Big Pain in Big “D”

The New York Giants just keep taking hits. In the preseason, former Giants running back Tiki Barber [threw verbal punches] at quarterback Eli Manning and head coach Tom Coughlin. Yesterday, the Dallas Cowboys beat the Giants 45-35 on opening day and injured three of their key starters.

Manning, who completed 28-of-41 passes and threw for four touchdowns and an interception in one of his best career performances, left the game in the fourth quarter with a bruised right shoulder. Osi Umenyiora, the Giants’ sack leader the past three seasons, didn’t even survive the first defensive series. He [twisted his leg](http://www.nypost.com/seven/09102007/sports/giants/texas_trip_unlucky_for_umenyio.htm ) during a gang tackle of Dallas running back Julius Jones in the first quarter. Although X-Rays were negative, he was unable to return. Finally, starting running back Brandon Jacobs—Barber’s replacement—[sprained the MCL in his right knee](http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/2007/09/10/2007-09-10_brandon_jacobs_out_with_injury_derrick_w.html). All three will undergo further tests today.

Back to the game. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo and the Cowboys wide-receiving corps dismantled New York’s secondary, racking up 345 yards and four touchdowns through the air. Coughlin said he was “baffled” by how open some of the Cowboys’ receivers were; I’m baffled at how Coughlin keeps his job. On offense, receiver Plaxico Burress had a huge game, hauling in eight catches for 144 yards a three TDs, and Derrick Ward, who filled in for the injured Jacobs, rushed for 89 yards on just 13 carries and also caught four balls out of the backfield.