GIANT NOTES
CHICAGO – Heading into this season, the Giants were confident that Brad Daluiso would make a complete return from the severe knee injury that curtailed his 1999 season. Daluiso ripped up knee ligaments in his left (non-kicking) leg and took it easy during training camp. But there are signs that all might not be well with the Giants kicker.
The first time he touched the ball yesterday, Daluiso’s first-quarter kickoff sailed only to the 11-yard line. This was quite a comedown from his past form, when Daluiso was one of the best kickoff performers in the league. It was the start of a fairly nightmarish first half for Daluiso.
In the second quarter, he missed a 34-yard field goal that would have given the Giants a 10-0 lead. It was only the fifth miss inside 40 yards in Daluiso’s 10-year career. He had been 40 of 44 from inside 40 yards. Later in the quarter, Daluiso missed a 41-yard attempt, but it wasn’t his fault, as holder Brad Maynard handled a low snap and then dropped the ball, which ruined the timing of the kick as Daluiso knocked the ball into the line of scrimmage.
The Bears lost two key players in the first half. C Olin Kreutz and WR Bobby Engram both left with knee injuries, costing Chicago perhaps its toughest offensive lineman and best possession receiver … For the Giants, CB Ralph Brown went out in the third quarter after taking a knee to the abdomen. TE Pete Mitchell played for the first time this season following off-season knee surgery and contributed two catches for 17 yards in the first half.
The Bears came in having won 13 of the past 16 home openers … Soldier Field was opened in 1924 and the Bears have played there since 1971. Yesterday, the stadium unveiled a new video screen, the same kind that is seen in virtually every stadium in the league.
Too much too soon? The Giants got plenty of mileage yesterday out of their Thunder and Lightning backfield. The duo of Tiki Barber and Ron Dayne was featured on two national pregame shows, the same day Barber unveiled self-promoting T-shirts of he and Dayne, available, of course, on Barber’s own website, as well as New York area stores.
The Bears’ 0-2 start appeared ominous, which is why their public relations department came up with the following statistic: Since 1990, 13 teams have been 0-2 and still made it into the playoffs. The most recent 2-0 teams to advance to the postseason were the Cardinals, Bills and Jets, all in 1998 … Yesterday’s Giants inactives included one surprise. As expected, RB Joe Montgomery and G Mike Rosenthal were not activated, but Jim Fassel also opted to deactivate DT George Williams, which allowed rookie DE Jeremiah Parker to make his NFL debut. With all the passing the Giants anticipated from the Bears, Fassel chose to keep active an extra defensive back. For Montgomery, it was an especially bitter moment. He has not been activated for any game this season, and this one hurt more than the others. Montgomery was raised in the Chicago area and paid for 48 tickets for family and friends. He was not happy about the prospect of not being in uniform.
