3/23/11 Amani Discusses Moving Kickoffs to the 35-Yard Line:

I think people are missing the real point of this change in the kickoff rules.  I don’t think this is going to impact player safety because people get concussions on touchbacks as well.  If you’re on the coverage team or you’re on the return team, you don’t know that the ball will go into the end zone so you’re going to play just as hard. So, I don’t think this will change anything.  I think the only thing that will slow players down is the five-yard rule.  That’s a good start. 

L ast year the average starting position for the offense was the 26-28 yard line and now that will drop to maybe the 25 yard line because of the increased number of touchbacks.

So, it reduces the chances for a kick returner to score and it ultimately will reduce the number of exciting scoring plays in a game throughout the league.

The teams that already have a dynamic kick returner will be at a huge disadvantage and it will put the kick returners in this draft at another huge disadvantage because their value will be lessened.  They’ll disappear the way tight ends did in the 80s with the run and shoot offenses.

The league says they’re doing this for safety but I think it’s really that so many teams have such a hard time covering a dynamic kick returner.

The league didn’t change the two-man wedge rule and that could have affected safety because anytime you have two men coming down on one guy, there’s a safety issue.  Doing away with the wedge would have been a good start.

Instead keep the kickoff at the 30 and have the cover teams be stationery like they are in high school and college.  As soon as the ball is kicked then the cover team could move and that would reduce injuries and high-speed collisions.

Fewer touchbacks will reduce scoring which is something the league has said they want so I wish I knew what the real reason for this change was.

3/07/11 Interview with Amani:

Did you watch the combine?

Amani: I don’t get NFL Access but I picked up as much as I could on ESPN and I’d like to talk a little about Cam Newton. I think he’s really legit and I don’t understand why people are doubting him.  I really don’t. I read an article today and they said his footwork was terrible and I couldn’t believe it.   Everyone seems to have to tear down the top draft picks.

Remember when Miami took Long instead of Matt Ryan?  Don’t get me wrong, Long is a great player, but I’ll bet now Miami is kicking themselves in the butt.

I thought back to being a receiver at the combines myself and it was terrible because quarterbacks were throwing the ball as hard as possible while the receivers were concentrating on running their routes correctly.  Catching the ball is secondary in your mind.  Everyone can catch the ball; you wouldn’t be at the combines if you couldn’t.  So you’re coming out of your breaks in a regular curl and the QBs are just heaving the ball as fast and hard as they can.

Tony Banks threw me a curl so hard it went right through my hands and bounced off my forehead.  It was really embarrassing and everyone was laughing.

Also when I was at the combines, I just thought that it was what it was but now when I look back at it or watch it there seems to be no rhyme or reason to some of the drills.

Do you think that the decision by Judge Doty last week will increase the ownership’s eagerness to get a new CBA in place?

Amani:   Of course.  I think that’s why the extensions occurred.  If Doty had said that the ownership could keep the network money, there would be no incentive to get things done.  Now, they know they aren’t going to have that money so now they need to get it done.  Before that decision they were like, ’Bring it on!’  But now they need to bring money in.  The Cowboys, Jets and Giants all have new stadiums to pay for so now without the networks’ revenue, they need to get it done.

Also, they don’t want to ruin the game.  Look how long it took baseball to come back.  What was it, about ten years?

Do you feel that the structure for health care for retired players needs to change?

Amani:  Yes, I do.  Players develop conditions while playing that will be considered a pre-existing condition by insurers so what they damaged playing in the NFL will cause their premiums to be higher than for someone else.  And for the players that go bankrupt after they retire, that’s even worse, especially since one of the major burdens for families in this country is the cost of their health care.

I was talking to Carmichael, the guy who was a receiver for the Eagles.  He was fine for five years when his NFL coverage ran out and then the damage from an old injury got to be a problem for him. I’ll be in that same position myself in a few years.  So, I agree with the thought that there should be lifetime coverage for anything that can be medically established as having occurred on the field. 

I know it’s a lot of money involved but my perspective has changed since I retired.  Current players think they’ll be able to take care of themselves so the retired ones should also.   But every player is a prospective retired player so you have to have a little foresight.

Actually, the whole contract situation is ridiculous.  You sign a contract and then you get hurt doing something you were told to do and as a result your contract is changed.  It makes no sense. 

You have incentives in your contract for staying healthy but you can’t play worrying about injury or you will get hurt.  You just have to put it out of your mind and go out there with the attitude that you won’t get injured.  But if you do, the NFL should take care of the player.

1/28/11 Amani Discusses the Championship Games and Super Bowl:

Two teams, the Jets and Bears, did not come out to play early on and spotted Green Bay and the Steelers a bunch of points.  When teams are virtually equal, you can’t spot them points.  You have to match them point for point to keep the game on schedule, so to speak.  To me both games (Steelers vs. Jets and Bears vs. Green Bay) were lost in the first quarter. The Bears and Jets didn’t come out strong enough and weren’t able to compete early.


Now in the Super Bowl matchup, I see one team that can both run the ball and stop the ball effectively and that’s the Pittsburg Steelers.   Green Bay called on a sixth round pick, a rookie, to carry the mail, and he’s been doing a great job. The Packers offensive line has been doing a great job too but I don’t know if the Packers offensive line will be able to hold up against the Steelers run defense.  If Green Bay doesn’t find a way to run against Pittsburg it’s going to be long day for Aaron Rodgers because, if the Steelers can make Green Bay one-dimensional, then the Steelers pass rush can start taking their toll.

Green Bay comes with a lot of defensive packages and blitzes but that’s kind of what Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger wants. He’s one of those guys that when you rush him or hit him, he still finds a way to extend the play.  That’s when coverages (like Green Bay’s) start to break down and that’s when Ben Roethlisberger takes over games.  It’s what he did against the Jets so everything tells me that Green Bay is going to lose and the Steelers will win the Super Bowl.

I know that the Steelers rookie center, Pouncy, broke his ankle last week and when the back-up came in there were several fumbled snaps, but I don’t expect that to be a factor in the Super Bowl.


Offensive linemen don’t often get hurt in games so when they do, it takes you by surprise but I thought the Steelers did a great job filling the gap.  I’m sure that with a couple of weeks to practice, the new center will have taken hundreds and hundreds of snaps and I think it will be a non-factor in the Super bowl.


like Rodgers and think he has done a great job.  I’d like them to win because a personal friend of mine, Chad Morton, is an assistant coach in Green Bay. I think Chad’s last game for us was in ’96 but he got hurt that season and was released.  He never played again but is coaching now and Chad really enjoys coaching. So it would be nice for Chad if Green Bay won.
Still, I think it will be kind of a shootout with the final score:

Steelers 31, Green Bay 28.

1/05/10 Interview with Amani:

It’s difficult to sum up an entire season in a single interview, but would you try?

Amani:  I can sum the Giants season up in one word: turnovers.  Without the turnovers, they’d have the week off by now.  I think the inconsistent running game and the problems on the offensive line need to be addressed.  I think for next year the Giants need to get a young running back in because I don’t think they’ll resign Brandon (Jacobs) and they need to get younger or more depth on the offensive line.  That may mean replacing the center or the guards.

Don’t you think the Giants may view Koets as their future center?

Amani:  Honestly, I don’t know what the Giants think of him but, personally, I don’t think he did a good job when he was in.  He wasn’t horrible but the line didn’t really do well until they moved Seubert to center.

Ahmad Bradshaw is a free agent with a fumbling issue.  You don’t see the Giants letting him go and keeping Jacobs, even though Jacobs’ salary escalates significantly next season?

Amani:  I would keep Bradshaw and lowball him because of the fumbling.  I’d get a new guy and would see to it that Ware got more carries next year.  I wouldn’t be upset with the combination of Danny Ware and Ahmad Bradshaw at running back next year.  Bradshaw is shiftier than Ware but if they can get a guy who can be a jack-of-all-trades and get outside or run between the tackles, a premier back, that would be great.  Otherwise, I’d go with Bradshaw and Ware.

What problems do you see on defense?

Amani: They have to address the linebacker issue.  Otherwise, I think the defense did pretty well.

When Rolle was in the box, he played well but when he was deep in coverage as a free safety, he was seldom in the right place to make a play.  How did you view that?

