Edition: U.S. / Global

PRO FOOTBALL; Picked Apart and Picking On Each Other

Published: October 12, 1994

Lawrence Taylor had just walked through the Giant locker room, wishing each player good luck before the team's game against Minnesota. Then, on the night Taylor's No. 56 jersey would be retired and only minutes before the game, the defense held a players-only meeting. It was the latest of several such meetings since New York lost last week to New Orleans, and the message from Erik Howard and others, several players said, was clear. Stay together. No finger-pointing. No coming apart at the seams.

Then New York went out and was thrashed by 27-10. As the game started to get out of hand, with Warren Moon moving the Vikings up and down the field at will, the message of staying together was quickly forgotten.

Linebacker Corey Miller and his position coach, Don Blackmon, got into what players described as one of the most heated shouting matches they have seen between a coach and a player. The exchange apparently began on the sideline and continued into the locker room at halftime after Miller was upset about being taken out of the game several times in favor of more defensive backs.

"I just wanted to know why he took me out of the game," Miller said today, hesitant to speak about the incident. "I'm just going to move on from what happened and look to the future. I was just angry about being taken out and the way the game was going in general. That's all I have to say about it." Blackmon could not be reached for comment.

As the Giants began to get picked apart by Moon, some players on both offense and defense became angry that one member of the secondary, whom they didn't want named, was blaming just about everyone except himself. The player, they said, criticized the defensive backfield for poor coverage and the defensive line for failing to generate a pass rush. Several veterans went over to the player and told him, in the words of one, "to shut up or somebody is going to punch you in the mouth."

The player, they said, quieted.

What has happened? Only two weeks ago the Giants were 3-0 and the toast of the town. Now, after two consecutive losses, they are struggling and looking for answers. This isn't the time to say the ship is sinking. Not even close. It's a long season. Dan Reeves is still a great coach. The team is still going to win games.

But something ugly is beginning as the Giants are showing signs of finger-pointing. It has not reached epidemic proportions yet, but players are so concerned that several veterans said they were going to call yet another team meeting later this week to air grievances and keep the finger-pointing from spreading.

The timing couldn't be worse as the Giants, on a short week, travel to Los Angeles to face the Rams, a team they have always had trouble with. Which is one of the reasons why Reeves put his players on alert today by saying that if he hears anyone placing blame elsewhere they risk being cut. Period.

"You start pointing fingers at somebody else, you've got big problems," Reeves said. "Usually when you point a finger at somebody else, you've got three pointing back. When we lose two ball games in a row, the one thing I can do something about is me. And I know I can do a better job and I'm going to do it. If we don't have ballplayers that feel that way, we aren't going to be good, we aren't going to turn it around.

"Start pointing fingers, better not let me see you pointing fingers, because you'll be pointing some fingers at some other teammates on some other team."

The Giants' game against the Vikings Monday night was their worst of the season as the Vikings exposed the team's major weakness: a young and inexperienced secondary. Using a short, 49er-like passing game, Moon picked the Giants apart, going 23 of 34 for 299 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He looked brilliant, but he had a lot of help from the Giants.

That help came in the form of an ineffective defense and a young Giants quarterback who made his second huge mistake of the season. Dave Brown was intercepted, and the pass was returned 44 yards for a touchdown that completely changed the momentum of a 10-10 game. The Vikings went on to score 10 points after that as the Giants had their breath knocked out of them.

"It took the wind out of their sails," Moon said. "Especially a team like the Giants that likes to run the football."

Now, the Giants are looking for answers. And the thing they don't want to do is look in the wrong places. "You can't put the blame on one particular person," said linebacker Carlton Bailey. "No finger-pointing here. We need to address our problems as a team, together. I'm sure that's what we'll do." EXTRA POINTS

Coach DAN REEVES said he did not see any immediate personnel changes, but added that players should not feel comfortable. "If a guy has played really bad over a period of time, then certainly he's in jeopardy," Reeves said. . . . Punter MIKE HORAN had a rough Monday night, averaging just 34.5 yards on 6 kicks, many of which were into the wind.

Photo: Giants Coach Dan Reeves holding his post-game news conference yesterday. The team lost to the Vikings Monday night, 27-10. (Frank C. Dougherty for The New York Times) (pg. B11)