EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The feeling of euphoria and invincibility the New York Giants had after beating the New England Patriots two weeks ago is gone. Long gone.
It has been replaced by disappointment, anger and frustration in the wake of consecutive losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles that have wiped out their two-game lead in the NFC East.
Veteran Giants defensive tackle Chris Canty showed his frustration while talking about Sunday night's 17-10 loss to the Eagles. His voice was loud, and his words were so filled with conviction, his eyes welled with tears.
"It was an opportunity lost, an opportunity to put that team behind us," Canty said. "It was an opportunity to secure first place in our division, at home, in front of our fans. It was a great atmosphere. You couldn't ask for a better evening to play football. We just went out there and didn't execute. We didn't match their intensity. We got punched in the mouth, and we didn't do anything about it."
Canty said the Giants' failure to respond was embarrassing.
"That can't happen," he said. "We have to do something. We just can't do nothing. The result is what happened last night when you do nothing."
The Giants have been dismal in the second halves in recent years. New York started 5-0 in 2009 and finished 8-8. It also opened last season with a 6-2 mark and missed the playoffs with a 10-6 record, losing two of the final three games.
With six games left in the regular season, the Giants need to straighten out things soon. The upcoming schedule isn't going to help. They will be at New Orleans (7-3) on Monday night and then return home for a Dec. 4 meeting with the Green Bay Packers (10-0).
"It's put up or shut up," cornerback Antrel Rolle said. "At the end of the day, I am not trying to be sitting at home come the first week of January, watching these other teams that I know are not better than us go on. We're a great team. We know we're a great team. We have to go out there and prove it."
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
