The Giants get off to a strong 2-0 start this season, and their level of play against the Rams is a strong sign for this Giants team. Granted, we are talking about the St. Louis Rams here. However, anytime you have a 28 point difference in the box score, the team that comes out on top is playing at a high level, regardless of how poor the other team is. The most impressive thing about this Giants team right now is the fact that, as a team, they are playing just as well as anybody across the board. Several different players came up with plays on defense. The ball distribution on offense was just downright scary. Whatever there might be to say about the state the St. Louis Rams are in, a 41 to 13 point victory can never be underestimated. Let's recap. Offense: The Giant offense picked apart the porous St. Louis defense pretty thoroughly. They put up the stats last week against the Redskins as well, but the difference-maker in this game was the fact that they could translate yardage into points. Eli Manning did a beautiful job spreading the ball around, with 8 different receivers hauling in passes on the night, and 3 of those receivers with 60 yards or more. This is a huge improvement over the Giants and how they played for much of the regular season last year, as they were largely one-dimensional in the passing game with inconsistent receivers behind an unhealthy Plax. Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith both showed some serious big play potential (though Smith ended up ruled down after review on a play he had stretched for an additional 18 yards, that was still one hell of a run after the catch).
Still, the first sighting of a three-headed beast is what should have the rest of the league worried. Between the trio of Jacobs, Ward, and Bradshaw in the backfield, the Giants running backs posted 203 yards on a mere 28 carries. Considering that each back contributed over 50 yards on the ground, it is clear that each one of these backs is just as effective as the next. Each back had a reception as well, and though Bradshaw got the least amount of playing time, he posted 2 of the team's 4 offensive touchdowns.
This Giants' backfield is the best in the league. Better than Dallas. Better than Minnesota. Better than Jacksonville. Granted, they haven't stacked up against great defenses. However, it's hard to say that any single running back or even duo of backs can match their versatility. And when push comes to shove, it is invaluable to be able to have a play-making back that virtually never gets tired. The only thing that could slow this group down is injury.
Defense: The defense shut down the only hope the Rams had in this one, and for another week, the Rams were unable to move the ball on offense. The Rams' O-line was embarrassed for another straight week, surrendering 6 six sacks to this Giant D. Unexpectedly, three of those sacks would come from Robbins and Alford, two of the guys on that line that don't get a whole lot of credit. There's not a whole lot else to say here, so I will put the spotlight on one particular individual.
Justin Tuck: This guy has showed up big in the absence of Strahan, and for those that do not believe him to be the real deal, expect to by the end of the season. Tuck fought off countless holds that were not called (for anybody that watched the game, you would have seen this, and if you ignored it, then Troy Aikman pointed it out at one point for you), adding two sacks in this one. Being able to come down with an interception and run it in for the score shows you that he is on his game and playing heads-up football.
Coaching: I have to say I disagree with the no-call on the St. Louis touchdown play, and there's no excuse for Coughlin not throwing the challenge flag on that one. At that point, there wasn't a whole lot of separation in the score, and while whether or not it was actually a legal catch will never be known, the call was clearly in question. Had the game been a lot closer, it would have meant quite a bit to have that one possibly called back.
Overall, the Giants look like they are ready to rumble with the best in the league, and thus far, there is nothing to suggest that they are not amongst the best in the league. They are in a heavyweight division, but this is a heavyweight team. Anybody that thought it would be Philly and Dallas in the East, not to take anything away from those teams as they are both very talented, ought to remember that the Giants can trade hands just as well as anybody.
Side Note: The NFC East will be 6-2 heading into week 3, getting off to a collective 4-0 start against out of division opponents (Browns/Saints/Rams twice). The East has outscored these opponents 136 to 50. There is a team that can challenge scattered here and there throughout the NFC, with the Packers and Panthers looking good thus far, but the NFC is all about the East this year, and with the Chargers taking an 0-2 start and Tom Brady going down, the team that comes out victorious in this division is more than liable to be favored to run away with a Lombardi trophy. each of these teams scheduled to play six divisional games a piece, this is a going to be a hell of a year for fans of NFC East teams.
After a crazy week in the NFL and a dismal week in regards to my picks, I'm looking for a much more sound week. While I did throw down one too many upset specials (by that, I'm referring to my picking of Cleveland over Dallas), the two other teams I picked to upset brought the game down to the final drive, threatening not only in their respective opponent's territory, but threatening with do or die circumstances. Those two teams would be the Dolphins and the Bucs. There were definitely a few games this week that were beyond predictable. The Colts lose at home to the Chicago Bears? The Chargers fall short to the Panthers? And while Buffalo was a reasonable pick to win, I don't think anybody could foresee them putting the lights out on the Seahawks.
