Ok are you as sick of this story as I am already?  I've finally decided to voice an opinion on the whole Brett Favre saga.  I guess every sport needs one, the NBA with Michael Jordan, MLB Roger Clemens, NHL Mario Lemieux and the NFL with Favre.  But there are an afwul lot of things that haven't made sense in this whole story right from the get-go.  Additionally does anyone remember who won the Super Bowl last year?  Because all I seem to see for NFL stories are Favre, the Patriots and the Cowboys... but I digress.

One of the more stunning things to transpire last year was the fact that Favre and the young Packers made a huge leap from 8-8 to losing by a field goal in OT in the NFC Championship Game.  After threatening to retire coming off frustrating seasons with that young team in the past, one would've figured upon coming that close to another Super Bowl apperance that Favre would've welcomed the challenge to take another shot.

In the same token while I understand the Packers wanting to move on, but unless they felt last year was an abberaion or that the team had reached their peak with Favre at the helm, I don't know why they wouldn't want to bring him back into the fold.  Take a look around the league and at other teams with recent legends who've bowed out of the game and look how long it took them to recover if they even have at all.  Buffalo with Jim Kelly, Miami with Dan Marino, Denver with John Elway, San Francisco with Steve Young, etc.  Teams have a real hard time recovering once they lose that franchise quarterback.  Heck the last time the Dallas Cowboys won a playoff game Troy Aikman was their QB.

If you're Green Bay I belive you have to reinstate him, otherwise that's real bush-league on their part to a living legend.  Conversely considering they still have Favre under contract, they should not cave in and release him.  Although if they think he's so washed up that he can't quarterback the Pack, then what is the harm in letting him go if he can't possibly be good enough to play for the Vikings, Bears or Lions?  Ultimately he'll either be the starter in Green Bay or accomodated in a trade to an AFC team.  Teams that would be smart to inquire about Favre in the AFC are, Miami, Buffalo, Houston, New York, Baltimore and Kansas City.

I always tended to chastize the media in overblowing the coverage of Favre, sometimes making people so sick of the story that they'd blame Favre for leaving his decision up in the air.  This time though some fault does go on the shoulders of Favre, he should've just said coming this far with the season being that much longer I'm going to need some extra time to recover from such a mentally and physically draining loss, the end.  Instead we've actually learned nothing.  Like I've always maintined I'll believe this guy is really retired when on Week 1 of the NFL season he isn't suiting up for anybody, so why should we be so suprised?

For what it's worth to the Packers, ponder this thought.  I'm sure the Giants are really happy that despite him skipping training camp amid talks of retirement, that Michael Strahan came back for one last season to give the team a huge on-field and emotional lift for their defensive run in winning the Super Bowl.  Even with all the drama and speculation it worked out.  Contrary to that perhaps Favre has become the Packers version of Tiki Barber and maybe both sides moving on would be all for the best.  However a fair warning, once a guy the ilk of Favre is gone especially at the QB position, it is awfully difficult to replace him.

Apparently that brand new HD scoreboard in Kansas City didn't come with a quality drainage system, though the Yankees bats seemed to go right down it on Wednesday night.  If we're going to have a Northeast team that can't hit in the cold weather, be it April or October, perhaps they may want to add a retractable roof on the new digs across the street.

Honestly though in all fairness, this was a game that only "Mr. Slip 'n Slide" former catcher Rick Dempsey could love.  No there weren't any "Lake Erie Midges" out there this time, though there may have been termites.

While I understand it is early and some guys are hitting .700, I still can't understand how Jason Giambi is batting .056, Robinson Cano .194 and Johnny Damon .212.  And before everyone jumps on me about there being no such thing as "clutch hitting," there is such a thing as timely hitting and this group leaves a lot of people on base, 14 to be exact, scoring no runs against the Kansas City Royals! 

Way to go Brian Cashman!  A-Rod's not going to duplicate last year's totals, nor is Posada who is a year older.  And then you are naieve enough to think that Jason Giambi is going to play first and be productive for 130-140 games a whole year older?  Thus with no power in center or at first you neglect to sign either Torii Hunter or Aaron Rowand?  Having Cabrera-Hunter/Rowand-Abreu in the outfield seems like a much more solid configuration to me!

