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Antrel Rolle: Giants Are NFL's Best Team

-- See SB Nation's Big Blue View for complete discussion and analysis of the Giants

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18 Total Updates since October 26, 2010
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Antrel Rolle: Giants 'Hands Down' NFL's Best

New York Giants safety Antrel Rolle said Monday that the Giants are “hands down” the best team in the league.

Tuesday on his weekly WFAN radio spot he said, "I don’t think, I know it, we are the best team in the NFC. Hey, we are the best team in the NFL and that’s hands down. … "Our defense is the best defense in the business, no doubt about it."

Well, this is not exactly the “humbleness” Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said Monday he was looking for from his team.

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Tony Romo Could Miss Six To Eight Weeks With Fractured Clavicle

The Dallas Cowboys could be without starting quarterback Tony Romo for the majority of their remaining games after Romo suffered a fractured clavicle in Monday's 41-35 loss to the New York Giants.

Romo said he will undergo tests to determine the damage, but Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said the quarterback could miss six to eight weeks.

"We'll see if surgery is required," Jones said. "If not, he's going to have some time out. [Troy] Aikman was out four weeks with this and our [trainers] initially think six [weeks], possibly as long as eight [weeks], but we'll see what his examination is."

Romo went down in the second quarter on a hit by Giants' linebacker Michael Boley. The Cowboys, who were leading 10-7 at the time, are now 1-5.

Veteran quarterback Jon Kitna replaced Romo, and will be the starter while Romo heals. The Giants are now 5-2 and in first place in the NFC East.

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Tony Romo Could Miss Six To Eight Weeks With Fractured Clavicle

The Dallas Cowboys could be without starting quarterback Tony Romo for the majority of their remaining games after Romo suffered a fractured clavicle in Monday’s 41-35 loss to the New York Giants.

Romo said he will undergo tests to determine the damage, but Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said the quarterback could miss six to eight weeks.

“We’ll see if surgery is required,” Jones said. “If not, he’s going to have some time out. [Troy] Aikman was out four weeks with this and our [trainers] initially think six [weeks], possibly as long as eight [weeks], but we’ll see what his examination is.”

Romo went down in the second quarter on a hit by Giants’ linebacker Michael Boley. The Cowboys, who were leading 10-7 at the time, are now 1-5.

Veteran quarterback Jon Kitna replaces Romo, and will be the starter while Romo heals.

The Giants are now 5-2 and in first place in the NFC East.

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Giants 41: Cowboys 35: Giants Win Fourth Straight

Arlington, TX (Sports Network) - Eli Manning rebounded from two early interceptions to throw for 306 yards and four touchdowns, leading the New York Giants to a 41-35 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

The victory is the fourth in a row for New York (5-2), which moved into sole possession of first place in the NFC East. Dallas, meanwhile, was looking to turn its season around, but lost quarterback Tony Romo to a broken left collarbone in the second quarter and fell to 1-5.

Hakeem Nicks, battling a hamstring strain, caught nine passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Steve Smith finished with nine receptions for 101 yards and a TD for the Giants, who scored 31 consecutive points to take control.

Romo was 5-of-7 for 39 yards and a touchdown before suffering his injury. Jon Kitna, playing for the first time since 2008, completed 16-of-33 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns to Dez Bryant, who also returned a punt 93 yards for a score.

Bryant's second touchdown reception had Dallas within six points with 40 seconds to play, but the Giants recovered the onside kick and ran the clock out to seal the win.

"We seemed to have a big letdown when Tony went out," said Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips. "For whatever reason, our whole team let down a whole lot. I did think they kept fighting."

Manning's interceptions led to an early Dallas advantage. On the third play from scrimmage, Smith wasn't able to hang on to a high throw and he tipped it to Terence Newman, who returned the ball 30 yards to the Giants' five. Two plays later, Romo found Jason Witten for a four-yard score.