Amani:  I think it’s funny that you bring that up because I think Rolle was playing injured.  In the Philadelphia and Green Bay games, and even against Washington, the tight ends really hurt him.   Rolle couldn’t physically make the play.  Knowing what an athlete he is, that only tells me one thing and that is that he must have been playing with some type of injury.  That’s giving him the benefit of the doubt, of course.

How about special teams?

Amani: They did improve toward the end of the year in all categories with the exception of the punter.  Matt Dodge.  Dodge isn’t the guy!  They gave him a year tryout and he hasn’t been consistent.  He cost them a game, cost the Giants field position and I think the Matt Dodge experiment should be over.

In my opinion, signing Dominik Hixon should be the Giants top priority this year.  He’s had time to recover from the knee injury so by the time training camp starts he should be 100%.  Hixon really made a difference, giving the Giants good field position on punts and kickoffs.  He would also have been valuable as a receiver.  The Giants wouldn’t have needed to re-sign Derek Hagen.

I don’t think Tom Quinn , the special teams coach, should go.  I think the responsibility for keeping Dodge on the roster all year was Jerry Reese’s call.  I think Quinn did a great job on specials this year.  At the start of the season special teams were horrible until he made some adjustments.  The only problem was the return game.  You can’t blame Quinn when he tells Dodge to kick the ball out of bounds and he kicks it right down the middle.  And the fact that the hands team wasn’t on the field for the onside kick was Coughlin’s call, not Quinn’s.  Quinn can obviously make suggestions but the decision rests with Coughlin.

Are there any coaches on the team that you believe should be replaced?

Amani: No, because there’s no glaring weakness at any position.  Plus, I don’t think the position coach has that much power so you’d really be talking about replacing the offensive or defensive coordinator.  I believe in Gilbride and obviously I believe in Perry Fewell.  Fewell did a great job so I wouldn’t say any coaches need to go.  The Giants won ten games this year; that’s a good season.

12/28/10 Interview with Amani:

Will you be covering any of the bowl games this year and do you plan to continue working in broadcasting next year

Amani:  I feel that it will be better for me to wait another year before doing game commentary.  I did do it in a practice session once this year and, while I enjoyed it, I thought it would be better to get more experience overall.  I expect to get some games again with the Big-Ten network next year and then, when the end of the season comes around next year, I’ll have had another year’s experience.  Then, I will want to cover some bowl games.

You thought the Giants would lose against the Packers at Flambeau field.  You weren’t alone in your belief but what was your thinking?

Amani:  If you look at their schedule, you’ll see that the Giants win 3-4 games in a row and then lose a couple of games consecutively, so this Sunday I expect the Giants to get up against the Redskins.  They believe they have their quarterback in Rex Grossman and I think the Redskins are excited about the offense.

Nobody wants to talk about it but I think the Packers game was a classic example of the hangover effect.  There’s no way the Giants shouldn’t have dominated this game.  The hangover showed in the beginning when they let the Packers go up 14 points right off the bat. That bothered me just as the defensive play in the fourth quarter against the Eagles did.  The Giants didn’t show any resiliency and last week was even worse

Also, Manning threw 24 interceptions this season and that’s ridiculous.  At some point you have to say to yourself that you aren’t going to try to do it all but will let everyone else on the team play.  Don’t get me wrong, I think Eli is a great quarterback, a great quarterback, but those interceptions are unacceptable.

The Packers had an unbelievable scheme against the Giants and they just couldn’t get the running game going.  The Giants just didn’t seem to be able to figure the Packers out. You have to have an effective run game.  Also, since O’Hara has been back, the offensive line hasn’t played as well as when they had a patched up line and I’m still bothered by Jacobs not getting a lot more carries than Bradshaw.  Bradshaw is fumbling too much; he’s leading the league in fumbles.  And it makes it appear that Bradshaw is in some way special, and isn’t accountable.  Star players who aren’t accountable can destroy the fabric of your team.

Do you feel that an interception should count against the quarterback when the receiver has the ball in his hands and doesn’t hold on

Amani:  Yes, because there are situations where a quarterback throws a quick screen and the receiver takes it 40-50 yards breaking several tackles for a score.  The quarterback gets credit for those when in reality he didn’t break all the tackles.  So, I think it all evens out.  But if you took out Bradshaw and Jacobs, with all their fumbles, and put in ordinary players, I think the Giants would already be in the playoffs.  If you have a defense that takes the ball away more than 30 times, you should be in the playoffs.

How do you see Sunday’s game against the Redskins playing out?

Amani:  I think the Giants are going to come out and play the way they should have against the Packers and I believe they’ll beat the Redskins easily. But I really have a bad feeling about the Bears being able to beat the Packers, with Aaron Rodgers playing so well.

I believe the Giants are going to right the ship: Giants 35, Redskins 14

Amani Toomer featuring an exclusive one-on-one interview with Bob Papa, game-action footage and commentary by Amani Toomer. (Giants Chronicles, MSG Sun. 12/12 10:00 – 10:30 a.m.

12/08/10 Interview with Amani:

What’s your overview of last week’s game?

Amani: I think they played a good game and I think they had a good plan.  The only thing that worried me about the game was that Eli threw another interception in the red zone.  I know I’m being very critical but it’s one of those things that can’t keep happening if you expect to be a top flight team for the playoffs.

You can’t look at the results so much because they were playing an inferior team so in this case you have to look at what the major problems are that could hurt them in the future.

That their special teams are playing so much better is a good sign but, even though there are a lot of reasons why Eli is throwing so many interceptions, I still believe he needs to throw some of those balls more on target.

Were you surprised that while Jacobs started Bradshaw got most of the carries last week?

Amani:  The only thing I could think is that the coaches felt the game was already in hand and, because Jacobs is such a punishing runner, they were just trying to keep him healthy.  To this point that’s worked very well.  He’s healthier than he’s ever been; he’s running downhill again but with a guy like that, you have to monitor how many carries he gets.  I don’t think he’s ever in his career played all 16 games.

Bradshaw has had some injuries also.

Amani:  That’s why you need someone like Ware who can come in too.  He can move a little bit and also has a little bit of power.  You have to get Ware plugged in so that if you lose Jacobs or Bradshaw there isn’t a problem because he isn’t used to running with the first team.

How do you think the defense played last Sunday?

Amani:  I think they played fairly well. The pass rush was there.  The defense and special teams gave the offense good starting position throughout the game.

Does it concern you that the starting front four isn’t generating a lot of pressure on their own?

Amani: Not really. Most teams in the league have to send an extra guy to get home.  It definitely puts your secondary at a little more risk but the Giants defensive backfield is playing well.  Grant is a force and Rolle is the center fielder though Kenny Phillips hasn’t really shown up much this year.  In his case though it takes a couple of years to come off such a bad injury.

Devin Thomas had a big impact on special teams last Sunday.

Amani:  Oh, yeah.  Those receivers that were just signed know that as the Giants receivers get healthy, some of them are going to have to go.  And the way Devin Thomas is playing, he doesn’t want it to be him.  He’s already been cut by two teams so he knows what it feels like.  I think he’s playing well and I’m not sure Shanahan knows what he’s doing.  Just because Shanahan was so successful in Denver doesn’t mean he’ll be successful in Washington.  He has to get the Washington players to buy in and be team players.

Do you expect to see Brett Favre start Sunday to keep his streak alive?

Amani:  Yes. Frazier is attempting to run the plays that Favre wants and I think that’s smart.  But the AC joint in the throwing shoulder is a tough injury and I don’t know how effective he can be.  But I remember playing Green Bay when Favre broke his hand and he went out there and played the first series to keep his streak alive.  After that, he left the game and this week may be one of those situations.

What’s your prediction?

Amani:  I think this will be another tough game.  It‘s a tough place to play plus the Vikings are trying to pick themselves up off the mat.  The Giants have already lost to one down-and-out team. I predict the Giants will win in a tight game - Giants 30, Vikings 27.

12/01/10 Interview with Amani:

What’s your take on last Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and why the two halves differed so much?

Amani:  I thought the Giants came out slow and the first half of the game was really tough to watch.  I just thought that they gave the Jaguars every opportunity to win the game but ultimately the better team won.

