Cowboys' Patrick Crayton Calls Out the Giants as Trash Talkers

It's a little late in the week, but we finally got some bulletin-board material. You see, because grown men who make millions of dollars to play a game can't get adequately motivated until someone questions their desire/toughness/want-to /sticktoitiveness/other well-worn football-related phrase.

So round of applause for the Cowboys' Patrick Crayton, who, according to the Dallas Morning News' David Moore, asserted that the New York players have some deep-seated psychological need to talk trash before every game with the Cowboys. Shockingly, when asked about it, the Giants had some thoughts:

"Patrick Crayton?" right tackle Kareem McKenzie asked with a quizzical look on his face. "He plays on offense? Then I wouldn't have to worry about him. ... Some people like cannon fodder. Of course, I didn't have time to read the paper today. I'm preparing for a game."

McKenzie: 1, Crayton: 0. To be fair, most of Crayton's comment were pretty benign, but then there was this:

[W]hen talking about how Owens at 85 to 90 percent can run by most of the cornerbacks in the league, Crayton suggested reporters ask New York's Sam Madison.

R.W. McQuarters' response: "I didn't believe it at first when I read it ... We don't want to get into a talking game with them. But it was disrespectful."

Rodney Harrison would be proud, McQuarters played the disrespect card. I'm not one of those people who think during-the-week trash talking actually has an outcome on the game (the Patriots and Anthony Smith might disagree), but I suspect the Giants secondary will have Crayton in mind on Sunday, particularly if he's running across the middle.