1. How will the injury to “The Gronk” affect your game plan and who will need to step up in his abscence if he cannot go?

While the rest of the football world looks towards the Tebow Brady match-up, The Giants take on the Washington Redskins (4-9) in New Jersey tomorrow at 1:00 Eastern.  The Redskins have struggled this year after a good start due mainly to injuries.  No Giants fan wants to hear about how injuries have affected another team, but the losses by the offensive side of the ball have prevented the Redskins from finding much success this year.

Offense:  The Losses of  WR Santana Moss for a large portion of the season, RB Tim Hightower, and TE Chris Cooley, among others has taken away all the balance of this offense.  When your choices at QB are John Beck and Rex Grossman, losing weapons like the above mentioned names is a killer.  The ‘Skins average only 17.5 points per game and are last in rushing yards at 94.  Rookie Roy Helu has stepped in and done an admirable job replacing HIghtower, and the Giants must concentrate on stopping him both in running situations and out of the backfield.  The Redskins showed last week a myriad of trick plays and mis-directions that will test the discipline of the Giants.  Half back passes, wide receiver passes, throw back screens, and double reverses will all be utilized tomorrow to somehow score enough points to be competitive.

Defense: The strength of this Redskin team is up front on defense.  They have drafted and signed well in this area.  They play a three four with both outside linebackers being very active in the pass rush recording 34 sacks as a team.  The Giants will need to continue their strong work up front and give Eli time to find his receivers downfield.  The ‘Skins placed Safety LaRon Landry on IR this week.  LaRon, who regularly gets flattened by Brandon Jacobs, is their best run stopper from the secondary. The secondary has 9 interceptions on the year and the team has an abysmal -14 turnover ratio.

The Giants will need to play well on offense as has been the norm the past few weeks.  Getting off to a fast start and converting early will go along way in this game.  The defense will need to stay disciplined, stop the run, and let Rex Grossman deal with the pressure from the front four.  These last three games are all extremely important to the Giants, but the two division games against these Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys are MUST wins.  I see Eli continuing his good play and the Giants getting a win here.

Timm Matthews was kind enough to visit us here at GMENHQ.COM and answer some questions about the Giants Cowboys showdown this Sunday night.  Timm has been a sports anchor/reporter/editor in Dallas/Ft. Worth for 25 years.  Timm was a sports anchor at KXAS-TV NBC-5 and then at KTVT-TV CBS-11 for 21 years. More recently he’s served as Editor-in-Chief of Scoreboard Magazine, the only sports/lifestyle magazine in Dallas/Ft. Worth.   In addition Timm is an anchor/host for Fox Sports Southwest, hosting Mavericks, Stars and Rangers shows.  Timm is the host for the ESPN Golf Connection show on ESPN radio in Dallas/Ft. Worth.  Throughout his career Timm has hosted numerous local television programs covering the Dallas Cowboys, NASCAR, golf, tennis and high school sports.  He’s also served as an emcee for various charity and business events.

1. Jason Garrett was touted for years as the “next hot assistant” and a great Head Coach in waiting.  In the short time he has had the job what is your take on the job he has done, and what is the general take of fans?

I think he still has a lot to learn as a head coach…he’s not sure if he wants to be aggressive and unpredictable like his former coach/mentor Jimmy Johnson or play it safe to keep Jerry happy, so he’s a little of both. Most fans are thinking that Princeton is over-rated for brilliance.

2. Dez Bryant is one of the most talented athletes we have seen in years.  Of course, he has also been one of the most injured, and perceived as a knucklehead at times.  Is he soon to be the dangerous weapon he can be, or is he a disaster waiting to happen? (more…)

On Offense: Tom Brady……I could stop there, but they do rush for 112 a game over and above the absurd number of 325, which is what Brady averages a game, to go along with 28 points.  They have two players that they call tight ends.  They are nothing more than big, fast receivers.  The just line up a little differently.  The Giants might have an edge on other teams though, since they routinely play three safeties and don’t rely on line backers to cover tight ends that much.  The right side of their offensive line has been rebuilt, but old friends Mankins and Light remain on the left.  The same left side Justin Tuck and Michael Strahan had so much success against in the Super Bowl.

On Defense: Here’s the good news for Giants fans.  The Patriots and Bill Belichick actually rank last in passing yards and total yards allowed.  They yield 23 points a game.  They have made some adjustments going forward, but Eli should be able to continue at his high level of performance he has shown this year.  The short to intermediate passing game is key to keep the chains moving, the clock running, and the Patriots offense off the field.

 Key Injuries:  As of this writing their were some significant injuries on both sides.  Wes Welker has continued to miss practices and might be limited on the game.  The Patriots injury list as most people know is a joke.  They list everyone who has ever had an injury basically because Belichick doesn’t believe it’s his job to inform the other teams of the status of his players.

On the Giants side, Hakeem Nicks and Ahmad Bradshaw are questionable.  Without them look for names like D. J. Ware, Da’Rell Scott, Ramses Barden, Devin Thomas, Michael Clayton and ,oh yeah, some guy named Jacobs to play roles in this Sundays contest.

The Giants as we all know face opponents with a record of 39-25 the rest of the way.  What really matters is that no one, except Green Bay, has a better record than the Giants themselves.  Keep fighting, play smart, get healthy, and FINISH.