Three plays into New York's next drive, Nicks tipped the ball over the middle and it went to safety Gerald Sensabaugh. That put Dallas at the New York 18, and the Cowboys had a chance to get into the end zone again. But Miles Austin dropped the ball on 3rd-and-goal, and David Buehler kicked a 26-yard field goal.

The Giants rebounded with an 11-play, 79-yard drive that included some controversy. The Cowboys challenged a two-yard catch by Mario Manningham that moved the chains on third down, as Manningham reached the marker before moving backward and getting tackled. However, he was credited with forward progress and the call was upheld.

Several plays later, a Nicks reception was initially ruled incomplete before Giants head coach Tom Coughlin successfully challenged the call to keep the drive moving. Nicks also had a 24-yard catch-and-run to get the ball to the Dallas nine, then caught a seven-yard pass in the front of the end zone to get the Giants on the board with 2:58 left in the quarter.

Coughlin successfully used his second challenge on the final play of the frame, nullifying a punt downed at the one to set New York up at the 20 -- Dallas' Danny McCray was the first to touch the ball after it fell out of bounds. That possession ended in a Brandon Jacobs fumble, setting Dallas up at the visitors' 43.

On the first play, Giants linebacker Michael Boley drove Romo into the ground after the quarterback had released a pass. Romo landed on his left shoulder and exited the game. Kitna entered to help Dallas advance to the 23 before Buehler kicked a 41-yarder.

The Cowboys assumed a 20-7 advantage on Bryant's return. Matt Dodge's booming punt went 69 yards before Bryant picked up some blocks and raced into the end zone with 8:53 left in the half.

That's when New York started its comeback. The Giants' ensuing drive was highlighted by a 32-yard reception by Smith, who managed to bring in the ball despite being surrounded by defenders. Nicks capped the drive with an eight- yard score, again near the goal line, with 4:22 remaining.

After Dallas went three-and-out, New York took over at its 44 and needed just five plays to score again. Smith got separation from his defender and made the 14-yard catch as he fell in the back of the end zone, giving the Giants a 21-20 lead.

New York got another shot after recovering a fumble near midfield inside the final minute, and Lawrence Tynes kicked a 53-yarder through the uprights with two seconds left -- only after his initial 43-yarder was nullified by a holding penalty.

"In the second quarter we played outstanding," Manning said. "Flawless. Started moving the ball up and down. With three turnovers in the first half, to go into the game at halftime up four points, really all the momentum on our side, was big."

The Cowboys went three-and-out to start the second half, and the Giants once more started a drive in favorable field position, at their 45. The score came on a reception by Manningham, who used a block from tight end Kevin Boss to get to the right sideline. He raced toward the end zone, then sliced left between two defenders to give Big Blue an 11-point edge.

Jacobs then broke several tackles on a 30-yard touchdown run on the Giants' next possession, giving New York a 38-20 lead with 5:25 left in the quarter.

The Kitna-led Cowboys didn't have much offensive success until the middle of the fourth, when they reached the New York six on a 1st-and-goal. But Dallas turned the ball over on four consecutive incompletions.

After Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled for New York, Kitna fumbled, and Manning threw his third interception of the game, giving Dallas the ball at the New York 15 with 3:22 to play.

Kitna found Bryant for a score on the first play, and the two-point conversion to Roy Williams was successful. Buehler then waited for his onside kick to travel 10 yards before grabbing the ball, but it fell a yard short and New York gained possession. The Giants managed to drain 82 seconds off the clock before Tynes kicked a 26-yarder for a 41-28 lead.

Buehler's second onside kick caromed off a New York player, but the Giants' Clint Sintim quickly hopped on the loose ball to secure the outcome.

New York totaled a season-high 497 yards of offense, compared to 254 for Dallas...Bradshaw finished with 126 yards on 24 carries...Felix Jones had a team-high 35 rushing yards for Dallas. Witten ended with nine catches for 95 yards...Newman left the game for a brief time in the first period to get X- rays done on his ribs, which were apparently injured on his interception return...Bryant recorded the third-longest punt return in Cowboys history.

