Football
Associated Press 17y

Testy Coughlin wants Giants paying attention to Texans, not Bears

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Mentioning the Chicago Bears to New
York Giants coach Tom Coughlin wasn't the right thing to do
Wednesday, not with the Houston Texans coming to town this weekend.

As soon as Coughlin heard the word "Bears," his tone changed
and his voice conveyed his anger.

"We don't think about that at all," a testy Coughlin said.
"This next game is the most important game of our schedule, OK? I
don't even want to entertain questions about that. The next game is
the most important game that we'll play, and that's against
Houston."

The game between the Bears (7-0) and the Giants (5-2) on Nov. 12
has been getting increased attention in recent weeks with Chicago
going undefeated and the Giants riding a four-game winning streak.

The concern among Giants fans is that this Sunday's game against
the struggling Texans (2-5) is one of those potential trap games,
or letdown games.

Call it what you want, but either way, the fear is that a team
is so focused on the big game, players forget to show up for one
against a team they should beat.

Coughlin was having none of it. He noted the Texans have had 776
yards in total offense the past two games and that they held
Tennessee to 197 yards in an error-plagued 28-22 loss. Not to be
overlooked is Houston's 24-7 win over Jacksonville on Oct. 22.

"They are a talented football team who has not only have they
made a change in the coach, but they've also gone out and gotten
players through free agency and through the draft who are
contributing strongly to their team. They've always been a strong
special teams outfit, and nothing has changed that way," Coughlin
said

Only hours earlier, Coughlin delivered the same message to his
team.

Almost to a man, players parroted their coach's concerns about
Houston.

Rookie defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka said the only piece of
advice Coughlin offered on the Bears game was not to think about.

"We have to play the game, we just can't overlook Houston,"
receiver Plaxico Burress added. "They are a very good opponent, a
very good defensive team from what I've seen."

Had it not been for five turnovers, Burress said the Texans
would have beaten the Titans on Sunday.

Safety Gibril Wilson laughed when told the Coughlin got annoyed
when asked about Chicago.

"Why are you even bringing up Chicago?" Wilson said. "We have
to take it one week at a time. I don't even know who we are playing
next week. This week is Houston and David Carr."

Texans coach Gary Kubiak doesn't expect the Giants to have a
letdown this week, not with Coughlin harping about it and Pro
Bowlers such as Michael Strahan and Tiki Barber providing
leadership on both sides of the ball.

"They're full of veteran guys that you can tell, they know
they're on to something special and they have a great football
team," Kubiak said. "We'll get their best shot."

Veteran offensive tackle Bob Whitfield was one of the few
players who acknowledged that teams do have letdowns. He also said
there is a way to prevent them: just show up ready to play and
dominate.

"When you do that, it says these guys aren't overlooking
anyone, they're handling everybody," Whitfield said.

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