“I watched that game at home on my couch,” Nicks said today. “I watched it by myself, at home. That was an exciting game, it was a rematch of the Super Bowl (XLII). I definitely wanted to be a part of it. It was tough, but I see what it was for now. God works in mysterious ways.”
“I don’t remember where I watched it, but I know I hated not being there,” Bradshaw said. “I would do anything to be out there on that field with these guys. It was devastating to me, because I wanted to be out there. It was hard to sit there and watch. You see things you could have done out there.”
The game was the first of four in a row Bradshaw missed with a foot injury. Nicks sat out with a hamstring injury, the only game he missed all year. Center
Despite their absences, the Giants scored two touchdowns in the final 3:03 – sandwiched around a
They did so without their leading rusher (Bradshaw ran for 659 yards in 12 games) and a receiver who caught 76 passes for 1,192 yards. Bradshaw and Nicks combined to score 18 touchdowns this season (11 by Bradshaw, nine rushing). In the Giants three-game postseason, Bradshaw leads the team with 200 rushing yards and Nicks tops all the major receiving categories with 18 catches for 335 yards (an 18.4-yard average) and four touchdowns.
The Patriots have won 10 consecutive games since falling to the Giants. As the two teams prepare to meet again in Super Bowl XVLI, the Giants do so with confidence borne from winning the first game without two of their best and most valuable offensive players and knowing they will be in the lineup on Super Sunday.
“You are always going to have more confidence when you have all your guns,” said running back
“It’s always nice to have all of your weapons anytime you play a game,” Manning said. “Last time, we were missing Hakeem and Ahmad and Baas. Obviously, had a few guys out, but I think our game plan was probably pretty similar. I mean the game plan that day didn’t change based on the players that we had going in. You feel good about every game you go into. I don’t think it will make a difference from our mindset because of the new players.”
Nicks did not practice again today and is listed as questionable on the Giants’ injury report with a sore shoulder. But he left little doubt he will be on the field in Lucas Oil Stadium a week from Sunday.
“I expect to be full go by next week,” Nicks said. “Just want to give myself a couple days to try and get it back right and rehab it a little bit.”
Nicks hurt his shoulder early in the Giants’ NFC Championship Game victory last week in
“It was painful,” Nicks said. “I landed right on the AC joint that I injured a few times this season. I kind of landed right on top of it. I went in and got it taken care of and by halftime I was cool.”
Nicks later called the injury an AC sprain.
“The shoulder is doing better, getting better day to day, still a little sore,” Nicks said. “Once I start working it out throughout the day it loosens up a little bit.”
“I think it will make a big difference,” Cruz said. “His assets and his ability were definitely missed in that (first) game. Just having him out there, his presence alone is going to call some attention by the defense. Having all of the receivers healthy is going to cause a lot of attention either way. So we’ll see how they play us. It’s going to be an interesting ordeal to see how they come out against us and we’ll see how it goes.”
Bradshaw practiced on a limited basis, as he has since returning from his foot injury against
“Of course, we want our running game to be spectacular every game,” Bradshaw said. “It makes it an easier game when our running game is clicking. Like I say, if our running game is clicking and Eli is clicking, then everything just flows great.”
Because Manning has been the triggerman for one of the NFL’s most prolific passing attacks this season, Bradshaw thinks the Patriots might do everything they can to shut down that facet of the offense and all but dare the Giants to try to run the ball.
“We expect that, and that is what we are going to do,” Bradshaw said. “We are going to run the ball and set the physical nature early. We play New York Giant football and that’s what we plan to do every game.
“It’s all in the feel of the game. How we feel out the other team, what schemes they are running, what different things they are doing. Last week, they were stopping the run, they have a great defense. We were able to feel them out and open it up with a couple passes. Then the running got better in overtime.”
The Giants believe they can keep that going in the Super Bowl, because they will face the Patriots this time with a full complement of offensive weapons.
“It gives us the confidence,” Bradshaw said. “We have a couple weapons that we didn’t have the first game. If we can go out and play our game, I think we’ll be fine.”
*Tom Coughlin was asked how he keeps practices fresh in the two-week period leading up to the Super Bowl.
“Keep your eye on the prize,” Coughlin said. “Steely-eyed focus. Keep your eye on the prize. There are an awful lot of things to prepare for, believe me. We’re fortunate to have this extra practice time because now we can break things out accordingly, present it logically, whether it be by the number of times it occurs or however we choose to do that, but we’ll use the time very well. There will be very little that’s repeated, believe me.”
*In addition to Nicks, three other players did not practice and are listed as questionable: Cornerbacks
Baradshaw is probable along with four other players: Baas (abdomen/neck), defensive end
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