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GIANTS NEED TO GET CHARGED UP - BIG BLUE LOOK TO END 3-GAME SKID
by PAUL SCHWARTZ , The New York Post
"It's a big game," Pierce said. "We're going into our bye week. We're going into the second half of the season and we need to change things. We need to get back on the winning track, the winning ways we're used to, get back our confidence, get back our swagger, get back everything, get back to how we play ball.
"We have fun, we joke around, we kid, we go out there and execute and that's what we plan on doing."
A look inside the game:
BEST BATTLE
Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson vs. Giants cornerback Corey Webster. Get a look at Jackson, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound target who can run and poses match-up problems for anyone who covers him. He's averaging nearly 18 yards per catch, has five touchdowns and will be tough for the 6-foot, though technically sound, Webster to deal with.
PROVE IT
The 4-3 Chargers are using this game as a litmus test. They have won two in a row against rag-tag opponents (Chiefs, Raiders) and understand they too often have failed in these situations. They are 0-3 this season against teams with winning records, and since 2007, they are 3-11 on the road against teams above .500. On Oct. 4, the Chargers went into Pittsburgh to face a Steelers team that had dropped two straight and lost 38-28.
"This is a heavyweight fight," defensive tackle (and New Jersey native) Luis Castillo told reporters in San Diego. "We've been in the same position against a great team that's been struggling a bit. We had a chance to go in there and make a statement, and we didn't do it."
NUMBER TO KNOW
The Giants are 16-4 in the games before their bye, a trend they would like to see continue today. Just so you know, the Giants are 5-15 in the games immediately after their bye, something to consider when evaluating the Nov. 22 game against the Falcons.
TAKING AIM
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers certainly took a look how Donovan McNabb torched the Giants secondary last week and also noticed how vulnerable safeties C.C. Brown and Michael Johnson are in coverage. In previous weeks, Drew Brees and Kurt Warner noticed the same thing.
"They have given up some big plays," Rivers said. "There have been some holes in some zones that [McNabb] was able to take advantage of and that teams have."
But Rivers will not have Brown to kick around. Aaron Rouse - picked up on waivers Sept. 24 from the Packers - will make his first Giants start in place of Brown.
WELCOME THE REINFORCEMENTS
The return to the struggling Giants defense of linebacker Michael Boley and defensive tackle Chris Canty come not a moment too soon for a unit that has allowed a ghastly 112 points the past three weeks.
"I feel I can come in and do some of the things they brought me here for, run around with speed and make plays," said Boley, who figures to be thrown into the fire and asked to cover tight end Antonio Gates.
BIG DEALS
Led by the twin tower receivers of Jackson and Malcom Floyd - both 6-foot-5 - and the elusive ability of tiny Darren Sproles, the Chargers are a quick-strike waiting to happen. They have 18 passing plays of 25 or more yards, tied for third best in the league.
Chargers AT Giants TODAY 4:15 CBS; WFAN (660 AM)
PAUL'S PREDICTION
The Chargers have a puncher's chance every week because Rivers has weapons that can pick apart a defense - an ominous reality considering the state of the Giants defense. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw should be able to find their way to 150 combined rushing yards, which should be enough, unless Eli Manning keeps throwing the ball to the wrong team.
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