PHOENIX – Plaxico Burress wasn’t the only Giants starter to sit out yesterday’s practice.
Defensive end Osi Umenyiora did not work because of a sore thigh. He’s listed as probable on the Giants injury report, as are cornerback Kevin Dockery (hip flexor) and guard Rich Seubert (knee), who both made it through the week unscathed and will play tomorrow in Super Bowl XLII.
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Tom Coughlin said he was pleased with the three heavy practices this week.
“We talked about coming over here and having a solid six hours together,” he said. “We had that each day we worked.”
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At his final press conference of the week, Coughlin was asked to pick up the Lombardi Trophy and pose as the click, click, click of dozens of cameras sounded. He shook his head “no” and instead, quickly snatched up the Giants helmet sitting on the table, sticking it under his arm – high and tight, just like he preaches – and smiled proudly before making a hasty getaway. He left the Lombardi Trophy untouched, no doubt thinking how to get that sucker back home for the Giants Stadium display case.
“It would be a wonderful thing for the New York Giants organization and for the players and for everyone associated with the Giants,” Coughlin said.
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Adrian Awasom, a backup defensive end who was on injured reserve the majority of the season, was sent home yesterday by the Giants after he was arrested at 3 a.m. on interstate 10 by Arizona State Police. Awasom was cited for suspicion of DUI and extreme DUI and released.
Awasom, a third-year player and backup the past two seasons, was activated the first two games and played on special teams before leaving the Sept. 16 game against the Packers with a fractured back and landing on IR. He arrived in Arizona on Thursday.
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It doesn’t rain much here in the Valley of the Sun, but this is the rainy season. It rained this past Sunday and again Monday night. There’s also a chance of showers for Super Bowl Sunday, but there’s no chance the game will be a washout, because University of Phoenix Stadium has a retractable roof that can be closed in a mere 12 minutes.
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Tom Brady said he’s not nearly done collecting Super Bowl rings, which is not good news for the rest of the league.
“The most important thing is trying to accumulate Super Bowl trophies,” Brady said. “I’ve got three [rings] and I’ve got seven fingers left on these hands. I’ll be working hard to (put rings on the those seven fingers).”
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When Patriot LB Mike Vrabel was told a pair of Super Bowl tickets were going for $77,000, he was asked if he’d pay that much to attend the game. He joked, “I wouldn’t pay that much to watch Tom [Brady] and Gisele [Bundchen] play.”
Bill Belichick has deftly avoided talking about his team’s place in history with a win tomorrow.
“All we’re really thinking about is trying to be champions of the NFL for this season,” the Patriot coach said. “The rest of it, maybe we’ll talk about it later, but I really haven’t given it much thought. I’m trying to figure out a way to keep the Giants to less than 35 points [which is what they scored on New England in the previous meeting]”
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When Patriot LB Mike Vrabel was told a pair of Super Bowl tickets were going for $77,000, he was asked if he’d pay that much to attend the game. He joked, “I wouldn’t pay that much to watch Tom [Brady] and Gisele [Bundchen] play.”