FOXBOROUGH – It’s a game just like any other game, except that it’s not.
The Giants starters – most of them, anyway – will put on shoulder pads and helmets tonight and trot out onto the Gillette Stadium field to face the Patriots, mercifully signaling the end of the preseason schedule. It’s a game Tom Coughlin and most of his players prefer did not exist, but here it is, for better or worse.
“I still [get sick] right before I go on the field, I still have all the same feelings,” right guard Chris Snee said. “Then I have to stand there for three quarters as my back tightens up and gets stiff.”
Yup, that’s preseason game No. 4 in a nutshell.
The Giants starters will go at it for a maximum of one quarter and then watch as second- and third-team units battle for their NFL lives. Ideally, this is a useful exercise in shaping the bottom of the 53-man roster, but the Giants are so banged up that even that goal cannot be realized.
For instance, second-year cornerbacks Kevin Dockery and Gerrick McPhearson normally would play as much as three full quarters. One but probably not both of them will gain a spot on the team. The rash of injuries, though, hit both Dockery (hamstring) and McPhearson (ankle), and it’s likely neither will be able to play at all.
“It’s unfortunate we have two corners who would be getting a ton of work and it is questionable whether they will make it,” Coughlin said. “We may have to make some adjustments.”
Those adjustments won’t include keeping the starting corners, R.W. McQuarters and Corey Webster (filling in for hobbled Sam Madison), on the field for extended time. More likely, newcomers Darren Barnett and J.R. Reed (a natural safety) likely will get repeated snaps to show what they’ve got.
The Giants already have placed eight players on season-ending injured reserve and as many as 12 others might not be able to play because of assorted maladies.
“There’s no point complaining about it or talking about it,” said Eli Manning, who will exit after one quarter, with backup Jared Lorenzen getting the bulk of the work at quarterback the rest of the night. “You can’t get frustrated by it, you just go, ‘hey, this guy is going to have to step up, he’s going to have to play well for us.’ You try to teach him on the run and talk to him and make sure he’s as well informed as he can possibly be.”
This is another chance for Anthony Mix – likely to start in place of Plaxico Burress (back) – to solidify his already-strong chances to stick on the roster. Reuben Droughns gets his first look at fullback, force-fed that role after Robert Douglas went down with a knee injury.
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Manning showed some flair and prompted the loudest cheers yesterday at the Giants’ annual Kickoff Luncheon at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan.
Speaking on behalf of the offense in front of nearly 1,000 fans, Manning took a playful swipe at his former teammate and recent critic, Tiki Barber, by saying “Since this is my first time speaking at the Kickoff Luncheon, I’m going to try my best not to be awkward or comical.”
LB Antonio Pierce, speaking for the defense, said, “This is going to be a team you can be proud of.”
Ironically, Barber was named the 2006 MVP as well as the Offensive Player of the Year but was not in attendance, as he is on assignment in the Gulf Coast for the “Today Show.”
Fred Robbins was named the Defensive Player of the Year, Barry Cofield was awarded the Rookie of the Year and Reggie Torbor was named Special Teams Player of the Year.
Holdout Michael Strahan did not make a dramatic entrance. Strahan’s agent, Tony Agnone, in an e-mail message, said “Nothing going on . . . still waiting” when asked about Strahan’s decision to return or retire.