Giants unconcerned about Cowboys' rise

The Giants don't seem to be giving second place a second thought.

Thursday's win by the Cowboys over the Dolphins gave Dallas a half-game lead over the Giants in the NFC East. The Giants could move back into a tie Monday night with a win over the Saints, or they could slide a full game back. Either way, most players were unfazed Friday when asked about looking up at the Cowboys in the standings.

"There's no different vibe. We don't even think about it," linebacker Michael Boley said. "Regardless of what they do, we still have to play our game and we control our own destiny."

"I don't think it changes anything," defensive tackle Chris Canty said. "As long as we take care of our business, we're fine . . . Everything is right there in front of us."

That doesn't mean the Giants were not rooting for the Dolphins to hold on to their late lead, sack Tony Romo on the final drive or block the field-goal attempt that won the game.

"Obviously [the Cowboys losing] would be beneficial, but we're not at that point in the season where we're looking at other teams to lose," linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka said. "We're focused on us getting wins."

Feathered friends fined

Eagles defensive tackle Trevor Laws was fined $7,500 for unnecessary roughness when he drilled Eli Manning after an interception Sunday, a play the NFL called "late and away from the play."

The NFL also fined DeSean Jackson $10,000 for taunting the Giants' sideline and flipping the ball at defensive coordinator Perry Fewell after a long reception.

"I just thought that it was a hotly contested game at that moment and I just thought he made an error in judgment," Fewell said of Jackson's actions. "He was just excited about the catch and I think he probably just did it by mistake. I don't think he did anything intentionally. It shocked me. I was surprised by it. But it wasn't about me and it wasn't about him at that time. It was about me getting the next call off and let's play a football game."

Giant steps

WR Mario Manningham (knee) missed a second straight practice but coach Tom Coughlin was reluctant to call it a setback and Manningham said he plans to play Monday . . . LB Michael Boley (hamstring) did some running on the side but is cautious about returning too quickly. "I'd rather miss another week than miss a few more weeks," he said. He did note that he is seeing improvement . . . DE Justin Tuck (ankle, shoulder) returned to practice after sitting out Thursday . . . RB Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) did some walking drills but was not running. Coughlin said he has not yet been ruled out for Monday.