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After watching Jason Campbell take a beating behind a patchwork offensive line for several weeks, the Redskins have decided to add a third quarterback to their 53-man roster. They will sign former Cowboys quarterback Richard Bartel off the Jaguars' practice squad and release Andre' Woodson from their practice squad, according to two league sources.

Bartel signed with the Cowboys in May 2007 and spent the next season on the club's practice squad. He went to camp again with the Cowboys in '08 and was briefly added to their practice squad before being released for good. Bartel caught on with the Browns late in the '08 season.

He was 43-of-71 for 404 yards during the Cowboys' '08 preseason. At 6-3, 230 pounds, he has a big arm and he moves around pretty well in the pocket. He had an opportunity to sign with the Chiefs late in the '07 season but elected to remain on the Cowboys' practice squad.

Bartel was a standout at Grapevine (Texas) High School and played at nearby SMU before transferring to Tarleton State. He was a 17th-round draft pick by the Reds as a pitcher out of high school, so he got a late start on his college football career. Bartel was 12-of-14 for 137 yards in his only extended playing time for the Browns during the '09 preseason. He was released by the Browns and quickly signed by the Jaguars.

Bartel will serve as insurance behind Campbell and Todd Collins, but don't be surprised to see him get some playing time at some point since both of those players don't appear to be in the Redskins' long-term plans. It could be a great opportunity for Bartel as long as he's willing to take some punishment. But at age 26, he's a pretty mature guy and I think he'd be capable of putting up decent numbers.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Redskins cornerback Carlos Rogers and defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth appeared to be at full strength in Tuesday's workout and should be ready for the Giants on Sunday, according to Matt Terl's Redskins Blog. He also had some news about Andre' Woodson's first practice with the team. Here's how Zorn described the former Giants reserve quarterback:

"We like his size, and I think he has a good presence," Zorn said. "He has escape ability, which I saw as I watched him. It is necessary for this offense. I was impressed with his deep ball. We just have to work on some intermediate things and we will be all right."

When I spoke with a high-level Redskins executive via text Tuesday, he insisted that Woodson is a player the club is interested in for the long haul. Giants coach Tom Coughlin strongly suggested Monday that Woodson was signed to the Skins' practice squad in preparation for Sunday's game.

"No, he will be around to develop," the executive told me. "He's got size and potential."

But do we think the Redskins have spent significant time picking Woodson's brain regarding the Giants' offense? Absolutely.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

I wasn't sure whether the Redskins would be able to sneak quarterback Chase Daniel onto their practice squad, but I thought it was a good bet because of his stature (6-0 in cleats). But the Saints swooped in and signed him to their practice squad. I'd like to know more about how this thing went down. If the Saints had offered Daniel a spot on the 53-man roster, it would've been easy to understand. But that's not what happened.

Jim Zorn seemed to really like Daniel and he invested a lot of time teaching him the Redskins' offense. Now, the Redskins have signed the much taller Andre' Woodson, who was released by the Giants on Saturday. I know we're only talking about the practice squad, but I think Daniel has more upside than Woodson. Every time Woodson gets in a preseason game, he sort of loses his head and fires a bunch of incompletions. Even though he's a year behind Woodson in terms of NFL development, Daniel seemed like he had more poise in the pocket.

It's been interesting to watch the NFC East teams swap training camp bodies. Defensive tackle Antonio Dixon went to camp with the Redskins, but now he's with the Eagles. And now Woodson goes from the Giants to the Skins. Mike Garafolo of the Star-Ledger has an interesting Tweet on Woodson.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Giants coach Tom Coughlin confirmed that starting linebacker Antonio Pierce missed Monday's practice for personal reasons and said the absence was excused. He didn't elaborate on Pierce's personal reasons.

In other news, Coughlin insinuated that the Redskins signed former Giants quarterback Andre Woodson for "obvious" reasons: The two teams play in the Meadowlands on Sunday. Here's the exchange between Coughlin and reporters regarding the Woodson signing.

Is there ever a concern where a player like Andre Woodson is with you one week and the next week he is on your opponent’s roster? Is there ever any concern with what he could reveal scheme-wise?

TC: Do you mean, 'Why is he in Washington right now?’ That’s pretty obvious why he is there. We’ll see. There is no question that is what is going on, but hopefully -- well, we’ll see what transpires. It works both ways a little bit.

He knows a lot about...

TC: Well, enough comments.

You really haven’t done that, have you? Teams do that. I don’t remember you bringing in guys from a team the week before you play them?

