Ray Handley could not have picked a better game for his regular-season debut as coach of the New York Giants.
Having the Giants play the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night is one of those no-brainers. All you have to do is worry about the game plan.There is no need to worry whether the players will be up.
"The fact that we are playing the 49ers is certainly enough motivation," Handley said. "I've heard Bill (Parcells) say enough times `If you can't get up for this game, then you are in the wrong profession.' That's certainly the case here."
While the Giants-49ers series has not reached the rivalry level that New York has with its NFC East opponents, it's pretty close.
Who can forget how last year's regular-season game ended, with Phil Simms and Ronnie Lott standing toe-to-toe and screaming in each other's face after San Francisco's 7-3 win?
New York would get its revenge in the NFC championship game as Matt Bahr kicked a last-second field goal to send the Giants to the Super Bowl, where they defeated the Buffalo Bills 20-19.
"You talk about the last five years and you have four of the Super Bowl trophies residing in these two places," Handley said. "We've played them six times in that period and we split three and three, and most have been close."
This meeting will have some obvious changes. Handley has replaced Parcells. Lott has left the 49ers. The quarterbacks also are going to be new.
Longtime backups Steve Young and Jeff Hostetler are now in control. Young replaces an injured Joe Montana, who will miss at least the first four weeks of the season, and Hostetler beat out Simms for the No. 1 job.
Both quarterbacks present the same problems for the opposing defenses in that they are very mobile.
"The problem for us is that with Montana, we know what he is going to do," cornerback Everson Walls said. "You don't always know what Young is going to do."
Young said he doesn't go on the field planning to run.
"I don't want the ball to be in my hands at the end of the play," Young said. "We've got too many good players out there for the ball to be in my hands. I have to get the ball to my guys."
Jerry Rice continues to be the 49ers' big target. He caught 14 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns as San Francisco went 5-0 in the preseason.
New York struggled a little offensively in the preseason and finished with a 2-2 mark.
"I have tried to impress upon the offense that we can't get in situations that we allowed ourselves to get into last week, that take us out of our game plan," Handley said. "We have to eliminate the penalties and mistakes. We can't go into the game and put ourselves in first-and-20 and second-and-15 situations."
Handley, who had been the Giants running backs coach for the past seven years, said he won't spend Sunday watching other NFL games. Instead he'll review the offensive game plan. He is serving as his own offensive coordinator.
"The free time I have in the afternoon will be used to just step back and spend some time in my own thoughts and get ready for the game," Handley said.