Eagles practice is only open to cameras for the first 10 minutes today, but head coach Andy Reid said at his morning press conference that the following players won't practice today: RB Brian Westbrook (knee swelling), RT Jon Runyan (knee sprain) and FB Dan Klecko (shoulder contusion).

Star-Ledger File Photo

RB Brandon Jacobs (knee) will practice today and will probably be listed as limited, though coach Tom Coughlin said that's merely because the team has "a number of snaps he takes, Derrick (Ward) takes and (Ahmad) Bradshaw takes. Just in terms of that, he'll be listed as limited, but he feels pretty good."

Tom Coughlin said there are a few players who could be limited or out when the Giants return to practice on Wednesday. So who are those players?

"I'm not going to say because I'm not sure exactly who they are," Coughlin said.

Translation: I don't have to tell you yet, so I'm not going to.

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerBrandon Jacobs' knee is rested after this week's bye, and he'll be ready to go against the Eagles.

GIANTS VS. EAGLES

Sunday, 1 p.m., Giants Stadium, Ch. 5

3 REASONS IT'S A GOOD MATCHUP FOR THE GIANTS

1. YOU AGAIN?
There will be no surprises, as they know the Eagles well. Plus, they've fared well against Philly of late, winning three of the last four over the past two seasons.

2. THE BIG GUY'S BACK
The Giants' leading rusher has eaten up the Eagles defense this year. In the teams' first meeting, Brandon Jacobs ran for 126 yards -- his second-highest total of the season -- and two touchdowns. And in the second game, Jacobs had 52 yards on 10 carries before leaving the game when he aggravated a nagging knee injury. The Giants offense immediately hit the skids and didn't get back on track until Jacobs returned against the Panthers two weeks later. His knee is rested after this past weekend's bye.

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis had a 90-minute phone conversation with Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride about the team's coaching vacancy.

The two spoke Saturday after Gilbride had expressed interest in the job through his agent, Raiders senior executive John Herrera said Sunday.

Gilbride is the first outside candidate to talk to Davis about the job. Interim coach Tom Cable is also a candidate after running the team for the final 12 games following the firing of Lane Kiffin in September.

Rich Kane/US PresswireSteve Spagnuolo

Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo didn't blow the Jets away during his interview Saturday at the team's Florham Park complex, and Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has emerged as the front-runner after the first week of the team's coaching search, according to two people with knowledge of the club's thinking.

Spagnuolo, in his second season as the Giants' defensive boss, is the hottest assistant coach at the moment among NFL teams searching for a head coach. But even though he did a solid job during his interview with the Jets, he wasn't as prepared as one would expect, according to one person.

1:07 p.m. UPDATE Smith has tendinitis, according to coach Tom Coughlin. It's unclear what part of the body, but Coughlin said Smith should be fine.

Three players who were out of practice on Wednesday were back in action today. They were: DE Justin Tuck (knee), RT Kareem McKenzie (back) and S Michael Johnson (thigh).

One new addition to the injury report: WR Steve Smith (unknown). We'll see what's going on with Smith in a bit.

And these guys are still out: WR Domenik Hixon (foot/ankle), RB Brandon Jacobs (knee), TE Michael Matthews (ankle) and LB Zak DeOssie.

MG

Bill Kostroun/Associated PressDenver has joined the list of teams interested in Giants' defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo (l.) and will meet with him on Saturday.

Denver fired Mike Shanahan early this week after 14 years as coach. That created an intriguing opening for coaching candidates because the Broncos have plenty of talent on the roster and, unlike the Jets and Lions, they have a young franchise quarterback in Jay Cutler.

Cleveland has two young quarterbacks in Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn, though neither has been as successful as Cutler, who threw for 4,526 yards this season.

Signing with a team favored to play in the Super Bowl right before the playoffs begin is huge news one would probably love to yell from the rooftops. But Rich Scanlon was admittedly "selective" yesterday in deciding whom to tell he had just signed with the Giants.

The reason was he knew half of Bergen County would soon be calling for tickets to the playoff game on Jan. 11.

"I've already seen the ticket guy," the Oradell native and former Bergen Catholic star said by phone, minutes after the ink on his 1-year contract had dried. "He came up to me and was like, 'I know.'"

