FanHouse JustinTuck

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The most exciting thing that happened at New York Giants minicamp Wednesday was a press conference to announce Timex as the naming-rights sponsor for the team's new training facility here -- the "Timex Performance Center." It's a beautiful complex, but unless you're the ones pocketing $35 million from the deal over the next 15 years, this wasn't exactly the stuff of big headlines.

That's fine with the Giants, who got their fill of headlines at last year's minicamp.

Coming off a Super Bowl championship, the Giants convened last year amid loud, obnoxious Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress contract controversies. Neither of those players was on the team by year's end, but they were here a year ago, and they were making it noisy. This year ... not so much. And Tom Coughlin couldn't be happier about it.

Sometimes it's not only about football.

Well, football is important -- the sport helps some go to college, and if you're lucky enough, you go to the NFL. Giants defensive end Justin Tuck is about helping people, and is using football to do it.

Tuesday night at Chelsea Piers in New York, Tuck, along with several people associated with athletics on and off the field, will talk to about 150 kids in high school and college about the importance of using sports as a means to better their lives. The program is put on as part of the New Yorkers For Children organization.

Tuck will be joined by former NBA star Alonzo Mourning and CJ Brown, a former football player at Columbia, who now works for JP Morgan.

As the regular season concluded, the FanHouse football writers all got together in a secret meeting in Will Brinson's mother's basement to discuss the players of the year. Who was the best coach? Which rookie stood out? Who was the most valuable player?

After much deliberation (and tons of meatloaf), here are the FanHouse NFL Award Winners. Only players/coaches who got votes were included in the final results.

Defensive Player of the Year

Justin Tuck, NY Giants -- 10 percent
Shaun Rogers, Cleveland -- 10 percent
Albert Haynesworth, Tennessee -- 15 percent
Jared Allen, Minnesota -- 20 percent
DeMarcus Ware, Dallas -- 45 percent

His last game not withstanding, can you really argue with 20 sacks? The Cowboys' linebacker was also involved in 84 tackles and six forced fumbles in 2008.

It's entirely arguable that the way the New York Giants played in Week 17 against the Patriots, despite losing, propelled them into the postseason and eventually to a Super Bowl win.

Of course, you could also argue that such a discussion is pointless. Whatever. My main point is that Tom Coughlin typically -- as he wrote in a book -- does not believe in resting players in the final week of the season if there's nothing at stake.

"It is a difficult decision," Coughlin wrote after noting that many NFL coaches bench their stars in similar situations. "It becomes clear that the media and fans care more about a playoff game and therefore don't want our first-teamers to play. But I feel differently."

Naturally, then, you would expect to see every single Giant -- including Justin Tuck and Brandon Jacobs, both recently banged up -- playing full games against the Vikings this Sunday. Or perhaps not; it appears, judging by the somewhat hemming nature of a recent statement to the media, that Coughlin might have changed his tune.

"My answer to all of your questions will be that in conjunction with the medical people and with the idea of improving our game, having individuals perform at a higher level than we did in the last game, which is always our theme, we will do the best thing for our football team," Coughlin said.

"What's best for the Giants" and "Play every game like it's win or go home" are two entirely different statements. And while Coughlin isn't the type of guy to go back on his word, I don't think, he would be doing exactly that if the Giants don't pull out all the stops to beat the Vikings on Sunday.

For every Terrell Owens or Chad Johnson who views the game through ego-colored glasses, it's good to know that there are other NFL stars that realize that they aren't the only good player at their position.

Falcons defensive end John Abraham found out this week that he was shut out of the Pro Bowl despite an outstanding season. But instead of complaining about the injustice of it all, he simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Everybody deserved to make it," said Abraham. "Everybody who made it, made it. They deserved to make it. I just didn't make it, that's all."

You've got to respect Abraham's very rational response to what had to be a serious disappointment. Abraham had a good enough season to be a Pro Bowler, but realistically he lost his chance to be a Pro Bowler when the Vikings traded for Jared Allen. With Allen in the NFC, there were five outstanding defensive ends for three spots.

Minnesota's Allen, Carolina's Julius Peppers and New York's Justin Tuck ended up making it, while Abraham and Green Bay's Aaron Kampman were left out. While Abraham is having a great year, he doesn't play nearly as many snaps as Allen, Peppers or Tuck, which makes it hard to argue that his absence is any kind of an injustice.