Do you credit Justin Tuck’s halftime speech as having energized the defense?

Amani: Definitely.  After halftime they were a different team.  I saw a different team the second half and Barry Cofield said they didn’t really make any adjustments, they just changed their attitude. Football is an emotional game but the problem is that a team can’t depend on a halftime speech to give them energy every week or it’s going to be a long season.

T here are a lot of issues with this team that have nothing to do with coaching but everything to do with what’s between the players’ ears. They need to find a way to become consistent and then they really will be the best team in the NFC East.

The Giants really needed to get out of the slump they were in and hopefully they can carry their success into the Washington game.  Washington is a division game so they should take the approach that they need to win this game.

I think nearly everyone thought the Giants would be forced to change the starter at running back last Sunday.

Amani:  I think it was the correct choice because Bradshaw fumbled so much.  If you took the turnovers out of the Eagles game, the Giants win it.

The change resulted in my seeing a little more out of Brandon Jacobs last Sunday than I had seen before this season.  That’s a good sign.  I don’t really know why they switched in the first place because it’s more of a 1-A, 1-B type of situation rather than a 1 and 2.

I talked privately with Reese before the start of the season and he said both running backs would get their carries and that it wouldn’t really be much of a change with Bradshaw starting.  He said they would both get a lot of carries and for the most part they have.

This Sunday the Giants face Washington.  Do you think this could be another trap game where the Giants sleepwalk through the game as they did against Dallas?

Amani: Yes, I do think there is that risk.  The Giants haven’t been playing that well or that consistently.  You never want to be a team that spikes week in and week out because you never know whether a given game will catch the good team, on the up spike, or the bad team.

One thing that clearly advantages the Giants this week is that Washington’s run game isn’t very good.  So if the Giants control the run game and force McNabb to pass, he’s passing to a number of ordinary receivers.  Santana Moss is their best receiver and I think his best football is behind him.

I predict Giants 24, Redskins 20.

You’ve finished covering the Big-10 games but do you expect to resume when the bowl games begin?

Amani: I’m hoping to get some of the pre and post-game coverage of some bowl games and it would be really great to cover a whole game.

11/24/10 Interview with Amani:

What’s your take on the Giants-Eagles game last Sunday night?

Amani: I feel like the Giants don’t have the same energy that they had when I saw them play the Chicago Bears.  Ever since people started talking about how good they were, they haven’t had the same approach to the game.  That being said, the Giants still had every opportunity to win that game.  They actually had some plays on defense where I thought they did a great job holding Vick but the mistakes and turnovers are something they really need to address because that killed them. 

Now that Jacobs is the starter, we’ll see how he does.  Remember at the beginning of the year we talked about Jacobs still being fresh for the second half of the year with Bradshaw starting?  Maybe this is a conspiracy theory but that’s the way I am in these situations.  Maybe this change was intended all along to give the offense newfound energy for the second half of the season. 

But with Jacobs being the starter, the offensive line is going to have to go to a more downhill style and I don’t know if the injuries will allow them to be as successful as they should be.

What do you remember about Michael Clayton, one of the Giants two new receiver signings?

Amani: Basically that he had a great rookie season and then fell back to earth.

Some of your fans have sent e-mails saying you should come back and bail the Giants out.

Amani:  Yeah, I know.  I don’t believe the Giants have any interest in that and neither do I.  If they were to ask me though, I’d do it but only because it’s the Giants.

Looking ahead to the Jacksonville game, how do you see this one playing out?

Amani: The Turnover Bowl?   I think the team that turns the ball over least will win the game and I think the Giants have a distinct advantage on the defensive line.  The way that the defense exploits the advantage will be the key to the game because the defense is going to have to win this game.  The offense is struggling because of all the injuries on offense. 

The Giants can’t consider this an ordinary game; they have to focus on the minute details because right now they don’t have the high-powered offense to bail them out.  So, that means the defense is going to have to step up and show how good they really are.  And I believe the defense will step up.

I think the Giants are going to win 24 to 6.

Turning to the Illinois game you covered last week, did you find the field situation disconcerting?

Amani: No, I know what it is to be a player against extraordinary circumstances and it’s usually much ado about nothing.  Once you get on the field, you don’t care what direction you’re going or where the sideline is.  All you care about is the guy opposite you; that’s all you focus on.

11/16/10 Interview with Amani:

Granted that almost everything that could go wrong did go wrong, how do you account for what happened last Sunday against Dallas?

Amani: That was a “whupping” for sure; it was really bad.

After the game several players admitted they didn’t come out to play.  How did that admission strike you?

Amani:  I think you can chalk it up to “just one of those days.”  From the players’ perspective they knew that they could have beaten Dallas the last time they played by even more points than they did and then the Cowboys got blown out again last week so, if you’re watching film of a team getting blown up and you know that they haven’t played well all season, you expect them to come out and do the same thing again.  Even with the coaching change, that’s a team that doesn’t scare you and if a team doesn’t scare you it’s hard to get really excited about the game.

Even though Jerry Jones threatened that players’ jobs were also on the line?

Amani:  No, I don’t think that means anything because, honestly, players jobs are always on the line.  So, when someone says your job is on the line, that wouldn’t really affect me as a player.

Did you watch the Eagles-Redskins game last night?

Amani: Yes, Vick just took over the game; he was so dominant.  I don’t really think the Eagles are that good of a team.  They opened my eyes the week before when they beat the Colts, though the Colts have a lot of injuries, but I’m not a believer yet.
When I think about that game, the first thing that comes to my mind is feeling sorry for McNabb.  He put the ball right where it needed to be and the receivers couldn’t hold on.  Take for example the pass to Joey Galloway.  That was the worst.  The ball hit him right in the chest and it looked like he closed his eyes. 

Donovan has always been under appreciated, first by the fans in Philly and now with the three ridiculous reasons the Shanahans gave for pulling him a few weeks back in favor of Rex Grossman.

Amani:  And maybe that’s why.  People realize that he will respond and say the proper things. They probably thought, ‘Ah Donovan’s a good guy; he’ll handle it the right way.’  If it were someone like Terrell Owens, they might have thought twice.

The Giants play the Eagles Sunday night.  How do you see that game playing out?

Amani: A week ago I would have said that the Giants defensive line could have neutralized a lot of what we saw Vick do last night but the last two weeks the defensive line hasn’t gotten much pressure or come up with the big sack like they did earlier in the season.  I don’t know what to attribute that to.
They couldn’t even stop the Dallas run game and that’s something the Giants hang their hats on and it’s something that I didn’t expect to happen.

Did you have a problem with the fact that neither coordinator made any adjustments to the game plan?

Amani: Yes, absolutely.  They knew the Dallas coach got fired so the Giants game plan needed to be very fluid because you don’t know what the new coach will do.  You have to come into the game with some different packages depending on what you see happening and then at halftime you have to be prepared to make major adjustments.  It just didn’t happen.  They didn’t adjust to what Dallas was doing and that surprised me as I think they’re usually a lot better prepared.
That’s why new coaches often start out so well because you just don’t know what they’re going to do so you can throw all your game film out the window.  You never want to play a team that has lost a lot of games in a row and you never want to be the first team to play a team that just had a coaching change.
The defensive game plan reminded me of the one against the Colts where they were just running free down the field.

Given what happened on both teams, how would you call Sunday’s game

Amani: I just can’t believe Vick will stay this hot and I can’t believe the Giants defensive line will have three bad games in a row.  I can’t see that happening.  I feel like the Giants will win because they’ll be prepared.  They’ve seen the success the Eagles are having and I expect the Giants to have one of the better games they will play this year.

What college game are you covering Saturday?

Amani: Illinois vs. Northwestern at Wrigley Field.  This is the fourth Illinois game I have covered and I think Illinois will win.  The Northwestern quarterback is out plus Illinois needs only one more win to be bowl eligible.  That’s something Illinois hasn’t had in a while so they have a lot riding on the game.  It’s going to be a great game.

1/10/10 Interview with Amani

On completing his first marathon:

Congratulations on finishing your first marathon.

