New York Giants Official Website

NOVEMBER 2, 2009

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -As is his custom, Tom Coughlin today arrived at the Timex Performance Center before dawn's early light. His first order of business was to watch the tape of the Giants' 40-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday in Lincoln Financial Field.

"It wasn't a lot of fun, real early in the morning," Coughlin said. "Nothing changed."

But something must change for the Giants to get their season back on the right track. The loss in Philadelphia was their third in a row after opening the year with five consecutive victories. For the first time this season, they have fallen out of first place in the NFC East. And this Sunday, in their final game before the bye, they host the 4-3 San Diego Chargers, who are riding the momentum of a two-game winning streak.

The Giants' losing streak has included breakdowns on offense, defense and special teams. All three came up short against the Eagles. Eli Manning threw two interceptions that led to Philadelphia touchdowns, the defense surrendered three touchdowns of at least 40 yards and was plagued by "shoddy tackling," according to Coughlin. And the special teams...well, let the coach talk about that phase of the game.

"I was very disappointed in our special teams play," Coughlin said. "I really, really was, because I thought we would set the tone. I mentioned yesterday about the two kickoff coverages. Right off the bat, I didn't like those at all. We had far too many kickoff returns and didn't do a real good job with that, either. There were perhaps one or two we thought we could have gotten more out of."

While concern permeated the locker room today, panic has not set in. The Giants still believe in themselves, still have faith that they can accomplish great things this season. Indeed, the players were loud and relaxed in the locker room today, as if they are confident better days lie ahead.

"It's funny, normally when you feel like crap you play like crap," defensive end Justin Tuck said. "I guess we are trying to reverse the tide, coming in here smiling, and look at the positives. We just have a great attitude about coming back here and working. That has been a message from our leaders the last couple of hours. The last three weeks we have been moping around here with our heads hung. San Diego isn't going to come in here feeling sorry for us because we got our (butts) whooped the last three weeks. We have a good opponent coming in here and a great opportunity. The last thing we want to do is to go into the bye week being 5-4 with another loss and having two weeks to think about that one. Our mentality right now is to right the ship and do it now."

But it's not going to happen unless their level of play dramatically improves.

For example, the three turnovers in Philadelphia increased their total to 15 in half a season. Last year, the Giants (and Miami Dolphins) set an NFL record with 13 turnovers in a 16-game schedule. The Giants lost three fumbles all last year; they have lost nine this season.

"I think the most important thing right now for this football team is that it's not about our record, it's about the way we are playing football," center Shaun O'Hara said. "We are not playing New York Giants football; we are turning the ball over, which is something we don't do. We talk about not doing it, we practice not doing it. But you can look at the last three games and it's happened. I think that is the first thing that we can correct and it's hard to win football games when you turn the football over. That's really been our formula for success. When you look at the five games that we did win, we took care of the football. We played New York Giants football."

Manning, who threw 10 interceptions in 479 attempts last year, has eight in 242 throws this season. Of course, the picks go on his stat line but they are not always his fault. And Manning is optimistic the passing game will improve in the second half of the season, as Steve Smith, Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks continue to grow.

"I think we are fine," Manning said. "Speaking of the offense, we have some young receivers and we knew that this wasn't going to be automatic. There was going to be a transition. I know we got off to a fast start, but these guys are still learning some things and getting better. You see more defenses and more complex defenses, there are going to be some mistakes, but that is where they learn. This will make us better down the road, down the stretch when we need these young guys to step up and play great for us. Going through some of these learning experiences will make us stronger later on."

Perhaps the same can be said about the defense. In the last three weeks, New Orleans, Arizona and Philadelphia scored 112 points, the most allowed by the Giants in any three-game stretch since Oct. 21- Nov. 4, 1973, when they gave up 124 points to Dallas, St. Louis and Oakland.

"I am not going to try to make an excuse for what they did," Tuck said. "I think we just didn't play well enough. We didn't do our job. Obviously, they did some things that were great, but we still feel if we do our job then it doesn't really matter what they did. They did kind of stop our pass rush. We just have to get back to the drawing board and get back on the same page."

On Sunday, the defense surrendered touchdown runs of 41 yards by fullback Leonard Weaver and 66 yards to rookie LeSean McCoy, plus a 54-yard scoring pass to a wide open DeSean Jackson. After the game, middle linebacker Antonio Pierce said, "We're just a bad defense right now."

Is it also a unit without confidence?

"I don't see that as the case," Coughlin said. "I am not real happy with our response to things, you know what I mean? When we have a bad play as a team, we have always been very good and very resilient about bouncing back. It is almost like a challenge, the competitiveness. I don't see that at this point in time and it is probably because something else would occur. These are all things that we've got to get a hold of, get control of."

Some defensive players spoke vaguely of communication issues.

"It is definitely correctable," Coughlin said. "I think on the long touchdown to Jackson there was a communication problem, which the coaches took responsibility for, which I will take responsibility for. It still should not have put us out of position with a two-receiver route as badly as we were. We gave up the two long runs, which weren't a communication thing. That was more of just a gap conscious type thing and when the ball did come through, we didn't tackle well."

This group of players has known mostly success for three years. Even with losses the last three weeks their record since the start of the 2007 season is 31-14, including the playoffs. But that level of achievement can be a double-edged sword in working their way out of this slump. It gives the players confidence they can do it. But it can also lave them with the assumption that they did it before; therefore, they assume it will simply occur again.

"You guys (reporters) know what happens when you assume and ... there are no guarantees," O'Hara said. "This is a different team and a different year. Last year, we won games somewhat easily at times. Last year, we tied the record for least amount of turnovers. Going back to what I said before, this is a new year, a new team and we have to win football games. The key is going out there and doing it. That's what has been frustrating is just that we have not been doing it, not been getting it done on Sundays."

"I think sometimes you can fall into the fact that you think it's just going to happen," Manning said. "(You think) 'Hey, we played bad last week, we are just going to play better.' Especially how well we played the first five weeks; it almost seemed easy, and it's not. Winning a football game in the NFL is not an easy thing, it's not easy at all and sometimes you can make it look easy (and) win big. But it's a few plays that can change the game and make it where it's a win and a loss. You look around the league, you see the Jets, how well they played. Miami had (104) yards total offense, yet they (the Jets) lose the game. You never know what's going to cause a win or a loss. You take every win, you celebrate it and you look at every loss and learn from it. We can't go with the easy approach saying, 'Hey, this is going to turn around.' We have to make it turn around."

NOTES

*Coughlin said linebacker Michael Boley and defensive lineman Chris Canty are "supposed to work" on Wednesday. Boley has been sidelined since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on Oct. 6, and Canty has not played since opening day because of a calf injury.

Cornerback Aaron Ross, who has not played all season because of a hamstring injury, probably won't practice this week.

"I don't see it," Coughlin said. "Perhaps this week, maybe next."

*Coughlin said Domenik Hixon (hip) and Sinorice Moss (foot) are "both sore," but he won't know until Wednesday whether they will be able to practice.

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