Some postgame thoughts

For those who may have tuned into tonight's Giants/Redskins clash around 8:30 or so (EST), you pretty much missed all there was to see. New York scored on its first four possessions (1 touchdown, 3 field goals), then basically sleepwalked through a scoreless second half. On the Washington side, the official unveiling of new head coach Jim Zorn's West Coast offense was more Edsel than Corvette -- the Redskins' lone score in the 16-7 loss came in the final minutes of the second quarter and probably wouldn't have come about if not for a 50-yard kick return by special teams ace Rock Cartwright into Giants' territory.

Some notes and observations:

-- Plaxico Burress is a happy and healthy camper, and the proof was in the pudding tonight. After missing a good portion of training camp due to a sore ankle which may or may not have been related to a contract squabble, the rangy wide receiver showed his appreciation for the lucrative two-year contract extension he agreed to just prior to Thursday's game by shredding Washington's banged-up secondary for 133 yards on 10 catches. During New York's 11-play, 84-yard touchdown march to open the game, Burress had three grabs totaling 60 yards.

-With 44-year-old kicker John Carney joining 42-year-old punter Jeff Feagles on the opening-week roster, the Giants became the first team in the Super Bowl era to have two players 42 or over at one time. It marks the first time since 1999 that Feagles is not the elder statesman on his team (a great note courtesy of the Giants media relations staff and the Elias Sports Bureau).

-Two rookies, linebacker Bryan Kehl and free safety Kenny Phillips, saw a lot of second-half playing time for the Giants and both impressed. Kehl was unofficially credited with five solo tackles and displayed good speed and instincts in his debut, while first-round pick Phillips made a nifty open-field tackle to end a Redskins drive in the third quarter.

-One young Giant who didn't make an impact was second-year tight end Kevin Boss. Jeremy Shockey's successor finished without a catch and received few looks from quarterback Eli Manning, possibly because Burress was routinely having his way on one-on-one matchups with corners Carlos Rogers and Fred Smoot.

-For all the hubbub about Zorn and his innovative play-calling, the Redskins' offense looked an awful lot like the conservative operation predecessor Joe Gibbs favored during his two tenures. Washington rarely took shots downfield through the air and mustered a paltry 100 total yards and five first downs through the first three quarters. Perhaps the six points the Redskins produced over the final two preseason games were more telling than originally thought.

-New Redskins defensive end and accomplished dancer Jason Taylor made his 131st consecutive regular-season start despite being hobbled by a sprained knee, but the injury seemed to have an effect on the perennial All-Pro. Taylor was credited with just two tackles and had little impact on the game as a pass rusher.

-Washington's Chris Cooley extended his streak of consecutive games with a catch to 56, but the standout tight end didn't make his only reception (a seven-yard grab) until with under four minutes to go.

QUOTABLE

-"I could tell before the game, during our warmup, that he had a lot of energy. He felt good and it showed." -- Manning on Burress

-"To play a Super Bowl defending (champion) team, you can not be as poor as we were on offense and expect to come out and win." -- Zorn