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."

Jason Pierre-Paul: Giants defensive ends not having 'fun' this season

If Jason Pierre-Paul thought every season was going to be like his breakout campaign last year, the New York Giants defensive end is finding out not every one is always fun and games.  The operative word here being "fun."

After only four games, Pierre-Paul is unhappy with his own performance (1-1/2 sacks) and and the inefficiency of the Giants defensive ends to pressure opposing quarterbacks.  The vaunted "NASCAR" defense — Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Unmenyiora — has recorded only 3-1/2 sacks through the first quarter of the season.

"I'm not having that fun, I'm used to," said the 23-year old Pierre-Paul on Thursday.  "I've just got to go out and run around like a little kid — just be happy that you're out there and make plays.  Have that energy that I had last year."

It sounds like Are you down with JPP? just took on a whole new meaning.

"And that'll go for the other guys, too," he continued.  "You could see it in their eyes that they're not having fun with the game.  They've got to find themselves and I've got to find myself."

All three defensive studs would like to get back to last year's mirth-making performances that lead to a Super Bowl title but have been hindered this season by double-teams and key injuries to defensive unit — particularly the secondary.

Kenny Phillips joined Antrel Rolle and Corey Webster with injuries that kept all three defensive backs off the practice field this week.  Phillips was on trainer's table in the first quarter against the Eagles after spraining an MCL.  Tuck said the safety's absence in the final three quarters of last week's loss made him "gun-shy."

"I'm not having that much fun, either," added Tuck. "I pretty much suck."

The Giants (2-2) had a full week to prepare for the Cleveland Browns without Phillips.  Now, the defense's task will be to adjust.

"Sometimes you just have to whip somebody's (butt) and make a play," defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said.  "And we need to do that."

Pierre-Paul — who many expect someday to break former Giants DE Michael Strahan's single-season sack record* ( *Brett Favre) — has to learn to block out the fans' high hopes and remember there's a Super Bowl bulls eye on each Giants player's back in every game this year.

"People have high expectations of me, so it kind of brings me down a little knowing I've got to live up to that," Pierre-Paul said.  "But I have to have fun too.  I can't just go out there thinking I'm Jason Pierre-Paul.  It doesn't work that way."

Could facing a Browns (0-4) team — spear-headed by rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden and first year running back Trent Richardson — be the cure for the Giants blues?

"We aren't living up to the way we expect to around here," said Pierre-Paul.  "We're not going to make excuses about it.  We haven't played the way we're capable of playing.  That's why I haven't had the same amount of fun."

Are you depressed with JPP, yet?

Giants ready to unleash 'NASCAR' defense on Romo

The New York Giants arguably have what could be called the NFL's best defensive line and, from the looks of things, it just got a little better.

The Giants won their second Super Bowl in five seasons — in no small thanks to the defensive front — which carried the team to a season-closing six-game winning streak during which they held opponents to an average of 14 points and recorded 23 sacks.

Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has a over-abundance of defensive linemen and isn't afraid to mix and match his wealth of talent. And — at least for now — he has his big dogs healthy.

Fewell is the creator of the four defensive end scheme — he calls his "NASCAR package" — that pits three All-Pros Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre Paul, Osi Umenyiora — and Mathias Kiwanuka (the linebacker who becomes a defensive end) against opposing quarterbacks on passing downs.

This is the same group who sacked Dallas Cowboys' signal-caller Tony Romo six times in the Giants New Year's Day division clinching win last season.

If Fewell made a resolution that day, it was to keep his foot to the pedal — and he hasn't stopped since.  It is running on all four cylinders again.

"When you talk about putting the four guys out there it's hard to find out who's the quickest and who's the fastest," Fewell said Sunday.  "Some days I look and I say, 'Boy, JPP looked great today, he looked awesome down there,' and then Osi comes flying off the end and I'll say, 'Oh boy, that's pretty fast.'  And then Tuck , he makes a move and I'm saying , 'Wow man, I'm scratching my head.'  And then Kiwi does something."

Add rookie tackle Markus Kuhn and end Adewale Ojomo to three solid tackles — Linval Joseph, Rocky Bernard and Chris Canty (currently on the PUP list) — and you have a a D-line that will give opposing offensive coordinators and quarterbacks a lot of sleepless nights.

Last season, the fearsome four rarely played together because of injuries.  It was even hard to get three of the players to line up together.  Tuck battled neck and shoulder pain throughout 2012 and Kiwanuka missed a lot of the season.

"It was just tough to get us all three on the field together," said Tuck.  "I think those last games you saw us playing at the height of what it could have been the entire year.  Hopefully we get there for 16-plus games this year and not have guys in and out, especially like I was last year."

The Cowboys and Giants open the 2012 season Wednesday night at MetLife Stadium.  Big Blue has dominated the Cowboys in recent seasons, winning seven of the last nine games over Dallas, and it remains to be seen if Romo can come back from his beatdown by the high-flying front four.

