Giants Face 49ers Later Today

San Fransisco isn't just a defensive pound and ground team this year. They actually have an offense that can win games for them. For a wounded Giants team to go into their house and have any chance of walking  away with a win, it is my belief they have to completely shut down the 49ers great running game. That is a very large, if not impossible, challenge for the Giants - but one they have to achieve if they are going to prevail.

Why am I so focused on the need to stop their running game:

1. Giants aren't putting up 30+ points on offense against the 49ers defense.
2. Giants aren't going to run the ball well and are therefore almost certainly not going to control the clock and limit San Fransisco's possessions.
3. Combine the first two elements and the only conclusion is that the Giants defense has to limit the points the 49ers score if Giants are going to be in this game. But, as I've noted, the 49ers suddenly have a legitimate well balanced offense this year, maybe bordering on prolific. In order for the Giants defense to keep the game close enough for Giants offense to win, the Giants defensive line has to get to Smith.
4. The Giants defensive line is not going to get to Smith if San Fransisco maintains a balanced offense. Thus, the Giants have to make the 49ers offense one dimensional and the only practical way to do that is to completely shut down their running game - which will create some long down situations for the 49ers in the first half and then totally abandoning their running game in the second half - allowing the Giants defensive line to ignore the run and pin their ears back and go full out after Smith.

The bottom line? The Giants have a very poor chance of winning this game if the 49ers offense remains two dimensional and the Giants defense is forced to honor the pass and the run all game long.

Giants Begin Historic Quest

Wednesday night the Giants kickoff the 2012 season - and an opportunity for history. They have won two of the last five Super Bowls. They have won four in the past 26 years, more than any other team. But they have never won back to back Super Bowls - a feat that reserved for the true dynasties of the past. The Packers, Steelers, Dolphins, 49ers, Cowboys, Denver, and Patriots.

It isn't easy to do and the odds are therefore against it. But, because they are the current champions, they are the only team holding that opportunity this year. And, have no doubt about what it would mean for this franchise if they accomplish that rare feat. It would mean winning 3 Super Bowls in six years, putting them into the rarefied world of true NFL dynasties. I don't know if they will do it - and they face incredible odds - but it makes this a very, very special season.

Giants 2012 Draft

1/32   - David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech (5-10, 206)
2/63   - Rueben Randle, WR, Louisiana State (6-3, 210)
3/94   - Jayron Hosley, CB, Virginia Tech (5-10, 178)
4/127 - Adrien Robinson, TE, Cincinnati (6-4, 264)
4/131 - Brandon Mosley, OT, Auburn (6-6, 314)
6/201 - Matt McCants, OT, Alabama-Birmingham (6-6, 308)
7/239 - Markus Kuhn, DT, North Carolina State (6-5, 299)