Amani:  Thank you. It was a lot harder than I expected but I really enjoyed it and plan to run New York again.   But I’ll need to practice more because near the end my legs really began to struggle.  I finished in 4 hours and 13 minutes and was holding pretty steady until about mile 23 and that’s when I definitely started to struggle.

What was the field and how many runners did you pass?

Amani: The field was 45,000 and I passed about 25,000 runners.

Timex donated $1.00 for every runner you passed to the N.Y. Road Runners Youth program, is that correct?

Amani: Yes it is.

How did your legs feel Monday?

Amani: They were really sore but they were even more sore yesterday until I got an Epsom salts bath and a massage.  Now they feel better.  Now, I feel I need to go out and run again.

On the Giants:

How do you evaluate last Sunday’s game vs. the upcoming game against Dallas?

Amani: I don’t think the Giants beating Seattle was a fair test of where they are and what they can do. I’ve played with Jason Garrett and I know he’s going to try and get them focused on what they need to do.  They can’t worry about the playoffs or anything like that. When a new coach comes in the players know this may be their chance to solidify their position with the team.  If they don’t they may be playing somewhere else next year.

New coaches always evaluate who has given up and will be looking at film to determine whether a player is part of the problem or part of the solution.  Every player knows this and what’s at stake. This is especially true for older players because new coaches want to get young and bring in their own players. Then the coaches can always say they’re re-building and need a couple of years.

 
I think an entirely different team will take the field against the Giants and I think that anyone who believes otherwise doesn’t understand the situation.  What better way is there for Dallas to gain respect than to beat the Giants, supposedly the best team in the NFC, at home?  If they can do that they can maybe salvage the season for Jason Garrett and for a lot of players in the locker room.

Given the Giants offensive line problems, how would you predict the outcome?

Amani: I think the O-line will have problems with Ratliff in the middle because this is a whole new line. I imagine Dallas’ defense is licking their chops over all the injuries to the Giants line and I think this game is going to be a lot closer than everyone expects.

Give me your take on the final score.

Amani: Giants 28, Dallas 20.

Amani’s Long Challenge
By Michael Eisen

Amani Toomer has spent his athletic life competing in short bursts. As a football player, he worked in the few seconds between the snap of the ball that starts a football play to the whistle that ends it. Toomer was sensationally productive in that condensed time frame, catching so many passes for so many yards and so many touchdowns that there is no dispute that he is the best receiver in the Giants' 86-year history. Last month, Toomer was one of 30 inductees of the inaugural class of the Giants Ring of Honor.
Toomer, 36, now works in a different athletic endeavor, one with a far different timing pattern. Instead of running past a secondary with four, five or six defensive backs, he is trying to pass one of the largest athletic fields in the world. And as always, he has a goal.
"I want to finish in less than four hours," Toomer said this week.
Clearly, the man is no longer playing football. He has joined Team Timex for the 2010 ING New York City Marathon, which will be run Sunday through the five boroughs of New York City. Timex and Toomer are working together in support of New York Road Runner's Youth Program, which currently serves more than 100,000 children in hundreds of schools and community centers to promote children's health and fitness, character development, and personal achievement in underserved communities. Toomer will start dead last among the race's approximately 43,000 participants. For each runner he passes, Timex will donate $1 to New York Road Runner's Youth Programs.
"I think I can probably pass about 20,000 runners," Toomer said. "The youth program is really why I'm running the marathon. It's kind of something that I've always been a part of, and I really enjoy the fact that I have a chance to give back to the community a little bit, especially the New York community that's done so much for me and my family. So I'm trying to do the little things I can to give back."
Timex is sponsoring a contest so fans can see if they can make a more accurate prediction than Toomer – and win great prizes in the process.
The contest will be hosted on TimexIronman.com/Amani and offers participants the chance to win a VIP prize package that includes two tickets to the Giants' home game vs. Washington on Dec. 5, a private tour of the Timex Performance Center, where the Giants train, Amani Toomer autographed memorabilia, and the new Timex® Ironman® Global Trainer™  GPS watch.
Fans can enter the contest by visiting the Timex booth at the New York City Marathon Expo this Thursday through Saturday. Entries must be completed by Saturday at 11:59 p.m. EDT. All contest entrants must be a U.S. resident.
Toomer was looking for ways to maintain his athletic drive after retiring from football last year. He was first bitten by the running bug when he participated in a Giants Draft Day 5K run around the Meadowlands Sports Complex. When he heard that Timex was looking for someone to run the marathon for charity this year, he immediately signed up.
Fans can follow his training efforts and the progress Toomer has made in transitioning from the NFL to the New York City Marathon on Facebook.com/TimexSports.
Toomer has been vigorously training with Timex's new GPS product – the Timex Ironman Global Trainer, which is making him fitter and faster than he has ever been. Since he began training for the marathon, Toomer has lost approximately 30 pounds and now weighs 205, which was about what he weighed during his final season with the Giants in 2008. He has lowered his heart rate through his training.
"As a football player, I learned the value of physical fitness early in life," Toomer said. "By partnering with Timex, and using the top-of-the-line training instrument, I am confident I will raise significant money for NYRR's youth programs and encourage thousands of children across the country to participate in physical activity and create their own personal fitness goals."
Toomer said the Timex Ironman Global Trainer has enabled him to train more effectively for the marathon. He often runs near his New Jersey home, which offers scenic views of the Hudson River and Manhattan. Toomer has run 20 miles on three separate occasions.
The GPS-equipped watch enables Toomer to monitor his foot speed and heart rate.
"If the GPS shows me I'm running too fast, I'll slow down," Toomer said. "If I'm too slow and my heart rate's too low, I can speed it up a little bit and I know I can get a little bit more. If it's too high, then I know that I need to slow down a little bit. It's been really helpful. Plus, I know exactly where I am. I know how far I'm running, what my time is. It clicks off every mile I run.  I look down and I know how fast I ran that last mile. I can speed up or slow down accordingly."
Toomer will wear the Global Trainer during the race on Sunday. It will help him track whether he's on pace to meet his four-hour goal.
"It's something I think I can do," said Toomer, who picked that time because, "for most marathoners, less than four hours is a respectable time."
Toomer said he used to get butterflies during a football game and he expects to have similar feelings of anxiety prior to the marathon.
"I haven't done a marathon before, so I'm unsure exactly how it's going to be," he said. "I know it's going to hurt toward the end, but I want to know. It's another test to see how I'm going to react in that type of situation."
The nervousness never hurt him on the football field.
 
Toomer joined the Giants in 1996 as a second-round draft choice from Michigan. His entire 13-year career was spent with the team (save for a brief stint in the Kansas City Chiefs' training camp in 2009). Few players have left as large an imprint in the team's record book as Toomer.
He played in 190 regular season games, the fourth-highest total in Giants history. Toomer played in 127 consecutive games before a hamstring injury kept him out of the 2004 season finale vs. Dallas. He has also played in 11 postseason games, scoring two touchdowns in the Giants' victory over the Cowboys in a 2007 NFC Divisional Playoff Game and finishing with a team-high six receptions in the Super Bowl XLII triumph over New England.
Toomer holds franchise records for catches (668), receiving yards (9,497), touchdown catches (54) and 100-yard receiving games (22). He finished his career with 82 more receptions than runner-up Tiki Barber (586) and 4,063 more yards than former record-holder Frank Gifford (5,434). Toomer caught at least one pass in a Giants-record 98 consecutive games before the streak ended in the 2005 season opener vs. Arizona.
He holds the Giants' single-season record with 1,343 receiving yards in 2002. Toomer had the three highest single-season receptions totals in team history until Steve Smith shattered his former mark of 82 with 107 catches last year.
Toomer also holds the Giants postseason records for reception (44), yards (608) and touchdowns (seven).  No one else in Giants playoff history has more than three postseason touchdown catches.
In addition, Toomer is second in Giants history with 10,924 total yards (Barber is first with 17,359). His total includes 1,060 yards on punt returns, 257 yards on kickoff returns and 110 yards rushing.
When he was uniform, Toomer frequently said he didn't think about the marks, because he was focused on preparing for and playing the games. Now that he's retired, Toomer is proud to be cited numerous times in the record book.
"Once you get done playing you try to figure out where you lie and where you stack up against the rest of the people you played against in that organization," Toomer said. "For me to be on top when I left, it really meant a lot to me. The fact that Steve broke my record really didn't mean that much to me, because the only thing I can do is break the records that are in front of me."

