EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- While studying Giants tight end Kevin Boss and defensive end Justin Tuck, this was clear from the Browns-Giants 71-point affair on Monday night at Giants Stadium:
» The Browns gained a 3-0 lead, blinked -- and it was Giants, 30-3. It was a 37-34 loss for the Browns, but the final score perfumed four horrific, alarming Browns plays: A 53-yard pass-interference penalty that moved the ball from the Giants 21 to the Cleveland 26 and set up the Giants' first touchdown; a botched end zone punt that resulted in a safety that easily could have been recovered for a touchdown; an 82-yard kickoff return allowed for a touchdown; a Browns fumble on a play that began at the Giants' 2-yard line that was returned for a 95-yard touchdown. Those are Browns results circa the 1999, 2000, 2004 and 2006 seasons when the team won four or fewer games in each year. Coach Romeo Crennel said that in recent practices he has tried to "save" his team from "getting beat up" and it went out against the Giants "and got beat up." He hinted that upcoming practices will not be as accommodating.
» Giants receiver Domenik Hixon is a coach's dream. He struggled in earlier preseason action at getting both feet in bounds while making tight, end zone catches. So, in practices he has been working particularly on that. And, against Cleveland, one of his three touchdowns was earned on an artistic, perfectly executed tap dance of both feet in bounds in the back of the end zone. Hixon understands how practice makes perfect. As Plaxico Burress continues to nurse foot and ankle injuries and gripe about his contract, Hixon is stepping boldly forward. You think Burress is noticing?
» Giants reserve running back Danny Ware, all six feet, 234 pounds of him, looks like a tremendous backup who could find his way prominently into the backfield before season's end. The former Georgia Bulldog, who was injured most of last season, has re-emerged with a head-turning approach when he is in the Giants backfield. From what he showed against the Browns (97 rushing yards on smooth, yet powerful, runs), this player is fighting to get on the field and looks one step closer to getting there. A lot.
» Several NFL scouts attended the game. I asked a few what were they examining? A handful offered: "Anyone the Giants cut. They can't keep 'em all." Such is the status of the Giants' personnel department, led by general manager Jerry Reese. NFL teams are intensely interested in the Giants' scraps. This is the way it used to be every year at places like New England and San Francisco during their Super Bowl championship runs. Quite a nice compliment to the Giants.
Shockey was a first-round pick, the 14th overall in 2002.
Strahan was a second-round pick, the 40th overall in 1993.
Their replacements are Kevin Boss, a fifth-rounder and the 153d player chosen in 2007 and Justin Tuck, a third-rounder and 74th player chosen in 2005. That is a stunning drop-off in draft status but not in potential. This is not an easy accomplishment. It is the type of efficiency in player acquisition that every team seeks.
Tuck says you can take the "asterisks" away from their names now.
"We both played a lot of football last season and showed the Giants and the fans that if called upon, we can deliver," Tuck said. "It really doesn't matter here if you are starter or not. Everybody has a role to play and a way to contribute and the way we have rotated our defensive linemen, everyone in that group gets a chance to make plays."
Boss is considered a better pass catcher than run blocker. But against the Browns on a couple of plays run far to the left, Boss stuck with his blocking assignment on the far right, far away from the play, versus the Browns linebackers. Anytime a blocker sticks his nose in there and fights hard even when he is not at the point of attack is a good sign that the heart and mind are in it.
Boss stepped in for the injured Shockey last season and Boss capped his rookie year with a critical 45-yard, fourth-quarter catch in Super Bowl XLII that led to the Giants' first lead in the game. Boss is 6-6, 253 pounds from Western Oregon.
He is humble. He never complains, his teammates say.
"I am still trying to prove that I belong in this league even though I had a first year that you could not ask for much more," Boss said. "I still have to make a name for myself. I can get better.
"I never thought Jeremy would not be back with the Giants. There was talk of him being traded to the Saints around the draft, and then when that did not happen, I didn't think about it anymore. But when he was traded I was at the airport in Portland on my way to training camp. I got a text from my high school coach's son, Trey Ecker. He said the trade had happened. I was going through security. I just put the phone away. I thought, 'Naw, what does an 8-year-old know about that?' And then later I picked up my phone at the airport and I had 15 missed calls and a bunch more text messages. I guess even 8-year-olds know what's going on in the NFL, after all."
Tuck's teammates are impressed by his strength. More than one player described him as a "beast." He looks the part at 6-5, 274 pounds with a motor and grit that takes him on the edge of the line or inside at tackle with ease. He earned 10 sacks last year as a reserve. The Giants are eager to see what this Notre Dame product can do as an every-down lineman.
"I don't ever want to be known as a one-dimensional guy," Tuck said. "I think I'm just as fast and quick as I am strong. I want to build off of last year but not rest or rely on last year. Our defensive line is a brotherhood. We compete against each other. We get mad when one of us gets a sack and each guy turns that into getting one of his own. On this team, it's all about reaching the respect of your peers in this locker room."
Boss is from Corvallis, Ore. Tuck is from Kellyton, Ala. The Giants nabbed two small-town players to fill the shoes of two high-profile, big-time stars.
The Giants signed Tuck to a $31 million, five-year contract with $16 million guaranteed before the team's NFC championship game versus Green Bay. Tuck proved nearly unblockable in the Super Bowl and the Giants are certain that had they waited to sign him afterward, his numbers would have been at least $50 million with at least $20 million guaranteed. And they certainly would have paid up.
"Hey, I saved them some dollars by signing a couple of weeks early," Tuck said, smiling.
He said he has enough security.
With Boss and Tuck, so do the Giants.