TC: I have been a part of it. I have seen it done. A guy doesn’t get in the door two seconds -- he is in the classroom and being drilled. But not of late, no, not of late.

How much can you really get out of it?

TC: You would be surprised.

Do you have to change all of your audible calls?

TC: I’m sure we will have to change some.

According to the Star-Ledger, Coughlin later joked that the club had taught Woodson decoy plays in anticipation of something like this happening. Funny stuff.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Biggest surprise: I guess Sinorice Moss actually making the team would qualify as somewhat of a surprise. He thought his days with the team were numbered, but he had two touchdowns in the Giants' final preseason game. The fact that Moss and Derek Hagan are both on the final roster is pretty surprising. The Giants now have seven receivers on the 53-man roster. That could certainly change if they make a move before the season opener or immediately after. I'm mildly surprised by Darcy Johnson making the team over Mike Matthews, who has played in every game the past two seasons. Matthews was traded to New England for a conditional draft choice. Johnson has more athleticism and his blocking's improved. Interesting to see the Giants release both Rhett Bomar and Andre' Woodson. They were both pretty bad in the final preseason game. I'm sure general manager Jerry Reese will try to sneak Bomar through to the practice squad. I'm a little surprised about former Penn State defensive end Maurice Evans getting cut. I don't think the Giants will be able to get him on the practice squad.

No-brainers: Cornerback DeAndre Wright looked OK early in camp, but he was exposed in the preseason. The Giants love to keep draft picks, but I'm not sure Wright will even be considered for the practice squad. He was outplayed by an undrafted player named Bruce Johnson, who made the 53-man roster. I also think safety Travonti Johnson is a no-brainer. Every time I looked up, Johnson was giving up a deep ball. And he didn't bring enough on special teams.

What's next: The Giants will be scouring the waiver wires to see who ends up getting cut along the offensive and defensive lines. With defensive tackle Jay Alford out for the year and Chris Canty still nursing a hamstring injury, I think Reese will keep his eye on some rookes who were released from other teams. And it's not like they have tremendous depth on the offensive line. I think Cliff Louis had every chance to make the team, but he made far too many mental mistakes. And the penalties didn't help. Glad to see defensive tackle Dave Tollefson grab one of the final spots. Interesting to see Leger Douzable make the roster. He may have been the last man in -- or maybe it's Hagan.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Through various news outlets (including this one), the Giants' cuts have been trickling in all afternoon. Here's what the Daily News was reporting as of 5:10 p.m. ET. No huge surprises, but it does look like the Giants will release reserve quarterbacks Andre Woodson and Rhett Bomar. General manager had indicated that Woodson was having the better training camp, but the former Kentucky player wasn't able to take it to the field in preseason.

After spending a fifth-round pick on Bomar, I'm sure the Giants would like to get him through to the practice squad. It's a bit of a surprise the Giants kept Darcy Johnson over Mike Matthews, who was the better blocker. I watched Johnson limp through a practice in Albany and sort of wrote him off.

We'll see if the Giants try to get defensive end Maurice Evans through to the practice squad. He sort of flashed early in training camp, but we haven't heard much from him lately. Not a surprise that cornerback DeAndre Wright will probably be released. He received a lot of opportunities, but he gave up too many big plays.

The Giants will put defensive tackle Jay Alford on injured reserve and then put linebacker Michael Boley on the suspended list. And don't think this will be a "final" 53-man roster. Jerry Reese will watch the waiver wire closely and see if he can add some depth in the defensive line.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

I'm hoping to watch the replay of the Giants-Patriots game this afternoon, but it appears that the front-line players did their jobs. And bubble player Sinorice Moss made his case with two touchdowns. Here's what the New York media are saying about Thursday's 38-27 loss to the Patriots.

• Mike Garafolo says the first-team defense put on a show against the Patriots. Poor Brian Hoyer never knew what hit him. (It was Justin Tuck.) Garafolo also reports that defensive tackle Chris Canty could be ready to go for the season opener against the Redskins.

• Garafolo's co-worker Jenny Vrentas provides a nice little summary of Thursday's events in this report.

• Joe LaPointe of the New York Times made the trip to Foxboro and wrote this notebook topper.

• Ralph Vacchiano has a full report on Sinorice Moss' big night. Jerry Reese and Tom Coughlin will have some tough decisions to make.

• Paul Schwartz focused on Andre Woodson's performance -- and it wasn't a good one.

