Giants Clinch #1 Seed in OT Thriller

They scatched and clawed their way back from a 21-10 deficit in a high stakes nationally televised night game and then - with just over 3 minutes left to play - Manning and Jacobs both executed the fake handoff to perfection, and the Giants tied the game with a successful two point conversion. That play symbolizes this team in every way. Not only are they resilient but they are money when the chips are down. They believe. And are on a mission to put a final stamp of validation upon last year's Super Bowl trophy.

In overtime, with the ball on their own 13 yard line, the Giants delivered a knock out punch that demonstrated total phyisical dominance over Carolina. Ward for 51 yards. Ward for 14 yards. Ward for 17 yards. Jacobs for the TD (the other two plays were an incomplete pass and a 3 yard Jacobs run while Ward was catching his breath after his 51 yard scamper). Game over. With an exclamation mark.

They won last year's SB trophy with two all-pro defensive ends named Strahan and Umenyiora. Neither of whom played a single down this season. No problem. On offense, they entered the 2008 season without pro bowl TE Shockey. And they are without the best WR to have worn Blue in Giants history. No problem. There are not many teams that can survive the losses of such dominant players on both sides of the ball. Yet, on Sunday night this team clinched the #1 seed in the NFC and are the favorites to return to the SB one year after everyone declared them the most shocking upset team in SB history. Now, one year later, the rest of the world is starting to realize something the players knew all along - maybe it wasn't so shocking after all.

Giants/Panthers Battle For #1 Seed

I hate Giants games played any time other than Sundays @ 1:00. So I am less than pleased that today's game against Carolina was flexed, leaving the Giants with back to back Sunday night games. And I know I am going to pay for it in the morning.

But what can be better than playing at home for the #1 seed in the next to last game of the regular season? Two weeks ago it was the Giants defense that couldn't stop the run in the Eagles game. The good news last week was that the Giants defense showed up in Dallas. They pounded Romo, played stout against the run, and gave the offense more than enough opportunities to win the game. But the offense didn't show up and failed to score a touchdown for the second week in a row (not counting the TD with 15 seconds to go against Eagles).

According to Brandon Jacobs, he will play tonight. If he plays "Jacobs football", the Giants should win this game. The offensive line has to be feeling a bit chagrined after last week's dismal performance, both in pass protection and run blocking, and I have a feeling they will be playing with a chip on their shoulder. Add to that the weather prediction - 20 degrees, high winds, with a chance of some precipitation thrown in - and the Giants should dominate the running game on both sides of the ball. I know the Panthers are on a roll and that they have been running the ball better than the Giants over the past 3-5 games. But the Giants still lead the league in rushing and if Jacobs plays physical, I think the Giants defense will be more effective stopping the Panthers running game than vice versa.

The sole advantage I see for the Panthers is their Steve Smith. That is where the weather can be the great equalizer. The Panthers are going to ignore the Giants passing game, regardless of the weather. The Giants can't do that, unless the weather helps out and makes passing a futile exercise.

Prediction? Giants 17 Panthers 10

Giants Stumble Amongst Whirling Winds

The Giants couldn't deal with the variety of winds whirling around Giants stadium last Sunday - from the windstorm left in the wake of Plaxico Burress shooting himself - to the actual winds blowing in the stadium itself. By the end of the day the Giants were no longer the highest scoring offense in the NFL. Blame the offense if you want – after all, the NFL’s top scoring offense was essentially shut out, scoring its only points in garbage time (a TD with 15 seconds left) in the 20-14 loss to the Birds. But it was the Giants vaunted defense that was responsible for this loss. The Eagles converted on 9 of 13 third downs. There was no pass rush. And they couldn't stop Brian Westbrook all day - on the ground or in the air. Bottom line – the Eagles dominated the time of possession and the tone of the game. As a result the Giants offense had a very low number of possessions.