One pick I did have going for me was the Green Bay Packers winning at home. Rodgers played just as well as he did at Dallas last year. That was not an upset, but merely just bringing the Minnesota Vikings back down to earth. I will reiterate. The Vikings are reminiscent to the Saints of '07: overhyped and overrated.
This is how the NFL is shaping up for week two:
TEN 20 @ CIN 10: Tennessee is minus Young, but that matters not. Kerry Collins is still a solid QB who can step in and win games. And well, Cincy was looking bad heading into week one, and now they just look awful.
BUF 24 @ JAC 27: One of the tougher games to call, but I'm going with Jacksonville at home over the upstart Bills. The Bills are exciting, but they played a soft-looking Seahawks team. Jacksonville bounces back in a close one. NO 28 @ WAS 17: The Redskins will take a few weeks before anybody gets a read on what will become of them this year. With the way Jim Zorn ran his two minute offense without that critical hurry-up aspect, don't expect a whole lot.
NYG 27 @ STL 7: In reference to a post I made a few weeks ago, the Giants looked very much like the NFL's Joe Frazier in the opener. They didn't continue to batter the Redskins offensively in the second half, but the defense held on eight of eleven in third down situations and looked strong throughout. Expect much of the same this week in a thoroughly one-sided Giants' victory.
GB 35 @ DET 14: The Aaron Rodgers led Green Bay Packers continue to roll.
CHI 14 @ CAR 24: I'm not hopping on the Bears' bandwagon, but Carolina looks to be tough this year, and they will win by two scores. IND 31 @ MIN 17: Indy, despite a poor week one performance, lays it to the Vikings, who unexpectedly start the season two games behind Green Bay after just two weeks.
OAK 14 @ KC 20: A battle between two pretty bad teams, and Oakland is the worse of the two.
ATL 17 @ TB 20: Michael Turner was signed to be the spark plug in this Atlanta offense, and he will make the game interesting. However, the Bucs are the better team all around, and they will bounce back this week.
SF 21 @ SEA 27: Wow. A week ago I wouldn't have imagined this one as a tough pick. Seattle at home, but not by much.
BAL 10 @ HOU 20: Rookie quarterbacks have their ups and downs, and the Texans will be looking to bounce back from the spanking they took last week. Texans even out against the Ravens, and Joe Flacco will get a taste a Mario Williams.
MIA 21 @ ARI 14: Call me crazy but I like what I saw from the Dolphins a week ago (minus the lack of a running game). They had a shot to win the game on the final drive, and that in itself is a good sign. Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown will show up big this week, and Pennington will manage a Dolphins victory.
SD 28 @ DEN24: The Chargers lost on the final play to what looks to be a very competent Panthers squad. Denver went out and beat the Raiders senseless, but they are the Oakland Raiders and still a miserable team at that. Still, a good, close game in a Chargers win.
NE 10 @ NYJ 17: The experts are saying not to write the Patriots off, and that makes guys like me look more like an expert every day. As in the preseason, New England just looks like they do not want to be their without Brady on the field. Cassel will soon follow suit once he begins to play decent NFL teams. PIT 28 @ CLE 27: I'm not sure that will be the actual score, but I'm lending emphasis to how close this game will be. Pittsburgh looked great last week and Cleveland looked awful. But in this rivalry, the games will be exciting and down to the wire, and they will still usually end with a Pittsburgh victory.
PHI 24 @ DAL 21: Hands down, the game of the week. I referred to the Giants/Dallas rivalry in another post as similar to that of Ali and Frazier. Philadelphia looks to be emerging as this year's George Foreman in that context, but there will be no rope-a-dope coming from Dallas. Philly wins in Philly fashion, with Donovan McNabb and Westbrook leading the offense and Jim Johnson masterminding this defense. Johnson's disciple Steve Spagnuolo ended the Cowboys' Super Bowl hopes this year, and the guru will pick up where his protege left off.
Seeing as we have more "weekly predictions" posts than anyone could care to count, perhaps we can organize a community based league to compare records for the purpose of bragging rights. We can also get discussions more centralized to keep a broader range of opinions in one place. If anybody is interested, just say so and post your week one winners, so we can get this going before the game on Thursday. All participants must submit this weeks' picks by 4:00 pm EST on Thursday.
