Windows 7 Enterprise NY Giants acknowledge it's g

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AIM Google OpenID By Mike Garafolo/The Star-Ledger
Follow NY Giants acknowledge "it's going to take a whole lot more effort" to reach playoffs Published: Saturday, November 28,Office 2007 Professional Plus, 2009,Office Home And Business, 7:46 PM Updated: Sunday, November 29, 2009, 12:09 AM Doug Pensinger/GettySteve Smith and the rest of the Giants offense could establish little against the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. The thoughts being expressed in the Giants’ postgame locker room on Thursday night were the challenges often presented among players who realize their team is in crisis mode. The kind of feelings that the leaders toss around in players-only meetings to get teammates to refocus.
The kind of indirect finger-pointing criticisms that suggest some members of the squad aren’t pulling their weight.

Basically, after the loss in the mountains, it seemed like the Giants’ players needed to clear the thin air.

“This is a good team, but at some point you have to understand talent will only take you so far and guys have to take their jobs seriously,” center Shaun O’Hara said after the 26-6 loss to the Denver Broncos. “There are a lot of guys that are fighting their butts off and giving everything they have. But bad football is something you cannot accept.

“You have to take responsibility for your job, you have to be a pro and you have to know what you’re supposed to do and you have to do it. That’s where we’re at right now.”

Where they are is at yet another critical point in their season — a matchup with the Cowboys next Sunday that will either pull them within a half-game of the division leaders, by virtue of sweeping the season series, or put them three games out with four to play.

They’ve been here before with games against the Chargers and Falcons that were practically dubbed season-saving, must-win “Super Bowls.” And if they beat the Cowboys, they might even have a few more. But if they lose and potentially fall further behind the Eagles and the Packers in the race for the NFC wild cards, there might be no critical games down the stretch.

“It’s going to take a whole lot more effort than we’re giving,” said defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who showed his frustration with a sideline rant on Thursday. “It’s a very, very bad situation we’re in. And we’re running out of time.”

The players realize their situation, which is why their postgame quotes in Denver were dripping with urgency. It would seem if they’re willing to share such thoughts publicly, they’d express them among themselves in a meeting.

For whatever reason,Windows 7 Enterprise, though, this team has been reluctant to hold one. And just the mention of one has been met with resistance.

“I just have to play better,” Umenyiora said when asked if he, as the longest-tenured member of the defense, should speak out. “I think people will follow that.”

That’s one way to do it. And a closed-door meeting is certainly no guarantee a team will turn things around.

In a similar spot three years ago,Buy Office 2010, the Giants’ players discussed a deflating loss to the Titans amongst themselves for roughly 20 minutes. Up next were the Cowboys,Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2007, whom they trailed by a game for the division lead. The Giants battled valiantly but lost on a last-second 46-yard field goal by Martin Gramatica.

Then again, Broncos safety Brian Dawkins organized a players-only meeting last week. And the Giants know how that worked out, so suddenly a few of them appeared to be a little more open to the idea.

“Maybe it’ll happen, maybe it won’t,” defensive end Justin Tuck said. “But something’s got to click here soon.”

Regardless of whether it’s said in a large meeting, a small gathering or on an individual basis, there are clearly signs the leaders of this team believe something needs to be said.

Case in point: O’Hara suggesting the players need to take their jobs more seriously, which he clarified the next day by saying it’s not a team-wide criticism but rather “a blanket statement ... that is probably only going to cater to three to five guys.’’