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Honestly... I don't think teams look ahead.  If they do then it's rare.  And they don't "take opponents lightly".  Sometimes teams just get upset.  The difference between the good teams and the average teams is small.  Even the bad teams are talented.  We're talking professionals.  But the writers need stories.  And saying the Giants partied out and laughed at the Rams... made fun of them... figured it was an easy win... etc etc... is a lot better copy than saying the Rams had a good day and a couple breaks.

Oh... by "writers" I mean the beat writers for the local rags.  Not you guys.  

Krow -

True in some senses, but I have to think when teams just don't get as fired up or as excited for an inferior opponent (facing the Rams vs facing the Cowboys/Eagles) as they would for a top team, they can find themselves less interested throughout the practice week and less willing to push themselves during the week.

I don't expect that from a team as well-coached and mentally tough as NY, but it's still something to make sure you avoid.

Good football coaches always stress the next game and the next opponent and nothing else.

That's basically what I'm getting at.

Nice writeup Haz; Last year should be a wake up for the coaches and players, if I recall there where no easy games and last weeks win wasn't that easy either, they should have blown the Redskins out. Washington's offense was awful and yet they hung around until the end of the game when Zorn's stupid clock management took over.

I cannot see the Giants taking this game lightly. They are playing away, in the Rams' home opener, after the host was humiliated and essentially did not even show up in Philadelphia. As I wrote on an earlier thread, they undoubtably were reamed a new one by their coaches all week, with a lot of talk about "We'll find out Sunday who on this team wants to compete and who doesn't." If we as fans know that's likely to have happened, then of course the people in the Giants' locker room know it as well. The Giants SHOULD, as you said, win easily. But this is the NFL. Everyone is good, and a few bounces of the ball, a few guys missing assignments, a few turnovers, and it can all go downhill in a hurry. I think the Giants are prepared for a battle. What I hope we see is the team just physically beating up a Rams team that will start to lose faith in itself if it is unable to physically compete in the first half. Then there's a chance they mail it in by midway through the second half.

The Giants should win by 10 points (and only 10 because once in a comfortable lead they will probably just eat clock by running the ball so won't score a lot of points), but you just never know.

It generally isn't as easy to get up for away games against teams that are out of the limelight.  That's simply a truism about any sport.  The way to counterbalance it is to take pride in discipline and execution.  (Roughly the same thing Haz seems to mean by "focus").   It's the key to the Giants winning all the games they will be favored to win on the schedule.  There needs to be a fierce pride in the ability to execute consistently on both sides of the ball from the opening snap.  That means not missing assignments, dropping passes, committing penalties or other mental errors, not missing tackles, just executing the fundamentals at a high level of performance all game long.

If the coaches and team leaders on the Giants can instill that value throughout the team, our imposing physical superiority and array of skill players can win these kind of games almost every time.  But if the team falls into the trap of thinking they are good enough to toy with an opponent like this and just somehow turn it on in the second half, look out.

I just don't like playing any team coning off a blowout loss. It inflates the spread from 6 to 8. Also, the Rams will be motivated this week. If they were flat last week, they are not going to be flat out of the gate on Sunday. I think Pace is hurt, not sure if he'll play. And the coaching staff is on the hot seat.

That said, I am hoping for a 10 point win.

I agree with you KD, I am always scared when we play a team that just got blown out. They are going to go out there and try to prove something. #10 needs to play within himself.

I'm guessing St Louis see a lot of Bradshaw in the second half......

Yeah if Bradshaw  gets a decent amount of carries he is going to make sure every last one of them count. And how about Madison Hedgecock? Think he'll bring something extra to the game knowing that the Rams cut him last year? :-)

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman has decided to have surgery on the two torn ligaments in his left knee and will miss the rest of the season.

Merriman finally conceded to reason...  Maybe the same person who talked to him should go see Vince Young

Merriman knows he wasn't going to be good this year and next season is his walk year, so he has to be 100% in 2009 and put up big numbers to get PAID.

I'm doing great in my Stupid Player Fantasy League... I have Merriman... great numbers every week.

chances we see a healthy merriman in a giants uniform next year....i would love it...him or peppers. but mainly merriman.

i dont think we take the rams lightly...thats why we beat them by 17+

Merrimans dance was lame anyway.....