Let's kick it off. I will throw an upset special or two into the mix
here, and I look forward to any thoughts an opinions anyone might be
willing to share.
Crack open a cold one, 'coz it's football season, baby.
WAS 14 @ NYG 31: Giants by seventeen here, as the offense will
roll and the defense will look good. The Redskins haven't looked too
solid. If Jason Taylor does not play, the 'Skins D will have a
difficult task ahead of them.
DET 27 @ ATL 13: Detroit will win and Jon Kitna may feel good
enough about it to promise a Super Bowl. But everyone else will know
that the Atlanta Falcons are the Atlanta Falcons, Jon Kitna is Jon
Kitna, and the Lions are still a .500 team at best.
CIN 14 @ BAL 10: Cincy has a receiver to cover for a hurt Chad
Ocho Cinco, but may struggle in the running game. Still, the Ravens have no quarterback. Joe Flacco, did it really come to you already?
SEA 24 @ BUF 20: Seattle is not as tough as they are thought to
be, and the impression of a team that barely edged the Redskins in the
playoffs last year before getting walloped by the Packers remains. They
will still edge the Bills in this one.
NYJ 14@ MIA 17: Everybody will be looking to see Favre light it
up, and while that may happen, I have a feeling Pennington will be the
story of the week after upsetting his former team. He's about as tough
as they come and has more talent (but lacked blocking) than most would
care to realize.
KC 13 @ NE 28: Just because the entire New England team as a
whole looks as though they don't even want to be out there on the
field, my gut tells me to pick against them purely on principle.
Against any halfway decent team, I would. But NE is lucky to have KC as
a get-it-together game. That could still go both ways heading into week
two though, as getting back into the habit of going for it on fourth
downs will hurt them.
TB 28 @ NO 20: Tampa Bay, the more well-rounded team will win
this one. Looking at players who want it bad, one might be inclined to
focus on Shockey. But the moment things don't go Shockey's way, he
forgets how to be a teammate and how to just shut up and play his role.
On the other hand, we have Jeff Garcia, who just a few weeks ago was
more or less told by his organization that he would be Favre's backup.
Garcia is an average quarterback, but he can get fired up and playing
well. With something to prove, Garcia will have a big game.
STL 10 @ PHI 17: Philly has looked good lately, and they will
start the season on a good note against the Rams. The game will be a
lot more one-sided than the final score will suggest.
HOU 14 @ PIT 20: Pittsburgh at home. Pittsburgh at home. The Steelers have tough schedule, but this is a game they will win.
JAC 28 @ TEN 17: Jacksonville is a tough team and can move the
ball on offense, and I don't think Vince Young will be able to exploit
their secondary.
DAL 31 @ CLE 35: Upset special. The Cowboys will be brought down
to earth in week one, losing an offensive shootout with the Browns. The
Browns didn't look great in the preseason, but they are more liable to
show up determined to pull the upset, and they have the guns on offense
to do it.
CAR 17 @ SD 24: San Diego, and it will be their playmakers on
defense that make the difference. Phillip Rivers may struggle a bit,
especially with the impending comeback of Julius Peppers, but he has an
MVP in the backfield to bail him out.
ARI 20 @ SF 10: 'Zona, with Kurt Warner at the helm.
CHI 6 @ IND 24: Not even a question, as the Bears are a team
that have no upset potential in them. They are a mess, two years
removed from the Super Bowl, playing the very team that beat them up
pretty good.
MIN 14 @ GB 20: Minnesota are similar to the Saints of '07:
overhyped and overrated. Green Bay, a very talented team before even
considering the quarterback position, is underrated. Rodgers is the
right guy for them to have, as he is young enough to withstand the
temperatures at Lambeau in January, something Favre apparently could
not do.
DEN 21 @ OAK 7: The Raiders still aren't close yet. Another year of growing pains for Oakland fans.
In 2007, the NFC's most exciting rivalry bore striking resemblance to
that of the rivalry between two of the greatest fighters to ever put a
pair gloves on: Muhammad Ali and Smokin' Joe Frazier. Division rivals
and arguably the top two teams in the NFC, the New York Giants and the
Dallas Cowboys squared off three times last season. The Cowboys took
two of those victories, outplaying the Giants in the second half of
both games. However, in what would be their own "Fight of the Century"
in a divisional round playoff bout, the Giants would come out on top.
