With Lavar Arrington gone for the season, the New York Giants bolstered their linebacking corps. The Giants on Monday signed free-agent linebacker Chris Claiborne. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, and the team has not yet announced a corresponding roster move.

Giants receiver Plaxico Burress said he was slipping all over the Texas Stadium turf Monday night, but to Terrell Owens when he slipped in the fourth quarter and went feet-first on a pass thrown his way was something different. "No, he was being a coward," Burress said. "He was sliding into home plate like it was the World Series because he didn't want to take a shot."

Tiki Barber has received a lot of criticism for his announcement that he will retire after this season. On Tuesday, he fired back loudly on his own radio show that he hosts with his brother Ronde. "...I will call them idiots, because they have neither spoken to me, nor any one of my teammates or any of my coaches," Barber said. "Yet all they do is criticize me for being a distraction with this retirement thing." Barber went on to single out his critics. "And that includes (The Daily News') Gary Myers," he said. "That includes Tom Jackson on ESPN. That includes the ultimate character guy, facetiously speaking of course, Michael Irvin (ESPN). Please get a clue on how to be a journalist. "Don't make blanket assumptions about it (retirement). And obviously, as was evidenced (Monday) night, I am a huge distraction to the New York Giants."

Carolina has released linebacker Rod Davis. He could draw interest from the New York Giants, who lost LaVar Arrington on Monday night.

Michael Irvin accused Tiki Barber on Monday night of "quitting" on the Giants when he confirmed last week that he plans to retire after the season. Barber has been criticized by other commentators, including Irvin's fellow ESPN analyst, Tom Jackson, who last night said Barber's situation "has distracted his team from the task at hand." Irvin said Barber's status as a leader will be damaged. He imagined being a young player to whom Barber says: "'Michael, let's get it going, get it going.' I'm looking at him like, 'What are you talking about? You're quitting on us.'" Later, Irvin said of Barber's timing, "To me, in my head, that's quitting. That's not retiring."

Lavar Arrington tore his left Achilles tendon and is likely out for the season, and defensive end Osi Umenyiora missed most of the second half with a strained hip. Arrington was a key free agent signing for the Giants.

LaVar Arrington, linebacker for the Giants, was helped onto a cart and driven off the field midway through the second quarter of Monday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys. The team did not immediately say what was wrong, but trainers were evaluating his left Achilles tendon.

Michael Strahan and Tiki Barber have both talked openly about the end of their careers, and Strahan is three years older than Barber. But the 34-year-old defensive end has no plans to retire with the running back. "Don't try to loop me into that because Tiki said he's quitting, and don't try to loop me into sitting here and telling you that I'm going to quit and I'm going to start crying on TV, or anything like that," Strahan said. "It's not going to happen. I don't know what I'm doing. Heck, I thought about not getting up this morning, to be honest with you. But I'm going to be here and I will hopefully be here for a little while longer."

Antonio Pierce, linebacker for the Giants, has been fined $12,500 by the NFL for his hit on Falcons quarterback Michael Vick late in the fourth quarter of the Giants' 27-14 win over Atlanta last Sunday. Pierce said yesterday he was unaware of whether he'd be fined.

During the New York Giants' practice Thursday morning, Brandon Jacobs made eye contact with Tiki Barber and held up a single finger. It wasn't one of those "We're No. 1" things. It was more a plea from the young backup halfback to the 31-year-old star to stay for one more season instead of retiring, has Barber has indicated he is likely to do at the end of the season. "I am trying to get him back for one more," Jacobs said. "I'm doing the same thing they are trying to do upstairs. Give me one more. If he does decide to walk away from the game, I know what I have to do. The job is mine to lose."