While realizing that history means little to the day-to-day workings of a football team, especially deep history, here’s a little perspective on the 0-2 start.

The Giants haven’t made the postseason since 1934 after starting 0-2. The bright news to that is that they won it all (then the NFL championship) against the Chicago Bears in the fabled Sneakers Game.

They’ve had three winning seasons and 11 losers since then in seasons that started with two straight losses.

It ain’t good.

But, hey, don’t give up the ship, or whatever they said on the Titanic. There’s still plenty of football left, starting this week against the 2-0 Redskins in tough, loud, FedEx Field.

They are 4-6-1 in Washington since 1996, though their season-finale win last season stood as the only thing between the playoffs and Coughlin’s firing.

“Our mindset is we’ve got to win,” Eli Manning said. “We’ve got to get a win. We’ve got to get a win soon.”

Amen to that, brother!

Your comments please. A little too pessimistic here? Tell me.

Ciao for now.

Here’s a bit of Tom Coughlin talking about what ails his 0-2 Giants, from his afternoon press conference. You’ll notice he’s still upbeat. But you also get a sense that if things don’t improve soon, the mood is going to change quickly.

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Ciao for now.

It just doesn’t pay to be a second—round draft pick around Giants Stadium, especially if you’re a wide receiver. For the second time in two years, their second—round WR has suffered an injury that will cost him time, perhaps more than a month.

Steve Smith fractured his shoulder blade, one of the hardest bones in the body, on a 10—yard reception in the first quarter and will miss at least the next two weeks before he goes into a week—to—week evaluation period. That means he could miss up to a month or beyond. The good news is there’s no surgery needed in his case, so his season probably isn’t over.

Still, Smith was turning into a pretty dependable third receiver for Eli Manning. Sure—handed and clean in his route—running, he quickly supplanted last year’s second—rounder, Sinorice Moss, at the No. 3 spot. Moss, it should be noted, missed 10 games last year with a thigh sprain that kept him out of all but a day of training camp.

There were other injuries because, hey, these are the Giants after all. Plaxico Burress re—sprained that right ankle, and suffered a sprained pinky to boot. But Tom Coughlin said he can deal with that. And backup quarterback Jared Lorenzen limped around on a heavily—taped left ankle, sprained on his second play from scrimmage. Lorenzen said he’d be back for Wednesday’s practice.

The question now is whether some of the starters won’t be in starting alignments come Wednesday. Coughlin talked about possibly making some personnel changes, one of which might be an expanded role for first—round cornerback Aaron Ross. Since Corey Webster and Sam Madison had such problems in coverage against Green Bay, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Ross inserted for a while as a starter against the Redskins.

Nor would it be an outlandish thought that if Gerris Wilkinson can come back from his dislocated kneecap, they can finally end the Mathias Kiwanuka—to—linebacker experiment and put him back up front where he belongs. That may be too much change for one week, but it’s certainly a legitimate option given the lack of a pass rush.

It’s a heck of a mess on defense. And for all Coughlin’s talk about an improved performance against the run on first and second downs, the fact remains this defense still can’t get off the field. Just like last year.

Tell me what you think. If Coughlin does make changes (remember, he can’t blow up the whole unit and get all new players. Too late for that) which ones should he make?

Can’t wait to see what you guys have to say.

Oh. Here’s a good stat for you, just to make life a little more interesting. Those tight ends that have been torturing the Giants’ pass coverage. In two weeks, Jason Witten, Donald Lee and Bubba Franks have combined for 14 catches for 171 yards and three touchdowns against that middle coverage.

You’re welcome.

Ciao for now.

That was lovely. Another defensive no-show in the second half, another 35 points against, and an utterly ruined comeback performance from Eli Manning.

And then there’s the eminent Jeremy Shockey, who shrugs off a delay of game penalty for spiking the ball at the Packers’ 16 and ruins a touchdown opportunity. And then he chalks it up as “That’s the way I play.”

Great. Then don’t play that way. Between Shockey’s mess-up and Amani Toomer losing his head in the third quarter, the Giants had to settle for two field goals when they might have scored two touchdowns in what was at that point a competitive game. It all goes to discipline, or the lack thereof. And that lack thereof has become a repeating theme in the reign of Tom Coughlin, a supposed disciple of discipline.

I’m not trying to fire Coughlin yet—it’s too early to jump on that bandwagon, even if the Giants are 0-2—but he has allowed Shockey to run wild with his emotions since 2004. It’s not the whole reason they lost—Steve Spagnuolo’s defense hasn’t shown any signs of consistent success yet—but it’s worth noting.

So, the Giants head into Redskins week at 0-2, still waiting for a defense that appears too slow, too unsure of its tackling, and too unaware that tight ends catch passes these days, many if you let them, to show up.

It’s a disaster in the making.

Go ahead. Vent. The floor is yours. And while you’re at it, tell me what you’d do about Shockey if you were the coach.

Ciao for now.

All you need to know about Eli Manning came on that cross-body heave near the end of the half to Jeremy Shockey. Running toward the right sideline, Manning twisted and lobbed one from the 34 to about the 5, which Shockey dropped.

That was Shockey’s second negative play in a row, by the way. The previous play,he nullified a 15-yard gain to the 17 when he spiked the ball, drawing a delay of game penalty that offset Green Bay’s offside call. Just another stupid display of emotion from the tight end.

Manning has looked good for the most part, especially in answering the Packers’ touchdown immediately on two passes, a 40-yarder to Amani Toomer and a 26-yard scoring throw to Plaxico Burress.

Gonna be a lot of positive stories about Eli if they come out of this on top. The defense still has some work to do, though. Very little pressure on Brett Favre, with the only sack coming off coverage.

Talk to you after the game.