The Giants returned to practice today in preparation for their playoff game on Jan. 11. While TE Kevin Boss (ankle/concussion), DT Barry Cofield (knee) and CB Aaron Ross (concussion) were back in action, seven players are not practicing (their recent injuries are listed, though these haven't been confirmed as the actual reasons for their absence from practice):

RB Brandon Jacobs (knee)
DE Justin Tuck (knee)
RT Kareem McKenzie (back)
WR Domenik Hixon (foot/ankle)
S Michael Johnson (thigh)
TE Michael Matthews (ankle)
LB Zak DeOssie (unknown)

MG

Doug Pensinger/Getty ImagesScanlon signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent out of Syracuse.

The Giants added at least one player to their playoff roster today when they signed former Chiefs and Titans LB Rich Scanlon, an Oradell native and Bergen Catholic grad who worked out for the team last week and again today. Scanlon's agent, Eugene Lee, confirmed his client signed a 1-year deal.

The Giants had a roster spot open because of the ankle injury CB Sam Madison suffered on Sunday. However, it's unclear if Scanlon will take Madison's spot or if there's another roster move or two to be made. The Giants have two DBs on their practice squad - Rashard Barksdale and Travonti Johnson - who could help fill the void created by Madison's injury.

We mentioned earlier the Jets had requested permission to interview Steve Spagnuolo. Well, our man Hutch has gone a step further and is reporting Spagnuolo is expected to interview with the Jets on Thursday or Saturday. The Giants are off those two days, as they practice on Wednesday and Friday.

The Lions and Browns have requested permission, but that doesn't mean Spagnuolo will interview with them, especially if a few more teams join the fray. There might be too many requests for Spagnuolo to handle, so he might have to decline a few. But Hutch's sources are confident Spagnuolo won't turn the Jets aside.

9:46 p.m. UPDATE I'm told ESPN 1050-AM had this before Glazer. If so, apologies about the slight. Wasn't listening to the station today.

Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com is reporting the Jets have asked the Giants for permission to interview Steve Spagnuolo. The Giants are not confirming whether any teams have made requests to talk to Spagnuolo.

Remember what I said earlier: the Jets are one situation to watch carefully because of Spagnuolo's East Coast ties.

MG

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerGiants running back Derrick Ward dives for extra yardage in in the first half against the Vikings Sunday.

I wasn't sure if either of these qualified as "bigger" than a lame-duck coach, a QB some had labeled a bust and a DE coming back from retirement to end the Pats' undefeated run, but two things came to my mind:

Every now and then, Eli Manning will give you a brief glimpse behind the cliched answers and monotone voice to remind you there's a darn good personality back there.

Remember this?

Well here's one more to add to the list, though this one was unprovoked:

3:52 p.m. UPDATE NFL Network's Adam Schefter reports the Lions have been granted permission to interview Spagnuolo. That doesn't mean he will interview, just that Detroit has taken the right steps. I hadn't heard the Lions as a strong candidate among the "whispers" I mentioned below, though it was pretty clear they'd at least sniff around. I did hear the Rams were big on Spags and Schefter mentioned them as a suitor.

Teams interested in interviewing Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo for their vacant head-coaching jobs can start the process today. Already, there are multiple reports the Browns will reach out for an interview. I expect a few more teams to join the fray. I've heard whispers of which teams, but I don't quite have them nailed down so I wouldn't want to mislead you guys and the fans of those respective teams.

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerDavid Carr celebrates after his touchdown pass to Domenik Hixon in the second half.

NOTEBOOK

MINNEAPOLIS -- Shaun O'Hara forgot what it was like to have a quarterback who could run until he saw David Carr take off for 15 yards on three scrambles in Sunday's 20-19 loss to the Vikings.

"We're not used to that," the Giants' starting center said in an obvious dig at the slow-footed Eli Manning.

Ah, how quickly they forget Manning's escape right before David Tyree's catch in Super Bowl XLII.

"I would hardly call that a scramble," O'Hara quipped.

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerDerrick Ward breaks free into the Vikings' secondary for a 10-yard gain on his first carry against Minnesota.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Brandon Jacobs is the biggest, most physical running back in the NFL. And apparently, he's also the softest.

As in, the most emotional.

After Derrick Ward picked up 5 yards on the second play of the third quarter, giving him exactly 1,000 yards on the season and making him and Jacobs only the fifth duo in NFL history to each reach that coveted figure in the same season, Ward was first greeted with a handshake by linebacker Antonio Pierce.

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerA man dressed up like a Viking shakes hands with Giants QB Eli Manning after the Vikings beat the Giants.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The postgame scene had a preseason feel to it for the Giants.

Players talked about wanting to win the game, but the tone of their words and the (at times) jovial locker room suggested just getting out healthy was the No. 1 goal.

