I sincerely hope the Giants were watching Monday Night Football this week as the Eagles destroyed the Redskins. Or rather, as Michael Vick destroyed the Redskins.
Don’t get me wrong, the Eagles have a lot of talent all over the roster, but Vick was clearly the star of the show, as he has been for each of the games in which he has played. During his years in the NFL, Vick has proven himself to be a unique and dynamic player with a strong arm and incredible running abilities. This season, however, Vick is dispelling criticisms that he is not a well-rounded quarterback because he lacks accuracy in his throwing game. With four passing touchdowns on Monday and no interceptions all season, needless to say his throwing game has really come along, making him a serious force to contain.
But not so fast! The Eagles, coming off a Monday night road game, are already at a disadvantage coming into Sunday night. To top that off, they are facing the top rated Giants defense, otherwise known as the Quarterback Killers. They know how to wear down an offensive line and get to the quarterback early and often. The secondary has also improved from last year’s meltdown, and aside from last Sunday’s game, they have been solid.
It is imperative that the defense have one of these kinds of games. Vick has evolved, no question, but his natural instincts have always been to run. If the defense is in his face, and his receivers are covered, he will fall back to his old ways and take off running. Call it the lesser of two evils, but the best thing the Giants can do is get Vick running, hopefully after a bad throw or two to shake his confidence in his arm.
The Eagles are sure to put points on the board even if the defense is at the top of their game. This means the patchwork offense needs to step up as well. They had a decent game against the Cowboys and should be able to build on that. The biggest concern for me isn’t the injuries, but Kevin Gilbride and his play calling.
It seemed that everyone except Gilbride knew the Cowboys would bring a spark to last week’s game early, then capitalize on the momentum. The same can absolutely be said for the Eagles, playing a division game against the rival Giants in Philadelphia. The conservative play calls have to be kept to a minimum early in this game. Not to say Eli should come out and throw a hail mary on the first play from scrimmage, but the momentum will be crucial in this game, and Gilbride will not be doing his team any favors by calling the kind of plays that will lead to easy three-and-outs in their first few drives, as we saw last week.
This game will be a real team effort, with both the offense and defense needing to step up in the way we all know they are capable. Special Teams is obviously the weak spot here, but despite this I see no reason why the Giants should lose this game. It’s all about preparation and winning the mental game early. Containing Michael Vick and silencing the crowd will make all the difference here.