It wasn't just that the New York Giantslost their season opener or how bad they looked in the process that bothered Chris Canty so much. No, Canty was mostly bothered by the fact that those two things occurred on such an emotional day for New Yorkers -- the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
In Canty's mind, the team let down the entire city.
"We don't live in a bubble as professional athletes," the defensive tackle told the New York Daily News on Sunday after the Giants' 28-14 loss to the Washington Redskins. "We know what 9/11 means to us, what it means to our fans, what it means to our city, what it means to this country. We represent the red, white and blue. And to go out there, put that kind of performance out there is unacceptable to us.
"It's unacceptable in every regard."
Starting with Canty's side of the ball, the defense allowed Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman -- who battled John Beck for the starting job all preseason -- to torch it for 305 passing yards and two touchdowns. Safety Antrel Rolle was called for a costly unnecessary-roughness penalty that kept Washington's final scoring drive alive.
The Giants' offense, meanwhile, had just 102 total yards in the second half. And Eli Manning, who was sacked four times, was intercepted on the first series of the third quarter by Redskins rookie Ryan Kerrigan, who returned it for a touchdown.
Special teams didn't do the Giants any favors either, allowing a blocked field goal late in the game.
All in all, not what Canty and the Giants hoped for on such a meaningful opening day.
"We just continued to make the kind of mistakes that Coach (Tom) Coughlin told us not to make," Canty said. "At some point we need to listen."