• Tom Rock of Newsday talks about Moss' two touchdowns.

• Vinny DiTrani of the Bergen Record said Moss provided the Giants with some answers.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley


More: Chadiha: The plan | Scouts: Rating QBs | Rank 'em | Clayton: Next Cassel?


Dallas: If Tony Romo is unavailable, the Cowboys would still have a chance at winning games. Jon Kitna's moving into his late 30s, but he still has plenty of arm strength and he's a huge improvement over Brad Johnson. Kitna doesn't have the mobility of Romo and he took a lot of sacks in Detroit. But he can make all the throws and he could succeed for an extended amount of time. The only thing that worries me about Kitna is that he's had a lot of trouble getting the snap from center in training camp and in preseason games. Not sure what the problem is there.

Roy Williams had the best year of his NFL career playing with Kitna. Romo's the unquestioned starter, but Kitna's presence makes the Cowboys feel a lot more comfortable heading into '09.


New York: If Eli Manning's unavailable, the Giants are in trouble. David Carr looked a lot better against the Jets, but he had really been struggling before that. He's still sort of shell-shocked from his time with the Texans. He might be fine to get you through a game or two, but the Giants would struggle if Carr has to play four or five games. I don't think he gets the ball out quickly enough at this point. Even his own quarterbacks coach, Chris Palmer, called him out recently. With the arrival of Michael Vick in Philly, the Giants might have the weakest backup situation in the division. Right now, it seems Andre Woodson has the edge on Rhett Bomar to be the third quarterback.


Philadelphia: If Donovan McNabb's unavailable, it will be Michael Vick time for the Eagles. Obviously, he won't become the No. 2 quarterback until he's fully reinstated by Roger Goodell, but that will likely happen fairly early in the season. Vick automatically becomes the best backup in the division based on his previous work. He'll be a huge threat in the Wildcat formation and I think he'd function well as the starter if something happens to McNabb. Vick's too young and talented to have the mind-set of a backup -- and that's not necessarily a bad thing for the Eagles. If McNabb gets injured, they want Vick to feel plenty of confidence as his replacement.


Washington: If Jason Campbell is unavailable, Todd Collins will take over. Collins doesn't do anything flashy but he can do a good job of managing the team. He replaced an injured Campbell in the second half of the '07 season and led the Redskins on a remarkable playoff run. Collins doesn't have the arm strength to light it up in the vertical passing game, but he does a good job of checking down passes and not turning the ball over. Coach Jim Zorn thought that Colt Brennan might be ready to challenge Collins, but that never happened.

There's a good chance that former Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel will beat out Brennan for the No. 3 spot. He's outplayed him in the preseason. Daniel's nowhere close to being a starter in this league, but he's played with a lot of poise in the preseason. Let's see how he does in the Skins' final preseason game.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

I've seen the Giants practicing against each other in person. I was eager to see how they would look against another team -- and a pretty good one at that. Are you ready for some "Monday Night Football" preseason observations? I thought so.

• I was watching defensive end Osi Umenyiora pretty closely on the Giants' first defensive series against Carolina. No matter what he says, I'm sure it will be a relief to have this first game under his belt after coming back from the knee injury. On third down, the Giants tried a stunt, but Umenyiora got stoned on the inside. The Panthers had the deep ball open, but Jake Delhomme threw an awful pass. One other thing that caught my attention early in the game: Safety Michael Johnson looked fast on a blitz that led a Delhomme incompletion.
• Tom Coughlin had to be thrilled to see Marion Manningham go 21 yards on that first punt return. He reversed field and the Panthers broke outside containment. Manningham has had a solid camp and that play certainly won't hurt his chances of making the team. Manningham followed that up with a nifty 13-yard catch on a route that required great timing between him and Eli Manning. Unfortunately, the play was wiped out on an illegal motion penalty.
  
• Umenyiora doesn't look like he's lost a step at all. Early in the game he beat Jordan Gross on a speed rush and knocked the ball out of Jake Delhomme's hand. In other news, Terrell Thomas is going to have to do a better job against the run. He had a shot at DeAngelo Williams in the backfield early in the game and let him get away. Defensive tackle Jay Alford also got off to a quick start. He's the one who made Umenyiora's play on Delhomme possible. The Panthers' offensive line couldn't give Delhomme anything resembling a clean pocket.
• On Brandon Jacobs' 22-yard rumble in the first quarter, left tackle David Diehl had an excellent kickout block. Also some good blocking downfield by starting wide receiver Domenik Hixon. Jacobs looks faster to me than at any point in his career. The quick screen to Hixon on the second drive was a thing of beauty. Panthers played right into the Giants' hands with the blitz.
  

