By TOM CANAVAN
AP Sports Writer
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.(AP) -- Walking through the locker room after
the Giants went over corrections from another embarrassing loss,
it was hard to tell that they were coming off a third straight
setback and were no longer in first place in the NFC East.
Several players were teasing linebacker Danny Clark, and all
around there were more smiles than expected.
While their fans may be pushing the panic button, the Giants
(5-3) obviously aren't, even after a 40-17 loss to the archrival
Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday that defensive end Justin Tuck
hopes is "rock bottom" for the defending division champions.
If there was a positive for Tuck, it was watching his teammates.
In the hours after the game, he felt the team's confidence
slipped as low as he has seen it. Noting how the players
responded in meetings Monday changed his feelings.
"I don't know what has happened to us the last three weeks,"
Tuck said. "That's kind of disheartening, but it lets me know
the guys care. You can just tell that frustration is kind of
boiling over. A lot people say you shouldn't be frustrated, but
I actually like it when guys are frustrated because I know it's
something deep inside of their persons letting me know they care
about what is going on here and they want to change it."
The Giants will get that chance to right things Sunday when they
host the San Diego Chargers (4-3) in New York's final game
before a bye week.
Coach Tom Coughlin didn't have much fun watching videotapes of
the Eagles game early Monday. Special teams were poor. The
defense didn't tackle well and gave up four plays of 30 yards or
more, including three for touchdowns. The offense again was
error prone, with Eli Manning throwing two interceptions, both
of which set up Philadelphia touchdowns.
Some of the mistakes were obvious, especially the ones on
defense. Safety C.C. Brown missed a two-deep coverage call on
DeSean Jackson's 54-yard TD catch after New York got within 16-7
late in the first half. Not staying in the right defensive gaps
allowed Leonard Weaver and LeSean McCoy to score on long runs.
Tuck doesn't know why communication problems have popped up
halfway through the season. But he said it's obvious some people
aren't getting the calls by the way players look at each other
after a big play.
"That's an easy thing to fix, I'm not too worried about that,"
he said. "The right word is swagger, that's what we need to get
back. We haven't had that the last few weeks and we need to get
it back."
Manning isn't worried about the offense either. He insists the
plays are there to be made. The offense just has to make them
and not turn over the ball.
"There is no secret ingredient," said Manning, who has thrown
six interceptions in the slide. "There is no 'We have to change
our philosophy.' There is none of that. We are not in panic mode
right now. But we do need to get better and we do need to play
better than what we are playing right now. This is going to be a
big week for us, this week versus San Diego, and hopefully we
get back on track."
When informed that Giants fans are probably panicking, Manning
wasn't concerned.
"Fans can get in panic mode and that is all right," he said. "We
can't have the players get in panic mode, and that is the most
important thing."
Center Shaun O'Hara, one of a handful of players who stayed
around to talk to the media Monday, said the Giants simply
weren't playing 'Giants football,' noting turnovers, penalties
and mistakes have been the common theme the past three weeks.
The absence of them was crucial to a 5-0 start.
"We know how to win football games," O'Hara said. "They key is
just going out and doing it, and that's what has been
frustrating, we're just not getting it done on Sunday."
That's the message Coughlin delivered Monday to his team.
"There wasn't any sugarcoating," he said. "You've got to be a
man about the good and the bad. When things happen like this you
just have to learn from it somehow, some way, and eliminate it,
and maybe the next locker room will be a cheerful one. There
should be no hanging of their heads or none of that stuff. What
we did not get accomplished on the field is no one's fault but
our own."
The Giants, who have lost starting safety Kenny Phillips and
backup tackle Jay Alford to season-ending knee injury and have
seen cornerback Aaron Rose sidelined with a hamstring injury all
year, are getting some help on defense. Defensive tackle Chris
Canty, who played only in the season opener, and weakside
linebacker Michael Boley are expected to practice this week.
Canty has been sidelined with an injury to his right calf, while
Boley had surgery on his right knee in early October.
Coughlin said Ross may start doing individual drills soon.
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