With these two teams guaranteed two clashes every year (one of those on
Sunday Night Football, week 15), one can rest assured that there will
be two classic NFC East showdowns on his hands, as is the case every
year. However, the Giants and the Cowboys, both teams loaded with
talent on both sides of the ball, will be hard-pressed not to carry
over the Ali vs. Frazier feel of the '07 season and add a third
match-up in the postseason.
The fact of the matter is, these
teams do not just resemble the rivalry carried between two great
fighters, but also the fighters themselves with their styles of play
and demeanor. The Cowboys are fast, flashy, and talented, as was
Muhammad Ali. The Giants play power football and play it well. They are
quiet and low-key, and in essence, football's Joe Frazier.
Ali:
The Cowboys find ways to attract media attention like none other. But
like America's Champ, America's Team also finds ways to put points on
the board and make their opponents look silly. Thirteen of their
players reached the Pro Bowl in 2007, and the Cowboys were the number
one seed in the NFC in the playoffs. Perhaps their somewhat cocky
demeanor contributed to their playoff loss to the Giants, but after
having fallen hard once, one can be certain that they will be
determined not to let that happen once again.
To begin, we'll
throw the spotlight on Tony Romo, the one thing the young quarterback
just cannot seem to escape. Well, in January, it would be that as well
as the Giant's pass rush. Romo had made a name for himself by staying
cool under pressure and making smart decisions, scrambling out of tough
situations. In the playoff loss however, he took a couple of long sacks
when he could have and should have thrown the ball away. He is still a
young quarterback in this league, and that game made that much clear.
But with the way Romo has in fact made adjustments to the league during
his short career, one can only expect him to progress as a quarterback,
as opposed to taking a step back.
Romo still has weapons and
an offensive line to provide a means to utilize them. The loss of Terry
Glenn is not so significant, as the Cowboys played without him for the
majority of the '07 season and averaged the second-most points per game
in the league behind the record-setting Patriots, though he would've
have added a weapon in perhaps one of the few areas that the Cowboys
could use one. Dallas still has Owens and Witten, so if Crayton could
step up and become a more consistent threat (not to neglect the fact
that he did have 50 catches in '07), they should not have many worries
there. Not to mention, the Cowboys added a compliment to Marion Barber
in Felix Jones. Barber, a running back who hardly needs a compliment,
will continue to be that tank who always seems to find a way to keep
his feet moving and wear down defenders. However, Jones will provide
great versatility out of the backfield and should provide headache for
defensive coordinators around the league.
The Cowboys have a
solid defense as well. In their 3-4 scheme, Zach Thomas is still
efficient in the middle, and both Ware and Ellis are always good on the
outside. A solid defensive line and great depth in the secondary
(especially on the corners) has secured leads, kept this team in games
when they were in fact down, and will continue to do the same in 2008.
Remember, this was a unit last year that was ranked sixth against the
run, and with improvements and added depth in the secondary, one could
surely expect them to become a top ten pass defense (ranked 13th last
year).
Altogether, with the Ali-like offensive production the Cowboys get and
a rock-solid jaw, the Cowboys can afford to take a couple of hits.
Still, the first four weeks of the season will be very telling of what
kind of mindset this Cowboys team will be in. They go on the road
against the Browns and the Green Bay Packers, as well as take on
divisional rivals in the Eagles and Redskins at home. Two of these
teams made the playoffs last year, and virtually all of them will
challenge for a spot this year. Muhammad Ali claimed the heavyweight
title three times. Tony Romo will certainly get his chances with this
Cowboys roster. It's nothing more than a matter of America's Team
following through and living up to all of the hype, which is something
America's Champ did so well.
Frazier: Heading
into the January playoff game between the Cowboys and Giants, the
match-up was being described as the "All-Pros versus the All-Joes". The
Cowboys had thirteen pro-bowlers to the Giants lone one. Very few
expected them to win that game. Very few expect them to win a whole lot
in the 2008 season, similar to the expectations most had that Ali would
not have a problem reclaiming "his" status as the heavyweight champion
upon his return. It was only a matter of time. However, Smokin' Joe
Frazier would reinforce his attitude with Ali's mouth and media
attention, and intensify his training. In his title defense, Frazier
toppled Ali in the fifteenth round, giving the "World's Greatest" his
first loss, while remaining the undefeated champion. However, the New
York Smokin' Joes must be wary of the team that turns into the George
Foreman of this analogy (knocked Joe Frazier down six times in two
rounds following the first Ali vs. Frazier bout), as just about every
team the Giants cross paths with will be looking to be the team that
puts a hurt on the defending champs.