And oh what you couldn't afford these guys or decided not to sign off on a Johan Santana deal because of lack of "payroll flexibility."  And yet YOU sir signed our vaunted Triple-A "ace" Kei Igawa for $46 million and gave A-Rod a "hardball offer" of $300 million (yeah you guys really show him huh?) and somehow with the four-million plus migrating to the final year of Yankee Stadium and the flood rush of revenue coming in next year from the new ball park, you were having issues with "payroll flexibility?"  OH COME ON PALLY!

To be fair for the record I was for getting Santana, but not for getting ripped off by the Twins in order to get him, just as they were by the Mets.  But really YOUR "genious" robbed us of another year from Bernie Williams, because you said Jason Giambi couldn't play first base a year ago and so you decided to give him the boot, sign Josh Phelps who didn't even last through June and Doug Mientkiewicz who is now history.  And yet now again Giambi is somehow capable of playing first and you have no true defensive first baseman off the bench.  Oh and the Yankees could've used Bernie off the bench to DH when Giambi was hobbling around last October in the playoff and Matsui was having knee issues hitting into double-plays!

Bomber Bites: Can't say I blame manager Joe Girardi too much on his pitching strategy, except for when it comes to using another brilliant Brian Cashman signing, Kyle Farnsworthless.  FARNSWORTHLESS SHOULD NEVER EVER EVER BE USED AGAIN PERIOD!

While Girardi said he was sure he could straighten out his old battery mate from Chicago, its too bad he couldn't coax Cashman into bringing back another one of his old Cubbie teammates, Jon Lieber.  Lieber who pitched pretty decent with the Yankees in 2004, is the long-man/spot-starter for the Cubs this year (something the Yankees don't have) and is 1-1 with a 0.00 ERA pitching in two games striking out three in five innings of work.

The Yankees had won two in a row with Giambi out of the lineup, they've lost two in a row since his return.  Well ain't that a co'inkie'dink!

Mr. Matsui, Johnny Gomes and Ross Gload thank you for contributing to their hit totals on this young season.  I guess it always was King Kong who was more prone to scaling large buildings than Godzilla.

Memo to Cashman, I applaud your willingness to cultivate the farm system, but I'm starting to believe that the Yankees need their own version of the "football Giants" Jerry Reese. 

When the New York Giants come to my neck of the woods in Albany, N.Y. for July Training Camp, I've come to learn as expectations go, never get too high of####ood year or too low off a bad one.  Their first year here in 1996 they were flat out dreadful, yet in 1997 they won the NFC East.  After their last Super Bowl appearance, many were thinking they'd build and regroup from that only to sink back into a mediocre state.  Certainly one could make that case for any team in the NFL not named the Colts or Patriots.

But while the Patriots couldn't reach perfection, the Giants finally reached and exceeded their potential.

From the outset on paper sure the Giants still had stars like Antoino Pierce, Osi Umenyiora, Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress, but they had quite the tumultuous off-season.  Tiki Barber was out the door, Michael Strahan was close to follow.  Swiftly kicked out the door were oft-injured underachievers Luke Petitgout, LaVar Arrington and Carlos Emmons.  And Kawika Mitchell was the "only signing of significance."

They still had a much maligned coach and quarterback in Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning.  A new GM in Jerry Reese and a rookie defensive coordinator in Steve Spagnuolo.  And to this team pegged as a Super Bowl contender before the 2006 season was now being reduced to a team that would go 6-10 just as much as it could 10-6.

However, as they did at the end of the 2006 season, they learned how to listen, they played like they wanted to be Giants and they just plain became focused. 

Luckily the Giants talent evaluators hit the jackpot in finding not only a bevy of homegrown players but diamonds in the rough to boot.  Ernie Accorsi, the man who as Baltimore Colts GM was forced into trading John Elway to the Denver Broncos, finally got the reverse dividends this time around.  And more importantly Jerry Reese absolutely hit it out of the park with his first draft as GM. 

Aaron Ross,  Steve Smith, Jay Alford, Zak DeOssie, Kevin Boss, Adam Koets, Michael Johnson and Ahmad Bradshaw all played a role in the Giants taking home Super Bowl XLII.  In addition to Mitchell, Reese made other shrewd signings such as Domenik Hixon, Madison Hedgecock, an early contributor in Reuben Droughns and though we wouldn't know it until very late Lawrence Tynes.

