Giants Daily Blitz Blog

Inside the Locker Room: Prepping for the Redskins

DE Justin Tuck: 
On a difficult matchup…
“The game is going to come down to the wire, a game we’re going to have to play our best ball to have a chance to win and they’re going to be motivated too…”

Safety Antrel Rolle: 
On containing the Redskins’ offensive weapons…
“You know they’re a great football team. They beat us twice last year and they’ll be a better football team this year, so we definitely have our work cut out for those guys. They bring a lot of things to the offensive board…”

WR Victor Cruz: 
On being motivated after two losses last year… 
“It’s a new year and it’s a new team and you should be motivated to play any division foe so I think that in itself should be motivation for us”

DE Jason Pierre-Paul:
On preventing big plays… 
“We’re going to make the play calls that try and stop everything they’re doing and you know, it’s going to be a hard game, like I said last week, it’s going to be a hard game. Each game that we play is hard so we’re just going to go out there and play our best football.”

Daily Blitz: NFL Fall Meeting

At the NFL Fall Owners Meeting, Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Tuesday there will be two regular season games in London for the first time. In addition to Jacksonville hosting San Francisco at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 27, 2013, as previously announced, Minnesota will host Pittsburgh a month earlier on Sept. 29 at the same venue.

“This is a very significant and important step going forward for our fans in the UK (United Kingdom), for the NFL in general and for the teams involved,” Goodell said.

Also at the meeting in Chicago, Goodell spoke about bid cities for upcoming Super Bowls L and LI. The Mercedes-Benz Superdome will host Super Bowl XLVII this postseason before coming to MetLife Stadium for XLVIII and University of Phoenix Stadium the following year.

“There will be three bid cities for Super Bowl L and LI – Houston, San Francisco, and South Florida,” he said. “The bids will be presented and owners will vote on both of those games at the May meeting in 2013. The owners will vote between San Francisco and South Florida regarding Super Bowl L. Owners will then vote at the same meeting on the host of Super Bowl LI between Houston and the runner-up from Super Bowl L.”

Sights & Sounds: Giants at 49ers

QUICK HITS

» Safety Antrel Rolle was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week

»Transcript: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at 2012 NFL Fall Meeting

» Beyoncé to perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show

» Is Tom Coughlin or Bill Belichick the NFL’s best coach? [Dan Hanzus, NFL.com]

» Antrel Rolle talks to WFAN’s Joe and Evan about his two interceptions Sunday that helped lead to a big win against the 49ers in San Francisco.

Vote “Extra Effort” Player of the Game

Following the Giants’ 26-3 victory over the 49ers, it’s time to vote for the Subway “Extra Effort” Player of the Game. Here are the nominees and their performances:

RB Ahmad Bradshaw

27 CAR, 116 YDS (4.3 AVG), 1 TD, 1 REC, 4 YDS

Building on his 200-yard performance last week, Bradshaw put up 116 yards against the No. 7 rushing defense in the NFL. With a long of 23, Bradshaw led the Giants to 149 total rushing yards as a team. VOTE NOW

S Antrel Rolle

6 solo tackles, 2 INT, 1 TFL, 2 PD

Not only did Rolle have a team-high six solo tackles (tied with Michael Boley and Prince Amukamara), the safety notched his 16th and 17th career interceptions. Both led to field goals, the second of which extended the Giants’ lead to 20 points. VOTE NOW

PK Lawrence Tynes

4/5 FG, 2/2 XP, 14 PTS

At the site of his kick that won the NFC Championship nine months ago, Lawrence Tynes accounted for 14 of the team’s 26 points. He was good from 34, 30, 22 and 32 yards. VOTE NOW

Rolle’s 2 INT open up 20-point lead

THIRD QUARTER

15:00 — Giants receive to begin the second half.

David Wilson returns the ball 66 yards down the 49ers’ 32.

