Giants - Eagles And A Tale of Two Men

Is this just a team of average talent whose mediocrity was exposed by injuries to a few players? Or is this a talented bunch of underachievers? Either way, it would appear the Giants stand no chance tomorrow against the Eagles. After all the Eagles are currently the hottest team in the NFC while the Giants appear totally lifeless and dead in the water. It would appear that the outcome has already been determined with only the details to be filled in.

Well, I'm not so sure. First, this is not just another game. It is the Giants versus the Eagles. When these two teams meet it is more about war than it is about football. It is more about raw emotion than talent. Either team could be starting scrubs grabbed off the streets on the morning of game day and the outcome would still be in doubt. That's just the way it is between these two clubs. The way it has always been and always will be.

There could also be another factor at play tomorrow. A tale of two men if you will - each presented with a unique opportunity to define his future destiny.

Tiki Barber has already established his credentials - has already set the Giants record books aflame. But is he a truly great running back? Does he belong in the Hall of Fame? One thing is for sure - he doesn't have many opportunities left to finish making his case.

Tomorrow Tiki Barber has a very unique opportunity - an opportunity unlike any other ever presented to him over the course of his career. Tomorrow, with a non-existent defense and a struggling young quarterback, the game stands squarely on his shoulders - and his alone - against a team that clearly knows whom they must stop. Tomorrow, Tiki Barber has the opportunity in one fell swoop to achieve truly legendary status.

It seems most people would agree that the Giants' offensive line is greatly improved in comparison to the Fassel years. Most people also appear to agree that Jeremy Shockey, Visanthe Shiancoe, and Jim Finn are all excellent blockers. Brandon Jacobs is a bear of a man truly capable of literally punishing defenders. And Tiki Barber - the greatest running back in Giants history. Shouldn't this group be able to dare any team to put 8, even 9, men in the box and still pound them into submission?

The Eagles know they have to stop Tiki Barber. They will key on him and will, indeed, put 8 and 9 men in the box. It shouldn't make any difference. Not with the greatest running back in the Giants 81 year history, still in his prime, running behind a very competent group of blockers. The Giants need to suck it up, accept the Eagles challenge with a shrug of their collective shoulders - like an elephant bothered by a flea - and ram the ball down the Eagles throats.

Of course, the question is not will they - the Giants really have little choice - but can they? Is Tiki Barber good enough to run the ball against a team that has designed its game plan around stopping him? Teams tried to find all kinds of ways to stop Lawrence Taylor. It never worked - LT was simply unstoppable. As were the truly great running backs. You don't think teams were dedicated to stopping Gayle Sayers? Jimmy Brown? Walter Payton? They were great because they were unstoppable. Tomorrow Tiki Barber has a very special opportunity - an opportunity to run the Eagles out of their own stadium - and to run himself into the Hall of Fame.

The second man in this tale of fate is at the opposite end of his career but is facing an opportunity no less momentous to his future - to how he will be judged and remembered - than Tiki Barber. Everyone knows all about the struggles of Eli Manning. He has been questioned by the fans, the media, the analysts - heck, even by my dog groomer's grandmother. Are his struggles mental? A deficiency in talent? Coaching? In the end, it's all irrelevant. Greatness is acquired, not given. Greatness happens because certain people have something deep inside their character that propels them to step up and grab the brass ring when opportunity knocks.

Sure, Eli is struggling. He misses Toomer. The loss of his starting left tackle perhaps has him feeling a bit exposed. But it all doesn't matter. What matters is that this is a special moment in time for Eli Manning - a rare opportunity that only comes along every so often. He is in a unique position exactly because he has been playing so poorly - precisely because there are such low expectations. He has the chance to surprise everyone.

He doesn't need to throw for 350 yards or 5 touchdowns. He just needs to have a workmanlike day. Complete 60 percent of his passes, focus on receivers other than Burress, convert on 3rd and 8 more often than not, and avoid turnovers. And most of all, he needs to play with some confidence and take control of his game. Greatness is all about stepping up during certain moments in time. Often, greatness is seemingly forged out of ashes - by stepping up right at the moment when it is least expected. Does Eli Manning have that something special deep inside that propels him to step up at this moment in time? Will he grab the brass ring tomorrow?

I am not predicting Tiki Barber will run himself into the Hall of Fame tomorrow. Nor has my crystal ball secretly showed me Eli Manning tossing all the doubters from his shoulders with a timely big game. What I do believe, however, is that this is a special moment in time for both Tiki Barber and Eli Manning - both presented with unique opportunities to define their futures. Such moments in time often create forces all their own.