The offense looked very game from the start as the same pair who would hook up for the Giants last score of the season, started out with a boom on the first drive of their first game.  However it took the defense a little while to adapt, though after the 2nd half in Washington we learned it was more about making adjustments to a new scheme than a lack of talent. 

From there the Giants rolled, in fact steam-rolled the Eagles as the Giants went on to win six in a row.  Pierce was becoming a true team leader, Osi back in super-star form and Justin Tuck emerged with a breakout year of stardom as well. 

They then proceeded to take us on a roller-coaster ride once again, getting flattened by the Vikes, tripped up by the Cowboys, while steadying themselves somewhat against the Bears.  After that they hit their stride in Buffalo with the ground game and the defense, digging out of a 14-0 deficit to win decisively and clinch a playoff berth and their 10th win.

Then it was New England and the Giants only seemed to gain confidence, they embraced the under-dog role with their backs up against the wall and just simply ran with it.  They didn't win but it turned out that the "dog" did learn some new tricks.

Finally the Giants started out on the road to revenge tour, the same road that they'd take to a record 11 road wins, the only NFC Wild Card team to ever do it. 

Upon only gaining -3 yards in the early going, New York absolutely thrashed the Bucs and Jeff Garcia.  They made the adjustments they had to make, had faith in Manning to make plays in the air and he did just that in picking the Bucs apart.  The Giants defense also made plays when it had to, be it a sack from Strahan or a timely fumble recovery or interception by once lost, highly touted draft pick Corey Webster. 

Then it was onto Dallas and the Giants simply did not break on defense, despite one Cowboys scoring drive lasting over ten minutes.  That's when if not for later drives in the Super Bowl, Eli Manning defined himself when he marched the Giants down the field with about a minute to go in the 1st half, hitting two rookies in Smith and Boss and finally another veteran whom most thought was close to being put out to pasture, Amani Toomer caught what was his 2nd TD catch of the day to send both teams to the locker room knotted at 14.  Brandon Jacobs and Bradshaw combined to pound the Dallas defense, while the Giants defense wore down Tony Romo and Marion Barber.  Finally R.W. McQuarters as he had against Tampa, had a game ending INT sending the Giants to the NFC Championship game in Green Bay.

Mind you the Giants were doing this also without the services of Mathias Kiwanuka, Derrick Ward and Shockey along with having guys like Mitchell, Sam Madison and Shaun O'Hara unable to go in the opening round of the playoffs.

So the Giants went on after everyone had picked against.  The Giants defense shut down the run, while the Giants offense was once again very pass happy.  Boss and Hixon made two enormous fumble recoveries and amazingly with the ball in Brett Favre's hands in overtime the Giants would prevail.  Prevail in the strangest of ways with Webester picking off Favre, followed by Tynes kicking a 47-yarder to send the Giants to Super Bowl XLII.

In the Super Bowl against the Patriots, the Giants didn't come out shocked and surprised.  Instead they followed the playbook of their 1990 brethren and like Jeff Hostetler, Eli Manning was converting on 3rd downs during the opening drive like it was going out of style.  Then Jacobs and Bradshaw were starting to mirror O.J. Anderson and Dave Meggett and the Giants were out to a 3-0 lead, holding the Pats scoreless through one quarter of play.

The Giants certainly could've won this game by more if not for an inadvertent pick along with a mistake of a batted ball that went forward rather than out of bounds, just as the Giants were in field goal range.  However the Pats got too cocky and the Giants defense seized on it, sacking Tom Brady five times and smacking him about 18 times more for good measure.  Then on 4th and 13 rather than attempt a 49 yard field goal try, setup by a Strahan sack, the Pats passed on the points and aired it out for a big fat nothing.

The Patriots played as if they were going to blow the Giants out of the water, but near the end of the half Umenyiora and Tuck combined to make Brady fumble and lose possession.  Thus it was 7-3 New England at the half as Laurence Maroney was essentially spent for the day after his kickoff return and lone TD run setup by a pass interference penalty.

The Giants continued to keep with the theme of added pressure in the 2nd half and knocked Brady silly.  Only Wes Welker and his 11 catches were of any saving grace along with Kevin Faulk.

