With two weeks until they have to play their first post-season game, the Giants are going to be able to afford the luxury of resting, taking a few days off and generally just hanging out.
Right?
Not as long as Tom Coughlin is still the head coach.
He doesn't believe in recreational coaching. He wants the players to be working, to be practicing, to be studying tape and to be listening to coaches as they conduct strategy and personnel meetings.
It is for that reason, basically, that he played most of his regulars last Sunday in Minnesota, despite the fact that the game didn't mean anything. The Giants could not lose their top seed in the NFC playoffs, and the fact that they lost, 20-19, on a walk-off 50-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell was primarily due to the fact that finally, near the end, the Giants fielded a second- and third-team defense.
So the question must be posed? If the Vikings were that desperate and are that good, how is it that against the scrubs they were only able to manage the chance for a 50-yard field goal?
"The way you improve," Coughlin said, "is to play the game. The most important part of it is to play under game conditions. We wanted to be smart with our injured players, but we wanted to play hard and to win."
The Giants' list of inactive players for Minnesota game was similar to an all-star game roster. Those who didn't suit up included running back Brandon Jacobs, tight end Kevin Boss, cornerback Aaron Ross and defensive tackle Barry Cofield. Others, such as quarterback Eli Manning, tackle Kareem McKenzie and center Shaun O'Hara, came out of the game early.
"I thought our guys played hard and played to win," Coughlin said. "You always go into a game determined to win it. Yes, I was sorry that it ended with that field goal."
