When the Giants and Jets last met, it was expected to be a routine joint practice in Albany. Instead, seconds into the session, three Jets and Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey were throwing punches on the ground. Later, other fighting broke out, and Giants coach Tom Coughlin was soon yelling across the field to reprimand Donnie Henderson, the Jets' defensive coordinator.
The teams meet in their annual preseason game today at Giants Stadium, and it is expected to be anything but a routine meeting. Not so fast, the players say, there is a game to play, and that may be the only score to settle.
"Everybody is a professional, nobody's an idiot, and we all know each other," Giants defensive end Michael Strahan said. "It's not like we see them in the city and run over and bust the windows out of their cars with baseball bats. When we get on the field, it's competitive, but that's enough and that's the place."
Antonio Pierce, the Giants' new linebacker, agreed with Strahan.
"It's still the preseason," he said. "We need to worry about fixing the Giants more than worrying about a brawl with the Jets.
"We've got our own things to work on. We've got a regular season to get ready for. We can't waste our third preseason game, which is the most important preseason game, going after guys on the other side."
The third of the four preseason games is considered pivotal because it is the only preseason game in which the starters are likely to play most of the game - as much as three quarters. It is the last chance to fine-tune the offense and the defense in a game situation. In the final preseason game next week, the starters will play less than a quarter, hoping to avoid injuries.
The Giants have had their share of injuries to starters. Quarterback Eli Manning will not play Friday night because of a sprained right elbow. Cornerback Will Peterson will also be out because of a sprained knee, and Strahan may not play in order to rest a strained rib muscle.
Coughlin talked with his players about the game against the Jets, instructing them not to seek revenge for any of the tussles that punctuated the joint practice on Aug. 6. "I want them to take the high road," Coughlin said. "Hopefully, the team will do that."
Comments from Jets camp in recent days have been along the same line, with quarterback Chad Pennington and coach Herman Edwards each saying the Albany clashes have been forgotten.
Even one of the main combatants, Shockey, said he would go out of his way not to fight tonight.
"I'll just stand there; I'll put my hands up," Shockey said when asked what he would do if there was any brawling after the whistle. "If they do that, they're going to have a big fine from the league. They can do whatever they want."
Besides, the Giants have other worries. Their first-string defense has had trouble stopping the run, and their pass defense has not been much better. In last weekend's victory over Carolina, the Giants won because they forced six turnovers. But the Panthers moved the ball easily, amassing 417 yards and converting 44 percent of their third-down attempts. The Panthers averaged 5.2 yards a carry on their way to 171 rushing yards.
On offense, the Giants had some big plays but little else. They averaged only 3.5 yards per rushing play and converted only 4 of 14 third-down chances.
RSS