Glauber: Giants need a stronger start
Osi Umenyiora Credit: Newsday/David Pokress
It is all well and good that Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora delivered fiery halftime speeches to ignite the Giants' second-half rally in last week's 24-20 win over the Jaguars. Tuck cemented his standing as the team's unquestioned defensive leader and Umenyiora showed why he's such an important presence on this year's team.
But really, now. Wouldn't it be better if the Giants didn't have to resort to locker-room theatrics to get their act in gear? Wouldn't it be preferable to come out at the start of the game the way they did to begin the second half last week?
What a concept.
That's precisely what the Giants have in mind for today's critical game against the Redskins. A win over the 5-6 Redskins, and the Giants keep pace with the Eagles for first place in the NFC East. But getting there will be a whole lot easier if they bring their passion at the very beginning of the game, not the middle.
"Given the situation and the fact that it was a game that we had to win, there was no excuse for coming out and playing the way we did," Umenyiora said of the Jacksonville game. "Guys didn't really realize that until they saw how serious we were at halftime. I don't think that's going to happen again, or at least I hope it doesn't."
If it does happen again, you have to wonder if the Giants are legitimate playoff contenders. After all, how much more straightforward does the situation have to get: With little margin for error, each of the Giants' five remaining games is vitally important to their success. One more lackadaisical effort at home against a quality opponent, and maybe the Giants don't deserve to think of themselves as playoff- worthy.
I happen to think the Giants do have a legitimate shot at the playoffs despite the myriad injuries that have decimated the receiving corps and forced major changes along the offensive line.
This defense certainly is good enough to keep the team competitive against any of their remaining opponents, and Eli Manning is good enough to patch the offense together until receivers Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks and offensive linemen Shaun O'Hara and David Diehl make it back. (Diehl has a chance to play against the Redskins, although he's listed as doubtful and might not play until next week.)
But even with the injuries, the Giants should have their way with the Redskins. In fact, there isn't a team down the stretch the Giants face - with the possible exception of Green Bay on the road - that they can't beat. That's no guarantee that they'll go on a roll and make it to the playoffs, but it does mean there are no excuses if they suffer a relapse of that first-half malaise against the Jaguars.
"No question it was a lesson learned," Umenyiora said. "I don't think it's going to take people getting up and speaking the way we did for us to come out and perform the way we did that second half ."
That second half just may have saved the season, especially if the Giants can use it to build some momentum down the stretch. They were as good defensively as they've been all season in limiting the Jaguars to a field goal, and Manning was as resourceful as ever in throwing two touchdown passes to get the offense in sync after a dreadful first half.
The key now is to make sure the Giants come out with the kind of passion and intensity from the outset that they summoned only when things were at their bleakest last week. Coach Tom Coughlin likes to use the word "consistency" to describe what's needed. Tuck prefers the word "energy." Either way, they mean the same thing.
"We have to make sure our energy level is entirely higher than it was this past Sunday," Tuck said. "Hopefully we'll come in fired up, anyway. We shouldn't rely on speeches, whether it be at halftime, postgame, pregame. We're professional football players, and we should bring our 'A' game at the start of games, regardless of the situation."
Well said. Now let's see if the Giants can translate those words into action.
