Despite Frustrating Loss, Can Giants Become Contender by December?

Inconsistency is a product of lapses in focus. Focus is often lost because one hasn’t been adequately inured to what it takes to win. There is a reason why “Battle Tested” conjures up

images of grizzled veterans, bloody but unbowed, walking off the gridiron to adoring fans embracing the hard fought victory. The Giants are not yet battle hardened, but the scars they will have sustained from this loss will go a long way toward that end. It is often only with a loss that a team may progress to the next level. This next week may be the most pivotal for the future of the New York Giants in this 2011-2012 season. For if the taste of defeat is far more bitter than the sacrifices that must be made to be a winner, the Giants will embrace this day and use it as a cautionary tale, propelling them to yet unseen heights of consistent performances.

Inexplicably, the Giant’s seem to wilt under the weight of prosperity. Remember, in 2007 the Giant’s were not even a blip on the radar, with no expectations to win three on the road culminating in the historic 17-14 victory in Glendale, Arizona. But in 2008 and 2009 and even last year, the Giant’s came out like gangbusters, steam rolling over their opponents in the first month and a half of the season, only to be left at the alter like an overweight bride, shaking their heads wondering what went wrong; another season gone and no Super Bowl run to show for it.

Losing a game in the 5th week of the season is neither catastrophic nor insurmountable. It may be just the tonic the Giant’s need to avoid the same fate as seasons pass. For now the Giant’s need to re-evaluate, look inward, and chart a path that could lead them to status of contender by December. Next week they will be tested and it could not happen at a better time. The Giants have now been hit right in the mouth, let’s see if they can regroup, get off the mat and hit back harder than they just got hit.