PHILADELPHIA – The sight had to be mildly surprising to casual NFL fans, positively shocking to the Giants’ foes: The image of wide receivers Ike Hilliard and Amani Toomer shredding Philadelphia’s defense – the same defense that dominated Dallas last Sunday – running posts, slants, go-routes, trying just about every conceivable pattern and making them all work.
Hilliard and Toomer combined for 15 catches, 164 yards and two touchdown receptions in a 33-18 beating of Philadelphia at the Vet that was far more thorough than the score sounds.
Big Blue going to the air? They certainly aren’t a chuck-and-duck team, but they showed they can not only run the ball, but they can throw it a little, too.
Hilliard and Toomer got open all afternoon against Philadelphia’s secondary – especially beleaguered CB Bobby Taylor – and celebrated big catch after big catch by signaling first downs, just in case the crowd of 65,530 – and the helpless Eagles – had missed the play.
“We wanted to come out and really show what kind of offense we have. It’s a big game, a road game, coming into a tough environment. Guys were excited. These are the situations you live for in the NFL,” Hilliard said of his celebrations.
And why not? He got into hot water last weekend when, after playing video games into the wee hours, he overslept and missed a 10:30 a.m. meeting Saturday. But yesterday, he toyed with the Eagles.
He caught eight passes for 84 yards and a 30-yard TD in the third quarter. He beat Taylor, and SS Damon Moore was late getting over, and the Giants led 27-6. He also had a great seal block on Taylor on RB Tiki Barber’s 31-yard TD run that pushed the lead to 20-3 with just 14 seconds left in the half.
The running back tandem of Ron Dayne and Barber has gotten all the pub, already being tabbed Thunder & Lightning. But Hilliard said he and Toomer are a pretty dynamic duo, too.
“We feel like we have a pretty good tandem. I made a comment about being Batman and Robin. He’s Batman, and I just do the rest,” Hilliard said. “We have a lot of talent in our receiving corps. We’re confident in the things we do offensively, and we’re fortunate enough to be making plays right now. Over the middle, over the top, whatever.”
For his part, Toomer had seven catches for 80 yards and a 25-yard post TD in the second quarter. The Eagles blitzed, but DE Hugh Douglas got doubled, the safety got looked off by QB Kerry Collins, and backup CB Al Harris got beat. Toomer ran a slant-go, and Collins laid the ball in perfectly for a 13-3 lead.
“Whenever the ball comes my way … we have so many people in this offense, you never know when you’re going to get it again, so every time you get the ball you have to take advantage of it,” said Toomer, who agreed that he and Hilliard were fired-up by the game’s implications in the NFC East and possible wild-card picture.
“This was really important. It’s a division game, it’s on the road, it’s against a team that really blew out the Cowboys last week, and everybody knew they’re a good team.
“We executed well, and ended up showing that our team is a team that’s gonna be competing for the playoffs. They came with some blitzes, and we had an answer for it, and it showed. It feels really good.”