Anyway, go kill Dallas.

19. Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
52. Marvin Austin, DT, North Carolina
83. Jerrel Jernigan, WR, Troy
117. James Brewer, OT, Indiana
185. Greg Jones, LB, Michigan State
198. Tyler Sash, S, Iowa
202. Jacquain Williams, OLB, South Florida
221. Da’Rel Scott, RB, Maryland

Call me crazy but I think we can still beat the Eagles! Offensive line is a mess. Wide receiver is a mess. The Eagles pretty much have to put 8 in the box, stuff the run, and pressure Eli. We need our expensive QB to win this one for us.

And our defense. Our defense gave up some big huge plays against Dallas. Dallas had no drives but they had TDs. We’ll have to do better than that. The depleted offense won’t be making a ton of noise for the Giants so the defense is going to have to clamp down.

The Giants have two good receivers on the field in Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham. But 3 and 4 wide receiver sets are common and who do we put on the field? And you’d think the Giants need to IR Barden and sign another WR to the roster – who will it be (not Sinorice Moss)?

Dallas Cowboys (1-3)

As usual, Dallas won over the prediction portion of the season that, well, means absolutely nothing.  They are still coached by what appears to be a clueless fan.  They still put more yellow flags on the field than almost every team (2nd most per game in the league).  Their offense is sporatic and erratic.  And DeMarcus Ware is the only defensive player in the front seven worth scheming around.  Despite a beautiful, enormous stadium, they are 0-2 at home and 0-1 in the division.  They face an uphill climb as they approach their remaining 12 games and lets be honest, when has Dallas ever responded well to adversity over the past decade? 

Philadelphia Eagles (3-2)

Talk about an ongoing quarterback controversy.  First:  A trade of a legit franchise player within the division.  Second: A poor start by Kevin Kolb and an injury that put Mike Vick behind center every down.  Third:  Monster performances by Vick that had Eagles nation talking Super Bowl (Are you surprised?).  Fourth:  The inevitable injury to Vick occurs which leads to..Fifth:  A gutsy performance by Kolb on the road in primetime that leads Philly to their third win.  What we will see from here on out behind center is anyone’s guess, but the Eagles are hands down the best coached team in the division.  They bring a balanced attack on both sides of the ball and when every team here is matched up against each other at their best, I give the nod to these guys.  However such a young team with a sub-par offensive line is a recipe for failure down the stretch, thus I see them being a bubble team in December.

Washington Redskins (3-2)

Prior to kickoff weekend, I was telling anyone that would listen to me, watch out for the Redskins.  Think about it.  Two things have kept Washington from being a year in, year out contender.  The Quarterback.  The Head Coach.  Arguably the two most vital components to a winning franchise.  They went from current Raiders backup Jason Campbell to Donovan McNabb, one of the most winning signal callers in NFC East history in an era where the division was consistently strong.  They also went from Jim Zorn, current quarterbacks coach in Baltimore, to Mike Shanahan, a probable hall of famer after he retires.  Talk about upgrades!  They have always had a tough defense and after seeing them give up just 7 points to Dallas, 12 to the Eagles, and 13 to the Packers in their three victories, it is hard to believe this team will disappear by Thanksgiving as they have in years past. 

While The Giants have company at the top of the division, they have hit a stride that looks nearly unstoppable.  Eli Manning, other than his scary INT total right now, appears to be in front of a young arsenal leading the way to a top tier passing attack.  The two headed monster out of the backfield has had two strong weeks in a row and the offensive line finally seems to have gotten their chemistry back.  If the defense can keep just 80% of their current level of play, they will finish stronger than what we had here in 2007.  Super Bowl bound?  Lets hold off on that now.  Winning the division is first and foremost and the Giants seem to be right where they were at this time a year ago.  Lets hope the result is different.

“When you play a team like this, they like to cut block you and that type of thing and they get your hands down, so they take your mind off of ‘I’ve got to stay in this gap or I’ve got to do this,’ because (the defensive players are) trying to protect themselves a lot. So, we’ve just got to get over that mental barrier of, ‘Hey, it’s going to happen man, but we’ve got to be where we need to be though.’”

Plus it’s just more manly to take your guy head on and push him around and football is supposed to be a manly sport. Anyway, here’s hoping that the Giants defensive line can protect their knees, stay in their gaps, and throw the Texans’ offensive lineman around on Sunday.

The Giants beat the Bears thanks to stifling defense, but the real question is whether we see more Giants defense throughout the season.

I don’t expect to hold teams to 0 3rd down conversions that often but if every game we can sack the QB, shut down the run, and create a turnover or two this team is heading for the playoffs.

Steve Spagnuolo, the current head coach of the St. Louis Rams, was struggling for credibility among the New York faithful after such a dreadful start to the 2007 campaign.  However, the goal line stand in Washington that sealed Bug Blue’s first victory set a tone for that unit.  They were matched up against a big, physical offensive line that paved way for one of the better two-back duos in the league.  On top of that, they were on the road.  That stand on the goal line created a swagger for a unit that did not care who they were up against, where they were, or what the situation was.  They simply lined up against their opponent and defeated them schematically and physically, time after time.  The leaders of the unit, Michael Strahan and Antonio Pierce, held their teammates accountable for their hustle, heart, and passion from start to finish.  They went on to win tough games on the road in record-setting fashion and we all know how it ended in Scottsdale, Arizona against arguably the best offense this game has ever seen.  The talent was indeed there but what brought in the results was, simply, their swagger. 

Perry Fewell has taken over a defense that also set records in 2009, but not on the right end of them.  Under Bill Sheridan, the Giants were giving up points in bunches throughout the year and it was the achilles heal to a team that completely fell apart during the second half of the season.  Fewell immediately caught the attention of the defense with his outspoken, go-getter approach.  We heard rave reviews about the intensity he brought to the team and considering the personnel upgrades on all three levels of the defense, things were looking up.  The talent is far better than what the Giants had in 2007 on this side of the ball, however they lack the swagger we saw #92 play with for years.  They lack the true leader on the field that gets everyone going, the guy that gets the most out of role players.  We are getting used to watching the unit get pushed all over the field and instead of putting an end to it, these New York Giants seem to accept it and hope that it ends, rather than putting an end to it themselves. 

Sunday afternoon will present an opportunity for these guys, behind their new defensive coordinator, to make an enormous statement.  Not necessarily about their talent, not necessarily about their scheme, but about their will to fight through adversity and play with attitude, with confidence….with swagger.  Chris Johnson is the most dangerous running back in the league the moment this defense loses their will to fight, he will find his way in to the end zone.  Someone needs to take he bull by the horn, look it straight in the eye, and throw it to the ground with anger.  When it gets up, do it again.  Antrell Rolle and Justin Tuck appear to be working on the leadership roles but the inconsistency needs to end.  I can understand the physical performance being up and down, but that swagger needs to be there at all times.  I have not seen it for a couple years now and without it, the Giants will continue to set records, just not the right ones.