When Giants DL Dave Tollefson suffered a knee injury against the Eagles in Week 15, he got an earful to get back into the game. From his mother.

The Giants could be getting more help at receiver as Steve Smith was reportedly running routes at practice on Wednesday according to coach Tom Coughlin and WR Hakeem Nicks told reporters that he wants to return soon, maybe as soon as Week 14 vs. the Vikings. A return by the receivers would coincide with the heart of the fantasy playoffs.

Another week of film works brings the latest edition of Four Downs, with a look at a few things that caught my eye. Enjoy Week 12 everyone.

You have to say this for Giants defensive coordinator <strong>Perry Fewell</strong>, at least he has guts. In a profession where coaches go out of their way to compliment opposing teams, make the opposition seem better than they are (cue former Notre Dame coach <strong>Lou Holtz</strong> talking up Navy), Fewell may be a breath of fresh air.

The concern over how to slow down Michael Vick is currently most pressing for Tom Coughlin, Perry Fewell and the rest of the Giants, who face the Eagles on Sunday.

Hey look, the Eagles have finally stopped scoring. Week 10 is in the books. Here are some of the highlights.

One thing that has become apparent to me this season is the impact of Tom Coughlin on the Giants’ group of wide receivers.

Three weeks into the season, it could be argued a number of NFL coaches might find themselves on the hot seat — loosely defined as a barometer for being in danger of losing their jobs. Charles Davis and Michael Lombardi were tasked with “buying” or “selling” a list of five head coaches: Mike Singletary, Tom Coughlin, Jack Del Rio, John Fox and Tom Cable. Both used a mulligan on Fox, who is widely thought to be coaching his last season in Carolina. The results were also unanimous on selling on the futures of Del Rio in Jacksonville and Cable in Oakland. Agree? Disagree? Watch the video and leave your take below.

It’s been a rough run for Brandon Jacobs, who stood in front of his locker on Wednesday and offered an extended apology.

It’s the morning after … nine games were on the NFL preseason slate on Saturday night, so let’s take a bullet-point look on thoughts and observations from around the league.

Normally you do not pay too much attention to receivers with this single-digit number during the preseason. Those are typically the practice bodies that will have an awesome story to tell their grandchildren about how they went to training camp with the New York Giants.

A year ago at this time, the only thing you heard about the New York Giants was that they had no wide receivers. Now it’s the least of the worries for the Giants.

Tom Coughlin cautions about reading too much into the competition between Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs, but according to Michael Lombardi, one of the backs is clearly the better option for the Giants.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin said the work Kenny Phillips does with trainers during the first week of training camp will determine how quickly he returns to the field. The plan all along has been to work Phillips back slowly.

Legendary college basketball coach John Wooden died Friday at the age of 99. While he built a dynasty at UCLA, winning 10 titles, his reach went well beyond the hardwood. NFL figures are weighing in with what Wooden meant to the sporting world.