Taco John
11-27-2005, 12:17 AM
Giants giving thanks for Dayne's run
BY RALPH VACCHIANO
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
NEW YORK - As soon as Ron Dayne broke through the line of scrimmage Thanksgiving night in Dallas, Tiki Barber had a telephone in his hand. He just had to leave a message for his old friend and teammate.
"I said, 'Good job,'" Barber, a former U.Va. standout, said Friday. "And, 'Thanks.'"
The Giants had a lot to be thankful for on their holiday, thanks to their old pal Dayne, whose 55-yard run in overtime set up the game-winning field goal in Denver's 24-21 win over the Cowboys. That gave the Giants (7-3) a half-game lead over Dallas (7-4) in the NFC East.
It also gave the Giants what teams crave most at this time of the season: a chance to control their destiny the rest of the way.
"We have something to protect now," receiver Plaxico Burress said. "We can right our own ship. It's up to us how far we want to go."
They can start protecting their division lead today in Seattle, where they will face the NFC-leading Seahawks (8-2) in a crucial game in the NFC playoff chase. A win would put the Giants in contention for the top seed in the conference and give them plenty of confidence and momentum heading into their division showdown with the Cowboys the following week.
Of course, thanks to Dayne and the Broncos, the worst-case scenario for the Giants now is that they lose today and still head into that game in a first-place tie. In a sense, Dayne's run gave them a much-needed cushion - even though it's one none of them wanted to think about two days before such a big game.
"That cushion could be easily taken away from us if we don't go out and do what we're supposed to do," Burress said. "We have a cushion until game time, but when the game starts, that goes out the window a little bit. It really doesn't matter what those guys did [Thursday]."
It was hard to deny the irony in the fact that Dayne helped the Giants on Thursday more than he did in his five-year tenure with the team.
And, whether they wanted to admit it or not, they also were happy about the boost Dayne's long-awaited moment may have provided for the Giants' stretch run.
"A little bit," Barber said. "If anything, it's great incentive for us knowing we can separate ourselves a little bit from Dallas."
http://tinyurl.com/dfd6m
BY RALPH VACCHIANO
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
NEW YORK - As soon as Ron Dayne broke through the line of scrimmage Thanksgiving night in Dallas, Tiki Barber had a telephone in his hand. He just had to leave a message for his old friend and teammate.
"I said, 'Good job,'" Barber, a former U.Va. standout, said Friday. "And, 'Thanks.'"
The Giants had a lot to be thankful for on their holiday, thanks to their old pal Dayne, whose 55-yard run in overtime set up the game-winning field goal in Denver's 24-21 win over the Cowboys. That gave the Giants (7-3) a half-game lead over Dallas (7-4) in the NFC East.
It also gave the Giants what teams crave most at this time of the season: a chance to control their destiny the rest of the way.
"We have something to protect now," receiver Plaxico Burress said. "We can right our own ship. It's up to us how far we want to go."
They can start protecting their division lead today in Seattle, where they will face the NFC-leading Seahawks (8-2) in a crucial game in the NFC playoff chase. A win would put the Giants in contention for the top seed in the conference and give them plenty of confidence and momentum heading into their division showdown with the Cowboys the following week.
Of course, thanks to Dayne and the Broncos, the worst-case scenario for the Giants now is that they lose today and still head into that game in a first-place tie. In a sense, Dayne's run gave them a much-needed cushion - even though it's one none of them wanted to think about two days before such a big game.
"That cushion could be easily taken away from us if we don't go out and do what we're supposed to do," Burress said. "We have a cushion until game time, but when the game starts, that goes out the window a little bit. It really doesn't matter what those guys did [Thursday]."
It was hard to deny the irony in the fact that Dayne helped the Giants on Thursday more than he did in his five-year tenure with the team.
And, whether they wanted to admit it or not, they also were happy about the boost Dayne's long-awaited moment may have provided for the Giants' stretch run.
"A little bit," Barber said. "If anything, it's great incentive for us knowing we can separate ourselves a little bit from Dallas."
http://tinyurl.com/dfd6m