Merrimans dance was lame anyway.....

repetition for emphasis......

Merriman is singned through next season, so no. That's why he's getting the surgery now. He wants to maximize his value before hitting free agency.

Hazem: Nice write up. You know I'm a big fan of your work...but I think there were more cliches in there than one could count! But you are absolutely right about these games being a break, but that doesn't mean you lose focus for one second. A 4-0 start makes winning division games the quickest, easiest road to high seed playoffs.

Going back to David's article about Kehl and Wilkinson, I really feel that if Kehl really does win that job...there's no reason he can't take it from Danny Clarke. Clarke has made some plays, but he is pedestrian athletically. Him and Kehl surrounding A.P. is a liability against quicker teams/players. Wilkinson's athleticism should always be on the field. We need to see if this kid is going to be the guy one way or the other.

Wow. Merriman to IR. Brady to IR. Two key parts of the Jags O-line out (one IR'd and one for eight weeks). Manning (the other one) looking like he isn't really fully recovered from his injury. The AFC looks a lot different than it did a few weeks ago, doesn't it?

I still think the Chargers, the Colts and the Steelers will right there at the end, but I don't see how the Jags can do great things when their inside running game just suffered a huge loss, and we all know what losing Brady may mean to the Pats. There are a lot of teams now thinking they've got a shot at the Super Bowl that were probably unrealistic a few days ago and now not so much.

And I guess at this point we should all declare the Cowboys the winner of the Lombardi Trophy and just end the season before anyone else gets hurt.

Simon, I'm tempted to agree. My feeling is simple. There are some superb athletes on the defensive side of the ball for the Giants, and they include Kiwi, Tuck, Wilkinson, Phillips, Ross and Webster. Not that all of the others aren't great athletes as well, but those named are pretty special athletically. If I'm Spags I want all of them on the field for as many plays as I can manage while trying to keep them reasonably fresh throughout what he should hope is a 19-20 game season. I'd certainly like to see Wilkinson getting at least 2/3 of the defensive snaps, and if I were Spags he'd be in for at least 80% of the plays.

FF55Y;

I agree about playing the best athletes, however there is something said for playing your subs, one is that you keep your players fresh and also give the subs more experience in case of injuries which are inevitable in all sports but particularly football.

That is why I want to see more of our running backs and receivers.  

If they've a fair lead going into the 4th quarter- I'd expect to see a lot of Kehl.  Starting the game, you go with your strongest lineup.

Stu, actually I fully agree with you. As I said above I want those guys out there as much as possible while also keeping them fresh for the homestretch. That means rotating players in and out is crucial, and also turns the team's depth into experienced depth, a GREAT advantage in this league.

By the way, I have to note that I REALLY think that Hixon should be returning kickoffs rather than Bradshaw, and that Bradshaw should get at least 5-10 snaps at running back no matter how well Jacobs and Ward are doing. I guess we'll see on Sunday.

I also think that the formula is relatively easy this week: stop Steven Jackson, and rush Bulger. If Jackson is held to under 100 yards and the Giants don't allow a couple of turnovers there's no way that the Rams can compete.

Pace is banged up and Drew Bennett is out.  So really it's stack the line, keep an eye on Torry Holt, and just rush Bulger and watch the Rams pack it in.  On defense they lost Leonard Little.  And for all the Chris Long talk - he had 2 tackles against the Eagles.  So offensively FF55Y is on the mark - no turnovers, and the game pretty much falls to the Gmen.   Is this the game we see Phillips start to dominate?

more of the sage of vince young:

Vince Young-QB- Titans Sep. 9 - 10:43 pm et

The Nashville Tennessean reports Vince Young on Monday "indicated to those around him he didn't want to play football any more." The Titans may be planning to move on without him.

This isn't the first time we've heard this from Young. And "there are indications" the team is ready to move forward with Kerry Collins, even when Young gets healthy. And that assumes Young even wants his job back. Young's mother, rightly concerned, pleaded for people to give her son "space" and "love." But it won't be so simple. A psychologist reported Young was "extremely depressed" and one wonders when he'll see the field again.

Source: Nashville Tennessean

And the Titans signed Simms.....    big mistake.  Scratch them from the AFC playoff picture.  