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Giants At Cowboys: Hakeem Nicks 'A Go For Tonight'

Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports that wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, questionable with a hamstring issue, is likely to play tonight for the New York Giants when they face the Dallas Cowboys in Monday Night Football.

Unless something dramatic happens during pregame warm-ups, the wide receiver is expected to play for the Giants when they face the Cowboys. Nicks sat out practice on Friday with what the team described as a fatigued hamstring but he said he would not miss the game.

Nicks was able to get on the field Saturday for some limited participation in practice and since then has not experienced any setbacks. That’s obviously good news for the Giants; Nicks leads the team with 36 receptions for 417 yards and six touchdowns.

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New York Giants At Dallas Cowboys: Monday Night Football Showdown

(Sports Network) - A three-game winning streak has the New York Giants in first place in their division and brimming with optimism, while the Dallas Cowboys' confidence is clearly shaken after stumbling badly out of the blocks in what's supposed to be a special 2010 campaign.

The desperate Cowboys will try to regain their swagger -- as well as save a season teetering on the brink of disaster -- when the reigning NFC East champions host the red-hot Giants in a colossal Monday night showdown between longtime rivals.

Expected to be on the short list of contenders to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLV, which will be held in Cowboys Stadium, Dallas has instead gotten off to a startling 1-4 start that's put the franchise's grandiose plans in obvious peril. It's the first time the Cowboys have dropped four of their first five tests since 2001, and a loss this week would give the club its worst mark after six games since it began the 1989 season with eight straight setbacks en route to a 1-15 ledger.

Dallas' wounds have been largely self-inflicted, as a deluge of penalties, turnovers and special-teams breakdowns have all contributed to its present poor record. Mistakes doomed the Cowboys once again in last Sunday's 24-21 loss at Minnesota, with the Vikings scoring 10 points off a pair of interceptions of quarterback Tony Romo and getting another touchdown via a 95- yard kick return from wide receiver Percy Harvin to start the second half.

The Cowboys also committed a troubling 11 penalties that totaled 91 yards, with one of those flags negating a would-be long touchdown catch by Miles Austin when the standout receiver was called for offensive pass interference.

While the Cowboys have been reeling, the Giants come into Arlington flying high off three October victories that has given Big Blue a share of the NFC East lead with Philadelphia at 4-2. A rejuvenated defense has been at the forefront of the surge, with New York having surrendered the second fewest total yards (264.8 ypg) and passing yards (172.0 ypg) in the league and racking up 21 sacks through the first six weeks.

The much-improved unit could face its sternest test to date this week, however, as Dallas ranks third in the NFL in total offense (400.0 ypg) and is averaging 305 yards per game through the air (fourth overall).

New York did permit 302 net passing yards in last weekend's tussle with Detroit, but forced three turnovers and got a big effort from its running game to hand the spirited Lions a 28-20 defeat. Top running back Ahmad Bradshaw put up a season-best 133 yards on only 19 carries, with bruising understudy Brandon Jacobs adding a pair of short touchdown runs on the afternoon.

The Giants have averaged 157.8 rushing yards over the course of their three- game tear, which began with a 17-3 home verdict over Chicago in Week 4 and was extended with a 34-10 road rout of Houston the following Sunday.

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New York Giants At Dallas Cowboys: When The Giants Have The Ball

(Sports Network) – The defense isn’t the only area that’s been performing at an elite level during the Giants’ successful stretch. New York has been running the ball with authority over the past few weeks, with Ahmad Bradshaw (582 rushing yards, 3 TD, 14 receptions) registering a pair of 100-yard outings and averaging a healthy 5.7 yards per carry during the win streak. The fourth-year pro has flourished in his first go-around as the feature back for an offense that now stands fifth in the NFL in rushing yards (136.3 ypg). The Giants can throw it a little bit as well, with quarterback Eli Manning (1479 passing yards, 10 TD, 8 INT) having completed nearly 65 percent of his attempts while working with a young and talented cast of pass-catchers. Steady wideout Steve Smith (34 receptions, 1 TD) eclipsed the century mark in receiving yards in both meetings with the Cowboys last year, 2009 first-round pick Hakeem Nicks (36 receptions, 417 yards) is a physical force whose six touchdown catches rank near the top of the league, and Mario Manningham (18 receptions, 2 TD) has flashed big-play potential as the third option. Turnovers have been an issue on occasion, as Manning’s been picked off eight times so far and Bradshaw had some fumble problems early on, but the team had just one giveaway against the Lions.

