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Plaxi-Crow
Topic Started: Nov 18 2006, 09:57 AM (24 Views)
Mr.Husker
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Plaxico talking about Giants this week



BY RALPH VACCHIANO
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Plaxico Burress had only nice things to say about the Jacksonville Jaguars' cornerbacks yesterday, unlike what he said about the Bears' corners last week.
Apparently he realized that his trash-talk was pointless when the Giants' offense has so many problems of its own.

"Right now we can't really talk about anybody," Burress said. "We just need to get ourselves together first before we assess anybody else right now."

That may sound like a harsh criticism of the 10th-best offense in the NFL, but it has been performing far below the Giants' high standards for at least the last three weeks. In fact, heading into Monday night's game in Jacksonville between the Giants (6-3) and the Jaguars (5-4), Big Blue's explosive passing attack has slipped all the way to 17th in the league.

To Burress, the Giants' leading receiver with 35 catches for 558 yards and five touchdowns, that ranking is unacceptable.

"Things are not happening the way that we want them to," he said. "Everybody knows that we have the talent on this offense to go out and put up numbers, make plays and be very exciting and do spectacular things. But right now it seems like we're just doing the basic things, just trying to complete passes and get first downs.

"I think we all know we're a lot better than the points we're putting up. We're leaving a lot of plays on the field, a lot of points on the field, and putting our defense on the field for entirely too long."

Over the last three games - all at home - the Giants have averaged just 17 points, down from a hefty 27.1 average during the first six weeks of the season. And their passing numbers have dipped from a 298 yards-per-game average to an average of just 135 over that same span.

A lot of that has to do with the slump of quarterback Eli Manning, who bottomed out with his awful, 14-for-32, 121-yard, two-interception performance Sunday night against Chicago. Burress, however, said he didn't think his quarterback was struggling. In fact, he put some pressure on the Giants' struggling offensive line.

"We need to protect him up front - that's the biggest thing right now," Burress said. "Get him in the position where he feels comfortable so he feels that he can deliver the football. We need to protect him so he can feel comfortable and so he's not rattled early. When he gets rattled early, it kind of throws us all off."

Manning has been sacked twice in each of the last five games, and his line is a focal point this week now that veteran Bob Whitfield is taking over at left tackle for the injured Luke Petitgout (broken left leg). Whitfield, 35, who hasn't spoken to the media the last two days, did not play well against the Bears and could have his hands full with Jags defensive end Paul Spicer on Monday night.

Regardless, Manning has performed under pressure before. In fact, his finest performance of the season - 31-for-43, 371 yards and three touchdowns in Philadelphia on Sept. 17 - came in a game in which he was sacked eight times.

That's why Burress conceded the Giants' latest offensive slump isn't just because of Manning, the loss of receiver Amani Toomer (torn ACL) or the offensive line.

"We all need to help (Manning) out," Burress said. "We all need to rally around him. And we just have to all just concentrate on the little things that are slowing us down from reaching our potential."


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