Read More: Plaxico Burress (WR – NYJ), Eli Manning (QB – NYG), New York Jets, New York Giants

The New York Giants and the New York Jets are gearing up for a major NFC East showdown on Saturday. There are big playoff implications at stake and, as to be expected, personal bragging rights.

Rex Ryan, in typical Rex Ryan fashion, took some time on Monday to talk about his belief that the Jets have been the New York team to beat for two years now. Giants coach Tom Coughlin, as usual, refused to take the bait.

Following practice on Tuesday, Ryan attempted to clarify some of his earlier comments, but stuck to his guns regarding his opinion of the relative ability of the two teams.

It’s pretty well noted that I came in here, when I got this job, I want to be the team that people talk about. I want to be the better team. I’ve only been here three years now. So, I’ve mentioned from the whole time since I got here that I want to be the best team and expect to be the best team for the next 10 years. I recognize the rich tradition of Giants football. There’s no question. And I’m not trying to take a run at the Giants or a shot at the Giants. I want to be the best team in the National Football League, and the fact that we share the same stadium, the same state, both New York teams. I don’t want to be the one that is not looked at as the best team in my own state. There’s no way. I want to be the best team, period. Now, do I have the courage to say it? Absolutely. And if it doesn’t happen and we get beat by the Giants, I’ll be the first one to tip my hat to them. There’s no question. But do I believe in my heart that we’re the better football team? Yes. Did I believe we were the better team two years ago and last year? Yes. So I’ll stand by everything I’ve ever said.

Ryan also had kind words for Eli Manning and mentioned there would probably be some emotion from Plaxico Burress, who will be facing off against his former team for the first time.

Judging by what’s on the line in this game, it seems like there will be plenty of emotion to go around.

For all news and information regarding the New York Giants, please visit Big Blue View. For complete Jets coverage, head on over to Gang Green Nation.

There is the quick update of the day.

New York Giants offensive tackle
Stacy Andrews was placed on injured reserve and will miss the
final four games of the National Football League season after
being diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs.

Andrews, 30, was taken to a hospital on Dec. 3 after two
days of spitting up blood and experiencing pain in his ribs,
NFL.com said. The 6-foot-6, 318-pound Andrews didn’t play in the
Giants’ game the next day against the Green Bay Packers.

The Giants’ medical staff said the blood clots are believed
to have originated in Andrews’s legs. They may have been caused
by long airplane flights, a recent back injury or a hit in
practice.

The Giants signed tackle Tony Ugoh to replace Andrews, who
played in nine of the team’s first 11 games and made three
starts. The 6-foot-5, 304-pound Ugoh was Indianapolis’s second-
round draft pick in 2007 and played with the Colts and Detroit
Lions from 2007 to 2010. He most recently played with the United
Football League’s Las Vegas Locomotives.

At 6-6, the Giants are one game behind first-place Dallas
in the National Football Conference’s East division and visit
the Cowboys this week.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Erik Matuszewski in New York at
matuszewski@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at
msillup@bloomberg.net

Subscribe to our feed!.

The New York Giants are 6-2 so far this season with road wins against the New England Patriots, who had won 20 straight home games before playing New York, and Philadelphia Eagles. Yet, there are some people who don’t believe in them. And I can understand why.

The Giants aren’t loaded with fantasy football stars. Check the waiver wire in your fantasy football league and you may see a few G-Men. The Eagles, on the other hand, may be a fantasy football “dream team,” but they’re one loss to the Giants away from being knocked out cold for 2011—the two teams meet again on November 20 at MetLife Stadium.

The Giants did not have a single player on Yahoo! Sports’ Jason Cole’s “2011 All-Midseason Team.” But the two-and-six Carolina Panthers had two players, Steve Smith and Ryan Kalil(notes), on his list, and the floundering Minnesota Vikings (2-6) had one (congrats, Jared Allen(notes)). But in the National Football League, big names don’t always win games. And this isn’t fantasy football.

Some Giants fans and so-called football experts predicted doom for the Giants when rising star Terrell Thomas(notes) suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason. Linebacker Jonathan Goff(notes) went down next, as the Giants suffered a series of setbacks before week one. Furthermore, some fans were outraged when New York let free agents Steve Smith and Kevin Boss(notes) get away.

Guess what? The Giants are still standing tall.

Corners Cory Webster and Aaron Ross(notes) have filled the void left by Thomas. Webster made two key interceptions against Buffalo, while Ross stole a pair of passes in week three against Philadelphia. The Giants won both games. Victor Cruz(notes) and Jake Ballard(notes), who replaced Smith and Boss, have a combined seven touchdown and 983 yards receiving. Meanwhile, Smith and Boss have a combined 255 yards and one touchdown. Score one (or two) for Giants general manager Jerry Reese.

