Giants can rely on either offense or defense

November 24, 2008 | By admin In NFL |

I think the Giants proved against the Cardinals that they are a complete football team. They won basically without Brandon Jacobs and Plaxico Burress, which shows me what great depth this team has.

NFL Week 12

Week 12 action

    Steelers 27, Bengals 10 — Recap | Box
    Jets 34, Titans 13 — Recap | Box
    Patriots 48, Dolphins 28 — Recap | Box
    Ravens 36, Eagles 7 — Recap | Box
    Cowboys 35, 49ers 22 — Recap | Box
    Bucs 38, Lions 20 — Recap | Box
    Vikings 30, Jaguars 12 — Recap | Box
    Bears 27, Rams 3 — Recap | Box
    Texans 16, Browns 6 — Recap | Box
    Bills 54, Chiefs 24 — Recap | Box
    Raiders 31, Broncos 10 — Recap | Box
    Giants 37, Cardinals 29 — Recap | Box
    Falcons 45, Panthers 28 — Recap | Box
    ‘Skins 20, Seahawks 17 — Recap | Box
    Colts 23, Chargers 20 — Recap | Box
    Packers-Saints — Preview | Notes


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We all look at the Giants and say they run the football and play great defense. But if their running game is off, Eli Manning can carry this team. If their offense is struggling, then the defense can pick it up for them. The Giants are the most complete team we have in the NFL.

Other than being a good special teams player, I didn’t know much about Domenik Hixon, but he filled in nicely at wide receiver. He finished with 269 yards gained, most of it on kickoff returns. But he’s a perfect example of what the Giants have on the roster. They are loaded with good, young players.

I will say this is still the best Cardinals team that I have ever seen. They can score points and they are really solid on defense. They gave great effort Sunday. Had they played anybody other than the Giants, they probably would have won.

But they were playing the best in the league. And the Giants eventually rushed and forced Kurt Warner into some hurried throws. He wasn’t able to take advantage of his passing attack like he normally does.

The Giants have beaten five consecutive teams with winning records. That has happened only once before in the NFL. This is a special team, one that is pretty serious about defending their championship.

  • We talked a month ago that the Cowboys’ problems were correctable and there is no doubt in my mind that their bye week was extremely beneficial for them. They have struggled a little on special teams, but they are starting to play better in that area. They blocked a punt against the 49ers, getting some points. But what they’ve really done is shore up their defense. Obviously, having Terence Newman back helped that defense.

    But when the Cowboys held the 49ers to two field goals Sunday when San Francisco twice had the ball inside the Dallas 5, that turned the game around. Had Dallas given up touchdowns this could have been a totally different game. Not only for the points but also in terms of momentum. It would have been a dent in the confidence for the Cowboys. But the way the defense responded set a tone for the rest of the day for the Cowboys.

    You knew that the Cowboys were eventually going to score points with the people they have. Now, Tony Romo coming back and being able to avoid the rush like he does, he was able to hit some big passes to Terrell Owens. Now, everybody’s happy, right T.O.? But they did make the necessary improvements in the areas that really needed it.

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    I’m still not sure the Cowboys are the team we thought they would be when the season started, but they are also not the team that we saw struggle a couple weeks ago. I think they are solid and with the talent that they have they could be dangerous in the playoffs as a wild card. Don’t forget that’s how the Giants got into the playoffs last season.

  • What happened to the Jaguars this season? Well, it’s almost like there’s been a black cloud over this franchise. I know everyone thought they would be a playoff team, but they had a real tragedy when offensive tackle Richard Collier was shot 14 times and was paralyzed.

    And then when the season started, they started losing more good offensive linemen to injuries. And for this team, being able to run the football was so critical to their success. The running game keeps their defense off the field and lets quarterback David Garrard use all those play-action passes that he favors. And without those linemen, the Jaguars couldn’t really run the ball.

    So, then they started losing games and with that they started losing confidence. A few more players got hurt and then there were controversies going on like the Matt Jones possible suspension, etc., etc. It’s just been one thing after another and they simply can’t get back on a roll anymore.

  • In this game, attitude and confidence is so big.

    With Kris Jenkins on your team, it’s easy to feel confident. (Rick Stewart / Getty Images)

    A good example of that is the New York Jets. Without question they brought in some outstanding offensive linemen and Kris Jenkins for the defense, so they brought in more good players than simply Brett Favre. When you have a star like Favre, he gives the team confidence that they can win. By winning that big game in New England, well, that just added to their confidence. They went into the Tennessee game knowing they could win.

    Right now, the Jets are playing real good defense. That unit may be playing as well as Favre and the offense. The other thing about the offense is that they have two special backs in Thomas Jones and Leon Washington. That’s been a big factor. And guys like Alan Faneca, Damien Woody and Tony Richardson — three veterans they went out and signed — have all played roles in making the running game work. Those guys have helped in pass protection, too.

  • The surprising thing to me about New England is how Matt Cassel is starting to become a star for the Patriots. The Patriots have always talked about his athletic ability and without a question his ability to run and scramble has added a new dimension to their offense. But he has really impressed me the past two games throwing the football. He’s the first Patriots quarterback to throw for 400 yards in consecutive games.

    Of course, throwing it up to Randy Moss doesn’t hurt, either. But he’s starting to get the picture of where to throw the ball. When Cassel started all he seemed to do was throw a bunch of check-down passes. Now, he’s going down the field and making some big plays.

    It will be interesting to see what the Patriots do with Cassel should their season end in the playoffs. I mean, they could franchise him but that’s like $12 million or more. But they really can’t do that because they have Tom Brady and they expect him back next season.

    I don’t think his agent, David Dunn, would allow the Patriots to franchise him and then attempt to trade him. I would think some team has a real chance to get an outstanding young quarterback, but you’re going to have to pay a lot of money to get him.

  • In the AFC, I still like Tennessee. I don’t think anybody thought they were a great team, just a real solid team. They still may be the best team in the AFC because they don’t beat themselves. They play great defense and run the football and Kerry Collins has had some good games. But the bottom line is that they don’t beat themselves. I would put Pittsburgh a notch below Tennessee. Ben Roethlisberger takes a lot of sacks and sometimes their offense can be a little ragged. I do really love their defense. Troy Polamalu is one special player. Then, you have to like the Jets.

    Baltimore amazes me by how well they play every week on defense. They’ve been playing at a high level for years now. The Giants rushed for over 200 yards on them, but the Giants are running on everybody. Ed Reed is a great player. He broke his own NFL record with a 108-yard interception return Sunday. Anytime a safety can be the NFL Defensive MVP, that’s impressive. And I don’t believe his play has slipped a bit.

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