11:53 — TOUCHDOWN GIANTS. Ahmad Bradshaw dives in for a one-yard score. XP is GOOD. NEW YORK 17, SAN FRANCISCO 3 (Drive:  7 plays, 32 yards in 3:12)

*Bradshaw has taken all 16 rushing attempts for the Giants, totaling 46 yards so far.

10:17 — Antrel Rolle grabs the Giants’ second interception of the game. Giants take over on their

9:55 — FIELD GOAL GIANTS. Lawrence Tynes makes 30-yard attempt. NEW YORK 20, SAN FRANCISCO 3 (Drive: 4 plays, 0 yards in 0:16)

8:58 — Linval Joseph credited with the Giants’ second sack of the game for a loss of seven.

7:56 — Rolle comes up with another interception of Alex Smith. Giants take over at San Francisco’s 15.

6:13 — FIELD GOAL GIANTS. Lawrence Tynes makes 22-yard attempt. NEW YORK 23, SAN FRANCISCO 3 (Drive: 4 plays, 1 yards in 1:33)

4:32 — Pace is picking up. After a 55-yard completion to Randy Moss, Smith is sacked by Jason Pierre-Paul.

3:01 — 49ers fail to convert on fourth-and-15 and Giants take over on their own 27.

0:00 — GIANTS 23, 49ers 3

Inside the Locker Room: Facing a Physical Team

Safety Antrel Rolle
On if the game will be a tough, physical battle… 
“That’s the way it’s been, that’s the way it’s always going to be. Two physical teams, two physical defenses going about them and that’s the way it always goes down between us.”

RB Ahmad Bradshaw
On how the 49ers defense looks…
“They’re physical, they shed blocks well and they retreat well if the ball gets behind them. They’re physical  and like I said, we’re up for that task.”

LB Mathias Kiwanuka
On what he sees from the 49ers…
“That’s what you see when you watch them on film. Defensively, they’ve got a tendency to get into a mode where they can dominate and their offense is very effective…both sides of the ball, we’ve got to make sure we play our strongest game.”

Daily Blitz: Rolle readies for 49ers

While last year was the first time Antrel Rolle faced the 49ers in a Giants uniform, the safety knew plenty about the team by the Bay. Rolle saw them twice a year in his five seasons with the Arizona Cardinals before leaving the NFC West to come to the Giants in 2010.

And based off his current team’s two bouts with the 49ers last season, Rolle has seen firsthand the improvements made under second-year head coach Jim Harbaugh.

“As we know, we’re definitely going to expect a game,” Rolle said Tuesday on WFAN. “I think those guys are playing great football on both sides of the ball – offensively and defensively. And they’re getting better week in and week out. They’re playing with a chip on their shoulder. Under Jim Harbaugh, I think he has that team with a different mentality. He has that team with a different mentality, and they go out there and they play very, very technique-sound football and it wins games for them.”

Bested in their regular season matchup, Rolle and the Giants evened the score against the 49ers in an NFC Championship for the ages. Rolle was asked what he remembers from the 20-17 overtime win in Candlestick Park last January.

“Just saying to myself ‘Thank God it’s over,’” he recalled. “That was one of the hardest fought games I have probably been in, in my career. It just seemed like it was a defensive war and neither defense was going to back down. It just came down to crucial turnovers, and thank God for our special teams that were able to get that because that defense of theirs wasn’t going to back down anytime soon. And we knew we weren’t going to back down no matter how many overtimes that we were going to go into.”

QUICK HITS

» Giants make practice squad moves.

» Inside the Numbers: Bradshaw’s 200 yards

» Vote Ahmad Bradshaw the FedEx Ground Player of the Week.

» WATCH: WR Victor Cruz breaks down his third touchdown catch against the Browns.

» WATCH: Bob Papa and Carl Banks break down the Giants’ Week 5 victory over the Browns

Nicks’ 199 yards wow teammates

When you see the stat line of 10 catches for 199 yards, you don’t automatically think of a gritty performance. However, that’s what wide receiver Hakeem Nicks showed on Sunday as he played through the pain associated with his recuperation from a broken foot and posted a career day en route to a Giants’ victory.