One of the reasons for Toomer's success was his commitment to physical fitness. The opportunity to train for the marathon enabled him to expand his conditioning in a competitive environment. He has learned that preparing for a football season and training for a marathon are two vastly different endeavors.
"When you're getting in shape for a marathon, you don't have to worry about contact in terms of strengthening your neck muscles and things like that," Toomer said. "It's just running, so it's a lot easier in that aspect. But in another respect, it's a lot harder because you have to use more of your body in terms of your endurance, so you have to change your diet a little bit more than a football player might have to. It's a lot easier. I don't have to cut or anything like that, so it changes the whole dynamic of what you're training for. It's easier in some aspects and it's harder because it takes more dedication in terms of your diet.
"Also, endurance and sprint workouts are totally different. It's definitely going to be different for me, but I'm looking forward to the challenge and I'm going to have a good time. Whatever time I end up finishing in is going to be good enough, and I have my own little goal that I want to get to."

10/19/10 Interview with Amani:

You were on the Giants sideline during the Detroit game.  Is that something you plan to do on a regular basis

Amani:  No, I was just there for the coin toss for Timex.  It takes too long in the heavy traffic to get to the studio on 67th St. for the Giants postgame analysis I do for My9.

Looking back on the game against Detroit, how would you evaluate the Giants’ offense?

Amani:  I thought Brandon Jacobs had a good game and I definitely think Ahmad Bradshaw has developed into one of the most elusive, hard to tackle backs in the NFL. I thought Hakeem took a little step back this week, particularly on that touchdown play.  I think he gave up on the ball much too quickly.  I would like to see Manningham get more opportunities because he’s getting so much out of what chances he gets. He’s a bright guy; he’s from Michigan.

How about the defensive scheme?

Amani:  I think it’s really hard to evaluate because it really wasn’t about Shaun Hill, it was about Calvin Johnson and Javid Best and the defense still knocked Hill out of the game. Tom Coughlin spoke about Detroit being the best run after the catch team in the NFL so I think the Giants were respecting that in their scheme. 
I don’t know if the Giants defensive line has bought into the Fewell system or if they’ve reached a comfort level but you could see an increased comfort level after the third game. And I definitely think the team is more motivated.   I have to say that there was a noticeable difference in the defense’s body language before this game and before the Bears game.  The defense seemed very calm vs. Detroit and it showed when they came out because the defense came out very slow.

And the special teams?

Amani: I thought Reynaud had a good game returning punts and kickoffs and maybe he’s getting used to the Giants’ special teams.  Otherwise I thought the kickoff coverage took a step in the right direction and played really well at times as did the punt coverage.  The punter, Dodge, hit rock bottom when he dropped the ball twice but then after that he averaged almost 49 yds. a punt.  So I think he grew up a lot in that game. When a young guy screws up and comes back strong, it’s a good sign because when some players go in the tank, they stay in the tank.  And what’s the alternative?  Who is out there right now?

Next week the Giants have Dallas and Dallas’ problems are mostly self-inflicted wounds. This is a great opportunity for Dallas on national TV to prove everybody wrong but if they do go down they have an excellent chance of not making the playoffs. 

Similarly, this is a game where the Giants have an opportunity to deliver a knockout punch and not have to worry about Dallas for the rest of this year.

How do you see the other teams in the NFC East?

Amani:  Anytime you get a quarterback the caliber of Donovan McNabb, you’ve improved your team.  Washington has had good defenses the last couple of years but they didn’t have a QB.   Now they do.  McNabb has the ability to extend plays which helps the receivers and the offensive line so they’ll get better too. That team has a lot of talent.

I was surprised that the Eagles beat the Falcons as easily as they did.  I didn’t get a chance to see much of that game but I was impressed by how quickly the Eagles put up 21 points.  That, of course, made the Falcons one-dimensional and took away a balanced attack.  Turner has to be involved in the game for the Falcons.

What BIG-10 game will you be covering this week?

Amani: I’m going to Illinois this week to cover their game vs. Indiana.  This is my third game in a row covering Illinois for the BIG-10 pre and post-game show.

On a different subject, how do you feel about the possibility of suspending players for a helmet to helmet hit

Amani: I think the system of fines is good and should be enforced but I think suspending players is going overboard.  You don’t want to give any team an advantage which is what will happen if you start suspending players.  Also, if the league starts suspending players the teams are going to need bigger rosters.
If you’re a player and you want to hit another player you don’t really have that much control because the other player will be trying to make you miss at the same time.  So, if the helmets hit, so be it.  You just focus on getting the guy down. 

You’ll also have to use instant replay.  Take for example the De Sean Jackson hit, that wasn’t a helmet to helmet hit because the defender led with his shoulder.   But when Pierre-Paul hit Follett, JPP ducked his head so they hit helmet to helmet.  Since it wasn’t on a ball carrier, there was no flag.

I think the guys responsible for making the rules need to have been players because players have their own rules of conduct about what’s dirty and what isn’t a dirty hit.  Some guy who just watches a lot of football may think something is a dirty hit when no player would agree.  You can’t take the roughness out of the game or it becomes a different game.   I definitely believe that you can’t allow a defenseless receiver to get hit in the head but even there it’s hard to see conclusively.

Toomer Inducted into Giants Ring of Honor
By Gail Bahr

Amani Toomer remembered last Sunday afternoon when he was inducted into the Giants inaugural Ring of Honor ceremony as one of those rare, special days that occur in a lifetime.

At a recent kickoff and award luncheon Toomer was honored as Alumni Man of the Year and it was there that he learned that he would be one of 30 former Giants’ greats to be included in the new Ring of Honor just installed at the Meadowlands Stadium.

“I was definitely surprised because there are a lot of great Giants and to be chosen as one of the inaugural players for the Ring of Honor is really special,” Toomer said.  “I was very excited to be included.”  

Though Toomer said he had met Phil Simms and Lawrence Taylor a number of times over the years, some of those to be inducted he’d never met prior to the ceremony.  But he remembered watching them on television as a child, great players like Y.A. Tittle and Rosie Brown.

“Of course I played with Michael Strachan and Tiki (Barber) so I was very excited, especially since I felt that in the league I was overlooked and underrated a little bit,” Toomer said.  “It was only in the Giants organization and with the great Giants fans where I always got the respect I felt I deserved.”

Still Toomer didn’t think much would be involved for those selected until he was asked for his jacket size.  A puzzled Toomer asked why that was needed and it was told that each of the 30 players would be individually honored during the half-time ceremony against the Chicago Bears.

“The Giants set it up so great,” an enthusiastic Toomer remembered.  “We had a box with our families and friends with us and it was really cool.  The Giants went all out.  They had cars pick us up at home and deliver us to the stadium and they made sure that it was definitely a special occasion for all of us.”

Toomer found himself particularly moved by the expressions of gratitude on the faces of the widows of those deceased players who were honored.

“Just that the Giants remembered them too,” Toomer said.  “It shows you the kind of organization the Giants are; they care about their former players and make sure they’re doing well.”

But the high point of Toomer’s special day came as he stood on the field, once more hearing his name called over the loudspeaker, accompanied by thunderous applause from the fans in attendance.

“It was wonderful, wonderful,” Toomer said.  “Remember when my streak got broken and I didn’t catch a pass?  The next game when I caught the first one I got a standing ovation.  I’ll always remember that.  I really felt the energy and respect the fans had for me and it’s something I’ll never forget.”

Though Toomer initially felt hurt at how his career with the Giants ended, he said, “You know, after the hurt subsided that they didn’t bring me back, I began to realize all the good things that happened with the Giants, especially since I wasn’t feeling comfortable or enjoying it much at Kansas City.”

That was when Toomer realized he didn’t want to play for another team and it was time to take his life in new directions.
And now, with the bad memories forgotten, Toomer smiled happily, saying, “It was really wonderful, all of it.”

“Now when I go to Giants games in the future, I can say to my twins, ‘Look there’s your daddy’s name’ and they’ll say, ‘Is that really you, daddy?’