How does Vince Young play at Texas, one of the most pressure filled schools, and win a championship...IN A GREAT GAME AGAINST USC? But he can't handle the pressure in Memphis? They should have taken Leinart, maybe he;d be starting by now...Scratch that.

kd - lol

seriously it kind of makes me sick i mean he got to the dream we all have ..all the ability in the world..electrifying playmaking ability like vick had ..before he got anal raped a few times ... and poof i don't wanna play anymore ..am i wrong to call him selfish ..i mean i know he's got his problems or whatever but lets listen to logic and keep playing just to make that money and live comfortably for however long i can manage that money ...

another one was cedric houston from the jets ..2nd string back poised to take all the goaline carries despite thomas jones being there ..and poof he's gone ..not even a rumor or explanation on what happened to him ..at least we know with v.y.

no matter what it seams to be selfishness ..he's letting down his family that probably finacially needs him and probably funded him all through his life ..he's letting down his team ..and he's letting down himself .

screw it lets get back to talking about something that doesn't contain losers and thats us beating the rams ..lets give attention back to people that have earned our attention and fan loyalty  

Just got the America's Game for the 1986 and 1990 seasons. Fav quote from the 1986 disk, From L.T.:

"If I drop this pass, I gotta run my black ass all the way to Upper Saddle River."

I actually LOLed after hearing L.T. say that.

For non-NY-ers, Giants Stadium to Upper Saddle River is a long run up Route 17.

I am 5 mins into the 1990 Americas Game and it is awesome too.

When does 2007 Americas game hit DVD???

I haven't even gotten to the Mark Ingram catch yet, That move he made on 3rd and forever was CRAZY!!!

Haz, You need these DVDs.

Ugh, the Flipper Anderson game!!!

I was sitting at the kitchen table, Mom making me grilled cheese as OT started. Then all of a sudden, I lost my hunger. That was worse than the loss to the Ravens in the 2000 SB. The Flipper Anderson game was a total heartbreaker. Only the Pisarcheck game (which I wasn't old enough to see) was worse.

Hoss Hoss!

Remy - Simms is just a back-up plan. The Titans have a great running game (Chris Johnson looks like the real deal) and they have a top 3 defense (if not the overall best). Kerry Collins can get them into the playoffs by just not chucking up picks constantly.

Hell, Young got them into the playoffs while chucking up picks constantly. Collins can be the Titans Trent Dilfer basically.

troy - yeah too bad collins wasn't our trent dilfer back in 2001lol

Cool piece from PFT

www.profootballtalk.com/.../ten-texts-with-kenny-phillips

Plax's deal has several big catches

The Giants' new contract with Plaxico Burress could make him one of the best-paid receivers in the game. But the team has made sure he has to earn it.

According to NFL sources, and records from the NFLPA, Burress' deal - initially reported at five years, $35 million - is loaded with incentives and bonuses and includes only $13.5 million in salary. He'll make $2 million in base salary this year, $1 million in 2009, and $3.5 million in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

But he also got a $4.25 million signing bonus and, according to the NFL Network, could earn another $8.5 million in performance escalators and bonuses for participating in mini-camps and training camps. There's also more than $1 million in bonuses if he attends the offseason program, his agent said.

All of that could make the deal worth an average of $6million-$7 million per season, but the Giants have protected themselves well in case the injury-prone Burress gets hurt in the next few years.

www.nydailynews.com/.../2008-09-09_tom_coughlin_runs_into_problems_as_fives.html

DEMO - thats a good piece man kenny phillips seems solid  

Just watched Americas game 2007 Giants today. Gotta love Tony Soprano doing the narrating

So essentially they got Plax for about $3.5MM per annum of guaranteed money over five years (spreading out the signing bonus plus what I assume is guaranteed salary). That's only about $500,000 per annum more than they had him under contract for the next few years (ignoring the increased Present Value of the signing bonus, which I'm sure was critical to Plax). If he gets hurt he doesn't earn the bonuses. If he's healthy he gets up into the compensation range that is below the recent deals for the elite receivers in the NFL (among whom he definitely ranks) but a few millions more than he'd have received otherwise. A very fair deal for both sides and more proof that Reese is a very savvy negotiator.