The AFC and NFC Pro Bowlers were announced a short while ago, and why make some pointless comment you are sure not to laugh at when we can just give you the rosters instead? Here goes.

With attention spans dwindling, we forego full game-by-game previews to give you the essentials you need to know about every contest this glorious NFL weekend. Click here to go back in time.

The 1s

Minnesota (7-5) at Detroit (0-12): I'm a huge fan of the "Well, if the Lions are going to win, this is the game to do it" theory. But they're going to stop Adrian Peterson? Really? Sure, it might be their best shot to win, but how does AP not go for 200 yards and three touchdowns in this game?

Also, I'd like to bring up this point we FanHousers discussed the other day. If you had to start your team around one player, who would it be? I initially thought Peterson until I realized that, as good as he is, running backs can go down with any injury (see Tomlinson, LaDainian) and never be the same. I heard a few names go around, like Justin Tuck and Albert Haynesworth. I really believe I'd go with either Matt Ryan or Mario Williams. You'd never go receiver because there are too many out there (unless you were Matt Millen). You want a young defensive player, like Williams, or a quarterback that can win, like Ryan. What are your thoughts?

Pick: Minnesota

Each week in the NFL, there are players that impress and players that distress. One week a certain quarterback might toss four touchdowns and run around with his finger in the air while the next he's laying on his back, holding his facemask as the other team returns one of his three interceptions for the game-winning score. With that in mind, here's Studs and Duds.

Here's Week 13 at a glance, where we point out the horses destined for the Kentucky Derby and jeer those headed to the glue factory. (Disclaimer: This will only be for the Sunday games, since you probably can't even remember the Thursday games at this point.)

Studs

Mark Clayton, WR Baltimore (5 catches, 164 yards, 1 TD, 1-for-1 passing, 32 yards, 1 TD) -- Trick plays hardly ever seem to work these days, maybe because they are used with such regularity, or maybe because defenses are too fast to be fooled. I guess I should rework that first sentence a bit -- "Trick plays hardly ever work these days, unless you are playing the Bengals." Clayton had an absolutely bananas grab with one hand for his touchdown pass from Joe Flacco, and then tossed one to Derrick Mason for another score in the Ravens' rout. Clayton doubled his previous yardage total for the season and helped move Baltimore to, wait for it, 8-4 and still an outside chance at a playoff birth.

This is a few days late but still merits a mention: the league, for the second week in a row, has rescinded a player fine after common sense prevailed over the randomness of the NFL Plinko Board.

Last Friday we learned that Giants defensive end Justin Tuck wouldn't have to pay $7,500 for sacking Cowboys stand-in Brooks Bollinger, thanks to a pardon from the commissioner.

And yesterday came news that Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss will get to keep his 20 grand for making some nebulous comments about the sorry state of officiating. You see, Mike Pereira, NFL head of officials, WILL NOT STAND FOR CRITICISM, which sorta makes him a taller, better-coiffed Kim Jong-il (but nowhere near the golfer).

Moss's original comments following the Week 9 loss to the Colts:

During last week's loss to the Bengals, Jaguars defensive tackle John Henderson decided that trying to remove Andrew Whitworth's eyeballs with his fingers might be a way to bring energy to his team. It's not as effective as flexing your muscles, apparently, but desperate times, measures and whatnot.

You can see Henderson in all his professional wrasslin' glory below:



And yesterday we learned that the going rate for eye-gouging with the intent to blind* is $15,000, at least according to the NFL Plinko Board. Of course, this is the same outfit who fined Justin Tuck for making a legal tackle only to have commissioner Roger Goodell explain that legal tackles are, you know, legal.

Whitworth was also fined $10K because he threw a punch, but there should probably be allowances for self defense, especially if it's in an effort to save your sight. Just outside-the-boxing it there.

"I just pushed [Henderson] past the quarterback, and he fell to the ground," Whitworth said. "But he held onto my facemask and ripped my helmet off. I turned to go back to the play, and the next thing I knew, I felt him grabbing at my eyeballs. I really didn't know what to do when someone's fingers are trying to dig into my eyes."

Not punch him for one, Andrew. That'll cost you 10 large, forget that you were just protecting yourself. Also acceptable answer: don't dance, don't jump into the stands, don't honor fallen teammates, and absolutely NO BONGOS. Llello, on the other hand...

* wild speculation