to stay focused. Everything we do is more team-oriented." It's hard not to think that has to do with some of the personalities gone from the locker room - most notably Tiki Barber, who was critical of Coughlin often last season and has ripped both the coach and Eli Manning since he retired eight months ago. Pierce smiled and looked away when he was asked if it was a case of addition by subtraction. "Maybe it's just the guys that are here changing the way they go about things," he said. "That's all I'm going to talk about - the guys that are here." Those remaining Giants seem to have worked overtime at team-bonding, and not just at Coughlin-organized events such as their offseason casino night or their bowling trip during camp. Several players say they hang out together more often than they used to, and not just in the usual, position-specific cliques. "That's something that (Coughlin) wanted," Snee said. "We knew that something had to change from last year. But he's the one that organized the team functions. Two years ago he wouldn't have even dreamed of doing something like that (bowling night), taking us away from a meeting. It starts at the top." Whoever is responsible, it has clearly helped the Giants, who have had more than a few potential distractions this summer. There was the 38-day holdout by Michael Strahan that turned into a summer-long soap opera. There was the mini feud between Barber and Manning, followed by the firestorm set off by Barber's upcoming book. None of it has seemed to faze the Giants. "We're all on the same page in here," said running back Brandon Jacobs. "People outside have the idea that we don't get along, but they don't know what's really going on in here. It's way better chemistry." "There's no negativity," Snee told a group of reporters. "At times you guys are bored because there's nothing going on."