In New York, the majority
of questions concerning the New York Giants offense still revolve
around Eli Manning. He has showed us that he can play football at a
high level in pressure situations against the top teams in the league.
The bottom line is that Manning did that with consistency over his last
five games, so do not expect a major drop off in his level of play.
On
the offense, the Giants have great depth at the receiver position and
in the backfield. Burress is reported to be at a hundred percent for
the first time in over a year. Amani Toomer is Amani Toomer, providing
a solid possession receiver. Steve Smith will continue to grow in his
second year, and the Giants have two more potential play-makers in
Hixon and Manningham. Brandon Jacobs provides the backfield with a 6-4,
264 pound feature beast. The Giants will continue to use him in
Frazier-like fashion to pound the ball into opposing defenses. Perhaps
the scariest thought that comes along with this Giants offense is the
idea of the three-headed monster in the backfield. The Giants have two
legitimate starters behind Jacobs in Bradshaw and Ward, provided they
can stay healthy.
The one certain challenge the Giants offense will face this year will be the loss of Jeremy Shockey's exceptional blocking.
The
major concerns for the Smokin' Joes this year rest with the defense,
for a team that is built as a defensive juggernaut. The losses of
Strahan, Mitchell, and Wilson were more or less losses that could be
stomached, but with the loss of Osi Umenyiora for the season, the
defense has been stripped of depth that they did not have. Kiwi will
not be a huge drop-off from the Pro Bowl shoes he is set to fill. He
showed a lot of promise in his rookie year, enough to have him moved to
linebacker to keep him on the field as a starter last year. Tuck has
looked fairly dominant on his side as well, and while the linebacker
core has been stretched thin, an improved secondary should take some of
the pressure off. The Giants' front seven cannot afford another major
injury, or they will lose any legitimate chance of remaining a power
defense in this league.
The Giants' offense is largely the reason their defense will be
improved from last year, statistically. A team that ranked seventh in
total defense last year was ranked a mere seventeenth in points allowed
(21.9). With an '07 offense that was prone to turnovers, the defense
was put in poor situations time and time again. A more consistent and
productive offense will lend aid to a defense that lacks depth in the
front seven. The real question lies within whether or not the Giants'
front seven can stay healthy enough to keep the team's Joe Frazier
look.
Whether it is a "Fight of the Century" or a "Thrilla in
Manilla", the bouts between the Cowboys and Giants this year are almost
guaranteed to be classics. The first bout is scheduled for week nine.
The second bout is scheduled for week fifteen. The third? Well, the way
these two teams play makes a football fan want to mark it on the
calender already.
Is it me, or does it seem that the NFL as a whole is more exciting to watch than in recent years? Sure, the regular season has yet to get underway, but it seems that we have more potential Super Bowl contenders and teams on the rise than we could care to count right now. Hell, even the preseason has been entertaining, and as a football fan, I feel as though there may not be a better time to be one. And while the Favre drama may have been a bit overdone during the offseason and into training camp, for a die-hard, it certainly took some of the pain away from not being able to catch a game of football at least twice a week.
Starting with the comparisons between the AFC and NFC, in recent years, the AFC has been unquestionably the better conference. The Patriots and the Colts had been considered a league of their own, and many went as far to say that their classic AFC championship game match-ups may very well have been the real "Super Bowl". Even right up until Super Bowl XLII had reached it's conclusion, the expectations of the NFC representative were limited.
Even before the Giants had made their postseason run, it seemed as though the so-called experts were merely picking which NFC team would make the game the most interesting, as the Patriots capped off their glorious 19-0 run that was never to be. Some favored Dallas, whose offense could at the very least make the game a high scoring affair. Others seemed to favor Green Bay for the irresistible headline Brady versus the Old Gunslinger Brett Favre would provide. But not many thought the JV team, whoever it may be, would pull through. The NFC is inferior. Let's go ahead and reformat the playoffs so that perhaps the Colts and Patriots can play each other in the Super Bowl. When the Giants had made their claim to be the NFC's representative, it was almost hysterical to the analysts. The predictions were ludicrous and nearly all of them had the Giants being blown out of the water, and this was a team that had played well against the Patriots in the regular season.