I think it's also a clear demonstration, since Plax's agent is Rosenhaus, that Shockey just wanted out and couldn't be reasoned with. I'm still betting that by the end of this season, and particularly after the next draft,  we will all be agreeing that Reese made the right call. I think Boss/Matthews/Johnson will be "good enough" in 2008 and that those two draft picks are likely to turn, even if indirectly, into a "special" player who will be a bigger contributor to the Giants over the next 5-6 years that Shockey could ever have been.

Lastly, while I have had the good fortune to never have depression strike within my family, I have a friend who has been afflicted with it for years. You guys should calm down about Vince Young. He sounds like a kid who is going through something you don't understand. When someone is seriously depressed (and I mean clinically depressed, not your ordinary "Oh, I'm having a terrible day" feeling that all of us have from time-to-time) all the money, athletic ability, and opportunity in the world is relatively meaningless. I just hope anyone who dumps on him or makes fun of him never suffers the same fate. It is something you can't understand unless you've been through it or observed it close hand, but it's no laughing matter. The guy deserves a lot of empathy. He is probably going through a private Hell right now.

ff55 - i for one am not making fun of vy, i'm just passing the news ..trust me, depression has touched my immediate family, meaning my wife so i deal with trying to help her everyday now i don't know what v.y. has been through so i won't judge but my wife has serious reasons to be going through hers ..no matter what its a sad situation seeing such a talented young guy who should be at the top of his world in such a crushing mental hell that he contemplates suicide ..if he did ..we won't know and it shouldn't even be this public no matter what i for one hope he comes out of it for himself and for everyone that'll be effected by the situation

I really don't see how the Rams are going to be able to stop our running game. Also, if the Rams give up 100 yards to the Eagles 3 WRs imagine what Plax will do to that secondary. All the Giants have to do on defense is the same as they had to do against the Skins stop the running game. If they stop Steven Jackson, which I think they will, Bulger will have to win the game himself, which will be tough with that terrible o-line and the Giants strong pass rush. I have said this before but the Giants usually do best at stopping bigger RBs which Steven Jackson is.

Also, something I have noticed the last few years is it seems Eli plays his best games in domes. So look out for a big one from Eli.

KD- Man that Flipper Anderson game was a tough pill to swallow for a young kid growing up a Giants fan. I was heartbroken for probably the first time in my life that I can remember.

kevin, okay, I don't want to turn this into Therapy Central run by Doctors Haz, Dave, Sean and Dan, and I don't want to start a long "conversation" about this, but I have to say that I am ASTONISHED that you have a wife who suffers from depression and still posted that stuff about Vince Young. Didn't you suffer from cognitive dissonance as you did it? Okay, forget it. I'm not trying to make an example of you, and you probably weren't thinking when you said that Young seemed "selfish" rather than under the influence of something he can't control.

My point, though, is that writers, bloggers, and fans tend to think that public figures like NFL athletes are not subject to the ordinary problems that everyone else has to deal with in life. That just isn't true. Do you really think that being athletically gifted means you never have to worry about the health of your parents, or how to protect your family? Do you think that having more money than you'll ever need protects you from worrying about your children, or your health, or how you're going to help your friends in need, or contribute to the well-being of the country and the world (I can answer that one...you still worry)? We put these kids up on a pedestal and imagine that they exist for our pleasure and are not allowed to show vulnerability or make mistakes. Yes, they are blessed with talents most humans don't have, and for that they should be most grateful. But that certainly does NOT protect them from the vagaries of life. Never mind Vince Young, who ius going through some kind of Hell. How about Tom Brady? He still has everything: talent; money; looks; an incredibly hot girlfriend; a great job waiting for his return. But do you really think he isn't deeply upset about his situation? Of course he is. He's not thinking that he is set financially so why get upset. He's thinking "What happens if I'm never the same? Can I really come back as good as gold from this operation? What if I can't? Jeez, how do I know the anesthesiologist isn't going to blow it and put my life in danger?" Yeah, I know, he should be putting all of this in perspective and recognizing he has an incredible life that is envied by most. But he isn't 45 or 50 years old. He's looking at this from his youthful perspective. For him this injury is a tragedy. We should remember that when we make light of all of these issues and act as if we think these marvelous athletes are automotons who should just play, never make mistakes on or off the field, and should all be totally happy all the time because they have the life a lot of folks wish they could lead.

