“I want to thank our fans for their passion. And I mean that sincerely. I know with that it goes both ways. Frustration and disappointment and their reactions to that, I understand it, I get it. I want to make one point that I think is a good example of what our football team is all about, at least I feel this way. And that was on the 53-yard run that Beanie Wells had in the fourth quarter. You saw there that (S) Quintin Mikell made a tremendous effort to get him on the ground. He was backside and was a ways away from the play, but the never say never, never die, the always fighting, I thought Quintin did that. I think our football team does that and what it resulted in, it was a four point swing. It kept us in the game. I know they kicked the field goal to go ahead three points, but I do want to point out that I think that’s very reflective of the guys in that locker room.”

You might say “that’s Mikell’s job,” but with all due respect I don’t think it’s fair to throw aside what he did. As bad as this season has been, I don’t know if there has been a moment when I thought the guys looked like they had given up. They make mistakes far too often, and they might not have the talent right now to win. That’s different from not caring. For all the questions about Spags as a coach, I have been impressed how his players seem to say all the right things to the media and give their all when they are on the field. I’m not saying nobody has taken a play off, but that happens on every team.

Again, I’m not trying to give Spags an excuse or anything, and I don’t think there’s any doubt his job is in serious jeopardy, but if we’re going to hammer him for every decision that he makes, then we need to recognize some of the positives as well. Take it for what you will, but that’s just my take. Injury stuff on the next page…

Now, on to the more minor bumps. There were three players who did not participate in Friday’s practice. Greg Salas sat with a knee injury, Fendi Onobun was down with a groin issue and DT Jermelle Cudjo was out with back soreness. It doesn’t sound like any of these are overly serious, but I would suggest that all of these players need to be on the field as much as possible while they are fighting for spots. Fendi especially needs to play, because I still love his potential but he could be facing an uphill battle for a roster spot and he needs to shake that injury-prone label.

Fred Robbins left early today with a knee tweak, while David Vobora and Michael Hoomanawanui both suffered what’s being categorized as a concussion. Dominique Curry hurt his hand on Thursday, and he will undergo surgery to try an speed the recovery. This is bad news for Curry, because as much as the coaches seem to like him, he could very well get caught up in the numbers game at WR. Obviously, we have to see how his recovery goes, but an injury like this could open the door for a guy like Mardy Gilyard, who has been impressing so far. It’s far too early to speculate on who will and won’t make the team, but injuries always play a role in those decision.

I’ve already said my piece on Plax, but let me be clear that I think he still has somthing left. I actually think he would be a nice fit here as that security blanket for Sam Bradford like he was for Eli Manning. The thing is, we have a pretty long list of receivers on this roster already, and I don’t know whose roster spot I would be willing to take away. I mean, Donnie Avery, Danny Amendola, Danario Alexander, Mark Clayton, Austin Pettis and Greg Salas already make six, and that’s not even counting Brandon Gibson, Laurent Robinson, Dom Curry and, just for argument sake, Mardy Gilyard. Throw into that mix our large group of tight ends, and I just don’t know where he fits.