Pierce will have to lead Giants from the sideline
Photo credit: Getty Images | Antonio Pierce #58 of the New York Giants gets the crowd going against the Arizona Cardinals. (October 25, 2009)
Antonio Pierce
Nov. 8: Chargers 21, Giants 20
The last time Antonio Pierce spent a game on the sideline at Giants Stadium, he couldn't help but take the field at every opportunity. Every time the defense came off after a forced punt, during every timeout and just about any other time he wasn't tethered to the bench, Pierce was running onto the field to talk with his teammates and slap their helmets with support.
He was getting them pumped up, but he also was relieving some of the pressure that surely was bubbling inside of him in a combination of frustration and desire to be playing.
That game was a preseason contest a few months ago, and it meant nothing. This time Pierce will be on the sideline - or at least as close to it as the Giants can keep him without getting flagged for 12 men on the field - for a game that means just about everything.
It's the kind of game Pierce himself might describe as a "Super Bowl," one of a half-dozen or so "Super Bowls" that he and the Giants have played this year.
Yes, he has a way of overstating the importance of games. But this time he'd be right. And this time he won't be out there.
Pierce planned on playing Sunday against the Falcons and took every snap as the starting middle linebacker during the week of prep work for the game between two 5-4 teams treading water in the NFC playoff race. But after Friday's practice he complained of discomfort in his neck, had an MRI and found out the devastating news that he'll be out "indefinitely" with a bulging disc.
The Giants thought they finally were getting healthy, and a positive week of smiles ended with that sobering news. But they still are counting on Pierce, a three-time defensive captain, to be the heart and soul of the defense . . . even if he isn't in the huddle or making plays.
"We won't have A.P. on the field, but we will have him on the sideline, and we'll have his heart and his leadership there to rally the troops," Tom Coughlin said in a statement Saturday. "Defense, offense and special teams. He will be there to lend his support to all of them."
Coughlin did not say who will take Pierce's place on the field with the defense, but it likely will be Chase Blackburn, at least for Sunday. Blackburn is Pierce's backup and took second-team snaps at middle linebacker during the week.
Beyond this game, the Giants have some choices, including second-year linebacker Jonathan Goff or even Danny Clark, who is playing strong-side linebacker now but has played in the middle during his career. The development of Clint Sintim, who is splitting time with Clark at strong-side linebacker, could allow Clark to make that move.
In reality, there are any number of Giants who probably can play the middle linebacker position just as well as Pierce does. But Pierce's influence runs to every position on the defense as he choreographs the schemes based on relentless tape study during the week. The other 10 players on the field rely on Pierce to put them in the right spot.
Which is why Coughlin said it won't be just one person who takes Pierce's place.
"We have 52 other good players, and guys have to step forward to fill the void," he said. "The other members of the defense have got to reach down and play harder, faster, better."
Coughlin said the Giants' main concern is for Pierce and his well-being, both physically and emotionally.
"Imagine how he feels," Coughlin said. "In addition to the shock he expressed [Friday] night, there is the disappointment. He has been waiting and working for two weeks to get back on the field to get the taste of the last game out of his mouth."
The Giants will have to try to cleanse their palate without him. After four straight losses and a bye week, this is the most important game of the season for the Giants. That they are playing it without perhaps their most important defender cannot trip them up if they are to stay in the NFC playoff race.