Ciao for now.

Missed field goals on both sides. Eli’s having a decent game so far, and even took a shove on that bruised shoulder from linebacker A.J. Hawk with no ill effects.

Manning’s 5-of-8 for 44 yards.

WR Steve Smith just went off for x-rays on an injured back.

Ciao for now.

Eli Manning just ran out of the tunnel to a huge ovation. Thing’ll get louder if he completes his first pass.

Ciao for now.

Turns out those media outlets (you know who you are) who figured Eli Manning would miss a month were wrong, wrong, wrong. He’s starting today.

That was just officially announced by the Giants, meaning Jared Lorenzen gets to take his seat in back of Manning for another week. Now all Tom Coughlin has to do is pray his star doesn’t take another hit on that bruised right shoulder that will put him out an extended period for real this time.

Assume Manning can make all this throws, which means it’ll be bombs away again to Plaxico Burress. More important than that, it shows Manning is as tough as they come. If he has a big game today and the Giants win, folk-hero status won’t be far behind. Nice for a kid who had his leadership skills questioned by insiders, outsiders, and Tiki Barber.

Ciao for now.

Top o’ the mornin’ gang!

Well, it’s the home opener against Green Bay. Since I picked last week right on the head—oh, maybe not. How did I know the defense would miss the plane—we’re going to try this again. Last week the defense, this week the Eli Manning mess is liable to mess me up something awful.

Here’s five questions to mull over your cup of java.

1. If Eli Manning starts, will the Giants win?

Put it this way. If Eli starts, it means he can make all this throws. And if he can make all his throws, that means he’ll be able to find Plaxico Burress deep. And if that happens, the Packers defense will be stretched and vulnerable. It could be a lot like last week, with the Giants putting up plenty sufficient points to win. But if Manning’s bruised shoulder keeps him on the sideline, then Jared Lorenzen will have to step in. Even though the kid’s got a rocket arm, he won’t be able to go deep because he won’t have the on-field relationship with Burress and Amani Toomer that Manning has. Still, there’s hope with Lorenzen. Look for Jeremy Shockey to have a big game as Lorenzen throws a bunch of short and middle seam stuff.

2. Will Michael Strahan pass Lawrence Taylor for the Giants’ career sack record?

Oh, this is just too delicious. He’s already gotten snippy with a reporter asking him about the swan dive Brett Favre took in 2001 to give him the NFL’s single-season sack record. Now, he faces Favre again for a shot at the career franchise mark. Let’s dream a bit here. Last Packers play of the game, Strahan breaks in off left defensive end and Favre takes off toward the sideline. Justin Tuck is there, too, but at the last minute Tuck pulls up and lets Strahan pass him. Favre, looking back to see Strahan’s whereabouts the whole time, runs out of bounds a step ahead of Strahan, behind the line of scrimmage, to give Strahan the record without even touching his buddy this time.

I’d pay a nickel to be in the front of the pack for that press conference. Can you spell Testy?

3. Back to serious business, has the defense fixed its flaws from last week?

Good question. At least the game’s at home, so they won’t miss the plane. My guess is they haven’t fixed everything, though. As a strong-side linebacker, Mathias Kiwanuka is looking more and more like a great defensive end. My guess is he won’t be much more comfortable in coverage this week than he was in Dallas, where he basically had no idea Jason Witten was even in the lineup. Not to lay it all on him, but he was the most blatant of a really bad effort by the linebackers and safeties. Sam Madison is healthy again and is expected to replace R.W. McQuarters at cornerback, which to me is a push. If Favre can find Donald Driver consistently downfield, the Giants are going to be in for another long defensive day. The whole solution here is to pressure him from the front, which means Tuck—Osi Umenyiora might not play, and if he does he’ll probably be at less than full effectiveness—and Strahan need to have big days. And, hey, if they cover a bit, they could even pick off Favre a few times.

4. Can they win a shootout?

Don’t count on it. A shootout would mean Favre is having the kind of day he wanted in last week’s poor offensive performance against the Eagles. And that means the defense is suffering again. If Manning is in there, they’ll have a shot. I just don’t see Lorenzen being capable of putting up those kinds of points in his first professional start.

5. Derrick Ward?

I like the kid. He’s been waiting for this moment for four years. Ward looked great in filling in for Brandon Jacobs once Jacobs came out with a sprained right MCL. But this starting business is different. If Ward and his cohorts Reuben Droughns and Ahmad Bradshaw can generate a running game to keep the heat off Manning or Lorenzen, the Giants will be in great shape. Ward’s a fighter, but I worry about his durability after spending parts of the last two seasons on injured reserve. I’m thinking Tom Coughlin will keep his carries to around 20, with Droughns filtering in for a series here and there. If Ward succeeds, not only will things open up downfield, but he might just come out of this one with a big-time reputation.

Prediction: Too many defensive problems to fix in one week. Packers 27-17.

Ciao for now.

DE Osi Umenyiora, at first thought to be out for a month with an irritated mensicus in his left knee, worked every drill in practice today and has been upgraded to probable. Still don’t know if he plays—Tom Coughlin could leave him on the sidelines until next week just to make sure—but it’s certainly a good sign for someone who appeared to have suffered a serious injury in Dallas.

PK Lawrence Tynes is also ready to go after hitting about 30 balls in practice, some from as far as 60 yards in the stadium. Tynes said his strained calf showed no signs of regressing, and he kicked pain-free.

As for Umenyiora, whether he plays or not depends on how he feels today. It’s similar to Eli Manning’s situation. It isn’t what he did today. It’s whether things tighten up after 24 hours.

While you’re mulling that, here’s some Jared Lorenzen talking about whether he’s prepared to fill in for Manning.

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Ciao for now.