Antonio Pierce has doubts about Giants' mental toughness

The New York Giants are coming off one of their worst losses in recent memory — a humiliating 34-0 beatdown by the Atlanta Falcons — and have fallen into a three-way tie looking up at the Cowboys and Redskins for first place in the NFC East.

Nevertheless, the team still insists it is at its best when their backs against the wall.  At least that's what they publicly say citing last season's playoff run and Super Bowl victory as proof.

Now former Giants linebacker and current ESPN analyst Antonio Pierce says the Giants past success had to do more with their heads than their backs.

"I really think they are a team that's mentally drained right now," Pierce said of the Giants team that will look to save its season with a must win against the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday.

"Coach [Tom] Coughlin  is preaching mental toughness, and I don't know if they can say that have that right now.  They are a team that is not as strong as in years past, as far as being mentally tough."

Pierce says Big Blue might be relying on last season's playoff run, after they reeled off a six-game win streak culminating with the victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, as some sort of blueprint for doing it again.

In September, Pierce said the Giants were basically overlooked last season because they came out of nowhere.  This season they have a shiny Lombardi Trophy as a bullseye on their jerseys.

The "we can turn it on when it counts" philosophy doesn't jive with Pierce.

"My concern with the Giants is them constantly talking about what they've done in the past," said Pierce, who played on the 2007 Super Bowl championship team.  "They are looking in the rear-view mirror, thinking they can always rely on that.  Our backs re against the wall, this is the way we like it, and after [Sunday's] performance — an embarrassing, slap-in-the-face loss — I didn't see any players out there that played like everything really mattered at the time."

Pierce pinpointed the once ferocious defense as the main culprit for the Giants' shortcomings and named names.

"Opponents studied and figure out ways to block these guys and slow them up," he said.  "So, I don't see the defensive coordinator [Perry Fewell] being as creative, coming up with different designs to free them up."

The ex-Giant didn't go easy on his former teammates either.

"Honestly, [Justin] Tuck has not been Tuck for three years now.  and Osi [Umenyiora] is a situational pass-rusher.  He comes in on the third down and he makes plays.  But, for the most part as a group, they are being asked to make plays without any more creativity."

The Ravens are in the same boat as the Giants and looking to regroup after collapsing in the second half of the season.

"You come off back-to-back years without being in the playoffs and then you win a Super Bowl and things change," said Pierce.  "Every year with coach Coughlin we had a different slogan.  This year's team has to stick to that and not regurgitate what they've been able to do in the past."

Justin Tuck Is a Neck Up On Antonio Pierce

Justin Tuck may scoff at Antonio Pierce's implication that the New York Giants player's toughness was being questioned because he didn't take the field and "doesn't have an injury that needs surgery or is that severe," but he is shaking his head because the same type of neck injury ended Pierce's career two years ago.

On a Monday radio show, Pierce chided Tuck and running back Brandon Jacobs for sitting out Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks because they didn't ignore their pain and just play.  Tuck has missed two games with neck and groin injuries while Jacobs is nursing a sprained MCL.

Yesterday, Tuck laughed off his friend Pierce's words.  He just might be thinking that Pierce has nothing from the neck up.

"It's funny to me," said Tuck.  "I wish I could reverse roles with A.P. and say what he said and see how he responds to it."

Tuck knows Pierce was a fierce competitor and played through injuries but thinks the former-Giant should concentrate on a player's on-the-field performance rather than their perceived toughness.

"Like in this case, I know I'm doing everything in my power to speed up this process of getting back on the football field," said Tuck.  "So why worry about what other people might think or what other people might say about it.  Because obviously they don't know."

Pierce should have a better understanding of this than anyone.  His career was cut short in a 2009 game against the Arizona Cardinals.  He was diagnosed with the same injury as Tuck-- a burner-- and played two more games before an MRI exam showed a bulging disk in his neck.

Pierce never had surgery and never played in an NFL game again.  Now he is telling Tuck to throw caution to the wind and get back on the field?

At first, Tuck was angry at Pierce's ironic words but smoothed things over.  The two men spoke by phone on Monday and came to an understanding.

"I understand how he meant it.  It didn't come out the way he wanted it to, " said Tuck.  It's water under the bridge."

Tuck said he is focusing more on what members of the Giants organization think than what outside observers perceive.

"All the doctors and even the coaches are telling me 'Be smart.'  When you're ready to play, come back and play," Tuck said.  "The good thing is regardless what other people say, I know the people in the locker room trust me and understand that I want to be on that football field.  That's all that matters."