EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - At the end of each practice Giants, like the drooping shoulders of the players and their legs are trailing, a familiar refrain can be heard from the coaching staff.
Coaches scream: It is now the fourth quarter. This is the end. We can not lose the fourth quarter. We can not. We have to finish.
"It was something since returning to training camp," said Hakeem Nicks wide receiver.
Tight end Jake Ballard saved Nicks. "It is common ground," said Ballard. "Finish. Finish. Finish. Finish the game, they will not let us relax at the end of practice at all. This is a top priority. And the more we do, especially in games, we are more comfortable when things get tight. "
Ballard conceded that fans might not be as comfortable with the emotional fluctuations at high pressure, but the Giants players, at least, appear to be more comfortable in the fourth quarter. Their 27-24 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday was the Giants' fifth game this season where they had a car for the fourth quarter that could tie the game or put forward, and their fourth consecutive game in which the decisive score came with nine minutes or less remaining. The Giants (4-2) have won three of four.
Sunday version of the drama end-game features two important interceptions by Corey Webster Giants cornerback, a career day from running back Ahmad Bradshaw, and an unflappable performance of Eli Manning, who has not launched an interception against a team legislation that came into the game as the league leaders in turnovers forced.
"We tried to finish and win the battle for the fourth quarter," said Webster. "We did exactly that."
With the score tied, 24-24, and the Bills lead with four minutes, a reprisal of the disappointing defeat last week in Seattle seemed more likely. The Bills had a first down at the Giants 27, when the receiver Stevie Johnson made a rapid movement to the line of scrimmage and got a step on Webster as he ran down the sideline.
It was a difficult day for most Webster. He missed a tackle important, lagged behind the guarantees spend more now seemed a step slow on what appeared to be a win for the Bills.
As the ball began to fall to Johnson, however, Webster accelerated. And as Johnson reached high to pull it into the hands of Webster went higher. He cradled the ball as he fell to the ground five yards in the Giants line, standing even as Johnson pulled his mask on the side.
It was the second interception of the game Webster (he also intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick earlier in the quarter), and he pranced on the sideline with glee. A few minutes later he was joined in the celebration by the rest of his teammates. Manning led the Giants down the field for the kick-off score, with the aim of Lawrence Tynes field for 23 yards with less than two minutes to provide the final margin.
It was an important victory for the Giants, who, with a week off, have two weeks to enjoy it. With the sting of last Sunday's loss, persistent, and another series of defensive injuries sidelined captain Justin Tuck, right guard Chris Snee Pro Bowl running back and backup Brandon Jacobs, the Giants would have have easily slipped back against the surprising Bills (4-2). Before the interception of Webster, he looked as if they could.
Instead, the Giants escaped with a win on a day when Bradshaw scored three touchdowns career-high 292 yards past Manning and the defense rallied to a terrible start to stand firm when the Giants needed it most.
Bradshaw was the finisher for many of the game, diving into the end zone from 1 yard on three occasions. When Bradshaw broke a run of 30 yards to put the Giants in field goal range on the final disc, it gave the Giants their first 100-yard rusher of the season (he finished with 104) - not a mean feat given the offensive line has been operating with the backup Kevin Boothe in place of Snee.
"We knew if we kept pushing a little harder, we get there," left tackle Dave Diehl said. "Today was a total group effort."
Stop the race was also a problem for the Giants, and much was made of the connection defensive coordinator Perry Fewell of the Bills. Fewell spent four years coaching in Buffalo and was the interim head coach for the last seven games of the 2009 season.
Buffalo coach Chan Gailey was concerned about the familiarity of Fewell with the Bills, but the greatest attention in the accumulation Fewell was on his own team. The Giants entered having allowed an average of 159.3 rushing yards a game over the past three weeks, an alarming number because the bills running back Fred Jackson has averaged 96 yards per game on his own.
From the beginning, it was as if nothing had changed. After the Giants went ahead with five minutes remaining in the first quarter on the first partition Bradshaw, Jackson immediately responded with a touchdown run of 80 yards. Linebacker Michael Boley do not fill a hole, safety Deon Grant took a poor angle and cornerback Aaron Ross could not make a tackle saving touchdown.
The Giants defense followed by taking another shot, as Fitzpatrick is the receiver Naaman Roosevelt for a touchdown from 60 yards catch-and-run, just before the end of the first quarter. This time, it was Webster and backup cornerback Justin Tryon sharing the role of the hapless would-be tackler, and coach Tom Coughlin had a stunned look on his face that the balls in the zone.
"We could have let these two parts to determine the outcome of the game, but we do not," Antrel Rolle said security. "We played hard."
They do. After struggling for the first quarter, the Giants defense held Jackson to 39 yards rushing in the rest of the game, limited to 130 passing yards Fitzpatrick in the second half and does not allow the Bills to even get a first test drive their final match. When Fitzpatrick fourth down pass fell incomplete with 59 seconds left, the Giants had sealed a victory that fit well alongside their thrilling victory over Philadelphia and Arizona.
"It was about fighting," said Coughlin. "We knew it would be a 60 minute game."