There was Tom Coughlin's news conference, during which he first credited Ryan Longwell for making a 50-yard field goal as time expired to give the Vikings a 20-19 victory and the NFC North title Sunday. Coughlin then rued the missed opportunities in the red zone before he turned it into a mid-August interview session by running down what the team did well: played hard, took care of the ball and rushed the ball consistently.

Star-Ledger File PhotoBrandon Jacobs is still nursing a knee injury.

MINNEAPOLIS - I figured we'd see very little of RB Brandon Jacobs (knee) today, especially since Derrick Ward needs 52 yards for the duo to each have 1,000 yards. Well, we won't see any of him, actually.

Tim Farrell/The Star-LedgerTom Coughlin isn't worried about the possibility the Giants will face the Vikings again in the playoffs so soon after the teams face each other Sunday.

Okay, so the Giants aren't going to rest their starters -- at least the ones who are healthy -- against the Vikings Sunday. But what about the other end of the equation: the game planning?

With the possibility they'll face Minnesota again in the postseason, one would think the Giants would not show any of their best stuff and keep things basic -- or, as game plans are often described in the preseason, "vanilla."

But even with an opponent that could be taking notes for a future meeting, Giants coach Tom Coughlin doesn't seem likely to tone things down.

"That doesn't seem like how Coach Coughlin would play the game," Amani Toomer said Friday before adding: "They didn't tell us we're holding anything back so I took it for granted that we're going to play (like normal)."

1:38 p.m. UPDATE Ross and Wilkinson are out, per Tom Coughlin. Boss is doubtful on the official injury report. Cofield, RB Brandon Jacobs (knee) and RT Kareem McKenzie (back) are questionable. Jacobs is listed as having not practiced today, which could mean he was held out of the team portion of practice.

CB Aaron Ross (concussion), TE Kevin Boss (ankle/concussion) and LB Gerris Wilkinson (knee) are not practicing today. Don't expect to see any of those guys playing on Sunday.

Also, DT Barry Cofield (knee) participated in individual drills but didn't do the team walk-through. Sounds like he might not play, either.

MG

Update 12:24 p.m. WR Domenik Hixon (ankle) was working, too, though the team didn't include him among players it expects to be listed on today's injury report.

Sorry for the slight delay, but my computer was acting up. Just braved the rain and came back inside from the practice bubble, where the following players aren't working: TE Kevin Boss (ankle), DT Barry Cofield (knee) and LB Gerris Wilkinson (knee). CB Aaron Ross (concussion) was missing from the practice field again, so it seems like a certainty he'll be out this weekend.

William Perlman/The Star-LedgerThe Giants weren't happy with DeAngelo Williams' 30-yard touchdown run on Sunday for the Panthers.

Danny Clark was about to step into the first defensive meeting of the week Tuesday afternoon when he took a minute to address a problem for the Giants lately: long touchdowns by the opponents.

"We're going to talk about it, I'm sure," Clark said before gesturing toward the door and adding: "We're going to get fried in this meeting right here. And it's warranted."

In the past three games, the Giants have allowed five touchdowns of 30 yards or longer: a 30-yard run and a 40-yard catch by the Eagles' Brian Westbrook, a 38-yard run by the Cowboys' Tashard Choice, a 34-yard pass from Tony Romo to Patrick Crayton, and a 30-yard run by DeAngelo Williams in Sunday's overtime victory against the Panthers.

The Giants are practicing today - sort of.

Actually, it's a jog-through, which will allow RB Brandon Jacobs (knee) to participate. Tom Coughlin said earlier today Jacobs would not have been able to practice fully today.

Still, a few players weren't doing anything at all: TE Kevin Boss (ankle), DT Barry Cofield (knee) and LB Gerris Wilkinson (knee).

CB Aaron Ross (concussion), who was hospitalized on Sunday night, wasn't even at practice.

MG

William Perlman/The Star-LedgerA few Giants players apparently thought they'd get this week off -- Tom Coughlin, above, won't hear of it.

The Giants have earned a week off.

This, according to Tom Coughlin, is not it.

Once the Vikings lost to the Falcons on Sunday afternoon, the Giants knew they had a first-round bye. Later that night, they beat the Panthers to lock up the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage, while also ridding themselves of any thoughts of a backward slide into the postseason.

So with Sunday's game against the Vikings in Minnesota now meaningless and the Giants standing nothing to gain, the Giants have the option of resting all of their starters.

It appears Coughlin will decline that option.

"I disagree with the idea that you have nothing to gain," Coughlin said on a conference call Monday. "There is a lot to be gained."

