Here is what they had to tell me about the Bills:

Has the defense for the Bills been lucky or has the scheme evolved to a point of ball hawking consistency?

A little of both. The Bills have had some lucky bounces go their way, no doubt. However, this defense has some legitimate ball hawks. In
particular, the Bills have a trio of real playmakers at safety – George Wilson, Jairus Byrd, and Bryan Scott. Those three seem to make gamechanging plays with regularity. Wilson has been on an absolute tear lately, with an interception in each of the last three games to go along with a ton of tackles. In general, this is not an especially talented defense but it is a smart one that will make you pay for mistakes.

Fred Jackson, how do you stop him?

Excellent question. I really don’t know. This isn’t even me saying this as a Bills fan, but Jackson has been amazing in 2011. Poor blocking by the offensive line hasn’t stopped him. Getting hit in the backfield 75% of the time hasn’t stopped him. Jackson’s just been a man possessed so far, seemingly breaking a few tackles every play. He’ll never win it unless Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady both slip into comas, but Jackson could be an MVP candidate this year. He’s been that good.

The offense looks dangerously hard to stop, can the Giants get to Fitz if he’s running 3 step drops and getting the ball out quickly? What are the Giants supposed to do to stop the Bills?

It’s gonna be tough to sack Fitz – he’s only been sacked three times all year. But it’s not necessarily always a good thing, as Fitz tends to throw it quick whether someone’s open or not. If you want to stop the Bills offense, you have two options: play physical bump-and-run coverage and get Fitz and the receivers out of sync. You could also try to confuse Fitz with some sort of zone blitz scheme. In his hurry to get the ball out, he’ll sometimes just throw it right to a linebacker.

This question may be a bit overdue but…. are the Bills for real? What’s their final record looking to you?

I don’t think the Bills are elite yet, but they’re a solid team. The defense is still a big question mark, and if the unit doesn’t improve or stops forcing turnovers it’s going to eventually catch up to them. However, there’s certainly enough talent here to contend for the playoffs. I’ll say they finish somewhere between 8-8 and 11-5. The rest of the schedule is tough, but the fact Buffalo still has two games left against the Dolphins helps.

X-factor for the Bills?

The Bills’ wide receivers. The Buffalo receiving corps has been absolutely decimated by trades and injuries. Lee Evans was dealt before season to Baltimore, Marcus Easley and Roscoe Parrish are out for the season, and now Donald Jones is out for at least a month. So now what was once probably the deepest position on the roster is a big concern. Two guys who were cut in earlier in the season – Naaman Roosevelt and Ruvell Martin – are now the #3 and #4 receivers on the team. David Nelson, a big but slow slot receiver, is now being forced outside to the #2 role. Brad Smith (a quarterback) and C.J. Spiller (a running back) will also have to play some receiver. If no one steps up and helps out star WR Stevie Johnson, the high-flying Bills passing attack is going to grind to a halt pretty quickly.

X-factor for the Giants?

Eli Manning. This is mostly true with any NFL team, but it’s especially true against the Bills: If you don’t turn it over, you probably win. If Manning avoids giving the Bills’ ballhawking safeties a chance to make plays, the Giants should be able to score quite a few points in this one.

Final prediction?

I actually might have liked the Bills a lot more here had the Giants not lost last week. This is a Giants team with a sense of urgency, while the Bills are banged up and probably looking forward to their bye week next week. I’ll say the Giants right the ship a bit with a 34-24 win. I certainly wouldn’t mind being wrong, of course.

Wow — that is some alliteration right there…. Anyway here is what they wanted to know about the Giants:

1) What the heck happened last week against the Seahawks? Was it just a bad game, or do the Giants have some glaring issues Seattle exposed?

I think the giants are in a transition year and had some glaring things like lack of blocking and run game bite them a bit. That said, they nearly won it inside 2 minutes. Happened to go the other way. This week I look for more consistency and better defense to keep the Giants ahead of the Bills an not play catch up.

2) A lot of Giants won’t be active for this weeks game: RB Brandon Jacobs, DL Justin Tuck and G Chris Snee among others. Which absence will create the biggest problem for the Giants?

In the trenches on both sides of the ball. Jacobs is the least of our concerns. Tuck and Snee are All-Pro type players and extremely vital to e identity of be Giants. Will be interesting to see the offensive line that much worse off, and I hope Kiwanuka plays some DE on place of Tuck this week to help stop be run and get more pressure on the passer.

3) WR Victor Cruz has been a monster in the past three games (17 catches, 369 yards, 21.7 avg, 3 TD). Are we seeing a superstar develop?

Yes, he’s been outstanding as a wideout and makes big plays every game. With Nicks opposite and Manningham in the mix too, the Giants have a potent WR trio. Even mores than when Smith was here.

4) Besides Cruz, are there any other young Giants playing well that are still maybe flying under the radar?

LB Jacquain Williams has been good. JPP has been great. And DT Dwayne Hendricks will join Linval Joseph on the line this week for this first time. Could be a very interesting game with the reliance on young players on defense.