In the 4th quarter Manning then embarked the Giants on a drive that will make for a great trivia question someday.  No it wasn't Shockey, Toomer and Burress on this drive, it was Boss' 47 yard rumble, followed by a clutch grab by Smith and cemented by a TD catch by David Tyree.  Yes that's Pro Bowl special teamer, former Syracuse Orangemen wide-out David Tyree.  Though his heroics were hardly done for the night, nor were Manning's.

After the Pats finally aligned themselves with the team that had seemingly drilled every opponent early this season with guess what a TD from Brady to Moss, giving them a 14-10 lead, it looked as though the coronation was on. 

Except that it wasn't.  Except that Eli Manning was the star of this picture when he amazingly eluded the grasp of two Pats defenders in order to fling up a prayer on 3rd and 5 again to Tyree who caught the ball on the back of his helmet right in front of aptly enough Rodney Harrison.  That was followed by another heads-up, clutch play by Smith who recorded a 1st down while getting out of bounds.  The next play was history as Burress for all intensive purposes playing on one leg, faked out Ellis Hobbs and caught the winning TD to make it 17-14 Giants.

The Pats had one last gasp and then Alford took Brady's breath away with a ferocious hit.  With two seconds left the little weasel Belichick was force back onto the sideline to take it like a man, as Eli took the final snap in what was one of the more unimaginable runs in New York sports history. 

If you're still wondering come July and August whether they actually won Super Bowl XLII, don't worry the Giants relish in lowered expectations.  But if you must know, the answer is true, TRUE BLUE.

Is it destiny or dynasty or could they ultimately end up as one in the same?  Super Bowl XLII, Boston vs. New York or East Rutherford vs. Forborough if you will.  No matter the winner history will be made, in what may be the most epic Super Bowl ever.

NFL Super Bowl XLII Pick: (Last week 2-0 overall season 167-98).

One team was supposed to be here, ever since there were supposed to be in this very game last year.  Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are going for something more here than a dynasty or immortality, they're striving for invincibility. 

Conversely Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning were not supposed to be anywhere near this game.  Sure the Giants had qualified for the playoffs the last two seasons, but now Tiki Barber was gone and outside of Kawika Mitchell it had appeared the Giants had done little to improve the squad overall.

The Pats of course re-loaded for the "one that got away."  They picked up the likes of Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Adalius Thomas for pretty much what the New York Mets just gave up to obtain Johan Santana from the Minnesota Twins.

On the flipside of that the Giants made some shrewd moves as well, drafting the likes of CB Aaron Ross, TE Kevin Boss and RB Ahmad Bradshaw.  In addition they picked up LB Mitchell as well as FB Madison Hedgecock and KR Domenik Hixon. 

Both teams were Super Bowl contenders at the outset of 2006 and both apparently came into 2007 with a chip on their shoulders'.  One team deciding to just shut up and play, while the other simply refused to lose.  One team the ultimate finisher, the other simply would not be finished. If you don't know their collective stories by now, then you're probably more interested in the commercials at this juncture.

The Patriots were able to turn it on offensively whenever necessary, absolutely bludgeoning the competition in the early going, along with adapting and surviving down the stretch, feeding off the pressure, responding to history's calling.  They have not looked back since, they are 18-0 for a reason and amid all the resurfacing of new "spy-gate" allegations, God knows it was probably coach Belichick himself who made the leak un-purpose just to get his team even more riled up and motivated.

The Giants in the early going looked completely dead, especially on the defensive side of the ball.  But just when it looked like this team was going to wilt or fade like the two versions previous to it, they made a stand every time it counted.  Good teams win a playoff game in Tampa on the road, sometimes they even get lucky to pull one out in Dallas, other times they can be so numb to it all that they get out of Green Bay alive.  Great teams do all three of those aformentioned things and these Giants just did. 

Now as stupid as it sounds New England may not be getting enough credit here given the nature of their playoff wins, because of course they're supposed to beat everyone, they have much larger matters at hand.  If anyone can find new wrinkles on a 100-yard ironing board, it's Belichick, especially with two weeks to prepare, even if the sleeves are torn off.

However the Giants have been told all year that they can't do it.  By their former star RB Tiki Barber, by the New York media, by all the experts, the one's on the four-letter network and even the one's on this very network aside from Terry Bradshaw who picked them in the NFC Championship Game.  And yet these Giants seem to be content enough just thriving off it, playing like the Giants of '90 instead of proclaiming to everyone with an open mic who'll listen that they're already better than those Giants of '86.