Leading the way, of course, is Eli Manning(notes), who declared himself an elite quarterback earlier this year, then went out and lived up to his words and made his critics eat theirs. He is on pace for a career-high in completion percentage and yards with 62.9 and 4,754, respectively. Furthermore, Manning has led fourth-quarter comebacks against New England, Miami, Buffalo, Arizona and Philadelphia.

The coaching staff deserves credit, too. Tom Coughlin, offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride and defensive guru Perry Fewell have been thrown under the bus in New York many times before. However, all of them have done a masterful job at working around injuries. The coaching staff’s finest moment this season may have been last week in the Giants’ upset win against the Patriots.

With the toughest part of their schedule in front of them, the Giants still have their doubters. I’m not one of them. I stood by the Giants in the preseason when the injuries were mounting; and I’m on record predicting a post-bye week record of 6-4 with a playoff birth.

Believe it or not, the Giants are this good.

More Giants content from this Yahoo! contributor:

New York Giants’ mid-season report cards (part 1): Fan’s take

New York Giants’ mid-season report cards (part 2): Fan’s take

Sources

Pro-Football-Reference.com.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Comment Below!.

The New York Giants signed free-
agent wide receiver Brandon Stokley, a 13-year veteran who won
Super Bowls with the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens.

Stokley, 35, spent last season with the Seattle Seahawks,
catching 31 passes for 354 yards. He has 338 receptions for
4,673 yards and 34 touchdowns with the Colts, Ravens, Seahawks
and Denver Broncos in his National Football League career.

The Giants didn’t disclose terms of the contract.

The Giants lost receiver Steve Smith as a free agent during
the offseason and Hakeem Nicks sustained a bone bruise in his
knee during a season-opening loss to the Washington Redskins.
Nicks said yesterday he expects to play against the St. Louis
Rams on Sept. 19.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Erik Matuszewski in New York at
matuszewski@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net

Comment Below!.

NEWS

» by Randy Roper June 6, 2011, 11:22am

Plaxico Burress Released From Prison

Ex-New York Giant Plaxico Burress was released from prison on Monday after serving almost two years on a gun charge.

Burress was released from the Oneida Correctional Facility in central New York around 9 a.m. EST, and briefly spoke with reporters outside of the prison sayings, “I just want to thank God for bringing me through one of the most trying times in my life.”

“It’s a beautiful day. It’s a beautiful day to be reunited with my family. I want to go home and spend some quality time with them.”

“I’d like to thank everybody for their prayers and words of encouragement,” he continued. “I’d like to thank all my fans all around the world for the thousands of letters, for their unwavering support. As far as football is concerned, if and when everything gets settled, when they get back on the field, I’ll be ready.”

Burress, 34, is looking to follow in the footsteps of NFL quarterback Michael Vick, and return to the National Football League after serving his time in prison.

“I wouldn’t rule out any team, I wouldn’t rule out the Giants, I wouldn’t rule out any club,” Burress’ agent Drew Rosenhaus said of his client’s chances of returning to the New York Giants. “I really won’t talk about specific teams because I don’t want to hurt his position. As far as the Giants, my personal opinion is he wouldn’t rule them out. I certainly wouldn’t.”

“We are going to be open to all 32 teams,” Rosenhaus continued. “Ultimately this will be Plax’s decision, not mine. I am here to help him pick the best spot and get the very best contract. And that is what we will do.”

Plaxico Burress was sentenced to two years in prison in September 2009 after accidentally shooting himself in a New York nightclub and pleading guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon.

Burress won a Super Bowl championship with the Giants in 2008. He missed the last two NFL seasons.

The NFL wide receiver plans to return to his Florida home to spend time with his family, and begin training to rejoin the NFL.

Burress will not face any additional punishment from the NFL, and can sign with any team, pending the league’s lockout.

Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

Roger Goodell will speak with New York Giants season-ticket holders on a conference call next week, one of several conversations with fans the National Football League commissioner is holding at the request of teams as a lockout of players continues.

Giants broadcaster Bob Papa will host a 30-minute call on April 20 with Goodell and the team’s seat-license and ticket holders beginning at 1 p.m. New York time, Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon said in an e-mail.

Goodell spoke with Miami Dolphins ticketholders last night, and is moving on to the Cleveland Browns and San Diego Chargers this week, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in an e-mail. Goodell will do the same at the request of the Giants and San Francisco 49ers next week, with individual teams responsible scheduling the sessions, Aiello said.