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerDerrick Ward took his own game ball home.

That was some game and some performance by the Giants. Reversing negative momentum in a game when you came in already in a backwards slide is probably the toughest thing for a team to do. But they did it and now they have home-field advantage. But more importantly, that swagger is back.

GAME BALLS
Coach Tom Coughlin. Fine job of getting his guys to keep believing.

RBs Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward. I mentioned Jacobs first because he wears the defense down and then Ward is so much more effective. We knew that last season, we knew it early this season and we know now more than ever that's the way it works. Jacobs said after the game he was "on a mission to go out there and run into people (to) soften them up." He certainly accomplished that goal.

Star-Ledger File PhotoGiants CB Aaron Ross

On a conference call minutes ago, Giants coach Tom Coughlin revealed CB Aaron Ross was hospitalized Sunday night with a concussion suffered against the Panthers. Coughlin said Ross, who had blurred vision, was slated to be released this afternoon.

"He got dinged pretty good," Coughlin said.

Ross was replaced by Kevin Dockery. It's unclear at this point if he will be ready to play this Sunday against the Vikings.

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerClever play design helped spring Derrick Ward on a key run for the Giants.

I'm in the middle of watching the tape of the game and usually I keep my head down and try to keep the momentum going, but I just had to stop after seeing one play. It was a second-and-6 from the Giants' 45 with 4:50 left in the third quarter.

The reason I feel compelled to break this play down is because of all the criticism of the play calling over the past two games. We're so quick to say the play calls were horrible and the game plan stunk, but we don't always balance that out by praising good coaching. And on this play, there was plenty of it by offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, coach Tom Coughlin and whoever else was involved in designing this play and calling for it at the right time.

Giants beat writer Mike Garafolo, reporter Jenny Vrentas and columnist Steve Politi talk about the Giants overtime victory over the Panthers Sunday night. The Giants have clinched home field advantage in the playoffs with one game to go in the regular season. (Video by Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger)

Thanks to a big third-and-10 sack by Falcons DE John Abraham that helped seal an Atlanta victory over the Vikings, the Giants have clinched a first-round bye in the postseason. They'll be off on the weekend of Jan. 3-4.

The only thing left to be determined is whether they or the Panthers will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The winner of tonight's game will get that honor.

The Giants' game against teh Vikings next week is meaningless. If they win tonight, they could rest a lot of their injured starters. If they lose, perhaps they'll look for some momentum like last season.

MG

RB Brandon Jacobs (knee), WR Domenik Hixon (foot/ankle) and DT Fred Robbins (shoulder) are active and will start tonight for the Giants. All three were listed as questionable. WR Sinorice Moss (calf), who was also listed as questionable, is inactive. WR Derek Hagan, signed last week, is inactive. LB Edmund Miles, also signed last week, will play.

Here's a big break for the Giants: Panthers DT Ma'ake Kemoeatu (ankle) is inactive. Carolina's backup DTs are Gary Gibson and former Eagle Darwin Walker.

Here's your list of inactives for both teams, which you can peruse as you pray for the Falcons to hold on to their lead:

Star-Ledger File PhotoGiants' assistant Mike Sullivan

While Kevin Gilbride's name has been connected to the Raiders' head-coaching job (after turning down an interview request from Syracuse), there's another Giants assistant coach who could be taking a job elsewhere.

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerBrandon Jacobs said he's not looking for top dollar in the free agent market.

This season, Brandon Jacobs hasn't been called for taunting penalties at the end of long runs, not even when he barreled over the Redskins' LaRon Landry in the season opener. He hasn't launched footballs into the play clock after plowing, leaping or sprinting into the end zone on any of the 12 times he has scored. And he hasn't fired back when given several opportunities by opponents poking at the Giants' running back.

Yet, last week, his emotions admittedly got the best of him -- mostly because he was kept far away from the field.

When the team held him out against the Cowboys because of a nagging knee injury, Jacobs got upset with the training staff and the coaches. In the days after the game, he publicly questioned their decision.

SUNDAY'S GAME: vs. Panthers, 8:15 p.m., NBC

THE LINE: Giants by 3, over-under 37 1/2.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Hey, on defense, it's as simple as stopping the run. That's the big key, especially in the secondary. So let's focus on a few areas on the other side of the ball.

Giants RB Brandon Jacobs (knee), WR Domenik Hixon (ankle/foot), DT Fred Robbins (shoulder) and WR Sinorice Moss (calf) are all questionable for Sunday's game against the Panthers. But we've been told they're on the "up side" of questionable.