The Giants may not have to worry about turning the ball over on Monday, considering the Dallas defense has produced only four takeaways this season and three of them came in the team’s lone win at Houston back in Week 3. That lack of momentum-changing plays has been a sore spot for an unit that’s otherwise held its own, as the Cowboys have allowed the fourth-fewest yards in the league (281.4 ypg) and limited Minnesota to a mere 188 total yards during last week’s frustrating setback. After being gashed for 153 rushing yards by Tennessee two weeks ago, Dallas tightened up its run defense and held Vikings All-Pro Adrian Peterson to a modest 73 yards on 24 carries last Sunday, with inside linebacker and top tackler Bradie James (37 tackles) heading the charge with 10 stops (nine solo). New York must also account for outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware (24 tackles, 7 sacks), one of the game’s most feared pass rushers who’s compiled six sacks over his past three tilts. The Cowboys will need to get Ware going once again with the secondary, and cornerback Mike Jenkins (14 tackles, 1 INT, 5 PD) in particular, having struggled as of late.

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New York Giants At Dallas Cowboys: When Dallas Has The Ball

(Sports Network) – Moving the football hasn’t been too tough a task for the Cowboys, but the multitude of penalties and miscues have stymied an offense that doesn’t lack for weapons. Tony Romo (1566 passing yards, 10 TD, 7 INT) is a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback who’s hit on nearly 70 percent of his passes for the year, while there’s depth abound for a receiving corps headlined by Miles Austin (33 receptions, 486 yards, 2 TD), a true game-breaker who excels at gaining yards after the catch. Counterpart Roy Williams (21 receptions, 5 TD) is finally starting to shake his underachiever tag, with the well-paid wideout having garnered five touchdown catches over his past three games, and tight end Jason Witten (23 receptions, 1 TD) is as reliable as you’ll find at his position. Romo’s been intercepted five times during Dallas’ current two-game slide, however, and the team hasn’t always run the ball consistently. The dangerous Felix Jones (229 rushing yards, 18 receptions) and short-yardage specialist Marion Barber (175 rushing yards, 1 TD, 6 receptions) do form a capable two-back tandem, with Jones having received the bulk of the work as of late. The former first- round pick had a career-high 24 touches, including 10 receptions for 61 yards, against the Vikings.

The Cowboys have done an excellent job protecting Romo, who’s been sacked one time or less in all but one of this year’s games, but the line will have its work cut for it against a New York defense that’s made life miserable for enemy quarterbacks lately. Ends Osi Umenyiora (16 tackles, 8 sacks) and Justin Tuck (36 tackles, 4 sacks) spearhead a fierce pass rush that’s produced 14 sacks during the team’s three-game surge, with the former having amassed an eye-popping seven sacks and forcing six fumbles as a one-man wrecking crew over that time span. The Giants have also been very good against the run this month, having yielded a scant 49 rushing yards per game over the past three weeks, with Tuck and tackle Barry Cofield (28 tackles, 2 sacks) holding their own up front and linebackers Michael Boley (39 tackles) and Jonathan Goff (31 tackles, 0.5 sacks) doing a good job in containment. New York’s seventh-ranked rush defense (92.8 ypg) has been complemented well by a sound secondary that’s gotten good play out of rugged corner Terrell Thomas (33 tackles, 2 INT, 8 PD) and safeties Antrel Rolle (37 tackles, 1 INT) and Kenny Phillips (32 tackles, 1 INT).