From the beginning of the season the New England Patriots were my Super Bowl pick and I stated after awhile that I would no longer pick against them until they lost.  That is until now and it is about time they lost.  Everything is in place and all directions point as to why the Pats should win this game and ultimately 9 times out of 10 they are the better team between these two.  Yet this Super Bowl strikes me as only a couple of memorable Super Bowls do.

There's been a lot of talk beyond "spy-gate" comparing these Giants to those Pats who beat the high octane, "Greatest Show on Turf" St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.  Additionally there have been the comparisons in how Phil Simms beat John Elway on this stage coupled with Jeff Hostetler being able to knock off Jim Kelly.  Here it is again with Eli Manning and Tom Brady.

Perhaps I see a little Hoss in Eli or maybe it's the duo of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw that evokes memories of O.J. Anderson and Dave Meggett.  Overall though from what I have seen is that defense wins championships and this Giants defense which led the NFL in sacks, has turned it up a notch, has been a bend but don't break, make the big play when you have to kind of stingy defensive unit. 

In their last meeting the Giants lost to the Patriots at home 38-35.  Fortunately for the Giants, they are truly road warriors.

Pick: New York Giants 26 New England Patriots 21.

Super Bowl MVP: Brandon Jacobs.

NFL Conference Championship Playoff Picks: (Last week 3-1, overall season 165-98)

AFC Championship Game:

New England Patriots over San Diego Chargers: Wow, now that's a shocker!  I said very early on that I wouldn't pick against the Pats until they eventually lost, so thus I shall pick them again this week as they now stand at 17-0.  The Chargers are looking to channel the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of 2002 who changed coaches and got over the hump.  They're probably the 2nd hottest team in the NFL to the team they're facing, having won eight in a row themselves, turning their season around.  The Chargers are a bit beat up, yet are a very physical team (+ 24 in turnover ratio) more than capable of keeping up with the Pats aggressive play.  Hope the Pats weren't hoping for and anticipating the Colts because the Bolts will have a chip on their shoulders.  However the Pats have the Brady magic, much like the Yankees have the Jeter magic, perhaps moreso because Jeter can't bat as many times as Brady can take snaps.

NFC Championship Game: Right here on FOX!

New York Giants over Green Bay Packers: I have ridden my Giants, (not to be confused with that awful Billy Crystal movie My Giant) thus far and have looked good as a result.  They are perhaps channeling the road warrior Pittsburgh Steelers of a couple of years ago with an NFL record nine straight road wins or perhaps with the retirement of Tiki Barber like the Indianapolis Colts who last year lost Edgerrin James to the Arizona Cardinals and went on to win the Super Bowl.  More impressive than the maturity of QB Eli Manning though may be the grit and determination of their defense.  That defense used to talk big like they were the '86 Giants of L.T., Carson, Banks and Pepper Johnson, but came up small in big spots, now they just shut up and play.  On the Packers side Brett Favre will have to win it for them, what a suprise.  But he can't force it and try to do too much or he'll get into trouble, especially if the Giants take away Ryan Grant.  Yes Lambeau Field is a huge homefield advantage, but if the Atlanta Falcons can win a playoff game there I guess nothing is out of the realm of possibilities.  Both teams actually lucked out in a sense with the Pack not having to go to Dallas and the Gmen not having to go to Seattle.  The Packers also have a far superior and healthier WR corps than Dallas or Tampa at the moment and the Giants thin secondary is beat up.  The Green Bay defense doesn't quite pop out at anyone as much but they are solid at basically every spot, whereas the Giants are stronger up front and the Packers especially excel in the secondary.  Ultimately I expect the Giants to gut it out, otherwise I'll be rooting for Favre's Packers against the other Bill's Patriots just like I did so many years ago during Super Bowl XXXI.

NFL Divisional Playoff Picks: (Last week 3-1, overall season 162-97)

Packers over Seahawks: Favre and the Packers at home in January, very hard to pick against. 

Patriots over Jaguars: Again how can one pick against the Pats until they finally do lose?

Colts over Chargers: The only reason the Chargers didn't lose last week is because they played the Titans.

Giants over Cowboys: I really hate it when the Giants get hyped up because usually they buy into it and believe it rather than just going out and playing hard.  However there have been an awful lot of playoff distractions and nobody makes mentions of the playoff struggles of Tony Romo and Wade Phillips, but they're there. 

