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Thunder, lightning and more Giants got contributions from WRs against Eagles as well
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Thunder and Lightning weren't the only New York Giants getting the best of the Philadelphia Eagles this season. Receivers Ike Hilliard and Amani Toomer were just as good as Ron Dayne and Tiki Barber, maybe even better. Toomer had 16 catches for 188 yards and two touchdowns and Hilliard had 13 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown in the Giants' two lopsided wins against Philadelphia in the regular season. "I can't explain it," Hilliard said Thursday. "We've been pretty efficient. We've put ourselves in some good situations on third down and converted. We ran the ball pretty well and we had balance. Hopefully, we can get that done again." While the Giants (12-4) dominated the earlier games, they insist the Eagles (12-5) have improved since their last meeting on Oct. 29. Philadelphia looked a lot better last weekend, holding Tampa Bay to 199 total yards in a 21-3 win against the Bucs. Shaun King was limited to 171 yards on 17-of-31 passing. "You can't dwell on the past," Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter. "We're a more physical team, and disciplined at the same time." Giants head coach Jim Fassel said that his team played almost two perfect games against Philadelphia in controlling the ball for almost 83 of 120 minutes, led by Dayne and Barber, who got the nicknames Thunder and Lightning largely through their efforts in the two games. The Giants didn't turn the ball over once against the Eagles, the running game produced 319 yards and the receivers found the soft spots in the zone. "When I look at both games, there are a lot of times I'm saying, 'That was a heck of throw and a heck of a catch.'", Fassel said. The head coach said there were times when the Eagles' defensive backs were right there, only to be beaten by a great throw or a great catch. "It's not like their guys can't cover them, or we're bigger or faster," Fassel said. While Toomer said the Giants match up well against the Eagles secondary, he also said they made plays. "We've caught a lot of short stuff and caught some stuff and had a lot run after the catches," said Toomer, who finished the season with a flourish, catching 20 passes for 387 yards and two touchdowns in his last three games. "For some reason, we're getting a lot of opportunities. We don't get a lot of opportunities and every time we get the ball we want to make something happen." Eagles safety Damon Moore said the Giants mixed things up well and got plays from everyone, particularly the receivers. "There aren't going to be any surprises," Moore said. "They hurt us passing the ball in both games. It's something we need to do better against." Whether they can do that remains to be seen, especially if the Giants play as well as they did in the first two games. "I'll speak for myself," Giants cornerback Jason Sehorn said. "If someone is continuously one up on you, it's in your head. I don't think it will inhibit them, but in the back of their minds, it's there."
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