Giants, Redskins put streaks on line

[1niksder]

Giants, Redskins put streaks on line
Washington must halt Barber if losing ways are to meet end today
BY PAUL WOODY
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER


If necessity is the mother of invention, then in the NFL, desperation is the father of exasperation.

Today, when the New York Giants and Washington Redskins meet on the Redskins' home field, one team hopes to end its long period of exasperation.

The Giants have lost four straight. The Redskins' losing streak currently is at three, but they have lost eight of their past 10.

Much has changed since the Giants defeated the Redskins 20-13 on Sept. 19.


Eli Manning, the much-heralded rookie quarterback, has replaced Kurt Warner.

The Giants have lost most of their starters on the defensive line, and their offense has faltered. That led to the benching of Warner and the ascension of Manning.

Manning is the son of Archie Manning, who played for New Orleans and Minnesota, and the brother of Peyton Manning, the Indianapolis Colts quarterback who is in the process of rewriting the record for touchdown passes in a season.

"I like everything about the kid," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said of Eli Manning. "He's smart and works hard. He's competitive and humble. He's disappointed when his play isn't good enough."

As a starter, though, Manning is 0-2, with losses to Atlanta and Philadelphia. He played well in the first half last week against Philadelphia, then things fell apart in the second half and the Eagles won 27-6.

The Redskins played well in the first half against Pittsburgh last week, and didn't do all that badly in the second half. But the Redskins' lack of offense did them in once again.

The Redskins scored just seven points against the Steelers, the 11th straight week they have scored 18 or fewer points.

The Redskins' passing game has been inconsistent. The running game has been nonexistent recently. Teams either dare the Redskins to beat them through the air and load up to stop the run, or the Redskins get behind by more than one touchdown and abandon the running game.

The Redskins (3-8) have been all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. The Giants (5-6), despite their poor play of late, are as much in the race for a wild-card playoff berth as any team.

"The NFC is a little crazy this year," Manning said. "It's a matter of which team is going to get hot at the end."

While Manning and his pedigree are the talk of the game this week, inside the Redskins' locker room, the talk is of someone else.

"You have to stop their best player," cornerback Fred Smoot said, practically scoffing at the idea that Manning is a player the Redskins are worried about. "And their best player is No.21, Tiki Barber. That's who we have to stop."

Smoot does have a point. Barber has gained 1,145 yards on 224 carries (5.1 yards per carry) this season. He also has caught 40 passes for 496 yards, a 12.4 yards-per-catch average. Barber has caught more passes than Redskins wide receiver Rod Gardner and has a higher yard-per-catch average than Laveranues Coles, the Redskins' leading receiver.

Barber will be tested, though. The Redskins are No.2 overall in defense, and they are third overall against the run.

"They bring a lot of pressure," Manning said. "They try to confuse the offense. We've got a rookie making his third start. I know we'll get a lot of that this week.

"I just have to go out and play football."

And winning would be a nice change of pace, for both teams.

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[tcwest10]

It's a hell of a streak to have going.
I say, to hell with streaks. Let's snap this one and forget about it.
C'mon. I live in New York, and I don't want to hear about this game all week.
Pretty please ?