Do not believe what they are telling you, we are a championship NBA team and we will crush all of the other teams, do not be mistaken, praise Bob McAdoo.  Is Isiah Thomas serious, because Baghdad Bob and Tokyo Rose would've quit by now! 

Thomas said of the Atlantic Division cellar dwellars and their 8-22 record, "I believe that one day we will win a championship here."  I certainly don't know where you're getting all of this "WE" stuff from Zeke, because you're not part of the equation.  You can't make this stuff up, Joe Torre is given his walking papers, if the Giants get destroyed in Tampa there's a 30% chance Tom Coughlin could get run out of town and yet Isiah Thomas is allowed free reign in Manhattan?  Obviously there is no accountability at the top and things have been so bad that Phil Jackson couldn't be wooed here and Larry Brown couldn't win here.

How fans contiually fork down good money to watch this dreck at The Garden is beyond me.   

Other classics by "Zeke the prophet.": 

"The CBA is not bankrupt and collapsing all around you."

"Seriously you would have loved the Buffalo Raptors."

"Do not believe that man behind the curtain, Eddie Curry does have a heart."

"Yes Jamal Crawford, would you rather I signed Cindy Crawford?"

"Johnny Most is a liar, Bird did not steal the ball and he certainly did not pass it underneath to D.J. and as far as laying it in, I do not know what you are speaking of."

"Win or die I say and Mr. Dolan he likes living, this is not a slow death."

"Larry Bird is overrated because he is white."  (Oh wait he really did say that).

"Why would we shake their hands?  The Bulls are not better than us, Michael Jordan is not better than me, a curse be upon them."

"Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and John Starks won't be coming back through those doors, nor will Rick Pittino, so consider yourselves lucky."

"I am not a prophet but a quack, oops."  (Well finally some candor and honesty Isiah).

The competitor in me wants to see the New York Giants take a crack at the undefeated New England Patriots.  Yet when using sound logic, that makes about as much sense as the Giants actually beating the Patriots.  Both teams know where they're going from this point on, the Pats back to Foxboro until they go to Arizona and the Giants to Tampa where they've split Super Bowls.

Proponents of the Giants actually showing up in this game will argue that the Giants need to stay fresh and gain some momentum so that if they somehow do knock off the Pats, there will be some confidence boosting carry-over effect that will propell the Giants on a legendary playoff run.  Others will also argue that the Giants aren't going deep into the playoffs anyhow and that this in effect is their "Super Bowl." 

Another point is that if the Giants play and beat the Pats, no matter what they do from here on out, 10, 20, 25 years from now they'll be remembered as the team that beat the 15-0 Pats and ruined the perfect season.  But I'll tell you what, I remember the 1998 Giants who upset the 13-0 John Elway Denver Broncos at Giants Stadium when Kent Graham hooked up with Amani Toomer for the winning score, and the only memorable thing about that team is that they did it and that they were a team that completely underachieved that season and did nothing.  Actually looking back that win for that Giants team might have meant more because unlike that Giants team, this Giants team still has more to play for, namely the playoffs.  Besides how really historical are those Giants along with the Chad Johnson Bengals who upset the Chiefs about five years back or the Marino Dolphins who upset the '85 Bears?

The only fans that have a right to complain and be sour Week 17 are followers of the Vikings, Saints and Browns.  Because with the Redskins and Titans having destiny in their own hands and playing the Cowboys and Colts respectively, those two latter teams have no more of an obligation to show up and play hard than the Giants do. 

Granted they are 7-1 on the road, but for a team that would have to play three straight road games (assuming the Redskins/6th seed doesn't make it to the NFC Conference Championship Game) just to get to Arizona for the Super Bowl, this is in effect their bye week and they've earned it just as much as the Cowboys and Colts.

There's simply no need for anyone on the O-Line to go out and twist a knee, or Eli Manning to re-aggrivate his shoulder or Brandon Jacobs to tear up his hamstring or Plaxico Burress to roll over his ankle or an already thin-depth defense to lose anymore anchors.  You don't play scared or you get injured, therefore there's no reason to play these guys outside of a couple of series if at all in what amounts to a meaningless game.  The last two seasons in Oakland and Washington, the Giants had to go out and grind it to win the division and last year to just make the playoffs.  This season they have the luxury of having clinched and knowing who and where they'll play in the playoffs.

