Giants hope Eagles aren't special again

If there are three words that best sum up the Giants' approach to special teams against the Eagles Sunday, they are: Out of bounds.

Of course, that was the plan last year, too, when the Giants punted with 14 seconds remaining in regulation, about to go into overtime in a game that would determine the NFC East title. We all know how that one ended up.

"The play has been all over," Giants long-snapper Zak DeOssie said. "It's one of the biggest plays in the history of football."

That may be overstating it, but it certainly is one of the biggest ever between the two teams. Matt Dodge kicked a line-drive punt to DeSean Jackson, who bobbled the ball, made a cut and took off on a 65-yard return for a touchdown to complete the Eagles' comeback from a 21-point deficit with just over seven minutes remaining.

The play has become so iconic that it is included in the video montage in the opening of the Madden '12 video game. If you watch Sunday's game on TV, you'll likely see it over and over again.

"You see it all over the place," Giants special-teams coach Tom Quinn said. "It ----. Pardon my expression, but it does. It's a tough way to have a game end."

So tough that Quinn said it was "easily" the worst 15 seconds of his coaching career.

"You feel like you let the team down," he said. "I let the organization down. I let everyone down. You take it hard and it sticks with you and you try to get better."

While that play has gnawed at the Giants for nine months, it obviously has been seen through a different lens in Philadelphia, where the Eagles and their fans refer to it as the Second Miracle at the Meadowlands.

"It was unbelievable," Eagles special-teams coordinator Bobby April said this past week. "It was one of those deals where it was magical."

April and Quinn agree that the play started taking shape with a snap by DeOssie that was slightly off line. Dodge had to adjust just to catch the ball.

"He gets a lot of criticism for where he kicked it," April said, "but he had to kind of go over and get the ball, and in that situation, you don't have a lot of time to waste back there."

April said that when Jackson fumbled the ball, his first instinct was to hope he just covered it to give the Eagles time for a Hail Mary pass.

"Then, the angle I was standing on, when he kind of started upfield, you could see there was a chance there," April said. "Then he exploded. It was a Deion Sanders-type explosion. Really rare. As soon as he got past the punter, as soon as Jason Avant was making his block [on DeOssie], I didn't really watch it. I was just scanning the field for flags, making sure that play didn't get called back. Man, that was an exciting play."

The Giants are determined not to allow it to happen again. Dodge no longer is on the team, nor is Duke Calhoun, who missed an early chance to tackle Jackson. Veteran Steve Weatherford will handle the punting for the Giants Sunday.

"I don't want to say I'm used to punting to dangerous returners because it's never fun, but at the same time, I think I'm prepared for it," Weatherford said. "I'm going to do my very best to keep the ball on the sidelines or out of bounds."

Manningham out. WR Mario Manningham, who was sidelined from practice all week with a concussion, was downgraded from doubtful to out for Sunday's game. He was one of three Giants who did not travel to Philadelphia; the other two, Osi Umenyiora (knee) and Prince Amukamara (foot), had already been ruled out of the game. The Giants will likely have second-year player Victor Cruz starting opposite Hakeem Nicks at receiver. Brandon Stokley, Devin Thomas and Jerrel Jernigan will likely round out the receiver rotation.

With Barbara Barker