The Giants, at 6-2, are rolling along with a five-game winning streak, scoring points at a record pace, allowing yardage grudgingly and hearing that they might not only be the best team in the NFC, but in all of football.
Learning from the recent past, the Giants realize any statement that begins with “If the season ended today” isn’t worth a whole lot of contemplation. This is the fifth time in the past six years they have owned a record of 6-2 or better midway through the season (they were 7-1 in 2008), making the praise and plaudits familiar minefields to traverse.
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“I’m really not interested in all the anointing and all of that stuff,” coach Tom Coughlin said yesterday. “At the beginning of the season the anointing was the other way.”
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The Giants handed the Cowboys their fifth loss in what has devolved into a 1-7 season, so it came as no surprise to anyone that when these teams meet for the second time in three games, Sunday at New Meadowlands Stadium, the Cowboys will arrive with a new head coach. Owner Jerry Jones yesterday fired Wade Phillips and replaced him on an interim basis with offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.
“I feel very badly for Wade, to be honest with you,” Coughlin said. “Really no one wants to see a coach dismissed or his family have to go through what they’re going through so from a professional standpoint, from someone that’s one of the 32 we extend our best to Wade and his family.”
Garrett is a former Giants backup quarterback (2000-03) and his father, Jim, was a Giants assistant coach from 1969-73. It’s unknown just how much Garrett can change in less than a week but Garrett’s promotion at least figures to get the attention of the underachieving Cowboys.
“Our preparation, this will all be taken into consideration,” Coughlin said. “Jason has been extremely involved and instrumental in the direction of the Cowboy offense for quite some years so I would expect that influence would remain. Whether or not there’s any significance to the defense we’re going have to wait and see if there are any changes there.”
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Coughlin said he was impressed with the way RB DJ Ware (13-66) finished off the Seahawks and hinted he might get some more work in the backfield to save wear and tear on Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs.
“Perhaps we can balance this thing out to where all of our runners can finish the season on a very high level because they’ve had a chance to carry the ball in each and every game,” Coughlin said.
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Will Blackmon‘s Giants debut as a kick returner was a success.
“Will did a really good job for a guy coming right off the street,” Coughlin said.