"They definitely want to come here and ruin our opening night, celebrating the Super Bowl, blah blah blah," said Tuck.  The All-Pro DE just wants to set the tone for the season in front of a national audience.

"Everyone knows that when we [defensive ends] play well, this team, this defense plays well," he said.  "A lot of pressure is on us, but we like it that way."

When Romo sees the Giants' NASCAR defense lining up, he might want to start looking for the yellow caution flag.

Giants Defense May Use Wristbands To Counter Bills Hurry-Up

The New York Giants may have to endure another week without defensive stalwarts Justin Tuck and possibly Osi Umenyiora, but defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has considered a plan to help the Giants D prevent big plays by the Buffalo Bills offense this Sunday-- wristbands.

Don't be shocked to see the some Giants defensive players wearing mini-playbooks on their forearms-- and referring to them-- in order to prevent the mental breakdowns that have plagued the team in recent games.

Following last week's unfathomable loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Fewell became concerned that the Giants(3-2) had allowed Seattle's mediocre offense to put up big numbers against his confused-looking defense and thinks using what is usually a quarterback's tool a potential solution.

The Seahawks no-huddle offense prevented the Giants defense from making many quick substitutions and forced a quicker tempo.  At many times, the Giants D was caught out of position and were about one Deon Grant flop from trying to slow down the Seahawks.

Fewell who was a coach in Buffalo before coming to the Giants, is familiar with the Bills system and said he "learned something last week."

"The no-huddle is effective; it's about communication," said Fewell.  "I think we were communicating.  When you use that form of communication verbally, everybody doesn't get it at the same time.  I think I need to do a better job of maybe installing wristbands on the guys so everybody knows what the call is.  I think I can do a better job and help our players if I do that for them," he told the New York Post.

It won't be any easier this week as the  surprising Bills(4-1) stampede into MetLife Stadium on Sunday.  They have impressive victories over the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles under their belts.

Meanwhile, the teams the Giants have beaten this year have a combined record of 6-12 and the Giants had to pull come-from-behind in two of their own W's.

The Giants would like nothing more than to help Fewell beat his former team and show that last week's loss wasn't a sign of things to come.

When a defense is struggling as much as the Giants' has, any sort of advantage is welcome-- even if it's like writing the answers on your hand.

Ex-Giants Linebacker Says Fewell Taught Flopping To Players

The New York Giants are being taught how to fake injuries by the team's defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, former Giants linebacker Bryan Kehl told Howard Balzer of The Sports Xchange.

"Perry Fewell coaches that," Kehl told Balzer.  "He's their D.C.[defensive coordinator].  He coaches that."

Call it the Fewell Flop.

Kehl was a little-used linebacker who played a couple of months with the Giants when Fewell started in 2010.  Kehl was waived after week 1 and picked up by the Rams-- where he is still on the roster.

While Kehl didn't perform for the Giants, it sounds like he got some free acting lessons as a parting gift.

The NFL might be  interested in what Kehl allegedly learned from Fewell.  The league released a statement to all 32 teams warning of fines, suspensions and even loss of draft picks if it is determined that someone took a dive on the field during a game.

The bad taste surrounding Giants safety Deon Grant and linebacker Jacquain Williams' "injuries" during the team's 28-16 win over the St. Louis Rams during Monday night's game won't wash away.

If you haven't heard, as soon as the Rams got into the red zone with their hurry-up offense and the winded Giants defense unable to make quick substitutions, Grant and Williams both dropped like fainting Justin Bieber tweens to stop the drive.

It looked like Williams saw Grant was down and he miraculously hopped right up while Grant waited for medical attention.  The Rams drive stalled and they settled for a field goal.

The Rams are still miffed over the incident.

Rams quarterback Sam Bradford said he heard Giants players telling one another to "Go down,' after Grant tackled running back Cadillac Williams on the Giants 7-yard line late in the first quarter.

Grant continues to declare his innocence and showed reporters his swollen right knee and said he hasn't missed a game in 12 pro seasons.  On videos, Grant is shown holding his left knee.

"You go and check my medical report," Grant said Wednesday.  "I have the injuries to speak for it... two torn MCL's that I never had surgery, wrist surgery, shoulder surgery, a broken hip with a metal plate and screws in it.  How can another person that's not in your body tell you you are faking an injury?"

Grant conceded that he heard the "Go down" yells, but said it was because he couldn't get up and off the field.

In the memo sent to each team, the NFL said they will  punish future bad acting jobs.

The memo stated: "Those found to be violators will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action for conduct detrimental to the game."

Giants defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka thinks accusing injured players of flopping could lead to trouble.

"I think it's a really dangerous path to go down," said Kiwanuka.  "If you start letting referees decide whether a player is hurt or not, it might come back to bite them big time... it might lead to lawsuits."

An NFL spokesperson said no punishment could be handed down without solid proof-- like an admission of guilt.