• Ahmad Bradshaw followed an excellent block by Tutan Reyes on his 19-yard touchdown run. Bradshaw made the Panthers' first-team defense look helpless when he froze a linebacker with one move before running over a safety. Not much wrong with that scoring drive at all. I think Bradshaw's up to the challenge of holding off Danny Ware for the backup running back spot. He's elusive and he has more power than we give him credit for.
• Not sure Tom Coughlin wants David Carr going airborne to get a first down in the second quarter of the first preseason game. But Jon Gruden loved the play. Carr looks pretty comfortable running the offense.
  
• Not a good sign that Lawrence Tynes misses a 43-yard field goal, but he did have plenty of distance and just missed it to the right. I think Coughlin has a close eye on Tynes after watching him miss most of the '08 season with an injury.
  
• Tom Coughlin has to be frustrated with the blocked punt before halftime. How in the world did the Giants let a guy come free from the left side. Bryan Kehl picked up the player next to him. Heads up play by Jeff Feagles to knock that ball out of the back of the end zone.

(Read full post)

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

ALBANY, N.Y. -- One of my favorite things to do in training camp is watch practice through a scout's eyes. I've watched college football with Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland before, and he's always noticing things that go way beyond whether a guy catches the ball or misses a block.

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to stand next to Giants general manager Jerry Reese for about 30 minutes during the team's morning session. He watched intently to see how this year's rookies reacted to certain situations -- and he attempted to temper my enthusiasm for third-round pick Ramses Barden, who's on the verge of being named camp MVP -- by me.

Anyway, here are the highlights from my epic interview with Reese:

	AP Photo/Bill Kostroun
	Giants general manager Jerry Reese is keeping a close eye on the rookies.

MM: Is it just me or is Ramses Barden taking over this camp right now?

Reese: He's big and he catches everything. He's a quick learner and he's gigantic. He's got a huge strike zone. He had the stigma of the small school, but so did [Kevin] Boss. If a guy doesn't jump off the screen at a small school, he can't play at this level. Barden jumped off the screen. And he didn't look out of place at the combine. And if you talk to him, he's very bright. We expect him to play right from the start.

MM: Do first-round guys like Hakeem Nicks not know how to pace themselves in practice? Is that why so many receivers get hurt in training camp? I remember it happened to Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas for the Redskins last season.

Reese: Yeah, especially your No. 1s. They think they have to be better than anyone else and they get overcooked. All he can do is take mental reps. But it's tough having guys like that out because quarterbacks have to get used to their body language. [A tremendous catch by Derek Hagan interrupts Reese's train of thought.]

MM: How's Steve Smith responding to becoming one of the "veterans" of the receiving corps?

Reese: He's very confident. He was almost NFL-ready when he came out of USC. He's not afraid of competition. People keep talking about how Smith and Domenik [Hixon] only combined for 50 catches or something, but they were only part-time players. You may end up doubling some of those numbers this season. And (Mario) Manningham and Sinorice Moss had good springs. We threw the ball to Moss 12 times last season and he had 12 catches. There were no drops, no missed assignments.

MM: How has David Tyree looked after the long layoff?

Reese: He's still coming off the injury, but he's back in a good position. He's a true gamer. You have to remember that he went to a Pro Bowl as a special teamer.

MM: Who's your No. 2 running back right now?

Reese: (Ahmad) Bradshaw's definitely our No. 2 right now. But the other two guys are nipping at his heels. We want to make guys earn their jobs. That's a heated position battle right there. Andre Brown is everything we thought he would be. He reminded us of Derrick Ward and we were giddy when he was there in the fourth.

MM: Is picking up the blitz one of the toughest things for rookie running backs?

Reese: Yeah, you can just look at a guy like Brandon Jacobs and know that. When he first got up here, he just wanted to run the ball. But one of my favorite things from the throw to Plaxico (Burress) to win the Super Bowl was when Jacobs slid over and blocked No. 37 (Rodney Harrison). No. 37 was getting ready to hit Eli in the earhole. That play never happens if Jacobs doesn't pick him up.

MM: Looking back, what was the biggest factor in you guys faltering down the stretch last season?

