A Giant Sigh of Relief
What is clear following the Cowboys thrashing in the Metrodome at the hands of the Vikings yesterday is that the Giants no longer have to worry about a whole off-season worth of Dallas Cowboys’ celebration, thankfully, the Cowboys season has ended in almost as disappointing fashion as the G-men (though Jerry and Reese and Tom Coughlin surely would have liked the formerly in-tact playoff run (four years and done) to have continued for yet another year.
Giants faithful had to enjoy watching Tony Romo run for his life (am I the only one who thought Romo appeared “skiddish” in the pocket even when he had time to run through his progressions?), suffering six sacks, three fumbles, and a horrific interception throw to Ben Leber, now that is the Tony Romo Giants fans have known to come and love. If anything, the Cowboys debacle in Minnesota serves as a strong reminder to Jerry Reese that a dominant defensive line can carry a defense and this off-season is crucial for the G-men, a team with legitimate questions on both sides of the trenches which must be addressed and resolved. Watching Marc Columbo get abused by Vikings DE Ray Edwards and Flozell “dirty” Adams exit the game early with a calf injury reinforces the idea that the G-men have to address their once formidable offensive line.
Due to the continuation of the playoffs, the Giants Chris Snee and David Diehl will be joining center Shaun O’Hara in Hawaii for the Pro Bowl; while it is nice to see a little Blue representation at the all-star game, Giants fans expect changes on the offensive line which has only one member shy of the age of thirty (Chris Snee). With a franchise quarterback in Eli Manning and weapons at the wide receiver position (Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, and Mario Manningham), the Giants must address their offensive line to ensure the continued ascension of a formidable passing offense.
P.S. While I was rooting for a Chargers win at home against the Jets, mostly to shut-up Rex Ryan, I have to say that the Jets 17-14 victory at San Diego did remind me that while Philip Rivers has been a top 5 rated passer for the past two seasons, his performances in the playoffs have not reminded anyone of Joe Montana, and, at the end of the day, Eli and Big Ben continue to out-shine their counterpart come playoff, and most importantly, Superbowl time. Yes, it is nice to throw a little shout-out validation to Eli Manning, from time to time.
Shout-Out of the Weekend:
Goes to…Darelle Revis: No, I would not go ahead and change the Defensive Player of the Year Award (Charles Woodson was well-deserving of the praise, he had an incredible year, my apologies to Sexy Rexy (Rex Ryan)…but, Revis’ performance against the high-charged down field passing attack of the Chargers was memorable and dominant: Revis was targeted only four times on the day, with one pass completed for minus 4 yards, and an incredible interception while covering Vincent Jackson. Not many defensive backs can change the game, but Revis (and perhaps Asomugha of the Raiders), belong in that category.
Stay tuned tomorrow for a breakdown of the Giants offensive line and possible changes that we can expect in the trenches. Bleed Blue!