It's looking kind of scary for Giants

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

In many ways, the demoralizing events of the past two weeks play right into the emotional wheelhouse of Tom Coughlin. Don't think so? Well, we're talking about a coach who relishes going into a season with low expectations for his team -- at least from the outside -- and the convulsive roster upheaval that has turned the Giants into an NFC East afterthought is all the more reason for skeptics to dismiss the Giants.

Just the way Coughlin likes it.

The simultaneous whittling away of the Giants' talent pool and the Eagles' stunning post-lockout haul of free agents have made an already precarious opening to the preseason even more treacherous. Put it this way: Other than the people inside the locker room and diehard fans, you won't find many people giving the Giants even a puncher's chance this season.

Which is fine with Coughlin, because he prefers the underdog -- and understated -- role. Always has, always will. Coughlin -- whose favorite expression is "talk is cheap, play the game" -- no doubt will play to the skepticism again, employing the us-against-the-world theme he so often promotes.

The process of creating an unlikely playoff team continued Saturday night in the Giants' preseason opener against the Panthers, a team with miniscule hopes of making the playoffs after a 2-14 season. Things began in promising fashion for the Giants, who took a 7-0 lead on the Panthers' first possession when Michael Boley picked off Jimmy Clausen and went 56 yards for a touchdown.

The Giants went on to lose, 20-10, although as with any preseason game, there were no conclusions to be drawn from the final outcome. The starters played the first quarter and came out with the score tied at 7. But Coughlin was none too happy afterward. "We had the interception for the score, and it's the same old thing," he said. "You can do a lot more for your team if you get the score right there, and that's disappointing.''

Coughlin would have loved to see a 14-0 lead after Boley's interception. Instead, the Giants' offense sputtered and Lawrence Tynes missed a 56-yard field-goal attempt.

But there certainly were some positives on defense, especially the play of second-year defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who had two sacks in the first quarter. His pressure on Clausen also forced the interception returned by Boley.

"I knew what I was supposed to do and I was just out there executing," Pierre-Paul said. "I came out and I wasn't nervous. I knew the play calls, and I caught on very well."

But there has to be a lot more positive news than this to calm the fears of Giants fans still reeling from the dizzying events of the last two weeks. Let's see if we've got this straight: Shaun O'Hara, Rich Seubert and Shawn Andrews gone in salary cap/injury-related moves. Barry Cofield signed by the Redskins. Kevin Boss signed by the Raiders. Plaxico to the Jets. Steve Smith to the Eagles. And still no sign of Osi Umenyiora on the field after a contract snit that might or might not end Monday.

And if those developments weren't troublesome enough, they were made even more vexing by the Eagles' remarkable run of acquisitions, including Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Ronnie Brown, Cullen Jenkins and Smith, who bolted from the Giants Wednesday after receiving a $4-million contract that included $2 million guaranteed.

"Sure it causes concern," Coughlin said, "but again, it's the nature of the profession . . . We have plenty of players in the building. We've got to go from here."

But after the colossal roster upheaval in recent weeks and that Dream Team collection of players down in Philly, Coughlin will have to do the coaching job of a lifetime to get this team to play in January. Playoff run? Sorry, Coach. Not this time.