While not directly relevant or on point - it should also be mentioned while VY's, or any sports stars money, while outlandish and crazy to most of those on this site, and maybe more than most in that sport, isn't that wild compared to his peers.

Studies show that wealth is often comparative, rather than actual.  So while VY might seem to have sick money to the guy making $7/hour, he is roughly equal to most of his peers, who he sees every day and hangs out with.

Plus, with big money, comes big responsibility and big drains, including an increased cost of living as well as the inevitable uncles, neices, nephews, neighbors, old friends from elementry and preschool who suddenly want to be best friends again.  The truth is - you don't get VY money and live the life you are living now.  Its changes and brings its own problems.

Those problems are seperate and unrelated to any mental problems he may have.  But to pretend that his money solves all woes and should compensate in some way for a mental health issue is both unrealistic and a very simplistic and dangerous misunderstanding of money.

ff55 - i won't post nothing more about this after this but call it a knee jerk reaction to the issue and i was thinking of everyone but VY and then i thought about it and thought about what VY must be going through ..plus other tidbits of info came out that put this more in focus ..also i was probably displacing some anger on VY but like i said then i thought about it

Um, comparative wealth?

Vince young makes more than twice than anyone else on the Titans. I know Mo money Mo problems and all but Matt Leinart can't crack the starting lineup and he seems to be having more fun than Joe Namath at Scores.

msn.foxsports.com/.../teamSalary

Okay, nothing personal was intended. You just served as an example of the kind of knee-jerk reactions of the majority of fans and bloggers (and ESPN bloviators) that I find weird. Let's move on.

Back to football. I think we've all got a pretty interesting chance to weigh in on a non-Giant topic. We all have a pretty good idea of what the Giants need to do on Sunday. Stop Jackson; rush Bulger; either double or rotate toward Holt; and run the football successfully against an overmatched defensive front until the safeties have to come up, after which some play-action will be mixed in.

But most of us had a chance to catch at least part of both the Eagles' and the Cowboys' games. And we can all see it Monday night. Any thoughts? It's obviously of more than a little interest to any Giants fan.

well from what i saw of the iggles rams game the eagles D was doing their best giants D impersonation ..i guess jim jones has a little bit of penis envy .. but also orlando pace looked slow and bulger looked like last year really effected him but no matter what mcnabb looked on fire but also the rams DB's looked completely lost ..completely ..theoritcally eli should roll them completely ..will it happen ..who knows

on the cowboys browns game ..browns still looked like they did during preseason ..cowboys looked like the paper champions they are .. i think when we play the cowboys its gonna be a rough nail biter like usual ..but they look really really good even though they were playing a apparently 2nd rate team

I actually think the VY situation is relevant and not just fodder. Teams invest so much in their employees that high draft picks get poked and prodded like cattle.

There were questions about him and his make up and intelligence coming out of college. Nobody questioned his athletic ability. Eli has been groomed from a real young age to handle the pressure that comes along with all the money and spotlight of playing here.

Marques Colston out 4-6 weeks w/ torn thumb ligaments.  Hopefully it improves out draft pick.

What I was looking for was some predictions about the outcome of Monday night's game and why. I don't even know where it's being played and haven't though about it a lot. Frankly, I can't see the Eagles winning in Dallas, so if that's where it is I think the Cowboys win. If it's in Philadelphia then it could be a real battle (although I still would pick the Cowboys).

KD - archie manning is definately NFL father of the year its insane how stoic in the face of adversity and criticism the manning brothers have been

but yeah it seems like the pressure just makes some people meltdown ..look at ricky williams ..vince should probably take a year off after this season ..and let the titans know ahead of time, let them trade him or whatever and then find someplace relaxing and therapeutic and get his mind right take a year and try his best to beat or gain control of those demons because if he's really this close to killing himself its only a little bit more to push him over and thats definately not good..at least with ricky his escape was only hitting that bong and touring with kravitz

ff55 - the iggles, rams game was false the cowboys have the tools to shut them down ..no matter who wins we lose in a sense though ..i just hope we decisevly destroy the rams to further stick it to the naysayers and to show that the iggles rams game was false

FF55 & Bryan,

Very solid posts about the Vince Young situation and the disease of depression.  As someone with a close cousin who has been hospitalized with depression on three separate occasions, my heart just sank when I heard this story. I really appreciate you guys stepping up and trying to shed some light on just how serious Vince Young's situation really is.

