By Hank Gola

By AFC North trash-talking standards, it was a mere spitball, hardly worthy of the high standards previously set by Joey Porter, Terrell Suggs, Chad Ochocinco or any of divisions’ the all-time greats.

Bengals receiver A.J. Green perhaps didn’t even think he was even talking out of turn Thursday morning when he told WFAN’s Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton that the Giants defense “has a lot of holes.” The Giants, in fact, had heard much more damning criticism from their own head coach when Tom Coughlin challenged their manhood by labeling their effort against the Steelers “soft,” and they don’t want to take his head off.

But it’s been a slow week, and the Giants are facing an out-of-conference opponent before the bye. And if they need something to snap them out of their bouts with inconsistency, maybe this is it, even if safety Antrel Rolle was the only one taking the bait in public.