5) The Giants have certainly been able to move the ball through the air, but the running game has struggled. Has the problem been with the offensive line, the running backs, play calling, or some combination of those factors?

Line changes more than anything. AB44 still knows how to run, play calling occasionally has been a little stagnant but at times it’s been stellar too. Right now the GMEN need to execute better at every level to succeed on the ground. Starts with blocking.

6) Any other storylines or players to watch out for during the game?

I think TE Jake Ballard could have another huge game, Eli has hit him for several big gashes and clutch TD’s. I want to see more from him.

7) How about a prediction for the game?

I think the Giants win by a score and figure some things out. 31-24 Giants.

1. Tom Brady obviously wants to get some time this week against the Giants, and Bill Belichick played your #1′s for a couple series last year in the finale. How much time are the Patriots going to give to their starters tonight?

I think the starters will play, but likely only for a series or two. If Tom Brady drives the offense down for a touchdown on the first drive, his night will likely be done. There will be some starters that could see extended time, like safeties Brandon Meriweather and Patrick Chung.

2. Are Patriots fans over Superbowl 42, or is this game still pretty meaningful?

Well I was until you brought it up! I don’t think it is in Patriots fans’ minds unless they have to relive the experience. It does come up at times when talking about how the Patriots haven’t won in the playoffs since then, but other than that I think most are over it. At least I’m over it, but my best friend in college was a Giants fan so I grew to not dislike the Giants.

3. Patriots and Jets — who wins the division this year between these two teams?

I still think that the division is the Patriots’ to lose. If the Pats can at least split the two games against the Jets, they stand a good chance at winning the division. I see the Patriots as a much improved team this year over last year, at least on paper, whereas the Jets are about where they were last year.

4. What more than anything has been the Patriots offseason focus this year? Have they accomplished their goals?

The Patriots definitely wanted to improve their defense, which was last in the NFL at getting off the field on third down. It’s evident that it was the main focus of Bill Belichick, as the scheme has changed from three to four down linemen and has been much more attacking, at least in the preseason. It’s tough to say if they accomplished their goals until the regular season gets underway, but the preseason has shown a better pass rush and a defense that can get off the field on third down.

5. Prediction for the Patriots season?

I’m thinking the Patriots go 12-4 this season. They have a tough schedule, so expecting a repeat of last year’s 14-2 is a stretch. I think the team will be better while its record may not reflect that.

6. Prediction for tonights game, what can we look to see from the Patriots?

This is the final shot at making the team, or any NFL team for that matter, for a lot of players. I expect to see more spirited play from both sides as jobs are on the line. The final score doesn’t really matter, but I think after last week’s abysmal performance, the Pats will pull out a late victory tonight, 24-21 to end on a positive note.

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1. The Giants haven’t had much luck with injuries, especially at corner. Are there any trade rumors floating around or are they going to try and weather the storm until Prince Amukamara returns?
No trades, just hopes that 3rd year nickel corner Aaron Ross finally steps it up in place of Terrell Thomas which is a huge loss any way you slice it.  It looks like he’s much better on the outside than on the inside, and he was always a liability if offenses ran on that package.  Contract year coming up, my bet is Aaron Ross plays better than he ever has.  Antrel Rolle may play corner is certain situations as well, with Deon Grant having been resigned to safety. The Giants like the 3 safety package and used it with much success last year.

2. What are the chances we see the Giants’ starters in the preseason finale?

50%.  I think one series will do it, but I doubt the Giants are going to risk anymore injuries to their #1′s.  That’s not to say they don’t need the work, reps, and momentum if they can put up a good showing.

3. The Eagles seem to be the team to beat in the NFC East according to the national media. Are Giants fans believing the hype?

Giants fans and the team itself wont let themselves believe the hype.  They look stacked, no doubt.  But I think the Giants are up to the challenge, defensively especially.  Remember last year, the Giants were 8 minutes away from a very decisive victory over the birds and they basically stopped playing.  24 points later, the Giants are out of the playoffs and once again have that bitter taste in their mouth at the start of this season.   They hopefully won’t forget it come week 3.

4. Do Giants fans feel that Eli Manning is taking a step back or is his slow start to the preseason nothing to be worried about?

It’s certainly debate-worthy.  People point to a change in QB coach, but that’s probably not it.  He just needs to throw it away and take sacks more than he does currently. In general I think he’s been trying to force things into his receivers and got off the “minimize mistake” track since 2008. In 2009 he had a great offensive season with marginal turnovers, but the defense took such a step back that they had nothing to show for it.  Last year, again another explosive season offensively but implosively with bad luck with tipped balls, bad decisions, and just bad injuries to his best receivers.   This year I think he checks it down more and gets back to minimizing the turnovers. Last weeks game just underscores the need for him to focus on that more than anything. I think he’ll have a better year in 2011.

5. What’s your prediction for the Giants’ record this season?

I think they go 10-6 and make the playoffs.

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