You are a New York Football Giants fan and you are cursing the football gods today.
You lost starting cornerback Terrell Thomas to a season-ending torn right ACL last night following a freak collision with freakish Jason Pierre-Paul while rushing Jay Cutler.
This, after losing Osi Umenyiora (knee) and No. 1 draft choice Prince Amukamara (foot) into October . . . after losing Bruce Johnson (Achilles tendon) into 2012 . . . after losing Kevin Boss to the Raiders and Steve Smith to the Eagles and Plaxico Burress to the Jets. Oh, and backup corner Brian Witherspoon (MCL) last night.
That makes four cornerbacks in three weeks, if you’re scoring at home.
It is beginning to look like one of those years: What can go wrong, will go wrong.
Around East Rutherford, it is known as Handley’s Law.
Eagles are flying high, Giants are dropping like flies.
Deja Blues.
“There’s no crying in football,” general manager Jerry Reese said after Giants 41, Bears 13. “We’ll get by.”
What else can he say? But try telling that to Giants fans.
“That’s the part of the game that just makes you shake your head,” coach Tom Coughlin said.
The latest cruel blow came in the last minute of the first half after Coughlin, because of the lockout, decided to extend the playing time of his starters. You want Handley’s Law? It was scheduled to be Thomas’ final play of the night.
“We were going 25-to-30 snaps, and that’s exactly where we were,” Coughlin said. “It’s one of those unexplainable kind of things.”
Now the Giants must brace themselves in Week 3 for Michael Vick throwing to DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, with Aaron Ross replacing Thomas opposite Corey Webster. Assuming the injury-plagued Ross doesn’t fall victim to this Curse of the Corners.
“It’s gonna hurt our team,” Antrel Rolle said. “It’s gonna definitely alter our defense a little bit, but we can’t hang our heads on the season.”
The shame of it all is Thomas had been playing like an elite corner with Pro Bowl ambitions.
“It ain’t a bad dream that we’re gonna wake up from,” Justin Tuck said. “It’s reality, and guys gotta step up.”
Amukamara, his right leg bent on a scooter, stood in the locker room and talked about his new big brother’s misfortune.
“I kinda wanted to cry for him,” Amukamara said, apparently unaware that there is no crying in football. “Definitely had that older brother feeling towards him. It definitely just [stinks] to see any teammate go down, but just from what I saw, he’s strong-minded and I know he knows everything’s gonna be all right. The expectation bar just got a lot higher for me, so I just need to continue to stay into it mentally. . . . I feel no pain, so I think that’s a good sign.”
Pierre-Paul was unsure exactly how Thomas’ injury happened.
“When I got up, I was limping,” he said, “and he never got up.”
Tuck did not see the mishap.
“Him pretty much emerging himself as one of the elite corners of this league,” Tuck said. “You can just tell his confidence level was tremendous coming into camp. . . . Probably our No. 1 corner. He’s gonna be missed ’cause you don’t just replace a guy like that as far as his instincts, as far as his athletic ability, as far as his knowledge of how we play the game.”
Ross, drafted in the first round after the Jets traded up for Darrelle Revis, is the man on the spot.
“I’m ready to go . . . just have to fill his shoes now,” Ross said.
To add insult to injury, Giants fans cannot take solace over Burress’ coming-out party Sunday night considering how Eli Manning’s passing game (78 yards, no TDs, no passes to the tight end) was again pedestrian last night.
Burress’ old teammate, Amani Toomer, was highly impressed with Burress.
“He didn’t look like he’s lost anything at all,” Toomer told The Post. “I really was watching him get off the line of scrimmage.”
And the touchdown catch?
“The one thing that surprised me most about that, when the ball was in the air, he had that second burst to the ball,” Toomer said.
Of course, Toomer recalls what befell him as the season wore on when he was 34 years old in Kansas City.
“I just wasn’t into it anymore,” Toomer said. “He’s probably gonna have a lot more motivation than I had. But how’s his body going to feel after 6-8 weeks of playing is the big question I would ask.”
Toomer’s conclusion: “I don’t think Plaxico is out of the woods yet.”
You are a New York Giants Football fan and all you have been hearing lately is: “Timberrrrrrr!”