The AFC still may have more contenders, but the NFC has certainly made up quite a bit of ground. The rivalry between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys has always been intense, but now these two teams have proven to possess the amount of talent that when pitted against one another, football fans are in for a championship-caliber bout that matches a showdown between the Patriots and Colts. The NFC East as a whole is now right on par, if not half a step ahead of the AFC South in the debate over football's toughest division. The NFC is clearly catching up, and the remarkable thing about that is, the AFC hasn't gotten any worse.
Looking at the quarterbacks representing teams in each respective conference, the NFC has generally been overshadowed by Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. In fact, the entire league has been out of the conversation when it comes to these two future Hall of Famers. Now, Tony Romo has emerged as a top-flight quarterback. Eli Manning has come into his own and made some brilliant plays down the stretch during the Giants' Super Bowl run. Drew Brees generally puts up big numbers, and if the Saints can get back to winning football games, he will certainly be back on the radar. Even the near-forgotten Donovan McNabb is poised to have a big year, and there remains to be mentioned a few others that could certainly make things interesting in the NFC with a big year, such as Jason Campbell, Matt Hasselback, and Jeff Garcia.
In the AFC, David Garrard has emerged as one who doesn't turn the ball over often and can scramble to make big plays. Derek Anderson came out of nowhere to lead the Browns just shy of a playoff berth, and Big Ben Roethlisberger knows how to win games. Jay Cutler and Philip Rivers certainly have the potential to be top quarterbacks in this league. And let's not forget about Favre, who at 38, seems more and more like a kid every day. What's not to like about the way the 2008 season is shaping up?
Football fans can witness several great match-ups on prime time:
Week 1: Giants at Redskins on Thursday Night, Vikings at Packers on Monday Night Week 2: Steelers at Browns on Sunday Night, Eagles at Cowboys on Monday Night Week 3: Cowboys at Packers on Sunday Night, Jets at Chargers on Monday Night Week 5: Steelers at Jaguars on Sunday Night, Vikings at Saints on Monday Night Week 6: Patriots at Chargers on Sunday Night, Giants at Browns on Monday Night Week 7: Seahawks at Buccaneers on Sunday Night Week 8: Colts at Titans on Monday Night Week 9: Patriots at Colts on Sunday Night Week 10: Giants at Eagles on Sunday Night Week 11: Jets at Patriots on Thursday Night, Cowboys at Redskins on Sunday Night, Browns at Bills on Monday Night Week 12: Colts at Chargers on Sunday Night Week 13: Seahawks at Dallas on Thursday (Thanksgiving) Week 14: Patriots at Seahawks on Sunday Night Week 15: Giants at Cowboys on Sunday Night, Browns at Eagles on Monday Night Week 16: Jaguars at Colts on Thursday Night, Chargers at Buccaneers on Sunday Night, Packers at Bears on Monday Night
That is a lineup loaded with great games on paper. Fifteen games in sixteen weeks feature match-ups between '07 playoff teams on prime time. Several other match-ups include teams favored to make a serious run at the playoffs this year. In my humble opinion this is as good as it gets for NFL football. The year is 2008, and it is a great time to be a fan.
Writing off a Super Bowl champion team is nothing new. Just a year ago, the idea of the Colts, a young team loaded with talent and also led by a future Hall of Famer behind center, was buried by the hype surrounding the Patriots' off-season moves. While I did not agree with it at the time, the hype was in some ways justified by a historical, record-setting season. However, the Colts proved to be on the same level as the Pats last season, and we saw that it was not just on paper during a regular season match-up in which the Colts stacked up well against New England without Marvin Harrison. Clearly, both teams finished on the same page. Any one of the thirty-one teams that fall into the broad spectrum of varying degrees of talent that are also not defending Super Bowl Champions begin the season on the same plane.
For any team to win a Super Bowl, all of the right elements must fall into place. That much is a given. Even as superb a regular season as anyone can have does not translate into a successful one. Any member of the Patriots' '07 roster can attest to that. That being said, there are a small handful of teams that have the talent to make a serious run at the Lombardi trophy this year. The Giants are one of them. And while winning one Super Bowl is a daunting task in itself, the Giants certainly have the talent to make it to Tampa this year, barring any unforeseen circumstances that generally cause the training camp favorites to miss.
