Judging by the title, the avatar, and blog history, it’s fairly easy to draw the conclusion that I’m a Giants die-hard. I’m a New Jersey native, and the Giants are New Jersey’s team. Yes, I’m a die-hard, but I’d like to think that I can be and have been reasonably objective. That being said, the Giants are off to a fast 4-0 start and are looking every bit the championship caliber team that the preseason favorites, as per usual, are not. Still, as a fan, there’s something left to be desired.
Yes, the Giants are off to a 4-0 start. They lead the league in points per game at 31.8. They are second to the Titans in points allowed at 12.3. They are first in total offense at a staggering 431 yards per game, and their defense isn’t looking terrible either, holding opponents to 236 yards per game and ranking third in the league. Eli Manning has been superb, throwing one pick through the first four, while completing 64% of his passes. They have outscored opponents by an average of 19.5 points per game. In short, the Giants are motoring.
However, as a fan, I’m still looking for more out of this football team. The Giants are 4-0, but having played only one single team with a winning record. Granted, that team was in fact the Washington Redskins, who are undoubtedly the number two team in the NFC, and perhaps even the entire NFL. It was Parcells that said you can only play the schedule that you are given. Still, blowout victories over teams with losing records have not spiked my optimism. If anything, I find myself craving the big games even more so.
The Giants get the Browns on Monday Night Football next week, and then take the 49ers at homes, in what amounts to two very winnable contests. No NFL team can be taken for granted, but the Giants should by all means be 6-0 heading into Pittsburgh. That sparks the test. The Giants are the elite, but to prove it, they will need to come away with two of those games. And if they only come away with two victories, one of them has to be Dallas. Let’s quickly look ahead:
Giants @ Steelers (week 8): The Steelers have managed to keep a respectable record to this point, despite their offensive coordinator or whoever is calling the plays for that offense, nearly throwing the Jacksonville game away. They had over a quarter left of football to play, and the Steelers almost completely gave up on the run. Steelers fans, be thankful you have a guy as impressive as Big Ben behind center, because he single-handedly kept the game alive at times.
That being said, the Steelers have a strong defense, undoubtedly one of the top units in the league. However, the Giants have them in the trenches, and ought to be able to overpower that weak offensive line. The Steelers’ defense, while very strong, will still have its hands full with an offense that has countless weapons. The Giants, on paper, ought to be able to pull this one out. But paper that’s not marked by dead presidents isn’t very valuable, so only time will tell.
Giants vs. Cowboys (week 9): No matter what the case for the Giants heading into this game, whether they are 7-0 or 4-3, this is a must-win game. Nothing says “statement game” like having the chance to put the first lick on Dallas on your home turf. The G-men could lose to the Eagles and Steelers in this stretch, but if they can send the Cowboys away with an “L”, they’ll have made their point.
Dallas can’t be underestimated. Are the overrated? Sure. I’m starting to wonder when the analysts will start basing their definition of talent on high-profile players from previous years. Young guys have stepped it up all over the place, and yesterday’s talent is not quite the same as today’s. The Giants’ offense has just as many weapons to match the Dallas Cowboys. If the Giants are a half-step back as far as receivers go, they make up for that with a backfield that has averaged a league-leading 181.3 yards per game. The Giants have three backs over 100 yards and are averaging over 6 yards per carry between them, while still having a starting running back in Jacobs posting 95 yards per game. Can we say that the Giants have just as much talent as the Cowboys yet?
Still, the Dallas Cowboys are the Dallas Cowboys. They are talented. Overrated, but that’s because the media hyped them up like there was no tomorrow. Still, they are one of the most stacked teams in the NFL. Contrary to Pittsburgh, Dallas has a great offensive line, and that will make this contest that much tougher for the Giants. The Redskins have the style of defense that more naturally offsets a great offensive line when executed properly, in the sense that they don’t bring the heat very often, but stay very aggressive in the d-backfield and don’t leave much open. On defense, it is essential for the Giants to be able to overpower that offensive line and pressure Romo, because that is their style of play. This presents a slightly greater challenge than the Redskins faced (not by any means a discredit to what they did), though hats off to the ‘Skins for doing that without Jason Taylor.
I wouldn’t past the Dallas defense to buckle down and play well either. Can they stop this Giant offense? They haven’t been living up to their hype, but they still have talent. For Dallas to win this game, they are going to have to win it on defense. This Giants offense is firing on all cylinders, and they are a difficult unit to defend, especially when you have to prepare for three running backs with different styles that are equally explosive.
Again though, this is going to be a statement game for both teams. Dallas embarrassed the G-men in East Rutherford last year with a two-score victory, but the Giants got the last laugh. It’s going to come down to who wants it more, and I hope it’s my Giants.
Giants @ Eagles (week 10): The Eagles have been the slowest off the gun this year, and nothing concerns the hell out of me more than that, and that is as a Giants fan. The Eagles are a team that could be 2-6 heading into this game, and head out of it at 3-6 following a very convincing win. If you are not familiar with the NFC East, then you have no idea what a real trap-game is. It’s early yet, but this is shaping up to be that kind of situation for the Giants, and I don’t even think the Eagles will have fallen short of a respectable record at that point.
The Eagles have the talent. For three quarters, their offense looked unstoppable in Dallas on Monday Night. Their defense, while somewhat inconsistent, has been scary good at times. And let’s face it, Jim Johnson is hands down one of the best defensive coordinators of all time. He’ll be going against his disciple in Steve Spagnuolo, and you can bet he’ll be bringing his best.
The Giants certainly have the talent to beat Philly, but again, nothing’s guaranteed.
As a Giants’ fan, I’ll continue to bet on my Giants. However, for the unbiased observer, I’d advise against placing any kind of money on these contests. We have three games in which you can throw all predictions out of the window. As a Giant fan though, I couldn’t be less patient as I wait for this stretch to begin. These are the three I want.
