When David Baas thinks about the Redskins it doesn’t conjure particularly good memories. After signing a free agent contract with the Giants after six seasons with the 49ers, Baas looked forward to making a solid impression in the 2011 season opener.
But the Redskins came away with a 28-14 victory in a game Baas said wasn’t his best.
“There’s no excuses, but I personally felt I didn’t do a good enough job, especially for my first game with this team,” he said Friday. Baas didn’t get a chance to redeem himself, missing the second game against the Redskins because of an injury.
When the Giants (4-2) face the Redskins (3-3) Sunday at MetLife Stadium, Baas is hoping to erase the sting of last year’s disappointment. That goes for most of the Giants, who haven’t forgotten they were swept by the Redskins last season.
“This is a team’s that always given us trouble and it’s always a dog-fight,” said defensive end Justin Tuck. “It’s going to be a game that comes down to the wire and a game where we’re going to have to play our best ball to win.”
Baas and his teammates along the offensive line have played some of their best ball over the last two weeks as the Giants have combined for 392 yards rushing in wins over the Browns and 49ers. Baas was especially solid against his former team, consistently opening holes against San Francisco’s top-rated defense.
You would think the Giants offensive line would gain a measure of confidence from its recent success. But those linemen resist any notion it’s time to exhale.
“I don’t want to feel anything like that,” Baas said. “You can’t get complacent and comfortable. We’re always hungry for more. Me personally, I’m definitely hungry for this game. We’ve just got to keep the hunger alive no matter what happened last week.”
The Giants line will contend with a Redskins defense that is allowing just 88.8 yards rushing per game. They are anchored by 15-year veteran linebacker London Fletcher, who at 37, continues to play at a high level. He leads the Redskins with 80 tackles and has 135 tackles in 14 previous games against the Giants.
“He’s still making a tackle every other play,” said guard Kevin Boothe. “He’s smart and seen it all. He’s very tough to block. He knows how plays are supposed to go and he’s quick to diagnosis things. He’s still in great physical condition to be able to hold up for that long and play at a high level that long. It’s really impressive and it’s something everybody in the league admires.”
When right tackle David Diehl went down with a knee injury in the second game of the season against Tampa Bay, it looked like a huge hit. But the interchangeable parts the Giants have mastered resulted in very little drop-off.
“Right now, it’s been a decent couple of weeks,” Boothe said. “The challenge is to always be consistent for a long period of time.”
Guard Chris Snee said the improvement in the running game has been a team effort.
“The run game is just something you have to stick with,” he said. “We continued to work hard in practice and never got discouraged. We just kept working on individual techniques and We were able to run against a very good defense last week. But we have to do it again this week.”
Baas is looking forward to erasing the disappointing memory of his Giants debut and replace it with something more satisfying. That means beating the Redskins.
“Any game in the NFC East is always going to be a battle,” Baas said. “It doesn’t matter what the records are. We’re going to be at each other’s throats. Everybody on our team has to play as one.”
It’s no time to exhale.