Some will say that two back to back losses to New England and Tampa Bay will be devastating and depressing and with the Giants ending a third straight season of being bumped out in the first round won't distinguish them from anyone and that "what if" syndrome of potentially beating the Pats and making "history," will set in. 

Lets get one thing perfectly straight though, the Pats are the only team playing for history here folks.  They are the only one's with that streak on the line and the only one's outside of the casual football fan and perhaps the '72 Dolphins that should care about it.  This is not the Giants fight, they just so happen to be opponent # 16 on the Pats schedule.  Besides if the Giants actually show up and play there's no guarantee they'll beat them and even if they do and some guys get knocked out for the season, the regret and "what if" fallout from a first round playoff loss in Tampa will be even more historically painful for the Giants and Giants fans.

Finally, if you're the Giants and you do pull off some kind of miraculous playoff run to meet the Pats in Arizona for the Super Bowl, why show off all of your cards now? 

NFC East:

1.) Philadelphia Eagles (13-3): Andy Reid is coaching and Donovan McNabb is quarterbacking, I like those odds.  Like Brady and Belichick in the AFC East, Manning and Dungy in the AFC South and even Holmgen and Hasselbeck in the NFC West, McNabb and Reid rule the NFC East.

2.) Dallas Cowboys (9-7)* Wild Card: If nothing else Wade Phillips will be the answer to a pretty cool trivia question.  Namely what coach followed three hall of fame coaches (Dan Reeves, Marv Levy and Bill Parcells) in his career?  One can count on the defense improving but can a guy who couldn't figure out the QB controversy with Doug Flutie and Rob Johnson really deal with a certain owner and WR?  The Cowboys imploded a bit down the stretch last year almost as badly as my number three team.

3.) New York Giants (7-9): The Giants seem to play better without any expectations on them and believe me the bar is pretty low this year.  They do seem to be like virtually every other team in the NFC, just a few plays away from being either 10-6 or 6-10.  They've got some stars still in Eli Manning, Jeremy Shockey,  Michael Strahan, Antonio Pierce and Osi Umenyiora.  Under Tom Coughlin the Giants have traditionally started off hot and then have been over worked and worn and broken down late in the season, the complete opposite of the Jim Fassel era.  Thus unless Coughlin is Wayne Fontes reincarnated he's virtually done in New York, because when they fade again Tiki Barber won't be around to save their bacon.

4.) Washington Redskins (6-10): I could be wrong but don't the Redskins always look good on paper?  Just not so much on your TV set.  London Fletcher was a great pickup at LB.  Jason Campbell their QB should improve and why not with weapons like WR Santana Moss, RB Clinton Portis and TE Chris Cooley.

For the start of the Jerry Reese era as the GM of the New York Giants, one thing is clear: "We don't want you if you don't want to be here."  This became evidently clear when the Giants decided not to bend over backwards in trying to convince Tiki Barber to comeback, even if that meant firing coach Tom Coughlin in the process.  They appear to be sending the same message to Michael Strahan, that they're not afraid to sign Simeon Rice or hand the DE spot to youngster Justin Tuck. 

This is all somewhat reminiscent of the Dan Reeves era when the old guard of Bill Parcells Giants was shown the door and there were contract disputes with QB Phil Simms amongst others.  However, these Giants aren't nearly in as bad of shape as those Giants talent wise.

Perhaps now the message has been sent, that virtually everyone is expendible.  That of course could usher in the possibilty that Coughlin has more backing that originally thought and that a youth movement would work more to Coughlin's advantage.  To Coughlin's credit he is a very sound technical coach, however his handling of players and drill sargent mentality has made for a team that comes out as gang-busters but wears down and fades late due to injuries. 

Given that Reese has cut a lot of dead weight in Carlos Emmons, Luke Petitgout and LaVar Arrington, would it really suprise anyone if Strahan was given the "Bernie Williams treatment?"  After all, despite having a Pro-Bowl season in 2005 with 81 tackles and 11.5 sacks, Strahan has missed 15 games due to injury over the last three seasons. 

If healthy Strahan still has the talent and his leadership would be a plus to a relatively young defense.  However if he wants L.T.'s sack record, like his old coach Jim Fassel once said, "the chips are on the table," if Strahan wants in, he's in, if he wants out the Giants will call his bluff.