Giants have to deal with Texans' play-action

The Giants spent the first quarter of the season pretty much knowing what to expect. They either were facing a running team in the Titans or Panthers or a passing team in the Colts or Bears.

Sure, the Colts pulled a sleight-of-hand and wound up running the ball more times than they had in Peyton Manning's career, but the essential attack still was through the air.

But this week, there's no telling what kind of offense they'll have to face. The Giants play the Texans Sunday, a team that leads the NFL in rushing yards per game (172.0) but also is eighth in passing yards per game (243.5). They buried the Colts with 257 yards on the ground, then beat the Redskins a week later by throwing for 468.

"It is definitely the most balanced team we've faced," Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said. "Solid, solid run game [and] they can drop back and throw it, so it will be a challenge for us."

The biggest challenge might very well be when the Texans look as if they are doing both on the same play. Yes, with Arian Foster and Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub all on the field at the same time, Houston might be one of the NFL's best play-action teams.

"They're up there in the top five," safety Deon Grant said. "It's been working really well for them this year."

The play-action - that fake handoff that freezes a defense before turning into a passing play - is perhaps the most dangerous for the safeties on the field. The Giants use three of them regularly, and each of them said the key to coping with play-action is discipline.

"There's no guessing," Antrel Rolle said. "Guessing would not be the best thing going on in that situation."

Kenny Phillips, who has not practiced fully this week because of a knee injury, said he sees the Texans run play-action anywhere from six to eight times a game. "It's crazy," he said of such a high occurrence. "You're going to get sucked up a little bit probably, but you just have to be disciplined and react."

The Giants already have fallen victim to play-action in one big spot this season. Against the Colts, Manning faked a handoff that drew safety Michael Johnson up toward the line of scrimmage and allowed tight end Dallas Clark to get behind him for a 50-yard touchdown reception.

Johnson isn't playing in this game - he's on injured reserve - but the lesson from that game sticks with the safeties who will be on the field.

"Sometimes we have a little fun and jump things and get a little carried away in practice, but when it comes to game time, I think all of our guys play pretty smart football and play within the scheme," Rolle said. "Being a safety, you're the last guy on defense. Your reaction should always be slower than everybody else's. You have to wait and make sure."

That can be tough, especially against a team that is as effective at running it as the Texans. But the Giants' safeties will have to rely on the front seven to stop the run while they hang back for a split second on each handoff.

"We don't have to deal with that," Grant said of the safeties' role in trying to stuff the run. "You can get fooled by trying to do too much, but if you don't try to do too much, it's easy for you."