Ernie Accorsi, GM of the Giants, vocally supported Tom Coughlin on Tuesday, despite Sunday's embarrassing loss and what Jeremy Shockey said when it was over. "I support Tom 100%," Accorsi said. "He's got to lead this football team. It's not an easy job. I'm aware of that. We're in such a different era now because things are so open and public so you just have to be able to live with these things. That's the way the game is today. You don't overreact to it. You don't take things personally."

Jeremy Shockey didn't flat-out apologize for his remarks following the Giants' Week 3 loss to the Seahawks, but he did sound contrite. "I'm very team-oriented and I do let my emotions get to me," Shockey said. "It's the competitive nature of me," Shockey added. "I don't like to lose. I don't like to lose at anything. The way we played as a team, it's not this team and it's not this organization."

New York's volatile tight end Jeremy Shockey criticized coach Tom Coughlin after the Giants fell behind by 35 points early before losing to Seattle 42-30 on Sunday. "We got outplayed, and outcoached. Write that down," Shockey said. Asked what he meant by outcoached, Shockey said, "You saw the game."

New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress missed practice on Thursday with stiffness in his back. Burress, who caught a touchdown pass in overtime to give New York a win over Philadelphia last weekend, is listed as probable for Sunday's game in Seattle. Coach Tom Coughlin expects Burress to practice Friday.

Tiki Barber has what he called "a deep bruise" on his left forearm, right near the spot where he broke that arm back in 2000. But precautionary X-rays came back negative, and he said yesterday that the injury "is nothing." "I actually got it last week against the Colts," Barber said. "It went away and I thought it would be fine, but I got hit again in the same spot. I always use this arm to fend people off and they just wanted to make sure that my previous fracture wasn't disrupted. "But it's fine. It's calloused and it looks beautiful."

The opening weekend of the NFL season will have a brotherly feel. Peyton Manning faces his younger brother Eli for the first time Sunday when the Colts visit the Giants to highlight Week One. While the Manning Bowl will be a prime time affair, there are plenty of other storylines that will be played out as America's No. 1 sport kicks off its 87th season.

Former NFL running back Dave Meggett was charged with second-degree rape of his former girlfriend. Meggett, who played for 10 seasons with the Giants, Patriots and Jets, is accused of raping the 27-year-old woman Wednesday or Thursday at her home, Pitt County Sheriff's Detective P.E. Moore said Friday.