Coughlin Leads Calls for Giants to Show More Character EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Tom Coughlin, working through one of the most difficult times of his personal and professional life, turned to values that have long sustained him and his teams. Immediately after the Giants were routed, 38-0, by the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, the worst defeat of Coughlin's 10-year tenure, he reverted to one of his annual preseason themes by emphasizing the need for team unity. When he met with his players Monday, he resorted to an appeal that had worked before, as he tried to turn around an 0-3 team mired in the franchise's worst start since 1996. As Coughlin said, "I did challenge our pride a little bit." The circumstances surrounding the franchise's third-worst shutout defeat made it all the more stunning. Players had admired Coughlin's devotion as he pushed himself through film study and meetings and practices despite the death Sept. 16 of his younger brother, John, at 63. The team members had spoken daily of the need to rally around their coach. But they showed little spirit against a Panthers team that they drubbed, 36-7, in a momentum-building third game of the schedule last season. The performance Sunday prompted Carl Banks, a former Giants linebacker who is now a radio analyst, to criticize them severely during a radio interview Monday on WFAN. He charged, among other things, that the players did not like one another and did not have fight. "They were banging Giants, receivers getting knocked all over the place, and there's not one guy that showed emotion," Banks said. And that's scary. That's really scary. Banks also questioned the team's desire, saying: "You've got to be willing to compete. That's when your talent shows. If you're not going to be willing to compete, nobody is going to respect your talent. Mark Herzlich, a third-year linebacker, agreed with some of the remarks. "They kept hitting us, hitting us and hitting us, and we didn't stop them," Herzlich said. Carl's right. We need to have more passion. We need to have that fire. Coughlin's call for togetherness was timely. Hakeem Nicks, one of the team's best wide receivers, appeared to be critical of the offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride and Eli Manning, with whom he usually prospers. Asked after the game why he was thrown to only once and held without a catch, Nicks said that he could not throw to himself. Coughlin said he would meet with Nicks. "That's not a smart thing to say," Coughlin said. He's on the field. The quarterback was sacked seven times, hit 15 times. Not a very smart thing to say. It takes a great deal to upset Manning, and he did not seem at all concerned about Nicks's comment. "Sometimes, you're going to have guys that are frustrated and say some things," Manning said. I think Hakeem and I are close, and he knows when we look at the film - it's just one of those things. It wasn't us not going at him or not throwing his way or picking someone else because of him. It's based on the coverages, on the plays and on the situations. The Giants" 150 total yards represented their lowest output since the New Orleans Saints held them to 142 yards on Dec. 24, 2006. The 90 net passing yards were their fewest since extremely poor field conditions helped the Miami Dolphins limit them to 49 yards in a game in London on Oct. 28, 2007. Carolina succeeded in exerting heavy pressure on Manning with a four-man front while dropping seven defenders in coverage to compensate for an injury-depleted secondary. The Panthers" seven sacks increased the season total against Manning to 11. He was sacked 20 times last season. The offensive line is also under scrutiny for its inability to create running lanes. The Giants have rushed for only 133 yards through three games. The news grew worse for that beleaguered unit when Coughlin, without providing details, said that Chris Snee, the right guard, and David Baas, the center, are having physical problems that must be evaluated. Spencer Paysinger, like Herzlich a third-year linebacker, noted how precarious a position the Giants were in as they head to another road game on Sunday, at Kansas City. The Chiefs have had a 3-0 turnaround under Andy Reid, their first-year coach, who was a nemesis for the Giants when he guided the Philadelphia Eagles. "One of the toughest things about being 0-3, everybody's going to come after you," Paysinger said. "Everybody's going to look at you and say that this team is an easy win: "They haven't been playing in sync. We can get after their offense. We can frustrate their defense. We can convert whatever we want whenever we want." " Paysinger added: "No team is going to be light on us, and we can't be light on ourselves. If we're light on ourselves, we're doing our city and our fans an injustice. Soon after his news conference ended on Monday, Coughlin flew to upstate New York to attend the wake for his brother and the funeral on Tuesday. He will not miss practice, because that is a day off for his players.