"Darius Reynaud took a look at his situation with the Vikings and figured he wasn't going to be around much longer. Then he started thinking about his next destination.

"I kid you not, me and my wife were talking, I said I had a good feeling that I'd be going to New York," Reynaud said yesterday. "I didn't know which team, but just New York. On Friday, they called me and told me I was traded to the Giants. I was kind of surprised, but I had a good feeling. I have no clue. My wife says to this day, 'I don't know why you were thinking about that and how this came about.' "

The Giants hope Reynaud's anticipation on the field is as good as it is off the field. One day before final cuts, he and quarterback Sage Rosenfels were dealt to the Giants for a fifth-round pick in 2011 and a conditional pick in 2012. Just like that, the Giants have a new kick returner and backup quarterback, filling two needs with one move.

Now comes the tricky part. Tom Coughlin has already announced Reynaud will be the No. 1 punt returner and might also be given a look on kickoffs. Rosenfels is the only insurance between Eli Manning and the Giants needing to insert safety Antrel Rolle into a Wildcat formation. Both newcomers admit coming aboard one week before a real game means there's a whole lot of catching up to do and not a lot of time to do it.

"It's totally different from what we are doing in Minnesota . . . the schemes are totally different," Reynaud said of his role as a punt returner. "As soon as I got here, they gave me this book, and I've been right at it ever since."

Rosenfels met Coughlin on Saturday, took a physical and made an immediate request: "I need that playbook." Once he started turning the pages he realized this wasn't going to be easy, even for a 32-year old, 10-year veteran who has previously played for four different NFL teams."