"Brandon Jacobs took the handoff and hesitated for a split second, surveying the defense. He saw a crease to the left side, bolted through it and dashed into the end zone, leaving two Patriots stumbling behind him.

Before Eli Manning became the star of the Giants' 24-20 victory over New England on Sunday, it was the much-maligned Jacobs who scored the game's first touchdown, helping Big Blue open up a 10-point lead.

And after it was all done, after Jacobs had hoisted Tom Coughlin onto his shoulders to celebrate the victory, that's when Jacobs made everyone a promise: That his old attitude was officially behind him, that his frustrations were a thing of the past and that for the rest of the season, he'd run hard and run aggressively.

"I'm just going to take my opportunity when it comes and run with it," he said. "I'm gonna play hard until they ax me.""