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NFL / Pierce: Super Bowl trophy no help to New York Giants against Phillie Eagles By Reuters NEW YORK - Being Super Bowl champions will make no difference to the New York Giants in Sunday's divisional playoff against the Philadelphia Eagles, according to the team's linebacker Antonio Pierce. "Defending champions? That's irrelevant," Giants defensive captain Pierce told reporters in a conference call on Monday. "We're 0-0. The team we face is 1-0 and played great yesterday. Being Super Bowl champions is not scaring anybody." Advertisement The Eagles won 26-14 at the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the playoffs on Sunday while the top-seeded Giants enjoyed a bye. The Giants (12-4) and Eagles (10-6-1) are NFC East rivals and will clash for the third time this season when they meet at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The winners will advance to the NFC championship game, one step from the Super Bowl. "I would expect a knock-down, dragged-out NFC East brawl," Eagles coach Andy Reid told reporters after his team collected their fifth win in six games. New York and sixth-seeded Philadelphia split their regular season series, with the Eagles winning 20-14 three weeks ago to avenge a 36-31 home defeat in November. Pro Bowl defensive end Justin Tuck said he was not surprised to be facing Philadelphia again. "I think the Eagles are the hottest team in the NFL right now," Tuck said. "It's going to be the tough NFC East battle you'd expect and we are really looking forward to it." "The regular season is over," said New York coach Tom Coughlin, when asked about his team finishing with defeats in three of its last four games. Pierce added that the week off had been important for the Giants, who powered their way to 11 victories in their first 12 games. "We played 13 straight games after our bye week in Week Four," Pierce said. "We needed the rest. I think we did a great job last week of going over what we needed to go over, as far as making corrections and getting things right for our team." The extra rest may also help some injured players get back to full strength including running back Brandon Jacobs. Philadelphia's primary offensive weapon, all-round back Brian Westbrook, was in fine form against Minnesota on Sunday. "He's the guy on everyone's lips in terms of what you have to do to try to prevent him from getting the ball in the end zone," Coughlin said. "Minnesota did a pretty good job on him ... but he broke out on a 71-yard screen (pass). "You've got to be very, very aware of all the different alignments he is in, the ways he can beat you." Bookmark to del.icio.us   'With total determination' Widow of IDF soldier killed Monday remembers her fallen hero. Anti-Semites unite! Protests against Gaza op worldwide have had a hateful, violent tone.

Read & React Bradley Burston / Gaza War Diary III: If Mexico shelled Texas, like Hamas shells Israel Responses: 151 At least 30 die in strike on Gaza school; IDF: Troops fired in self-defense Responses: 103 ANALYSIS / Israel is on its way to reoccupying all of the Gaza Strip Responses: 32 ANALYSIS / Price of stubborness over Gaza exit is dead Israeli soldiers Responses: 59 More Headlines 02:12 Abbas at UN calls for Gaza truce, fresh peace talks 01:51 Israel to establish 'humanitarian corridor' for Gaza Strip 01:55 Egypt's Gaza truce plan: ceasefire followed by border security talks 00:21 IDF shell kills 30 in Gaza UN school; Israel mulls appeal over Hamas fire from UN facilities 22:47 Obama breaks silence on Gaza, calls civilian deaths 'a deep concern' 23:03 Al-Qaida No. 2 urges Muslims to attack Israeli and Western targets over Gaza op 23:50 Five Israeli soldiers killed in 24 hours, as IDF closes in on Gaza cities 23:42 French TV claims photos from 2005 showed damage from Israel's Gaza operation 16:21 Gaza rocket hits Gedera, 30km from Tel Aviv; baby lightly hurt 17:12 ANALYSIS / Price of stubborness over Gaza exit is dead soldiers 18:20 Get up to the minute coverage of the warfare in Gaza directly to your email 00:22 'You'll be proud of me, yet' slain IDF soldier told family before entering Gaza 21:45 The view from Ramallah / An Intifada in its infancy? 22:19 Turkey-Israel basketball game canned after pro-Gaza protesters storm court 14:37 ANALYSIS / Israel is on its way to reoccupying all of the Gaza Strip 19:17 'Iran pledged Hezbollah won't respond to Gaza op,' says top Lebanese MP 18:39 Jewish and Arab students clash on Gaza offensive 13:06 ANALYSIS / The unspoken goal of bringing down Hamas in Gaza 20:07 Hospitalized but defiant, Israeli soldiers eager to return to Gaza battle 13:40 Israeli general: Never knew I was evacuating my wounded soldier son from Gaza 13:00 Burning car rams synagogue in southwest France 13:46 Egypt bars doctors from entering Gaza Strip 05:44 Hamas puts Gazans in danger by drawing IDF into urban warfare 18:21 PICTURE GALLERY / Gaza incursion sparks protests around world Previous Editions Select Day 06 jan 05 jan 04 jan 02 jan 01 jan 31 dec 30 dec 29 dec 28 dec 26 dec 25 dec 24 dec

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