Giants Head To Dallas For 2007 Season Opener

I absolutely hate to pick against the Giants for the season opener - and I especially hate picking them to lose to the Cowboys. At least it's an away game. Here is how I see the match ups.

When Dallas Has the Ball
Dallas has one of the better offensive lines in the NFL. They should, they've invested a ton of money. I only saw them once this pre-season but it was enough to see that Leonard Davis is going to be a force at right guard and totally dominating in the run game. Look for the Giants to have trouble stopping Marion Barber up the middle. I also expect Dallas to use plenty of screens and cutbacks with Julius Jones to keep the Giants new aggressive scheme off balance. Lastly, Giants fans can't be happy thinking about defending three time pro-bowler Witten and Terrell Owens with a still learning Kiwanuka and a weak secondary. The loss of Terry Glenn is big, although Giants will have their hands full dealing with TO and Witten, so look for Crayton to have a big game. This will be a major test for the Giants and they are going to have to get to Romo early and often to have any hope of stopping a very solid Dallas offense. Again, my primary concern is Leonard Davis and the rest of the OL mauling the Giants up the middle.

When the Giants Have the Ball
Dallas has invested heavily on defense in recent drafts but still have some question marks. On the defensive line Chris Canty and DeMarcus Spears represent lots of unfulfilled potential, especially Canty. But the key to Dallas, as in any 3-4, is their linebackers. I'm a bit surprised that Bobby Carpenter hasn't broken the starting lineup. In the end, however, the linebackers are all about DeMarcus Ware. Phillips intends to really turn Ware loose this year, letting him roam free ala Lawrence Taylor. O'Hara is going to have his hands full setting the offensive line's assignments. However the big key for Dallas is the health of Greg Ellis and his absence will enable the Giants to put greater focus on finding - and double teaming - Ware.

Although Giants fans are understandably excited about their new pressure defense, expect the Cowboys to "out-Spags" Spagnuolo when it comes to bringing the pressure on Sunday. And, between the two teams, the Cowboys have the better secondary to accomplish that. One of keys to the Cowboys game plan is likely to be to jump the gaps and make Jacobs dance a bit in the backfield before he can get a head of steam. Against the pass they will stunt, blitz, and move Ware around - all designed to keep Canty and Ware in Manning's face all night long. From the Giants perspective the game is likely to hinge on the protection holding up sufficiently to allow Manning to be the hero of the game with Shockey having a big day.

Prediction
In the end, I think the acquisition of Leonard Davis makes the difference for the Boys in this game. I'm afraid the Giants lose the battle of the trenches on defense against the running game. Not necessarily badly and not necessarily all night long, but enough for the Cowboys to keep the chains moving and the Giants off balance. I don't see Jacobs having a big game and he is likely to struggle getting up any head of steam as the Cowboys force the ball into Manning's hand. The danger for the Cowboys is that could end up being a huge miscalculation. Manning looks like a completely different QB this year. He is making crisp, strong, confident throws without any of the erratic off the charts passes of the past. I've not been happy with his play since the day he got here, but I love what I've been seeing this year and if he keeps his mechanics solid all year long, he could easily find himself in Hawaii next February. And I think he will have a good game Sunday night, but with the running game bottled up, the Giants fall short.

Dallas 31, Giants 20