Yes, there were some missed opportunities such as Hixon's drop on a wide open monster down field pass. But the Giants success this season has been ball control - starting with the defense getting the ball to the offense, whether by three and outs or turnovers. There are two common themes to the only two times the Giants have lost a game thus far in 2008: the inability of the Giants defense to get off the field. Against Cleveland they had a stunning zero percent success rate - they failed to stop Cleveland even once - not one single turnover or punt. While the game against the Eagles wasn't as bad, the result was the same. The difference, this time, was that with limited possessions there wasn't any room for misfires such as Hixon's drop. Add in the wind which allowed the Eagles to load up against the run, and the result was almost ordained.

So, in my mind, the loss had nothing to do with Plaxico Burress. Indeed I wish it did - that would be more understandable and less disconcerting. What was perhaps most distressing is the total failure of the Giants to stop the run. You can't win games in this league if you can't stop the run. The Giants offense has been proving that in virtually every game all year long. The Giants defense provided further evidence last week. Stopping the run doesn't mean you will win - but failure to stop the run almost surely means you will lose.

Tonight the Giants travel to Dallas to play the most arrogant franchise in sports history. I don't tend to get emotional about other teams, but I must admit to a weakness when it comes to the Cowboys - a hatred for a franchise I developed in the 1970's and which has never lessened. Humility, a very positive character trait, has never been a word associated with this franchise - from its owners to every one of its players. I detest everything about them. I don't see much hope of the Giants prevailing tonight - and frankly next week's game carries far more importance - but I can't think of anything more satisfying than helping push this teetering franchise over the cliff into complete disarray with a victory tonight.

Giants Face Eagles Without Burress

My last post was early on Friday before the Redskins game and, more importantly, before Burress shot himself in the foot - both literally and figuratively (ok, he shot himself in the thigh but I'm permitting myself some literary license). The Giants, without Burress, proceeded to demolish Washington, and returned home with a heady 11-1 record. Washington's strategy was to put 8 and even 9 men in the box to force Manning to beat them with his arm. The strategy failed miserably as Eli Manning posted his first 300+ yard passing game of the season. Meanwhile the defense held Portis to 22 yards on 11 carries as the G-Men totally dominated the Redskins 23-7.

Later today the Eagles become the 7th straight team with a winning record to attempt to derail the Giants stampede. Their only hope is that the week long Burress circus created enough of a distraction to prevent the Giants' coaching staff from developing a game plan, and the players from absorbing that plan, to the same high level this Giants team has demonstrated each week. There is no doubt that the focus and intensity will exist on the field - the real issue relates to their focus on preparations during the week.

Frankly, what amazed me the most about the Burress fiasco, was the reaction of the media and the fan base as witnessed on BBI. The most asked question - most often stated concern - was whether the incident would be a distraction. There was virtually no talk about the impact of the loss of Burress on the field – almost as though it is a given that the team can move on without him as a player. That fact says quite a lot about (a) the lack of impact Burress has had this season; (b) the resiliency shown by this team and its ability to repeatedly demonstrate the axiom that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”; and (c) the depth at wide receiver and, in particular, the play of Dominick Hixon.

Having said that, I believe those concerns are backwards. The loss of Burress, especially in the long term, is likely to have a positive impact on the team's emotional, off the field, health. It will, however, be difficult to replace him on the field, especially in the red zone. I read a quote from Eli Manning that puts Burress' role in a bit of perspective. Eli pointed out that when the Giants are in the red zone, all he had to do was to be certain he had sufficient height on the ball and he knew it would be either a touchdown or an incompletion, but there would never be an interception. Burress' combination of height and athletic ability was such that it provided a very important safety net. That safety net is likely to be missed, especially in the playoffs.

This is not to say that the Giants can't win without Burress. Clearly they have demonstrated that they can. But the passing game, especially in the red zone, becomes riskier and Eli is going to have to be much more careful when and how the ball leaves his hands.

Today's game should have a playoff atmosphere because, with a win, the Giants can clinch the Division and a first round bye. They can clinch even if they lose if the Cowboys also lose to the Steelers (a good possibility). However, that would put a tarnish on what they have accomplished this season and would leave a foul taste. Giants fans deserve to see the Giants clinch at home where they can provide the Giants with a royal celebration worthy of what this team has done since the last regular season game of 2007. It is magical to watch this team grow from upstart underdogs to a widely recognized powerhouse.