There is probably no disease that is as misunderstood by the public at large than depression. Particularly instructive is to contrast the way in which the media has covered the Brady and Young stories respectively. For two days after Brady went down, commentators were treating his injury as if it was some kind of monumental tragedy. Maybe it was for the Patriots and their fans. Maybe even for the NFL at large. But for Brady, personally? I'm not so sure. He's a professional football player. He understands the nature of his job and knows that every snap he takes could be his last. It's part of the reason why he's paid as much as he is - to both reward past performance and to indemnify him against the very real risks he faces every play.  

But when a Brady goes down, he's not only mourned he's also showered with the plaudits typically reserved for the fallen warrior. Not so for Vince Young. Instead we hear terms like "pampered" and "emotionally immature" from pundits and fans alike. But I submit that Young's story is far more tragic than Brady's. Because his ailment is not visible, did not occur on a football field, it's much more difficult for Young - and an NFL audience - to put what he's going through into some kind of understandable context. Instead, he probably feels like some kind of weak sissy, especially in the hyper-macho world of the NFL.  Nor will he be lauded for his courageousness, a la Tom Brady. But the battle Young is going through will require 10 times the courage needed to recover from a torn ACL or even lead a two-minute drill. I wish him all the best.

Mike V, now Shockey will want 100% of the passes thrown to him. I wonder how long it will be before he starts throwing his arms up in the air to show Brees up because he didn't see he was open, or because he actually made a mistake and overthrew him? It's hard for me to bring myself to root against a team from New Orleans, with all that they've suffered as a city, but I can't hope for the best from a team led by Payton and including Shockey.

The injury bug is hitting early in the NFL this season. It just makes the Giants' strategy of getting young and athletic, and building through the draft and an occasional "value" free agent signing so there's depth look that much smarter. You could see this coming a few years ago. I still think this team is 2-3 years away from its peak (in terms of talent and depth), but after next year's draft a lot of franchises are going to be looking at the Giants (and the Chargers, who have been doing the same thing) and getting worried.

Shockey won't want 100%. He'll want 110% because nothing is good enough for him. He'd rather have the best season ever than have the best team ever...

norm, that was a very insightful post.

You know, I was telling a friend a few days ago that since I have been covered in newspapers (or other media outlets) a number of times and have always found the coverage at best incomplete and at worst deliberately misleading, and that anyone I know who has had the same experience has the same reaction to the coverage, it is ridiculous for anyone to assume that when someone else is covered that the story is accurate, good or even fair (with the obvious caveat that there are many exceptions when a great reporter and a great editor collaborate).

My conversation was in regard to my disgust with the coverage of politics and the various presidential and vice-presidential candidates, but it could just as easily have been directed at the coverage of sports. You are absolutely correct. These idiots have acted as if Brady is some Greek hero who was carried out on his shield but Young needs to get a grip and strap it on and stop crying.

These guys (the sports writers and analysts) are really not even worth our contempt when they do stupid things like that and when they act as if the Giants are lucky stiffs who really should just admit that they're renting the Lombardi from the true owners in New England and Dallas. They should be ignored to the same extent most have started to ignore the political bloviators who "fill airtime" but don't have a clue what the hell they're talking about. But I don't want Giants101, which I consider a truly good source of intelligent analysis of the Giants, to suffer from unthinking posts. That's why I brought it up. But you did an even better job of explicating the issues surrounding depression than I. Nice work.

it is really weird how everythings poor tommy b. and then they crap on vince ..hell jeff fisher tried to shove vince back on the field when he came off with his sprained acl ..

NFL is a man's world and by most "real" men psychology and psychotherapy and all thats included in those aspects are seen as a woman thing or worse so its typical for VY to get crapped on in the media and even some of us (like myself) get caught up in the tough it out mentality and have knee jerk reactions to whats actually a really sensitive and not easily solved, fixed and  repaired situation

ff55 - to answer your question about the Eagles Boys game ...

