Desperation Time Sunday at FedEx Field
Updated: Friday, Dec. 3, 2004 - 12:49 PM
By JOSEPH WHITE
AP Sports Writer
LANDOVER, Md. - Joe Gibbs needed just seven words to preview Sunday's game between the New York Giants and his Washington Redskins.
"The Giants are desperate," the coach said, "like we are."
The Redskins (3-8) have lost three straight. The Giants (5-6) have dropped four in a row. Both offenses are struggling to score above the teens. Embarrassed fans from both sides can only hope this game won't be as ugly as the one in Week 2, when the Giants forced seven Redskins turnovers yet won by only six points.
"I don't know if we can be any more desperate," New York center Shaun O'Hara said. "This whole game, the NFL, people want to talk Xs and Os, but it's all about confidence. ... For the psyche of the team as well as our young quarterback, a win will jump-start this team going into the last part of the season."
The outlook for elegant football is not promising. Veteran quarterbacks Kurt Warner and Mark Brunell have been benched in favor of Eli Manning and Patrick Ramsey. No. 1 overall draft pick Manning is making his third NFL start for the Giants, while third-year player Ramsey might as well be a rookie given that he's had to overhaul his game with the offseason coaching change from Steve Spurrier to Gibbs.
"I didn't expect to go out there and set the world on fire and do everything right," said Manning, who completed just six passes and threw two interceptions last week against Philadelphia. "I think I am learning a lot by playing and getting in there. It is just a matter of time, and the more preparation I get, the more things I see. And the more game-time experience, the better I will be."
Each quarterback has led just one touchdown drive in two starts. The Redskins are the lowest scoring team in the NFL, yet to tally more than 18 in a game. Both teams have been beat up in back-to-back weeks by the league's top teams - the Giants lost to Atlanta and Philadelphia, the Redskins to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh - so this game is a chance for someone finally to come up for some air.
"We need a win right now," Ramsey said. "We need to get things going before the season ends, so that we'll have something to build on. This is certainly a game where hopefully we can get that started."
Despite their similar straits, the teams have vastly different motivations for winning. While the Redskins are already thinking about next year, the Giants amazingly remain in the hunt for a wild-card berth in the weak NFC.
"Not saying that the league is watered down, but there are teams in that bracket who have lost games and that just creates more chances for us," cornerback Will Peterson said. "The playoffs are out there to be had. Everyone knows the situation around the league. If we don't get a win this Sunday and continue on down the chute we've been on the last four games, then who's going to be talking playoffs around here? Nobody! So we have to get a win Sunday."
While the offenses have been woeful, both defenses have played well despite numerous injuries. The Giants will be without three-quarters of their opening day defensive line if Norman Hand (groin) can't play Sunday. Regan Upshaw and Davern Williams, both signed this week, plan to tape defensive "cheat sheets" to their wrists so they'll understand what's going on when they're in the game.
"With a nice little cheat sheet on my wrist, I can do anything," Upshaw said.
Defensive end Michael Strahan's season-ending chest injury is the Giants' biggest loss on defense, but the Redskins have been making do without linebacker LaVar Arrington since mid-September because of a knee injury. On both teams, unsung defensive players have outperformed high-profile stars on offense, which means more bad news for young quarterbacks Manning and Ramsey.
Even if the game is a mess, at least someone will go home happy - unless there's a repeat of the infamous 7-7 tie of 1997.
"It certainly has been a while since we've been in the winners circle, let's put it that way," New York coach Tom Coughlin said. "From that standpoint, we certainly would like the taste of victory."
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