Reese: We were fine for three-quarters of the season and then we got banged up on the line and didn't have the firepower to get after the quarterback. (Fred) Robbins was playing with two broken hands, Tuck's foot and knee were banged up and (Mathias) Kiwanuka was fighting through things. We couldn't get Donovan McNabb on third-and-20 [in the Divisional playoff game]. There were a lot of turning points in that game, but that was a big one.

MM: Why do you think Chris Canty's a good fit here?

Reese: We liked his versatility. And we played against him twice a year and he gave us headaches. He and Tuck can go inside or outside.

MM: What's going on with Eli Manning's contract?

Reese: I told our guys here that the contract wasn't done. I didn't care what they wrote, but it's not done. No contract is easy to do, and nothing surprises me when it comes to personnel. Until you have a name on the dotted line, it's not done.

MM: Will you get it done before the start of the season?

Reese: I'm hopeful that will happen, yeah.

MM: I keep hearing people say that Kenny Phillips will have a breakout season. What sets him apart from other safeties in the league?

Reese: First of all, he's having a great camp. He's got some star qualities. There's just a calmness about him. It never looks like he's straining hard. Everything comes easy for him.

MM: Are you still hopeful that Michael Boley can be a productive player this season?

Reese: Yeah, he's outstanding in coverage. We think he can help us cover the running back in Philadelphia (Brian Westbrook), the tight end in Dallas (Jason Witten) and
the tight end for the Redskins (Chris Cooley).

MM: Did it give the team a lift when Antonio (Pierce) wasn't indicted in the Burress case?

Reese: It gave us a little lift. It was a weight off his shoulders. We're happy he's here. It feels like he has something to prove.

MM: Why'd you finally decide to cut your losses with Plaxico?

Reese: You don't want to get rid of a good player. But you have to see the big picture. You've got these other 52 guys. We tried to make it work, but teams have to change sometimes.

MM: What did you learn from last season?

Reese: Well, I learned a lot of things. We got hit right out of the gate last year with a Hall of Famer retiring (Michael Strahan) and a Pro Bowler (Umenyiora) going down. We made it through three quarters of the season, but then we got worn down. I'll try not to let that happen again. We have to sustain the madness up front.

MM: What's the competition like between Rhett Bomar and Andre Woodson for the third quarterback spot?

Reese: Bomar looks like a rookie playing quarterback. But he's got good velocity on the ball. That will be a heated battle in the preseason. Bomar's just trying to figure everything out. Woodson's ahead of the curve because he's been around here. Both of them have good skill sets.

Posted by ESPN.com staff

Dallas Cowboys

• The Dallas Morning News' Jean-Jacques Taylor still wishes the Cowboys' new stadium was in Dallas instead of Arlington.
• Tony Romo finished second in the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship over the weekend.

New York Giants

• The Giants have announced they will cut prices for some of the remaining seats for their new stadium that will open next year.
• Quarterback Andre' Woodson takes his turn answering The Star-Ledger's summer questionnaire.

Philadelphia Eagles

• Quintin Demps knows he's going to have to fight for the starting safety position.
• Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer looks for questions the Eagles must answer as they prepare to start training camp.
  

Washington Redskins

• With training camp on the horizon, The Washington Times examines the Redskins' quarterbacks.
  

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

For those of you who've followed the life and times of former Kentucky quarterback Andre' Woodson, he's back on the Giants practice squad. Offensive tackle Cliff Louis out of Morgan State was released to make room for Woodson.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

My friends at The Legend of Cecilio Guante blog have nominated the Kansas City Chiefs as having the worst quarterbacking trio in the NFL. If you've been fortunate enough not to watch the Chiefs this season, they're now going with former Coastal Carolina great Tyler Thigpen as the starter.

The underappreciated Ingle Martin IV, one of Brett Favre's backups in Green Bay, is currently the No. 2 man in K.C. And occupying the third spot is former Jacksonville quarterback Quinn Gray. When signing Quinn Gray gives your offense instant credibility, you've got problems.

Guante also brings up the Detroit Lions' trio, but I think the addition of Drew Henson gives them too much name recognition to be the worst in football. The Guante blog entry has inspired me to rank the best quarterbacking trios in the NFC East. The worst thing that can happen to a trio is for one of the backups to actually receive playing time -- as you're seeing with Brad Johnson right now in Dallas. Now, I present the first annual NFC Beast quarterbacking trio power rankings:

1. Washington Redskins: Jason Campbell has emerged as one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the league. He never turns the ball over and he can extend plays with his feet. Campbell's backup, Todd Collins, is easily the best backup in the division. He led the Redskins' improbable playoff run last December and he's the perfect caretaker quarterback. Colt Brennan is streaky, but he showed enough during preseason to stick around for at least a year.

