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EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Bill Parcells went 2-0 at Giants Stadium last season. He hopes to close out this season with another win at his former home Sunday night when the
Dallas Cowboys visit the New York Giants.
It has not been a pleasant year for Parcells, who has watched the Cowboys go from a playoff team to one that will finish below .500. But at least Dallas has two first-round picks in the 2005 draft and room under the salary cap to pursue free agents.
Last season, Parcells won both of his games here, beating the Giants, 35-32 and the
New York Jets, 17-6.
The Giants have entrusted their future with coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 draft. Unfortunately, they sent a first-round pick in the 2005 draft in the trade for Manning, who has lost his first six starts since replacing Kurt Warner.
Since getting off to a 5-2 start, including a 26-10 win at Dallas on October 10, the Giants have lost eight straight, matching a streak to close out the 2003 season under former coach Jim Fassel. They last lost nine consecutive games in 1976.
To make matters worse, some unidentified players stated that they hated playing for Coughlin in a story reported by the New York Post. Neither Coughlin or general manager Ernie Accorsi commented on the report.
But it's clear that Coughlin's rules have antagonized some members of the team. Cornerback Will Peterson was removed from the starting lineup by Coughlin for arriving late for a team meeting and insinuated there are problems in the locker room.
"I'm just saying there has to be a problem if we keep losing close games and keep doing things to lose," Peterson said. "It's got to be something with our attitude, it's got to be something with our mentality, it's got to be something innate that you can't put your finger on in order for us to keep losing like this."
But Tiki Barber, the Giants' lone Pro Bowl player, defended his coach's disciplinary rules.
"Playing for Tom Coughlin takes a certain level of maturity, he expects that out of his players," Barber said. "I think it's important for guys not to try to fight the system because it's not gonna change. It's just the way he is. I think guys understand where he's coming from but some may just not like it. It's just a few, you get that on every team, in any year."
Barber set a franchise record with his ninth 100-yard rushing game last week in a 23-22 loss to Cincinnati, surpassing Joe Morris, who had eight in 1986. He set a career-high with 1,423 yards and needs 94 Sunday to break Morris' single-season record of 1,516. Barber also needs 66 yards to break Rodney Hampton's career franchise record of 6,897 yards.
Barber recorded 198 total yards - 122 rushing and 76 receiving - and scored a touchdown in the Giants' win at Dallas earlier this season.
Coughlin gets another chance to beat his mentor. Coughlin was a wide receivers coach under Parcells from 1988-90 with the Giants. Their last year together was the last time New York won the
Super Bowl.
It also will be a homecoming of sorts for Cowboys quarterback Vinny Testaverde, who spent the last six years with the Jets. Last week, Testaverde connected with rookie Patrick Crayton on a 39-yard touchdown with 30 seconds left in the Cowboys' 13-10 win over Washington.
Matchup to watch: Giants right tackle David Diehl faces left end Greg Ellis, who leads the Cowboys with nine sacks.
Series: Dallas leads, 50-32-2.