I think the Eagles strength (secondary) matches up well with the Boys realitve offensive weakness (WR).  The Eagles have a good Dline that can get to Romo and clamp down on a possibly injured Barber.  Give the Eagles a slight edge.

The Eagles O certainly isn't the O of the Rams game, and the Boys secondary can take care of probably everyone but Jackson.  The Boys Dline can limit the damage of Westbrook.  Call it for the Boys.

It'll be close and low scoring, say 14-13, 17-14, 21-17, something like that.  Its in Dallas, so the nod goes to Dallas.  We know Dallas from last year.  I think what we find out, no matter who wins, is if this Eagles team is for real.

What have you got against Sean Payton? I thought he was pretty classy here in NYC. He took his demotion and firing well and never trashed anyone in the organization even though he was totally shafted by Fassel. He was a bright young mind at the time and he was unceremoniously shown the door when he should have been retained. We should have kept Garrett and Fox and Belichick and Lombardi and Landry too for that matter.

Getting back to football...

Not only will the upcoming Eagles - Cowboys Monday nighter be fun to watch but it should also be particularly instructive in showing the Giants the best ways to attack each team. Especially the Cowboys.

IMHO, Romo's psyche is the Cowboy's Achilles heel. As we saw in the playoffs last season, hit Romo enough times and he becomes a bit unglued: the deer in the headlights look; the yapping at his linemen; the hasty, ill-conceived throws. Jim Johnson understands this better than anyone. With the Eagles having revamped their CBs and the Cowboys with only two healthy receivers, expect to see Johnson dial up a whole lot of interesting safety blitz packages. And, as a Johnson protege, I'm sure Spags will be watching verrrry closely and taking copious notes.

I'm less certain as to how the Cowboys will attack the Eagles offense. In recent years, it was simple: contain Westbrook. However, with the emergence of Desean Jackson, Philly looks to be able to stretch the field in a way that they could not do in years past. Of course, it's possible that Jackson may have looked better than he really is against a very bad Rams team. But if he is the real deal, it will be interesting to see how Campo game plans for him.  Will he assign a safety to help out on Jackson? Or will he continue to stack the box in an effort  to contain Westbrook?

Based on what I perceive to be an edge in the coaching matchups, I believe that Philly has better than a puncher's chance at an upset here. I'll say 24-20, Eagles. Get your popcorn ready....

KD, Payton was reportedly one of those in NO who "just happened" to have had conversations with Shockey in the off-season. There is absolutely no doubt among the top people in the Giants organization that Shockey was tampered with, but in the end they have concluded that they are glad to be rid of him (although all admit that if Well Mara was still alive Shockey would still be a Giant, even if he had to be forced to stay).

FF55 - well said.  Payton is a snake and I have no problem rooting vehemently against the Saints.  I hope they go 1-15.

norm - wow.  I have no problem with your prediction of an Eagles upset, I think that's entirely possible, but I think its unlikely either team scores 20+ points, let alone both.

I'm not as sold as everyone else is on the Eagles.  I need to see there WRs go against a legit defensive backfield, and they will this week.  I need to see there oline go against a legit defensive front and they will this week.  Lets get seriose the Rams STINK!!!!!! 2009 #1 Pick Count on it!!!!!!  Lets see if Mcnabb throws for 300 yds with damarcus ware and anthony spencer rushing the passer..... I hate both of these teams more than any other teams in the league. But the Cowboys are without a doubt the far superior team.  Im predicting a 10+ point win for the cowgirls

Interesting point ff55y.

If wellington was still alive, due to their close relationship you would have to think that he would have been able to unruffle shockeys feathers and get him to stay.  

swantonBomb, I'm not sold on the Eagles either, but they are still a tough, physical, team that is hard to beat at The Linc. That's why I am anxious to see Monday's game. We'll know after it whether the Giants are really fighting just the 'Boys or if they have two real competitors for the Division title on their hands.

We all know the Cowboys are for real (until midnight, I mean the playoffs, strike and they turn into a pumpkin led by a wuss who doesn't like to get hit). But Bryan's right. We'll know much more about the eagles after that game. We'll really know more about them even earlier, after we see what the Giants do against the Rams. Are they really that awful? Maybe.