10/04/10 Interview with Amani:

Do you consider the Giants rather spectacular success on defense to have been due to the Perry Fewell defense starting to jell, the Bears’ poor offensive line, the Mike Martz system, Jay Cutler’s tendency to hold the ball or a combination of all four?

Amani: I think it was more of a case of the Giants defense coming out with emotion and intensity.  I could even see it in the warm-ups.  When I saw them warming up I thought, ’This is a different team.  You guys are really ready to play tonight.’
So, that was the main factor in the defensive success, I think.  I just hope they can maintain that for the entire season.  They definitely showed off their defense and the players’ talent. 

You could also really see what Jerry Reese was trying to put together in this game because of how the players came together and really complimented each other.  I’m excited about the rest of the season and now we have to see if they can keep it up next week.  The defense has set a standard now that they have to maintain.

The offense didn’t play as well as we wanted them to play but Brandon Jacobs finally got going.  Ahmad Bradshaw was carrying the load but, if the team can get both of those guys going, it will make it easier for Eli and the passing game.  Then the offensive line will have a better chance to protect Eli when there’s a balance.

After the game some of the players said they were feeding off of all of the Ring of Honor inductees being there and they felt the need to play up to the standards set by those former players.

Amani:  I remember that feeling because in the Championship game in our Super Bowl year, you realized that this was bigger than you and the little petty things that go on.  So, you just totally focused on the game like the defense did last Sunday.   The defense really put it down and I have to take my hat off to all of them.  They really played well.
Now we know what this team can do and that’s the standard that we’re going to hold them to.

Looking ahead to Houston, what do you see as the major challenges?

Amani:  First of all; the Giants have to stop the running game because Houston is absolutely killing people up front.  If the defense is up to the task, that’s going to be some game and definitely one that I want to see.
They also have to figure out some way to slow down QB Matt Schaub because he’s really been able to light it up.
It’s going to be a great game on the road and the Giants haven’t really played well on the road this season so it’s going to be another big, big opportunity for the team.

For which college games will you be doing the pre and post-game coverage in the next two weeks?

Excerpts from Giants Ring of Honor:
By Michael Eisen

Tonight, the Giants take another step in acknowledging their tremendous history with the unveiling of their Ring of Honor. The Ring includes 30 prominent men who helped the Giants win seven NFL championships and almost 650 games and contributed to them becoming one of the most respected and admired organizations in professional sports.

“The Ring of Honor and a Hall of Fame are elements that have been discussed for quite some time,” said John Mara, the Giants President and Chief Executive Officer. “For many years fans have asked us why we had neither, and our response always was that we would when either Giants Stadium undergoes a refurbishing or we have a new stadium. So it was important that we have one or the other in our new building, and it has worked out that we now have both a Ring of Honor and a Legacy Club to recognize the great players and coaches and others who have made our organization what it is.”

“The Ring of Honor and the Legacy Club are great reminders for all of us of the responsibility we have in upholding the tradition of those who came before us,” said Giants Chairman and Executive Vice President Steve Tisch. “We are very proud of the individuals who are being inducted into the Ring, and we recognize them for their contributions to our organization with tremendous gratitude.”

The Ring of Honor will be displayed in the end zones of the New Meadowlands Stadium at every Giants home game. The list of 30 names begins with franchise founder Tim Mara and includes fellow owners Wellington Mara, Jack Mara and Bob Tisch. It includes George Young, the general manager who built two Super Bowl-winning teams, and championship-winning coaches Steve Owen, Jim Lee Howell and Bill Parcells. The 22 players in the Ring of Honor include 11 Hall of Famers: Mel Hein, Ken Strong, Tuffy Leemans, Emlen Tunnell, Frank Gifford, Rosie Brown, Sam Huff, Andy Robustelli, Y.A. Tittle, Harry Carson and Lawrence Taylor. The other players in the ring are Al Bozis, Charlie Conerly, Dick Lynch, Joe Morrison, Pete Gogolak, George Martin, Phil Simms, Michael Strahan, Jessie Armstead, Amani Toomer and Tiki Barber…

Toomer can’t wait to explain to his 10-month-old twins what the Ring of Honor means.

“It’s something that I can show my little kids,” Toomer said. “It’s a big honor just because of the fact that the Giants have been around for 80-something years and to be considered one of the top people that they want to acknowledge and remember, I’m pretty flattered…”

Amani Toomer
Toomer joined the Giants in 1996 as a second-round draft choice from Michigan and played his entire 13-year career with the team. He played in 190 regular season games, the fourth-highest total in Giants history. He also played in 11 postseason games, scoring two touchdowns in the Giants’ victory over the Cowboys in a 2007 NFC Divisional Playoff Game and finishing with a team-high six receptions in the Super Bowl XLII triumph over New England. Toomer holds franchise records for catches (668), receiving yards (9,497), touchdown catches (54) and 100-yard receiving games (22). He finished his career with 82 more receptions than runner-up Barber (586) and 4,063 more yards than former record-holder Gifford (5,434). Toomer caught at least one pass in a Giants-record 98 consecutive games before the streak ended in the 2005 season opener vs. Arizona. He holds the Giants’ single-season record with 1,343 receiving yards in 2002. Toomer had the three highest single-season receptions totals in team history until Steve Smith shattered his former mark of 82 with 107 catches last year. Toomer also holds the Giants postseason records for receptions (44), yards (608) and touchdowns (seven).  No one else in Giants playoff history has more than three postseason touchdown catches. In addition, Toomer is second in Giants history with 10,924 total yards (Barber is first with 17,359). His total includes 1,060 yards on punt returns, 257 yards on kickoff returns and 110 yards rushing

9/27/10 Interview with Amani:

Are you able to draw any conclusions after three games?

Amani: I’ve reviewed the games from the last two weeks and it looks like last year all over again with a different defensive coordinator.  It looks like they’re playing just well enough to get beat and it’s really frustrating to watch.

Can you talk a little about the personal fouls?

Amani: The Giants are a physical team but to get that bothered about what the other team was doing or saying just didn’t make any sense to me.  Also, I think it was one of those games where they needed to play mistake free football to win the game. 

The Giants actually killed the Titans statistically.  If you had asked the Giants what they wanted to achieve in the game they would have said to bottle up Chris Johnson and control the clock.  And they did a good job with that and still lost.
It falls squarely on the shoulders of the Giants because they gave the Titans the game.

Do you think the coach should have yanked McKenzie after the first personal foul?

Amani:  Well, you had the personal foul from Diehl earlier and then several other people so I think the only way you can stop it is to yank people. I think McKenzie getting yanked after the two fouls was a situation where he was partially the victim of the earlier fouls.   I think that if he had gotten the first two personal fouls, he might not have been yanked but, since it was the trend of the game, the coach had to deliver a message that this isn’t tolerated. And after that Rolle was yanked right after he got one personal foul.

The Giants don’t play that way.  We’re not that kind of organization and I think the coach was delivering a message for next week as well as for yesterday’s game.

As for Rolle I don’t really understand what he’s doing.  I know he came into a new situation and isn’t sure how things work so maybe he shouldn’t have spouted off at the mouth about the Giants just after he got there.

As far as the leadership issue goes, if Rolle saw a void why couldn’t her fill it?

Amani:  Exactly.  And if you do want to be a leader then don’t go out and get a personal foul the next week.

What kind of preparation do you have to do for your My9 assignment?

Amani:  I read all the stories every day and I will talk to a couple of people close to the team and then of course I watch the game on Sunday.  But I will go into the game with a couple of points that I feel I need to hit - like this is something that the Giants need to address this game.  Then I discuss whether they accomplished that or not.

For example, the special teams in general have been really bad.  I’m sure they miss Feagles a lot, not just for his punting but as a holder.  That was a big issue yesterday because that delay of game penalty was ridiculous. 
The Giants didn’t even have to punt and they lost the game.  That sums up the game right there.

You do My9 live on Sunday and you travel on Fridays for your coverage of a Big-10 game on Saturday.  How do you make all that work?

Amani:  I usually get home after the Saturday game between 9 PM-1 AM.  I grab some sleep and then get up and run because I’m in training for the marathon.  This last week I got home, fell into bed, got up and ran 18 miles, showered and went in to do the My9 program.  I had maybe six hours which isn’t enough but you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do.

