Giants still harboring fears of the darkness

While Justin Tuck was addressing reporters Monday, the lights in the locker room suddenly went dark. Here we go again? No, it was just Chris Canty flipping the light switch on the wall. This time, anyway.

Judging from the laughter during the mini-blackout Monday, the actual power failure at New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday evening was still on everyone's mind. Safety Deon Grant, who was on the sideline with the defense when the stadium was plunged into darkness, said some of his teammates put on their helmets for fear that rowdy fans would start throwing things onto the field.

Grant did say that he and others wondered what would have happened if the lights had gone out during a play and not during the lag between snaps. "It would have been something serious," Grant said.

Tom Coughlin said that the officials on the field and Cowboys coach Jason Garrett wanted to resume play as soon as the emergency lighting came back on in the stadium. "I was the stickler," Coughlin said of wanting to wait for full power to be restored. Coughlin said he too considered what could have happened had the lights gone out mid-play.

"You can think back to your days as a young man out in the yard playing football and there weren't any lights, anyway," he said. "It was dark and guys used to run into the trees and the fences and all of that stuff. That could have happened."

Giant steps

Coughlin reviewed video of the holding call against Kevin Boothe that negated a 48-yard Hakeem Nicks touchdown. "I didn't see one," he said . . . T David Diehl and C Shaun O'Hara are feeling better, Coughlin said. "How that figures into our plans for this week, I'm not sure." . . . TE Kevin Boss suffered a lumbar strain when he landed hard after a leaping catch in the fourth quarter and LB Jonathan Goff hyperextended his elbow. DE Dave Tollefson injured his right ankle but said he'd be surprised if he missed practice tomorrow.