Giants Serve Up a Rookie : NFL: Kent Graham takes over at quarterback and faces the top-rated Dallas defense today.

Does Kent Graham know what he’s getting himself into? The Dallas Cowboys (9-2) and their top-rated defense are planning to have the New York Giants (5-6) over for Thanksgiving dinner today, and Graham, the rookie quarterback, figures to be the entree.

Still, the 24-year-old who never got a chance at Notre Dame and saw limited playing time at Ohio State views his first NFL start as a dream come true. “It’s a great opportunity,” he said with a boyish grin. “I’m excited about it. It’s a lifelong dream to get out there and play on Thanksgiving Day in front of the whole nation. I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited and I’m going to prepare for it.”

Graham, an eighth-round long shot who entered training camp fourth on the depth chart behind Jeff Hostetler, Phil Simms and Jeff Carlson, starts because Hostetler and Simms are injured and Carlson was waived in August.

Hostetler suffered a concussion in the third quarter of the Giants’ 47-34 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday and is still woozy, leaving Graham to try to keep the Giants’ faint playoff hopes alive.

“I think he’ll be nervous and that will be natural,” offensive coordinator Jim Fassel said. “But I think he’ll handle it very well. That’s the personality he has. He has the type of mental attitude that he’s worked very hard. So it’s not going to be like there will be a lot of new things for him.”

When Graham lines up behind center Bart Oates, he’ll be looking at a Cowboys defense that is allowing a league-low 241.7 yards per game and an average of only 14.7 points. The logical theory is the Cowboys will try to confuse the rookie with blitzes and surprise coverages. But the short practice week might limit their defensive game plan.

“With the amount of practice time we had, we really can’t put in anything new,” Cowboys Coach Jimmy Johnson said. “We pretty much have to go with what we’ve done before.”

Giants Coach Ray Handley said he expects few changes from the Cowboys’ defense. “They have no complaints about how they’ve played defensively at all,” he said. “For them now to take a different tack would surprise me. We’ll be prepared for the blitz, but we won’t be surprised if we don’t get a lot of blitz from them.”

Though the Giants’ coaching staff insists it won’t trim its offensive package for Graham, their approach figures to be basic as long as the Giants can stay in the game.

Ideally, the Giants want a ball-control game dictated by a running attack that has dropped from second to fifth in the league (139.8 yards per game).

“I think the big key is Rodney Hampton and Jarrod Bunch and the offensive line,” Johnson said. “The running game has always been the major factor in our ballgames in the past and I think that’s the big concern of our people right now.”

Graham’s brief performance against the Eagles reminded some of Simms. There’s the obvious blond hair and the fiery spirit displayed when he repeatedly shook his fist after successful plays. He led the Giants to a pair of second-half scores, including an 18-yard bullet to Ed McCaffrey for his first NFL touchdown pass. In three brief appearances, he’s completed 15 of 32 passes for 192 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Along with his enthusiasm, Graham carries an air of confidence into the huddle. “I’m not going to be shy about saying something that I think has to go on,” he said. “I think the guys understand that and I think that’s what they want. I don’t think they want a quarterback that’s going to just sit back there. If there’s something that needs to be said, I’m going to say it.”

The Cowboys defeated the Giants, 34-28, Sept. 13 for their first victory at Giants Stadium since 1987. It was a game of two distinctly different halves. The Cowboys led 27-0 at halftime and built their lead to 34-0 before the Giants scored 28 unanswered points to make the game close.

Johnson said, “I think the game in the first half wasn’t really a typical situation, but I don’t think the second half was typical, either. I think we’re much closer teams than what either half showed.”

Graham is hoping to bridge that gap Thursday, something the Giants desperately need to end a two-game losing streak and stay in contention for a wild-card berth.

“I think this team is focused,” he said. “A lot of people don’t think we are. But we’ve prepared as best we can for Dallas. I have a lot of confidence that we’re going out there and compete hard.”