What Big-10 college game will you be covering this week?

Amani:  I’ll be in Minnesota watching them play Northwestern.   

9/16/10 Check out the interview on BBI with Amani and Phil Simms. Sports Talk Radio (BlogTalkRadio.com/STCP).

9/16/10 Interview with Amani:

After your first week analyzing the Giants performance for My 9, what impressions did you come away with?

Amani: Looking back to last Sunday I think that the Giants still have a problem with the running game.  It’s one of those things that against a team without a solid quarterback is not going to be a real issue but, once they start playing against the division, they will need to become more balanced.  I think if they can get their running game going they have a real shot at doing something special but, if they don’t, I don’t think they have much of a chance.

Also, the Giants kickoff coverage team is really bad.  As a result they’re putting the defense into a very difficult position.  The defense played a good game last week despite being put into a really, really bad situation.  The kickoff coverage was giving the Panthers offense a really short field and they were lucky that Carolina doesn’t really have a top quarterback.  But you can’t do that against any of the division opponents because they all have offenses that can make something happen.

Dodge, the punter, was kicking low line drive punts and that’s the worst thing you can do.  I remember when I was a punt returner I loved those low line drives because I knew that I would have plenty of space between me and the gunner and I could really look up field.  That’s all a punt returner is looking for - just some space.

It’s still a new defense under a new coordinator and I think you need to protect them a little bit more yet.  So the kickoff coverage, punting and run game really need to improve, not just for the defense, but to control the clock and to control the game so the defense isn’t out there so much.

Looking ahead to the upcoming week, what do you think will be the keys to the game?

Amani:  Looking ahead to the upcoming game, I think the Colts take the run game away from their opponents because they put scores on the board so quickly and easily that their opponents can’t run.  I just think that you need to keep Peyton off the field because he can do so many things so well.

If the Giants can get the running game going, it will not only control the clock but also keep Peyton off the field.  You don’t want him out there too long because he’ll find a way to score points.  Last week the Texans ran for 231 yards against the Colts which kept Peyton off the field and didn’t give him much of a chance.

How about defensively?

Amani: The Giants defense will definitely need to keep pressure on the offense, particularly Dallas Clark who is a tough matchup.  I’m not sure the Giants have any linebackers who can match up with him athletically all the way down the field.

I think it’s going to be a tough game because the Colts are at home plus they lost last week.  Sometimes, teams won’t show up to play but you can guarantee that won’t happen Sunday.  They’ll take this game very seriously so it will be a tough, tough game.  If the Giants can pound it out on the ground they can take away some of Peyton’s firepower but if it’s an aerial attack I think the Giants will be in trouble.

I think the key to the defense is making the Colts run the ball.  They’re comfortable with throwing the ball all over the field and they’re very good at it.  So you always have to take your opponent out of their comfort zone and while the Colts are very comfortable passing they are less so rushing.

How are you enjoying your two news jobs now that you’ve joined the media?

Amani:  I really like both of my new jobs and one of the things I particularly enjoy is that I can use all the stuff I learned playing without having to practice and without having to worry about getting knocked out on game day.  I plan to hold the Giants to a high standard, in the same way I was held to a high standard when I played.

I also work with the Big-10.  This week I’m going to the Ohio State vs. U. of Ohio.  Ohio State will win and I don’t think it will be a great game.  I wish we were doing the Minnesota vs. USC game because I think that will be a good game.  I think Minnesota will win and they can get their season back on track by beating USC

Toomer Comes Full Circle
By Gail Bahr

Amani Toomer has returned to his roots.

After spending his entire career in a New York Giants uniform, Amani Toomer, now retired, has joined the media and will be covering the Giants in a weekly My9’s post-game show this season.

His connection to the Giants reestablished, Toomer admitted to being very excited about his new venture as a member of the media.

“Getting to be part of the media and to be around the Giants again, after playing for them for so long, is really exciting to me,” Toomer said.

“I know the guys, which gives me a little insight into the team and eases the transition from player to media.  It also helps that people around the New York area know who I am.

“I thought it was funny when I saw a Giants-Jets pre-season game recently and there was this fireman on TV, who apparently is a longtime Jets fan, and he almost got into a scrap with a guy wearing a Toomer shirt.

“I thought that was pretty cool.”

The Early Days:

Toomer was drafted in the second round (34th pick overall) of the 1996 NFL Draft, a disappointment as he had expected to be selected in the first round.

“The Giants had the 5th overall pick that year and I didn’t t think I’d be the fifth pick overall; I didn’t have that kind of senior year,” Toomer said, “So I expected to go to another team a little later in the first round.”

Toomer added that the team didn’t contact him before the draft so he had no reason to believe that the Giants were interested in him.  And though he performed well during Senior Bowl week, Toomer didn’t believe that accounted for his selection either.

“I think I did alright at the Senior Bowl but the Seahawks coaching staff had a lot of plays that I wasn’t familiar with, “Toomer said, adding, “so it was a tough transition for me that week. 

“I believe what happened is that Ernie Accorsi came out and saw me play in a Michigan game.  He told me later that he saw me make a catch in warm-ups and said ‘We gotta have this guy!’”

The Giants got their man and Toomer recalled his first practice in a Giants uniform.

“I was nervous,” Toomer remembered.  “You don’t know if you’re going to be any good in the NFL.  That’s always in the back of every rookie’s mind even if they won’t tell you so.”

After rookie mini-camp, training camp quickly followed, though not quickly enough for Toomer, who was anxious to begin his Giants career in earnest.

At camp Toomer soon learned that an annual Giants form of hazing is to require a rookie to stand on a chair in the dining room and sing.  It took only a few days before Toomer was summoned to perform.

“The veterans asked me to sing and state my name, school and signing bonus and I told them my name and school.  Then I said, ‘The signing bonus is in the newspaper.’

“That didn’t go over too well,” Toomer laughed, remembering, “so the next practice I found all my equipment was gone. 

“I was running around looking for it.  Everybody else was in full pads, and I was just in my jersey and didn’t even have my helmet.

“Coach Reeves asked me where my stuff was and I said the players took it. Coach shook his head and said, ‘That’s bad.’ 

“I continued going through the drills and looking stupid because everyone else was in full pads and I was just running around in shorts.

“Then when we started stretching for practice, Coach came to me and asked, ‘What was your signing bonus?’

“I told him and that satisfied the players so then they told me my pads were behind the goal posts.”

Toomer admitted to having learned a valuable lesson that day.

“Rookies have to try to fit in and not stand out,” Toomer said.  “You need the veterans to help you so you can’t go it alone.”

Toomer continued to adjust to his new teammates and challenges and when the regular season began, he kicked off his career on special teams by returning an 87-yard punt for a touchdown.

He played in seven games in ’96, getting his first start against division rival Dallas. Running a pass route on his first play Toomer stumbled, a stumble which proved costly and resulted in an interception for Dallas.

Later in the season, against another division rival, Washington, Toomer tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, ending his rookie season and necessitating reconstructive surgery.

Following successful surgery, as Toomer rehabilitated and watched his team from the bench, Coach Reeves alternately encouraged and rebuked his young rookie.

“I don’t think he believed I took the game seriously enough,” Toomer recalled.

“Coach Reeves was an old-school NFL coach and initially I found it difficult to adjust to his style.”

Following a 23-22 defeat in the season finale to the New England Patriots that year, Reeves was dismissed and Jim Fassel hired to replace him.

Then Fassel too cast a jaundiced eye in Toomer’s direction, telling him that he was failing to live up to his vast potential.

A Crossroad:

After coaches Reeves and Fassel hurled the gauntlet at Toomer, fearing his career might be a short one, Toomer dedicated himself anew to improving his game.

He looked deeply into himself, reevaluating his goals and determining how best to become the player he knew he could be.

“My experiences traveling around the world enabled me to appreciate what I had and to focus better on my goals,” Toomer said.  “I made the decision then that everything I would do in football would be because I wanted to do it.”

“That’s why I feel things went my way and my game improved.

“I always knew I could produce for the team.  I just thought it was a matter of time and in the NFL time isn’t something you always get. 

