Giants hope for Baas relief vs. Cofield

If there has been one overriding frustration for Giants fans this preseason -- besides injuries -- it has been watching a series of popular and productive players leave the team without the satisfaction of bringing in any big-name acquisitions. NFL rosters are typically revolving doors, but this summer it seemed as if the gate to the Giants swung in only one direction. And Jerry Reese was there telling Steve Smith, Kevin Boss and Rich Seubert not to let it hit them on the way out.

So what better way to start the regular season than with the perfect illustration of that theme?

When they play the Redskins Sunday in the opener, nearly every snap will hinge on the decisions that the Giants' front office made. Snapping the ball will be new center David Baas, the only starter the team added in free agency and, Reese admitted, not a very "sexy" addition. Lining up across from him at nose tackle will be former Giant Barry Cofield, one of the key players the team let walk away in free agency.

"It will mean a lot," Cofield said this week, trying to express the range of emotions he'll feel. "Obviously, I have my own personal feelings about the game . . . being at home, in front of our home fans for the first time, the first game and what we believe is a new era in Redskins football. There is a lot going into it. It's going to be very emotional, very intense and this is what fans love to see. This is what football is all about."

Baas said he knows that fans will be watching him very closely to see if the Giants made the right decisions.

"We're both at new places and I'm sure we both want to do well," Baas said.

Cofield was a very popular player among the Giants. Tom Coughlin admitted that it was strange, at first, watching tape of him playing for the Redskins. And Brandon Jacobs said that his offensive line will have a challenge in blocking Cofield.

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"He was always walking back from the backfield, which is a great thing for a defensive lineman," Jacobs said. "He is always coming back across the line of scrimmage to get to his huddle, which means he got through."

Cofield, who lined up against the Giants' offense for five years worth of training camps and practices, said he thinks he'll have an advantage in the game and be able to know what the offensive line is planning.

"That's fine," Giants guard Chris Snee said. "If he thinks he knows all of our calls, that's fine. I'm not going to reveal anything that we do, but if he thinks that we're not aware that he was on our team for [five] years, well, I hope he realizes that we're more intelligent than that."

The Giants have their own library of knowledge on Cofield, too. And though Baas wasn't a teammate, he's being fed a steady diet of tips for blocking Cofield.

"They try to give me everything they can," Baas said. "He's got real quick hands, a good hand slap. He clubs at the end. You have to put your hands in the right position and do the right things."

Baas said he's also aware of Cofield's signature sack dance, the "Don't tase me, 'bro!" shimmy he performed whenever he got to a quarterback as a member of the Giants.

"I'm going to try to eliminate that," Baas said.

If he can, he may eliminate some of the preseason angst that so many Giants fans have been feeling.