To begin the defense and the loss of the future Hall of Fame defensive end, Michael Strahan, is the basis of most arguments against the Giants' shot at any kind of success, as many would argue that the team is not capable of winning the NFC East. Yes, the gap-toothed wonder will surely be missed out there, and the Giants' would unquestionably be a better unit with Strahan, despite his age. Depth at linebacker is certainly one of the team's largest concerns, and Gibril Wilson is a hard-hitting young safety who is really starting to develop. Still, the Giants' defensive unit will be an improvement on last year's.
The Giants have a young defense that played exceptionally well down the stretch last year. Young players, generally speaking, progress from year to year. Not to mention, this was a defense that went from giving up 80 points in the first two games of the season, to punishing one of the league's best offensive lines for five sacks in the Super Bowl. The reason for this was the progressions the unit made in Steve Spagnuolo's brilliant Jim Johnson-esque scheme. With the core of this defense now having a full season and another off-season to work on mastering their craft, we will see a defense that plays at a high level, consistently. Michael Strahan will surely be missed, but let's not forget that Justin Tuck recorded ten sacks as a backup.
Moving on to the offense, once again, we will see a unit that plays at a high level, much more consistently. However, this will be primarily due to strides Eli Manning has made as a quarterback. Eli Manning, while showing a glimpse of brilliance here and there has been awfully inconsistent throughout his career. However, over the course of his last five games last season, he made his leap into the top tier of quarterbacks in this league by doing something he hadn't done throughout his career: manage games consistently. Looking at the statistics, during this stretch he was 4-1 against opponents who posted a combined regular season record of 67-13 (counting the Pats twice). He threw twelve touchdown passes, while only throwing two interceptions (taking into account the fact that the only pick he threw in the post-season was more or less a ball Steve Smith should have caught, but instead, tossed it to Ellis Hobbes).
During this stretch, he was without Shockey, and while the running game certainly could have used the star tight end's blocking, the Giant's offense will be fine without Shockey this year. Kevin Boss will only get better, and Steve Smith (who missed much of the '07 regular season due to injury) will continue to progress as well. The Giants drafted another potential play maker in Mario Manningham, and Burress is poised to have another big year, especially if he is healthy enough to practice during the season. That being said, look for Eli to put up Peyton-like numbers during the season, and that will largely factor into them having a much better regular season this year as opposed to last. Combined with a powerful running game and a great deal of depth in the backfield, the Giants offense has a considerable amount of talent overall.
In the right frame of mind, the Giants are as dangerous as a team can be. While the talk is centered around their NFC East rival in Dallas, the Giants have the talent to match-up well with them every single time they take the field. When the Boys in Blue take the field this season, do not look for the team that went 10-6 during the regular season, posting a lowly 3-5 record at home. They probably will not show up. However, it would not be surprising to see something along the lines of the Giants team that went 4-1 over that five game stretch, taking the field week in and week out.
As for the Cowboys and Giants and how their seasons will end, one would be hard-pressed not to believe that either of the two could bring the NFC, a conference mocked as the junior varsity league in recent years, another Lombardi trophy. And until we have crowned this year's Super Bowl champion, whoever it may be, football fans everywhere can expect to witness one of the most exciting season's in recent history.
Power Rankings:
1. Giants (Defending champions with a young team that is only getting better.) 2. Cowboys (With the losses the Patriots have taken and the additions the Cowboys have made, they are a small notch ahead heading into the regular season) 3. Patriots (Much of the defending AFC champion's team returns, and if they can avoid the hangover, they will head into the playoffs with home-field advantage once more) 4. Colts (Has the talent to match any of the top teams in the league, but the question of durability is a big one) 5. Jaguars (A talented team that will be exciting to watch, and should also give the Colts a run for their money in the division) 6. Chargers (The difference in determining whether the Chargers will be good or great this year will rest on the play Philip Rivers.) 7. Steelers (A tough team with a tough schedule. The Steelers may falter at times in the regular season, but come playoff time, they will be battle-tested and as big a threat as anyone). 8. Browns (A young and exciting team that will make the playoffs, but is still half a step back in the AFC) 9. Packers (The NFC's third best team has fallen down the ranks due to the question mark surrounding Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Still, a talented enough team otherwise on both sides of the ball to compete and make the playoffs.) 10. Eagles (This may in fact be a little bit of a stretch, but I like the Eagles over the Vikings, who have huge question marks in the passing game and pass defense. Asante Samuel to an already solid defense and a healthy McNabb to take some of the pressure off of Westbrook in making plays will make this team a playoff contender in the NFC.)
