Justin Tuck threatens to 'punch in the mouth' anyone who turns on Coughlin

The second-guessing may have started in the New York Giants locker room — a disheartening indication that the team's season could be slowly slipping away and the first sign of discord under Tom Coughlin's reign since the Tiki Barber years.

“Right now, we are as low as you can get,” defensive end Justin Tuck said after a lifeless  31-7 loss to the Chiefs Sunday.

The Giants’ first 0-4 start in a non-strike year since 1979 is not entirely Coughlin’s fault. He was given an aging roster with little depth by general manager Jerry Reese and the Giants have endured a debilitating number of injuries. Reese is as much to blame as Coughlin —maybe more.

And, outside of Victor Cruz publicly questioning Coughlin's fourth-down call against the Chiefs, the team has not turned on Coughlin outright — yet.

One Giant who says speaking up against Coughlin is akin to fighting words is Tuck

“If anyone turns on our coach, I would be the first one to punch him in the mouth,” Justin Tuck told the N.Y. Daily News. “And put that in print. It better not happen, I know that.”

The play in question was a third-and-17 from the Giants 14. Eli Manning connected with Cruz for what initially was ruled a first down. Andy Reid challenged the spot and after the review the officials placed the ball at the 30-and-a-half yard line. Cruz needed to get to the 31. Coughlin made the right decision punting down by just three deep in his own end. Imagine the second-guessing if he had gone for it and missed and the Chiefs quickly traveled the short field for a touchdown.

Tuck admitted on the sideline, “Every defensive player wanted him to go for it. That is why we probably will never be coaches. That would have been a stupid move. Even if you get it, it would still be a stupid move.”

Cruz, who had scored on a 69-yard TD pass from Manning in the second quarter, claims he wasn't second-guessing Coughlin's call — only saying he wanted to stay on the field.

“I thought we should have gone for it on that fourth down,” Cruz said. “It’s coach’s call at the end of the day.”

From their own 30 down three?

“If it was me? Yes. Because we had the momentum,” Cruz said. “I felt it was a yard, not even a yard, half a yard, we’ve got to take a risk at some point and make something happen.”

If the Giants lose against the Eagles Sunday, some thing is bound to happen.

Carl Banks: The 'scary' Giants 'don't like each other'

After what was virtually a 60-minute beat down of the New York Giants by the Carolina Panthers Sunday, one former Giants great called the team "scary."  And not in a good way.

Former Giants linebacker Carl Banks, a part of the Giants' radio broadcast team, spoke with WFAN on Monday and didn’t hold back when reflecting on what he saw while Big Blue was embarrassed in Charlotte, losing to the Panthers, 38-0.

"They were banging Giants, receivers getting knocked all over the place, and there’s not one guy that showed emotion," he said.  "And that’s scary. That really is scary."

But Banks didn't stop there and thinks New York’s problems might run deeper than just a lack of talent.

"They don’t like themselves," the two-time Super Bowl champion said. "That’s what it really comes down to. They don’t like each other. They’re not willing to fight for each other. When you have a premier quarterback in this league, and you don’t have enough self-respect — not for him, but for yourself — to protect him to do your job, I think it speaks volumes. I think these guys really do need to all stand in (front of) the mirror, and it’s gut-check time."

The Giants (0-3) have now been outscored 115-54 in the first three games of the season. It doesn’t get any easier from here, as Tom Coughlin’s squad will head to Kansas City this weekend to take on the undefeated Chiefs after the worst loss of the Coughlin era.

"I have a pretty good idea of what type of coach Tom Coughlin is, and what he expects of his guys, but he doesn’t play," Banks said. "And if they don’t have enough pride as men … And you can hate your coach, and never want to play this bad ever again. If you don’t have enough pride to stand up and do something … I don’t think I’ve seen a collective group just line up and get punched in the face, and stand up and do it again and again and again."

"I think the most disturbing aspect of it is … in all my years of being around the team, they’ve had some bad losses," Banks told WFAN co-hosts Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts. "They’ve had some highs and lows, and some good teams and bad teams. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team just not show emotion as they were just getting pummeled … I don’t advocate fighting, but show some emotion."

The final stats say it all.  The offensive line couldn’t protect Eli Manning, who completed 12 of 23 passes for 119 yards and threw an interception. He was also sacked seven times for 45 yards. The defense was equally as ineffective, surrendering 402 total yards and five touchdowns.

Not exactly Giants football — at least how Banks remembers it.

Andy Reid gets weird with Sal Paolantonio in postgame interview (VIDEO)

Things got a little pushy and a lot weirder as Kansas City Chiefs new coach Andy Reid made his way through the postgame scrum of reporters and photographers after his team had just defeated his former team the Eagles, 26-16, on his old stomping grounds at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

When ESPN's Sal Paolantonio approached the coach —after what had to be a gratifying and emotional victory — Reid went out of his way to avoid speaking to him. Reid even instructed a couple of bodyguards to lead interference for him.

Reid made no such fuss about getting hooked up with NFL Network's Alex Flanagan seconds later though.  Was Paolantonio jock-blocking Flanagan — whose network broadcast the game?

Still a very strange television moment.

Compare with the Alex Flanagan interview.

Chiefs' Tyson Jackson gets pantsed during game against Jags (VIDEO)

The Kansas City Chiefs revealed more than their new offense in their NFL season opener on Sunday — in more ways than one.

Last season the NFL had the Buttfumble, this year already has Da Butt.

Tyson Jackson had his pants accidentally pulled down by Jacksonville center Brad Meester while trying to rush quarterback Blaine Gabbert. The 27-year-old defensive lineman, who racked up one of the six sacks by the Chiefs, quickly recovered but his unintentional "mooning" was caught by TV cameras.

The Chiefs went on to trounce the  Jags 28-2 in Jacksonville.