The Giants have lost three straight heading into tomorrow’s game against the Chargers, surrendering at least 40 points in two of them, so something was bound to change on defense.
That turned out to be good news for safety Aaron Rouse, who will replace C.C. Brown in the starting lineup. The Giants will find out soon whether it’s good news for them.
Brown seemed to agree with the decision.
“There’s nothing for me to get mad about,” Brown said after practice yesterday. “I can’t try to blame anybody but myself. It’s my own fault.”
Brown was burned on several of the long passes during the Giants’ recent slide. That leaves Rouse, who was signed after Kenny Phillips was lost for the season following knee surgery, as a starter for a much-maligned Giants secondary. The group has taken a pounding the past three weeks, and won’t get much of a break against Philip Rivers and the Chargers’ corps of tall receivers.
Head coach Tom Coughlin, oddly, said that wasn’t a factor in the switch, saying that there was “no thought” involved in the move.
“He’s done OK,” Couglin said of Rouse, who played two games for Green Bay before being waived. “He is still trying to fully understand what is expected and what the new language is — the new language of our defense and what his responsibilities are. But I see a tall, fast athlete that can certainly contribute.”
That especially should be true against San Diego, which features 6-foot-5 wideouts Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd, as well as 6-foot-4 tight end Antonio Gates.
Rouse said he thought his job would be to “not give up any big plays” and that he is ready for the challenge, despite the fact he hasn’t been with the team for very long.
“I feel completely like I’m up to speed,” the third-year player said. “If I wasn’t, I don’t think Coach would make me a starter.”
Rouse likely won’t be the only different face on the defensive side of the ball, as linebacker Michael Boley (knee) and defensive tackle Chris Canty (calf), both listed as questionable, practiced yesterday and appear ready to go. Boley could start.
“I’m moving around pretty good,” Boley said. “I’m just trying to get my feel back, keep getting strength back in my knee and hope for the best. It’s a work in progress. For me, it’s like starting all over again.”
And he said he expects the Chargers to target him, since he has missed the last four games.
Canty said he was “pretty sure” he would play, and thought that if he did, he would help the pass rush.
“I hope I don’t hurt it,” Canty said with a laugh.
The spotlight, however, figures to be on Rouse.
“You go from three different coordinators in three years, it is going to be different,” Rouse said. “[Secondary coach] Dave Merritt brought me along smoothly. My teammates — [Antonio] Pierce, Michael Johnson, C.C. Brown — have been talking to me constantly . . . making sure that we are on the same page. When you have teammates out there that constantly talk to you and make sure that you are on the same page, it works out well.”
Something that hasn’t happened for the Giants in a while.