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Strahan Thinks Giants are Scary Good
Giants All Pro defensive end wary of potential and expectations.
By Michael Eisen, Giants.com

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September 6, 2006

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Michael Strahan believes the Giants are scary good.

"I feel great about the team, but I'm also scared, too, because I feel great about the team," Strahan said. "I know we have so much potential and expectations are so high. That scares you at the same time. Hopefully, it scares everyone into preparing more to working harder to doing better. If that's the case, we'll be just fine. There's no reason to be scared. But until we go out and prove ourselves in a real game, I'm always a little nervous about it.

"It's less scary than when you're coming off an awful season and you're looking around and you don't think you have the personnel in the right positions to get things done. But that's not the case this year. We have personnel everywhere we need to get it done. Now it's just a matter of doing that and staying healthy."

Strahan today stood at his locker and spoke at length in front of a group of reporters for the first time since his charity golf tournament on July 10. He is optimistic about the 2006 Giants, who open their season Sunday night at home against the Indianapolis Colts. Strahan believes the defense is better than it was in 2005. He said this is the best pass-rushing team he's ever played on, a weighty statement from a player with 129.5 career sacks. But with Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, LaVar Arrington and top draft choice Mathias Kiwanuka, the Giants have enough lethal pass rushers to give opposing quarterbacks nightmares.

"When you get a first-round pick you wonder how he's going to work out," Strahan said. "But watching Kiwanuka, he can pass rush, he can play. He makes plays - Osi and I look at each other and say, 'One of us is gone next year.' Probably me. The guy can play. He's a great player. LaVa, myself, Osi and Antonio (Pierce) and the guys that can blitz, we potentially have the best pass rush I've been around."

The additions of Arrington and Kiwanuka, as well as those of Sam Madison, Will Demps and R.W. McQuarters in the secondary, as well as the expected improvement of several incumbent players, has convinced Strahan that the Giants defense will be significantly improved. In 2005, the unit ranked 24th in the NFL, including 27th against the pass.

"They've been great," Strahan said of the newcomers. "LaVar is fast, strong, athletic. He brings an intimidation factor to the linebacker corps. Antonio Pierce is a phenomenal player, a Pro Bowl caliber player. He just got injured last year. Just seeing how Osi has evolved, even from last year, it's such a big jump for him to come back this year. I think he's actually faster and more competitive. Kiwanuka is a big addition. I think our defense has evolved and come full circle. And our defensive backs, I think we're in a lot better situation in that case, too. If we can generate a pass rush and get those guys to cover in the back end, it should be pretty good."

Strahan has no qualms about playing with a rookie nose tackle in Barry Cofield, the Giants' fourth-round draft choice this year.

"Sometimes you put a guy in there who doesn't understand it and doesn't know what to expect and he ends up doing a lot better," Strahan said. "Sometimes you get an old dog and he's so used to his old tricks, he says forget about playing this technique, because I'm going to go out here and ball out, as guys like to say. And sometimes that doesn't work. Within this defense you have to be disciplined, you have to do exactly what these coaches tell you. He's earned it. And the reason he's earned it is because he's done that. I'm happy. I'm proud to be out there with a young buck. I love looking at a young guy on the line. It energizes me and makes me realize that I was once that guy, too. I'm looking forward to playing with him."

Their first job will be to stop Peyton Manning and the potent Colts, who started last season 13-0 and finished the year with the NFL's third-ranked offense. Indianapolis' running game has changed, because of the free agency departure of Edgerrin James to Arizona. But the Colts still have Manning and his prolific wide receivers, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne.

Indianapolis was the heavy favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl last season until suffering a stunning upset to sixth-seeded Pittsburgh. The Colts scored 18 points - 15 in the fourth quarter - which was nine points less than their regular season average. Manning was sacked five times.

The Giants and everyone else playing the Colts this year have studied the tape of that game to see why Pittsburgh's defense played so well. But being copycats will not guarantee the Giants the same success.

"We watched a little bit of that game, but I expect the Peyton that shows up will be the one that was undefeated going into the latter part of the season," Strahan said. "That's the team that we're expecting to see. I'm pretty sure they know that everyone in the league has watched that game and are going to run the things that they ran to beat Indianapolis. They're going to correct those things. So for us, it's going to be a totally different team."

Although Manning exudes cool and calm under fire, he's like everyone else in his position: he doesn't want to see the Strahans of the NFL charging at him.

"Any quarterback can get rattled," Strahan said. "No quarterback likes to get hit - nobody, period. We played some great teams over my years. I don't care if it was (Troy) Aikman or Steve Young, no quarterback likes to be hit. I think that's the best way to disrupt him, knock a guy from his comfort zone. It's easier said than done. They do a very good job disguising their passes and play actions and all that different stuff.

"The only way to stop Peyton Manning is probably to make sure he doesn't show up. Peyton Manning is tough. You can't really stop him. He's probably the most accurate quarterback I've seen. He was the MVP two years in a row for a reason. He has great receivers. The only thing now they're having trouble with is their running game. Outside of that, he has everything he needs. But it's going to be tough."

Like the rest of the Giants players, Strahan dismissed the Eli Manning-Peyton Manning storyline as so much media hype. He made it clear his friendship with Eli will not prevent him from pummeling Peyton if he gets the chance.

"That's Eli's brother, not my brother," Strahan said. "I want to take him out - aw, I'm just joking. I like Peyton. Peyton is a good friend of mine, too. But it's football. If I get a chance to really hit him, I'm going to really hit him. Eli understands that, because they're going to really try to hit Eli, too. Nobody's going to take it easy on anybody, as long as it's not cheap or illegal. We're going to have some fun."

With 191 regular season games under his belt - the third-highest total in franchise history - Strahan is still enjoying himself. As always, he is in great condition. And Strahan remains at the top of his game; he started all 17 games in 2005 and finished with 11.5 regular season sacks.

Strahan will turn 35 in November, but retirement is not yet part of his thought process.

"I feel great," he said. "I feel like I'm 25. As long as I can still go out there and make it happen on Sundays, and come in and not feel too bad for the rest of the week, I'm fine. I love playing. I love being in here. Once that becomes a burden, then it's time to move on. Right now, I don't feel that. It's great to be around the young guys and see a Kiwanuka come in and play the way he's played and think, 'Man, I could be watching the guy who takes my job and he's probably a better player than I am.' That's like a privilege to be around so long."

He rejects the notion that this season represents the last best - perhaps final, period - opportunity for him, Tiki Barber and Amani Toomer to win a Super Bowl.

"I don't think of it like that," Strahan said. "I've read that Tiki said, 'It's our one last chance for myself and Strahan.' Don't throw me in there.  In a way you go, 'Every year counts,' which is definitely does, and you think about your mortality and what you'd like to accomplish, which is a Super Bowl. At the same time, I don't look at it that this is our only chance. I look at it as a very good opportunity that we better take advantage of. And I guarantee, if we are fortunate enough to make the Super Bowl and win the Super Bowl, (number) twenty-one will be sitting right there in that locker, I'll probably be sitting right here in this locker, and we'll be talking about trying to win the second one."

NOTES

Some of the most-needed items are: pens, pencils, glue & gluesticks, notebooks (single & multi-subject), composition books, crayons, markers (including dry erase), filler paper, copy paper, staplers & staples, rulers and backpacks.