BC-FBN–Giants-Dayne,0616

Slimmer Dayne looking to make most of what could be last chance

By TOM CANAVAN

AP Sports Writer

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – By all appearances, Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne is making the most of what could be his last chance with the New York Giants.

Just looking at the Giants’ first-round draft pick in 2000 tells the story.

His gut is gone. His body is lean. His mind is focused on playing football – playing being the key word – for new coach Tom Coughlin in a backfield where he will share time at halfback with Tiki Barber.

“I think he realizes this is his time. This is his opportunity,” Barber said Saturday between practices at camp. “Coach Coughlin laid it right out for him when they met in the offseason. I am going to expect this out of you.”‘

Dayne obviously listened after enduring the most frustrating and embarrassing season of his career, at any level.

In 2003, Dayne did not dress for one game. Despite being healthy, Jim Fassel chose to make him inactive 16 times in a season in which the Giants won four games.

Dayne doesn’t like to talk about the season, which was the final insult in a downward spiral for the man who left Wisconsin as the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher.

“I just love to play football, and I want to win,” Dayne said.

Barber said the season could have been a career breaker.

“Seasons like that, and situations like that, are what put people in the tank and cause them to retire,” Barber said. “Ron didn’t do that. It’s been a blessing having a second chance, and frankly, he has taken advantage of it.”

After taking over for Fassel in January, one of the first things Coughlin did was talk to Dayne, who was entering the final year of his contract.

A no-nonsense coach, Coughlin simply said everybody was going to start his tenure with a clean slate.

Dayne took advantage. He worked out daily, joined the team for the offseason training program and started to eat sensibly, cutting out the late night snacks.

While Dayne refuses to discuss his weight, Barber said Dayne weighed 233 pounds on Friday.

Dayne reported to camp at 245 pounds last season.

“I see a hungry person, a person who wants to play,” receiver Amani Toomer said. “He has lost a lot of weight. He is looking really good. A lot of people are surprised and happy, pleasantly surprised, the way he has worked out this offseason.

Having Dayne and Barber split the halfback job is nothing new.

The combination helped carry the Giants to a Super Bowl appearance in 2000. Barber gained 1006 yards on 213 carries and Dayne had 770 on 228 attempts.

It was a “thunder and lightning” combination with Barber running outside and Dayne pounding inside the tackles.

Barber still has his “thunder and lightning” T-shirt.

“We complement each other well and push each other all the time,” Dayne said. “We know when one of us is slowing down and one of us is feeling good and is on a roll. We have to talk to each other and be straightforward with each other.

“If he ain’t looking that good on a couple of plays, I’ll tell him, and if I’m not, he’ll tell me. It’s like being a big brother,” Dayne said.

Barber can’t wait. He was forced to carry the ball 278 times last season, doing almost all the inside and outside work, something that can be a burden for a 200-pound back.

“I think we are going to see things we haven’t seen from Ron,” Barber said. “He knows he can play and I know he can play. I see his attitude in the meetings and he is paying a lot more attention. He knows this is his chance.”

AP-ES-07-31-04 1746EDT