Earlier this week, Antrel Rolle said his winless Giants could run the table the rest of the season and go 12-0 to reach the playoffs. But after suffering a 36-21 beating at the hands of Philadelphia Sunday he was singing a different tune, admitting Big Blue needs to get their heads out of their collective butts.
His words, not ours.
“I’m extremely confident in this team. But we have to be confident in ourselves. … I don’t care whether we’re 0-15 you’re always going to get the same fight out of myself,’’ said Rolle, whose Giants aren’t 0-15 — yet — but did fall to 0-5, a regular-season hole no team has ever climbed out of to reach the postseason.
“We just need to pick it up, get our head out of our [butt], and pick it up. That’s the reality of it. We’re 0-5 and we’re losing games around here and this is not Giants football that we’re playing.’’
The Giants are 0-5 for the first time since 1979.
Rolle had said on Monday: “I believe we can go 12-0 from this point on. People can look at me like I’m crazy, but you know, I could really give a damn at this point. This is what I truly believe. This is going to be a true testament of who this New York Giants football team is.’’
It appears their epitaph will read this was the worst Giants team in a generation. When Rolle talked of making history, he surely didn’t mean in infamy. Their defense got emasculated by backup quarterback Nick Foles, who was 16-of-25 for 197 yards, two touchdowns and a 114.9 QB rating in relief of Michael Vick, who left the game with a hamstring injury.
Big Blue’s shorthanded secondary was asked to do far too much, including the versatile Rolle forced to play corner without Aaron Ross and Corey Webster. There was Will Hill committing a senseless unnecessary roughness penalty, Prince Amukamara getting burned by DeSean Jackson’s double move for a touchdown and backup Trumaine McBride struggling in Webster’s stead.
“It all starts within each and every individual,” said Rolle. “Do I believe? Absolutely. But there are 53 men on this roster. We all have to believe.
“I’m not feeling good about anything. We’re 0-5 right now. I don’t look at little things. … I look at the W and L column. It doesn’t matter what I do as an individual, it doesn’t matter what any of us do as individuals. It’s about a team effort, and right now we’re just not putting it out there on the field.’’