With these giants, it seems as if it still is.
Coaches scream: It is now the fourth quarter. This is the end. We can not lose the fourth quarter. We can not. We have to finish.
"It was something since returning to training camp," said Hakeem Nicks wide receiver.
Tight end Jake Ballard saved Nicks. "It is common ground," said Ballard. "Finish. Finish. Finish. Finish the game, they will not let us relax at the end of practice at all. This is a top priority. And the more we do, especially in games, we are more comfortable when things get tight. "
Ballard conceded that fans might not be as comfortable with the emotional fluctuations at high pressure, but the Giants players, at least, appear to be more comfortable in the fourth quarter. Their 27-24 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday was the Giants' fifth game this season where they had a car for the fourth quarter that could tie the game or put forward, and their fourth consecutive game in which the decisive score came with nine minutes or less remaining. The Giants (4-2) have won three of four.
Sunday version of the drama end-game features two important interceptions by Corey Webster Giants cornerback, a career day from running back Ahmad Bradshaw, and an unflappable performance of Eli Manning, who has not launched an interception against a team legislation that came into the game as the league leaders in turnovers forced.
"We tried to finish and win the battle for the fourth quarter," said Webster. "We did exactly that."
With the score tied, 24-24, and the Bills lead with four minutes, a reprisal of the disappointing defeat last week in Seattle seemed more likely. The Bills had a first down at the Giants 27, when the receiver Stevie Johnson made a rapid movement to the line of scrimmage and got a step on Webster as he ran down the sideline.
It was a difficult day for most Webster. He missed a tackle important, lagged behind the guarantees spend more now seemed a step slow on what appeared to be a win for the Bills.
As the ball began to fall to Johnson, however, Webster accelerated. And as Johnson reached high to pull it into the hands of Webster went higher. He cradled the ball as he fell to the ground five yards in the Giants line, standing even as Johnson pulled his mask on the side.
It was the second interception of the game Webster (he also intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick earlier in the quarter), and he pranced on the sideline with glee. A few minutes later he was joined in the celebration by the rest of his teammates. Manning led the Giants down the field for the kick-off score, with the aim of Lawrence Tynes field for 23 yards with less than two minutes to provide the final margin.
It was an important victory for the Giants, who, with a week off, have two weeks to enjoy it. With the sting of last Sunday's loss, persistent, and another series of defensive injuries sidelined captain Justin Tuck, right guard Chris Snee Pro Bowl running back and backup Brandon Jacobs, the Giants would have have easily slipped back against the surprising Bills (4-2). Before the interception of Webster, he looked as if they could.
Instead, the Giants escaped with a win on a day when Bradshaw scored three touchdowns career-high 292 yards past Manning and the defense rallied to a terrible start to stand firm when the Giants needed it most.
Bradshaw was the finisher for many of the game, diving into the end zone from 1 yard on three occasions. When Bradshaw broke a run of 30 yards to put the Giants in field goal range on the final disc, it gave the Giants their first 100-yard rusher of the season (he finished with 104) - not a mean feat given the offensive line has been operating with the backup Kevin Boothe in place of Snee.
"We knew if we kept pushing a little harder, we get there," left tackle Dave Diehl said. "Today was a total group effort."
Stop the race was also a problem for the Giants, and much was made of the connection defensive coordinator Perry Fewell of the Bills. Fewell spent four years coaching in Buffalo and was the interim head coach for the last seven games of the 2009 season.
Buffalo coach Chan Gailey was concerned about the familiarity of Fewell with the Bills, but the greatest attention in the accumulation Fewell was on his own team. The Giants entered having allowed an average of 159.3 rushing yards a game over the past three weeks, an alarming number because the bills running back Fred Jackson has averaged 96 yards per game on his own.
From the beginning, it was as if nothing had changed. After the Giants went ahead with five minutes remaining in the first quarter on the first partition Bradshaw, Jackson immediately responded with a touchdown run of 80 yards. Linebacker Michael Boley do not fill a hole, safety Deon Grant took a poor angle and cornerback Aaron Ross could not make a tackle saving touchdown.
The Giants defense followed by taking another shot, as Fitzpatrick is the receiver Naaman Roosevelt for a touchdown from 60 yards catch-and-run, just before the end of the first quarter. This time, it was Webster and backup cornerback Justin Tryon sharing the role of the hapless would-be tackler, and coach Tom Coughlin had a stunned look on his face that the balls in the zone.
"We could have let these two parts to determine the outcome of the game, but we do not," Antrel Rolle said security. "We played hard."
They do. After struggling for the first quarter, the Giants defense held Jackson to 39 yards rushing in the rest of the game, limited to 130 passing yards Fitzpatrick in the second half and does not allow the Bills to even get a first test drive their final match. When Fitzpatrick fourth down pass fell incomplete with 59 seconds left, the Giants had sealed a victory that fit well alongside their thrilling victory over Philadelphia and Arizona.
"It was about fighting," said Coughlin. "We knew it would be a 60 minute game."
With these giants, it seems as if it still is.
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