2. Philadelphia Eagles: Donovan McNabb has been up and down this season, but he's still an effective quarterback. I think Kevin Kolb made huge strides this past offseason, and he would fill in nicely for McNabb. The third quarterback, A.J. Feeley, hasn't lived up to expectations, but he can definitely get you through a game or two. He's one of the best third-string quarterbacks in football. The Cowboys would kill to have Feeley right now.

3. New York Giants: With Eli Manning, you have a quarterback who's been through a lot in a relatively short amount of time. He was remarkable during last season's Super Bowl run, and that did wonders for his confidence. David Carr hasn't come close to living up to expectations, but that has a lot to do with the fact that he took about a 1,000 sacks in Houston. For a short stretch, Carr could actually get you a couple wins. Behind this line, he could use his mobility to find receivers downfield. Even though he's on the practice squad, we'll count Andre Woodson (oops, he's been cut) as the third guy. GM Jerry Reese likes the fact that Woodson has a chip on his shoulder and the former Kentucky great does some nice things.

4. Dallas Cowboys: You can make an argument that Tony Romo is the best quarterback in the division, but his backups are dreadful. Brad Johnson has had a nice career, but the speed of the game last Sunday appeared to catch him by surprise. With a team that likes to throw downfield, Johnson is a liability. Brooks Bollinger is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, but his 2-8 record as a starter isn't too impressive. Does he give you a better chance to win than Johnson? I actually think so.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Mike Garafolo of the Star-Ledger is reporting that the following Giants have been released today:

QB Anthony Wright
QB Andre' Woodson
FB Robert Douglas
WR Marcus Monk
WR Brandon London
TE Eric Butler
TE Jerome Collins
OL Kurt Quarterman
OL Na'Shan Goddard
OL Andrew Bain
OL Digger Bujnoch
DE Wallace Gilberry
DE Alex Morrow
DT Jeremy Clark
DT Ogemdi Nwagbuo
LB Tank Daniels
LB James Terry
CB Geoffrey Pope
S Stuart Schweigert
OL Cliff Louis
CB Darren Barnett

Once the list is official, I'll provide some analysis. I assume the Giants will try to add Woodson to their practice squad, but another team looking to develop a young quarterback (the Cowboys) might swoop him up. The biggest surprise I see is defensive end Wallace Gilberry. Defensive end Justin Tuck was raving about Gilberry when I talked to him in Albany two weeks ago. I thought he made a pretty big impression on the Giants' coaches. Now, the Giants will try to sneak him onto the practice squad.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Is anyone else already tired of the Giants' chip-on-their-shoulder storyline? I've never understood why otherwise logical human beings have to manufacture slights in order to become motivated. If a kid who once had first-round value slips into the sixth round (Andre Woodson), then it's OK to talk about proving the doubters wrong.

But the fact that highly intelligent men like linebacker Antonio Pierce and center Shaun O'Hara are actually motivated by the ESPN.com power rankings is baffling to me. Gentlemen, you won a Super Bowl in spectacular fashion. Why in the world would you be concerned what bloggers think of your chances in 2008?

All that to say .... Keep Reading!

Now, let's take a look at what they're saying about those underdog New York Giants. I noticed two more stories about the "disrespected" champs over the weekend, but I skipped over those for today's serving of headlines:

• Here's a nice story in the New York Times about cornerback Aaron Ross and his girlfriend, Sanya Richards, a favorite to win gold in the 400-meter in the upcoming Olympics in Bejing. Ross and I have exchanged voice messages recently regarding this topic, but I hope to sit down and visit with him on the day Richards is competing in the final. I think it's actually Tuesday already in Bejing, but I'm not certain of that.

• Apparently all the New York writers conspired to write this story over the weekend. Here's Ralph Vacchiano's take.

• Veteran Danny Clark appears to be leaving Gerris Wilkinson behind in the battle for starting weak side linebacker. I watched Wilkinson in the Giants-Patriots regular-season finale last season and thought he was pretty impressive. But the former Georgia Tech player has never been able to stay on the field because of injury.

• As we reported last night during the Colts-Redskins thriller, Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress has resumed some light running.

• Defensive end Dave Tollefson will play in a preseason game Thursday and become a father the next day. He's one of the few guys who turned a Home Depot gig into a Super Bowl ring.

• It's been eight years since five people working Giants camp were struck by lightning.