Hanlon and Aiello didn’t provide further details. The Cleveland Plain Dealer quoted Aiello as saying Goodell can speak about issues related to the collective bargaining agreement but is barred from discussing what’s taking place in mediation sessions between the league and players.

NFL owners and players began those sessions before a federal magistrate judge in Minneapolis today aimed at reaching a deal on how to divide $9 billion in revenue, the most of any sports league. The NFL shut down last month after the union abandoned collective bargaining and sued the league in federal court for violating antitrust law and wage fixing.

To contact the reporter on this story: Aaron Kuriloff in New York at akuriloff@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net.

That’s all the news for today.

The New York Giants will get the 19th selection in the first round of the National Football League draft, while the New York Jets have the 30th pick.

The Carolina Panthers have the first overall selection, followed by the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers end round one that begins April 28 in New York.

The Jets have six selections; the Giants have seven.

The Jets traded their second-round pick to the San Diego Chargers when they acquired cornerback Antonio Cromartie last season. The team’s other selections are 94 (third round), 126 (fourth), 161 (fifth), 194 (sixth) and 208 (seventh).

The Jets got the seventh round pick when the team traded Kerry Rhodes to Arizona.

The Giants’ picks are 52 (second round), 83 (third), 117 (fourth), 185 and 198 (sixth) and 221 (seventh).

The NFL awarded 32 compensatory picks to 23 teams who lost more players during free agency than they signed in the previous year.

The NFL, in issuing its updated draft order, reinstated the seventh-round choice of the Detroit Lions, who had appealed the loss of the pick in a tampering case lodged by the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Detroit will retain its seventh-round pick in 2011 (obtained from Denver), which is the second pick of the seventh round, and will instead forfeit a selection in next year’s draft,” the NFL said in a statement issued last night.

To contact the reporter on this story: Nancy Kercheval in Washington at nkercheval@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net

What do you guys think about this.

The owners of the New York Giants and New York Jets each issued statements today trying to strike an optimistic tone toward the now-endangered 2011 NFL season.

Giants’ owners John Mara and Steve Tisch sent the following letter to their season ticket holders:

We are as disappointed as you are in the developments of the past week and the current state of negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.

For there to be no CBA in place today is extremely disappointing, given the amount of time and hard work and the numerous conversations devoted to achieving an agreement, not just in the last two weeks but over the last two years. We are not happy about that and we certainly understand and appreciate your unhappiness and frustration.

Where we are today serves no positive purpose for you, for our players and for the National Football League. Although we had hoped and expected to have an agreement by now and are disappointed that we do not, we remain as committed as ever to returning this process where it belongs, which is the negotiating table. We are convinced that what we have stated many times remains true, that there will be a new agreement and there will be a 2011 NFL season. It is just a matter of when we are able to reach an accord on the current issues.

The impatience and the displeasure we know you are feeling is completely understandable. We can only assure you that the point of the entire process is to make our game as strong as it can possibly be and to enable it to continue to grow for the good of everybody – the league, the players and the fans.

The last thing we wanted is for the business end of our sport to play out this way. We know people frankly don’t care how owners and players manage their business. These negotiations distract and detract from what is most important to all of us: the game.

Jets’ owner Woody Johnson issued a much shorter, but equally optimistic statement, to Jets’ fans:

“It may take longer than we all had hoped, but New York Jets fans should know that a deal will get done and I remain confident that there will be NFL football in 2011. Although I was very disappointed that the union chose legal maneuvering over negotiating, I am convinced that our differences can be resolved at the bargaining table. We care deeply about our players and will continue to work towards an agreement that is fair and reasonable for everyone – the fans, the players and the teams. The goal for the Jets will not change – we are committed to bringing you a championship.”

Is anybody buying what these guys are selling? I’m not. Forget the statements, fellas. Everybody involved with the NFL is getting rich. Just get a deal done, somehow.

What are your opinions.

New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora underwent “very successful” hip surgery, according to Star-Ledger.com.

Umenyiora, 30, had the procedure yesterday to repair side effects from a torn labrum he sustained in 2006, the newspaper said on its website, citing an anonymous person informed of the procedure.

An e-mail message seeking comment from Pat Hanlon, a spokesman for the Giants, wasn’t immediately returned.

Recovery is expected to take three months and Umenyiora might be limited in organized team activities if there is no work stoppage because of the labor dispute between the National Football League and its players’ union, the Star-Ledger said.

Umenyiora, a first-team All-Pro in 2005, had 11 1/2 sacks and 10 forced fumbles this season for the Giants, who went 10-6 and missed the playoffs.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mason Levinson in New York at mlevinson@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net.

Subscribe to our feed!.

That’s all the news for today.

