Giants defensive tackle Chris Canty, the former Charlotte Latin star, gave the New York tabloids plenty of headline fodder last week.

After telling Giants fans - via a New York TV station - to prepare for a victory parade, Canty backed up his boast - sort of - by predicting a 28-17 victory for the G-men on his Twitter account about six hours before kickoff. Canty, whose parents live in south Charlotte, took down the post a couple of hours later after reporters pointed it out.

Giants wideout and Charlotte native Hakeem Nicks took a huge hit in the third quarter by safety Patrick Chung, forcing an incompletion. Nicks, who injured his shoulder in the NFC Championship Game at San Francisco, sat out a play before returning to the game.

The Giants were down to one tight end after injuries to Travis Beckum and Jake Ballard. In a pinch, Nicks could have volunteered: He started his Independence High career as a tight end when Mohammed Massaquoi was ahead of him at wideout.

A little different atmosphere at Lucas Oil Stadium than when the Panthers were there in November. For one thing, Curtis Painter wasn't on the field, which meant a lot less booing. When Sherrod Martin intercepted Painter's tipped pass in the back of the end zone with 35 seconds left, it sealed the Panthers' 27-19 win and dropped the Colts to 0-11.

Sports writers are going to be racking up a lot of Marriott points in Indianapolis this month. The NFL's Scouting Combine will begin there in two weeks, drawing thousands of players, scouts, general managers, agents and media members for the predraft smorgasbord. No celebrities, though. And no musical performances between the 40-yard dash and standing broad jump at the combine. Shame.