Antrel Rolle, who has been Nicks’ teammate since 2010 and once faced him in 2009 when Rolle played for Arizona, thought it was his best performance. And it didn’t have anything to do with personal records.

“I think Hakeem probably played one of his best games as a Giant,” Rolle said. “Just his attitude, I saw the hunger in his eye before we even stepped out on the field today. He knew that he had something in him today – that he was going to go out there and be dominant. That’s exactly what he was. He was a dominant force for us.”

Playing alongside Nicks since they were drafted together by the Giants in 2009, Ramses Barden agreed it was one of his best performances. He also knew what the day meant for Nicks with Buccaneers offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan on the other sideline. Sullivan was their wide receivers coach when they came into the league before becoming the Giants’ quarterbacks coach (2010-11) and then taking the job in Tampa over the offseason.

“It’s hard to say ‘best,’ with that guy,” Barden, who began the final go-ahead drive on Sunday with a 24-yard catch, said of Nicks. “Because he’s talented and he’s done some special things for us in the last several years. But it’s definitely a memorable one, especially with Hakeem’s relationship with Mike…I think it holds some special weight with him, and it would anybody.”

Giants choose pregame playlist

Giants players lent their musical tastes for the pregame music inside MetLife Stadium before taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1 p.m. ET. Here’s what they chose from their iPods to warm up to:

» Eli Manning: “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister

» Victor Cruz: “HYFR” by Drake feat. Lil Wayne

» Osi Umenyiora: “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” by ODB

» David Diehl: “’Till I Collapse” by Eminem

» Hakeem Nicks: “I’m A Go Getta” by Lil Wayne

» Justin Tuck: “New Day” by 50 Cent feat. Dr. Dre & Alicia Keys

» Jason Pierre-Paul: “Awooga” by Calvin Harris

» Antrel Rolle: “Forget tha Otha Side” by Trick Daddy

DOWNLOAD THE GIANTS “ALL IN” PEPSI ANTHEM BY TRAVIE MCCOY 

Inside the Locker Room: Preparation for the Buccaneers

DE Justin Tuck
Thoughts on facing former Giants’ Defensive Coordinator Bill Sheridan…
“He knows our strengths and weaknesses, he knows situation football as far as what we like. I think in the same route, we know what he likes. We remember his calls, we remember what he likes to do on third and long, what he likes to do on third-and-short or first-and-ten, whatever. To certain situations, formations, so I think it works both ways. We’ll just see. At the end of the day, it comes down to who plays their keys the best and plays the best football.”

Safety Antrel Rolle
Thoughts on Coach Coughlin’s message during the time off…
“I think he pretty much stays consistent in his approach and the message he tries to deliver us, just to always get better and strive to get better each and every week. That’s pretty much our motto, to go out there and be ‘all in’ and all focus, be as attentive as you can, and go out there and put the best ball on the field that we can, come Sunday.”

DT Linval Joseph
Thoughts on leading DEs Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Osi Umenyiora in sacks…
“I mean it’s different for them, normally they have all the sacks, that’s going to push them harder…”

Giants vs. Cowboys Live Blog: 4th QTR

0:00 — COWBOYS 24, GIANTS 17

2:42 — TOUCHDOWN GIANTS. Manning hooks up with Bennett for a 9-yard score, cutting it to one possession. COWBOYS 24, GIANTS 17. 12 plays, 79 yards in 3:21

3:27 – Timeout Giants.

6:12 — TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS. Romo to Miles Austin for a 34-yard score, capping a drive that ate up some clock. COWBOYS 24, GIANTS 10 (8 plays, 82 yards, 7:06)

10:11 — S Antrel Rolle racks up his game-high ninth tackle.

14:55 — Giants get a fresh set of downs on a 15-yard Roughing the Passer penalty.

*Official paid attendance announced: 82,287 (set Giants record at MetLife Stadium)

15:00 — Giants will begin the final frame at their own 23 (2nd-and-5)