LB Gerris Wilkinson (knee) is out and everyone else on this week's injury report is probable.

4:33 p.m. UPDATE Whoops, meant calf for Moss, not ankle. My bad. Doing too many things at once today.

Still only LB Gerris Wilkinson (knee) on the bike today at practice. Everybody else - RB Brandon Jacobs (knee), RB Derrick Ward (ankle), DT Fred Robbins (shouler), WR Domenik HIxon (foot/ankle) and WR Sinorice Moss (ankle) - were practicing.

Updates later.

MG

I was waiting to mention this until I was able to find out who the CB and OT alternates for the Pro Bowl were. But since I've been unable to do so (the Giants are one of the few teams that announce alternates), I figured I'd fire now.

David Diehl and Corey Webster got absolutely robbed.

I mean, is anybody paying attention to what Diehl has done over the past few years? He's not, as GM Jerry Reese would say, a "blue-goose left tackle." But he's made himself into something that's pretty darn close. Diehl has been a huge part of the Giants' running game, as they've gotten some big yardage off left tackle this year. And before Sunday's loss to the Cowboys, which is when the voting took place, I had him down for only two sacks this year. Two from a left tackle. Considering the pass rushers in this league, that's impressive.

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerGiants DT Fred Robbins is back in action on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. Robbins and the rest of the defense hope to put a stop to the hottest running game in the league.

Jonathan Stewart took the handoff on a counter run to the right side. Every Buccaneers defender was blocked on the inside, allowing Stewart to bounce the play outside, where Ronde Barber was charging forward. It's exactly what the Panthers wanted: their running back matched up against a cornerback.

At the line of scrimmage, Stewart delivered a left-handed stiff arm that flattened Barber and opened the field for a 30-yard run.

On the next play, the Buccaneers got penetration up the middle but DeAngelo Williams was able to bounce outside to the left. Again, Barber was in position to make the tackle. And again, he became roadkill on Williams' touchdown run.

Star-Ledger File PhotoGiants defensive tackle Fred Robbins

The Giants' injury situation got a whole lot better today.

I mentioned earlier I had heard the Giants were going to sign LB Nate Harris but didn't get that confirmed. That was the tentative plan. According to a source, the Giants told all the players that worked out they were going to sign Harris.

But the team then reconsidered and went with another LB who worked out today: Edmund Miles.

For those of you interested in salary-cap musings and implications, or for those who like to see how good it is to be a top NFL cornerback, here's a look at the details of Corey Webster's new five-year, $43.5-million contract:

Signing Bonus: $5 million

Base Salaries
2009: $1 million (guaranteed if on roster 2/25/09)
2010: $2.75 million ($2 million guaranteed if on roster 2/25/10)
2011: $7.25 million
2012: $7 million
2013: $7.5 million
Note: The Giants have the option to convert any of his yearly base salaries to a signing bonus. That benefits the player and the team because the money would then be guaranteed and it would allow the Giants to lower his cap number and create room for other signings at any point by spreading the hit over the rest of the contract.

AP File PhotoJoe Horn did not sign with the Giants.

12:52 p.m. UPDATE I've been told by Horn's agent, Ralph Vitolo, his client is headed home to Atlanta. He definitely will not sign with the Giants, who had concerns about the 36-year-old veteran's explosiveness.

In addition to WR Joe Horn, the Giants also worked out the following free-agent LBs today: Nate Harris, Matt Chatham, Rich Scanlon and Edmund Miles.

AP File PhotoJoe Horn is auditioning for the Giants today.

Here's the Giants' pre-practice injury report. Grab a coffee and donut because it'll take a while to get through it. The guys in bold won't practice.

RB Ahmad Bradshaw (neck)
RB Derrick Ward (ankle)
RB Brandon Jacobs (knee)
WR Domenik Hixon (ankle/foot)
DE Justin Tuck (lower leg)
S Kenny Phillips (concussion)
RT Kareem McKenzie (back)
DT Fred Robbins (shoulder)
OL Rich Seubert (flu)
WR Sinorice Moss (calf)
LB Gerris Wilkinson (knee)
LB Jonathan Goff (hamstring)

For those of you who assumed Derek Hagan signed a one-year deal with the Giants (yep, that's me), you should know his agent, Ken Kremer, just told me via e-mail he's signed for "08 and 09." Not that the Giants couldn't get out from under the deal next year, but still interesting they might have him in the fold next season if he impresses.

That's all for now.

MG

The Giants have sent out an official press release confirming th