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New York Giants At Dallas Cowboys: Fantasy Football Focus

(Sports Network) - Though the Giants’ defense is a formidable foe, that still shouldn’t deter those with key Dallas players on their roster. Start Tony Romo, Miles Austin and Jason Witten like you would every other week, and both Felix Jones and Roy Williams have been very dependable from a fantasy perspective as of late. Ahmad Bradshaw and Hakeem Nicks are the two must-plays on the New York side, while Steve Smith and Eli Manning should make for solid choices as well. Brandon Jacobs doesn’t get a whole lot of carries as a clear backup to Bradshaw, but the fact that the bulky back has scored four touchdowns in the last three weeks warrants him flex consideration. Marion Barber owners need to keep the one-time fantasy star on the bench, as he’s clearly being phased out of the Dallas game plan. The Giants’ defense is the one to own out of these two participants, especially when factoring in Romo’s recent tendency for interceptions.

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New York Giants' Injury Report: Hakeem Nicks Questionable For Monday Night

New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks is questionable for Monday night’s NFC East showdown with the Dallas Cowboys. Nicks, who has a ‘fatigued’ hamstring, only participated in a portion of the Giants’ Saturday practice.

Nicks leads the Giants in receptions (36), receiving yardage (417) and touchdown catches (6).

Linebacker Keith Bulluck, who missed the last three games with turf toe, is probable.

Out

Pos. Player Injury

T Will Beatty Foot (DNP)

FB Madison Hedgecock Hamstring (DNP)

DE Mathias Kiwanuka Neck (DNP)

Doubtful

Pos. Player Injury

None

Questionable

Pos. Player Injury

WR Hakeem Nicks Hamstring (LP)

Probable

Pos. Player Injury

LB Keith Bulluck Toe (FP)

DB Brian Jackson Neck (FP)

DE Justin Tuck Ankle (FP)

PK Lawrence Tynes Ankle (FP)

DE Osi Umenyiora Knee (FP)

RB D.J. Ware Groin (FP)

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Eli Manning: Monday Night Game Against Cowboys Is 'Going To Be Wild'

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning knows exactly what to expect when his team invades Dallas to take on the Cowboys next week on Monday Night Football.

“It’s going to be wild,” Manning said Thursday. “They’ll be fired up and the crowd will be into it, and we know how talented they are. We have to have a good week of practice, our preparation has to be outstanding, and we have to go out there and play great football if we expect to win.”

Manning also knows the Cowboys are talented despite their 1-4 record.

“They have playmakers on both sides of the ball, guys you have to pay special attention to that can change the game,” Manning said. “They’ve lost some close games, and every game has come down to the fourth quarter. If they get a play here, play there, if they get a bounce, their record can easily be reversed. They could have four or five wins. We have to go in there and play great football.”

For motivation, the Cowboys also have the memory of Manning signing the locker room wall in the Jerry-Dome after the Giants defeated Dallas last season in the first regular-season game played there.

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Mathias Kiwanuka Still Out For Giants

[UPDATE: Kiwanuka has now admitted that he has a 'herniated' disc in his neck, worse than the bulging disc that had previously been reported.]

New York Giants defensive end/linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka is still unable to return to practice due to a bulging cervical disc.

Kiwanuka has now seen at least two doctors regarding the injury, and there is no timetable for his return.

While the Giants and Kiwanuka have been reluctant to discuss the details of what exactly is the red flag for doctors regarding Kiwanuka’s situation, indications are it’s still rasied.

"It is difficult for everyone, the player as well, because the player naturally starts to feel better," Coughlin said. "He feels better, the symptoms aren’t there (so), ‘Why can’t I go? What’s the issue here?’

"Everyone looks and says that perhaps, not just Mathias but any player under those circumstances, maybe he can practice, maybe he can play. The frustration, of course, if that it’s not something you see with the naked eye."

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