EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Chris Canty has played the Cowboys five times since leaving them in free agency in 2008, but the defensive tackle still has that extra fire when he faces his former team.

"I'm going to be honest with you. That's nothing that time can fix," Canty said. "It's kind of like when you're in your backyard versus your brothers and you always want to compete and show them up. I got a lot of good friends on that football team still, so there's always going to be that competitive fire, playing against those guys and I look forward to it every year."

Canty will get his first chance this season against Dallas when the Giants face their NFC East rivals on Sunday. The defensive tackle played his first game of the season last Sunday against the Redskins after being activated from the PUP list. He had four tackles in the game.

"Definitely, I'm looking forward to being a part of it," Canty said. "It was tough for me to sit back and watch the first game of the season versus a division rival, but now I get to be a part of this and having a chance to face my old football team, this is another big game for us. As coach said, once you win big games, the games after that just become bigger. This is another big game for our football team."

The veteran played 25 snaps against Washington, and head coach Tom Coughlin thinks Canty will play more against Dallas. The coach also complimented Canty for his play, calling him a "big plus." The defensive tackle said the more reps he gets the more it helps him get back into the groove of things.

"It's almost like riding a bike," Canty said. "There's a little rust there but I continue to improve as the week goes on."

BOOTHE AT CENTER? Kevin Boothe had an alteration to his schedule Wednesday: snapping the ball started his day.

"I usually take some (snaps) every practice, I guess today I just took it first instead of second," said Boothe, who is the team's starting left guard. "Nothing too crazy, nothing too out of the ordinary."

With center David Baas out of practice Wednesday, Boothe, who can play both positions, took snaps at center in case the Giants are without their starter. Boothe has played at both guard spots, right tackle and center during his six years with the Giants and has started each game this year.

"We do it all the time in practice, just move around different positions," Boothe said. "If need be, I think a lot of guys can play different positions if they have to. We'll see what happens."

If Baas can't go, it would also potentially open the door for David Diehl to return to the starting lineup as the Giants could put Boothe at center and Diehl at left guard. Backup Jim Cordle can also play center.

HIXON HELPS: Wide receiver Domenik Hixon helped out veterans on Tuesday.