Sports Business

By MIKE OZANIAN

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Today it was the Green Bay Packers 45 and the New York Giants 17. But today was much more that that, really. Today was the end for New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, whose team quit on him once and for all. Last week’s collapse against the Eagles had some alibi to it: Michael Vick made them do it. But not this week.This week was reminiscent of the way the Giants quit on Ali Sherman 45 years ago, or Ray Handley in 1992. In other words, the players quit boarding the plane from New York. Coughlin is 64 wins and 47 losses with the Giants during the regular season and 4 and 3 in the playoffs with a Lombardi Trophy, meaning he is one of the top three head men in the storied franchise’s history and among the best in the National Football League during the past seven seasons. Somewhere, somehow, it all went bad for Coughlin and his players betrayed him. It might have happened the second Michael Strahan retired after the 2007 Super Bowl because, let’s face it, despite all the media hype about Jason Tuck and all the money heaped on Eli Manning, this team has zero leadership on the field. And with co-owners Steve Tisch and John Mara getting $15,000 plus for PSLs you know they feel pressure to do something quick. So they will pay Coughlin for the 2011 season, say thanks, and leave it to Bill Cowher to replace the dogs in Giant Blue. Coughlin can leave with his head held high. But the Giants that were mutts today on Lambeau Field should be ashamed of themselves.

There is the quick update of the day.

Sports Business

By MIKE OZANIAN

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Today it was the Green Bay Packers 45 and the New York Giants 17. But today was much more that that, really. Today was the end for New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, whose team quit on him once and for all. Last week’s collapse against the Eagles had some alibi to it: Michael Vick made them do it. But not this week.This week was reminiscent of the way the Giants quit on Ali Sherman 45 years ago, or Ray Handley in 1992. In other words, the players quit boarding the plane from New York. Coughlin is 64 wins and 47 losses with the Giants during the regular season and 4 and 3 in the playoffs with a Lombardi Trophy, meaning he is one of the top three head men in the storied franchise’s history and among the best in the National Football League during the past seven seasons. Somewhere, somehow, it all went bad for Coughlin and his players betrayed him. It might have happened the second Michael Strahan retired after the 2007 Super Bowl because, let’s face it, despite all the media hype about Jason Tuck and all the money heaped on Eli Manning, this team has zero leadership on the field. And with co-owners Steve Tisch and John Mara getting $15,000 plus for PSLs you know they feel pressure to do something quick. So they will pay Coughlin for the 2011 season, say thanks, and leave it to Bill Cowher to replace the dogs in Giant Blue. Coughlin can leave with his head held high. But the Giants that were mutts today on Lambeau Field should be ashamed of themselves.

Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

Sports Business

By MIKE OZANIAN

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Today it was the Green Bay Packers 45 and the New York Giants 17. But today was much more that that, really. Today was the end for New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, whose team quit on him once and for all. Last week’s collapse against the Eagles had some alibi to it: Michael Vick made them do it. But not this week.This week was reminiscent of the way the Giants quit on Ali Sherman 45 years ago, or Ray Handley in 1992. In other words, the players quit boarding the plane from New York. Coughlin is 64 wins and 47 losses with the Giants during the regular season and 4 and 3 in the playoffs with a Lombardi Trophy, meaning he is one of the top three head men in the storied franchise’s history and among the best in the National Football League during the past seven seasons. Somewhere, somehow, it all went bad for Coughlin and his players betrayed him. It might have happened the second Michael Strahan retired after the 2007 Super Bowl because, let’s face it, despite all the media hype about Jason Tuck and all the money heaped on Eli Manning, this team has zero leadership on the field. And with co-owners Steve Tisch and John Mara getting $15,000 plus for PSLs you know they feel pressure to do something quick. So they will pay Coughlin for the 2011 season, say thanks, and leave it to Bill Cowher to replace the dogs in Giant Blue. Coughlin can leave with his head held high. But the Giants that were mutts today on Lambeau Field should be ashamed of themselves.

Comment Below!.

Philly and New York have a natural, if sometimes unhealthy, rivalry. It’s the proximity of the cities, it’s the teams being division rivals in all four sports, it’s the Yankees being from New York.

Here are some memorable moments, Philadelphia vs. New York:

Leave your comments on the news below.

New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora was fined by the National Football League on Friday.

New York, NY (Sports Network) – New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora was fined by the National Football League on Friday.

According to the Post, the 29-year-old was docked $12,500 for a hit on Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson during last Monday’s 21-3 win over Minnesota in Detroit. The hit resulted in a roughing-the-passer call.

In addition, the Post revealed that Vikings cornerback Asher Allen was levied a $5,000 fine for a hit to the helmet of Giants back Ahmad Bradshaw.

© 2010 The Sports Network

Gotta run!.