“I’ll always be grateful to the Giants for hanging with me and giving me the time I needed to develop.”

Years of Achievement:

Toomer repaid the Giants for their patience by effectively reinventing himself and becoming the most prolific receiver in Giants’ franchise history, along the way breaking a 35-year old record set by Homer Jones in 1967 for the most yards gained in a single season. 

Still not content, he continued to weave his way through the Giants’ franchise record book until records began falling on an almost weekly basis. 

And in the way of competitors, as goals were met and surpassed, Toomer found new goals to embrace.

In 2002, a year in which he was widely discussed as a candidate for the Pro Bowl; Toomer was disconsolate when he learned he had not been selected to play in Hawaii.

Though Coach Fassel explained to him that players often aren’t selected until the year after they first deserve recognition, Toomer remained downcast until the following Sunday.

That Sunday, against the Indianapolis Colts, Toomer had 204 yards receiving with three touchdowns, and after the game team owner Wellington Mara, a man Toomer greatly respected, visited the Giants’ locker room. 

With a few well-chosen words Mara turned disappointment into pride and his simple but eloquent comment became the moment Toomer remembers even over the Super Bowl victory as the high point of his career.

“Mr. Mara told me I had made his Pro Bowl,” Toomer smiled, remembering. “To me that was a great moment and it made we feel just as good as if I had been selected.”

Toomer continued to set new Giants’ records until 2008, the last year of his contract, and the season he remembers as the low point of his career.

“I knew the coaches were trying to move me out and put Steve Smith in so that was tough, really tough!” Toomer said.

And now:

Now, two years later, Toomer admits to being a rookie once more. 

He expects his first broadcast as a member of the Giants media to be very similar to how he felt back in 1996 when he first donned a Giants uniform.

“Mentally it will be a lot harder but I think the emotions will be the same,” Toomer said, thinking aloud.

“Ultimately I don’t know how good I’m going to be as a broadcaster, just as I didn’t know how good I’d be as a player.’

If history is a guide, Toomer will be just fine.

Excerpt from Giants Daily Notebook, September 1, 2010

By Michael Eisen

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Tom Coughlin invoked icons in both basketball and baseball to fire up a football crowd today at the Giants’ annual Kickoff Luncheon.

The event was held for the first time at the New Meadowlands Stadium – or, as master of ceremonies Bob Papa called it, “New Giants Stadium.”

All proceeds from the luncheon and a raffle held in the stadium’s Gridiron Club were donated to the Touchdown Fund, a program launched earlier this year by the Hackensack University Medical Center and the Giants that focuses on children and cardiac and cancer care…

Amani Toomer, who spent 13 years with the team through the 2008 season, received an award as the Alumni Man of the Year…

Giants president and CEO John Mara introduced Toomer, the finest wide receiver in franchise history. Toomer holds franchise records for catches (668), receiving yards (9,497), touchdown catches (54), 100-yard receiving games (22) and consecutive games with at least one catch (98).

Toomer was very active in community and charitable endeavors as a player and continues to be involved in his retirement. He will run in the 2010 ING New York City Marathon in November. Toomer will start last and for each runner he passes, Timex will donate $1 to the New York Road Runner’s Youth Program.

When he took the podium Toomer proved he’s still a team player. He thanked the Giants’ public and community relations and equipment and athletic training staffs by name. He then spoke about being the Alumni Man of the Year, an award won in the past by Frank Gifford, Rodney Hampton and the late Dick Lynch, among many others.

“This award means a lot to me, because it not only means that I did a good job on the field, but it means I did a good job off the field,” Toomer said. “There is going to come a day in a player’s life when no one is really going to remember how many yards or any of the stats that you have. They’ll only remember the character of the person. For the Giants to recognize my character, not just on the field but off the field, I really appreciate that.

“I’m really thankful not only to the fact that I got to play in such a wonderful city, I also played for the fans. I remember the first time that I had a record for one catch in (98) games, and then one game I didn’t catch a ball. In the next game, we played the New Orleans Saints, and when I caught a pass, the whole crowd went crazy, knowing the situation I was in before. To hear it and feel it from the stands, that’s something I’ll never forget. To all the players I say, ‘Enjoy your time.’ The years slip by really fast, so you can’t think you’re going to have all the time in the world. Because when it comes, it comes, and you have to be prepared for it. I just wanted to thank everyone for having me up here and having me back.”

6/12/10 An Interview with Amani:

Do you think there will actually be a lockout at the start of the 2011 season or do you think one side will blink first?

Amani:  I do think there will be a lockout next year.  The owners are asking the players to take a pay cut while they are refusing to open the books. The ownership just isn’t being forthright with the players.  They’re just making a lot of statements like the players have to take a pay cut because they’re not making enough money.  I just don’t think it makes much sense.

The owners are saying that expenses have increased faster than revenues so why do you think they aren’t opening their books to an independent auditor in support of what they’re saying.

Amani:  Because there’s a problem with the books supporting the statement.  The players definitely want to play but how can you negotiate with anyone when one side isn’t being completely forthright.

The next question is related to the last.  Why do you think the NFL won’t reveal how much each franchise makes?

Amani:  I think it probably has something to do with the current revenue sharing system so they’re hiding behind that.

Do you think NFL players would embrace an opportunity to share in the financial risks and rewards of owning an NFL franchise? 


Amani:  I do think the players would want that and then they would share in the pie. I think the players would bet on themselves and on the game to continue being successful. But I think the problem there is that the owners want to have their cake and eat it too.  For them to say they’re losing money and refuse to open their books is kind of ludicrous.

The whole thing doesn’t make much sense to me unless there’s something going on that I don’t know about.  The whole agreement was if the owners made more money, then the players would too but for the owners to go on making more and more money just seems like greed.


Why did the NFL team owners ever accept an uncapped year rather than preserve a salary cap system in just this situation?

Amani:  I don’t know why they would or did but I think it’s going to hurt the league because I think you’re going to have less parity in the league.  You’re going to have small market teams become less competitive and over time you’d end up with a situation like baseball.


Why isn’t a contract that reportedly generated almost 9B in revenue something that both sides would be eager to maintain

Amani:  Because the ownership sees how much more money they could be bringing in if they took a bigger percentage of the pot.


The NFLPA claims the NFL maintains the players have never proposed an increase in former player benefits and healthcare when, according to the NFLPA, every CBA meeting has included such a proposal from the players.  What do you know about this situation

Amani:  I think the whole thing is that everyone wants to do something for the older players but the question then becomes where the money will come from.  There are only two places it can come from, the current players or the ownership, and I don’t think either side wants to dish out money for the older players.  They want to pay the players who are playing now.  I think in their hearts everyone wants to do something for the older players but when the rubber meets the road, nobody wants to give up their money to do it.

6/10/10 FORMER NEW YORK GIANT AMANI TOOMER JOINING TEAM TIMEX AND RUNNING 2010 ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHON

Toomer to Start Last, TIMEX Donating $1 for Every Person Passed

WHAT:   Super Bowl Champion and former New York Giant Amani Toomer is set to join Team TIMEX for the running of the 2010 ING New York City Marathon. TIMEX and Toomer will work together in support of New York Road Runner’s Youth Program.   Toomer will be be starting last, and for each runner he passes, TIMEX will donate $1 to New York Road Runner’s Youth Programs. The former New York Giant will also raise money for the program through fundraising websites where fans can go to support the charity’s efforts and keep track of Toomer’s training.  

Toomer will be the first NFL player to run the ING New York City Marathon in 17 years. He will train with the help of TIMEX Multisport Team athlete and 2009 USAT Amateur Triathlete of the Year Chris Thomas, and the latest TIMEX technology. The TIMEX ® Ironman® Global Trainer™ Bodylink® System will serve as Toomer’s main training tool, helping him map his runs and track his progress.

BACKGROUND:     New York Road Runners Youth Programs currently serve more than 100,000 children in hundreds of schools and community centers; promote children’s health and fitness, character development, and personal achievement in underserved communities.  

WHEN:   Wednesday June 16th at 1:15PM         One-one-one interviews with Amani available upon request        

WHERE:  TIMEX Performance Center         1925 Giants Drive         East Rutherford, New Jersey