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.