WRs Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer and Steve Smith all sat out Monday night as the Giants beat the Browns 37-34.

Said WR Domenik Hixon of his first touchdown catch of the preseason, “Getting my feet inbounds is something we have practiced. It is something I need to do better. Every day after practice we work on it.”

Said Hixon of his kick return touchdown, “The guys up front did a heckuva job blocking. The tough job is the blocking. All I had to do is run.”

Coach Tom Coughlin said, “We looked quicker and obviously played with a better tempo tonight than we did a week ago.”

RB Danny Ware had 97 yards on 10 carries and averaged 39 yards on three kick returns.

LB Danny Clark was all over the place in the first quarter, with three tackles in four plays during the Browns’ first drive.

Said QB Eli Manning, “Last year we didn’t play well at home. It’s good to come out here and give a good performance.”

Said Manning of being the “other” quarterback in New York now that Brett Favre is in town, “It doesn’t bother me. I really haven’t noticed; I’ve been in Albany. My job’s to worry about the Giants and get us to win games and play good football.”

NT Barry Cofield had two tackles for loss.

Rookie Terrell Thomas made a big tackle on special teams.

Said LB Antonio Pierce, “Guys made up their mind that enough is enough. The defense is making progress.”

The Giants’ starting offense looked great, but backup QBs Anthony Wright and David Carr have work to do.

WR David Tyree is still hurt.

Which means he’s no lock to make the roster.