The New York Giants took great delight in their Week 16 win over their crosstown rivals -- a win that culminated a week of back-and-forth verbal jabs between the two teams and served as the first of two knockout blows to the Jets' fading playoff hopes.
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While the Jets' ensuing meltdown that centered on the in-huddle fracas between wide receiver Santonio Holmes and another player wasn't on the forefront of the Giants' minds, a few players conceded to The New York Times that they couldn't envision a similar scenario playing out on their team.
"Everyone knows their place in our huddle and everyone knows who the leader is," tackle Kareem McKenzie told the newspaper this week as the Giants prepare for Sunday's NFC Wild Card Game against the Atlanta Falcons. "Eli (Manning) talks and we listen. He's in control, he has the information we need to move down the field. I personally have never seen anything like that."
Backup quarterback David Carr also said he couldn't envision a player tuning out Manning in a huddle, as Holmes did to Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez in the team's season finale.
"I could not conceive of chaos breaking out in Eli's huddle," Carr said. "It's not in the makeup of the team or the leaders we pick."
Holmes' actions -- and the subsequent fallout -- called into question Jets coach Rex Ryan's decision to name the volatile receiver a team captain before the start of the season. Ryan said he made a mistake in having captains period, and he doesn't plan to have anyone fill that role next season.
Giants defensive tackle Dave Tollefson told The Times that captains are a necessary part of the game.
"You can't have a football team at any level without captains," Tollefson said. "In the ultimate team game, where one player often has to sacrifice his body for a teammate's gain, you need leaders who show the way."
