Look, am I happy that the Giants are facing off against the Patriots? No.  There’s a sick feeling in my stomach because that’s Brady and Belichiek on the other end.  No matter what talk of psychological advantage is coming out, I dont want to hear it.  Its nice to hear the respect come pouring out for a guy who’s going to his fifth Super Bowl.  Brady has an aura about him that has transcended his own ability which means he’s an all time great.  He’s the kind of guy that you have to give credit to and honor everytime you play against him.  The Giants know what Brady is capable of and despite recent success, there isn’t much to point at and be overconfident if you are a Giant supporter.

Because that’s still TOM BRADY!  While there may be a recipe for disaster and the Giants being the perfect cooks to serve it up come Super Bowl time, the fact is, the Giants know not to lay back on their laurels.  Their healthy respect for Brady is prevalent watching him.  Yes, Brady will come in motivated having lost the Super Bowl when they were on their way to immortality in Glendale.  They lost their first home game to an NFC opponent since 2006 to the Giants this year as well.  The pass rush is something Brady sees in his nightmares.  All these things are true.  However, its STILL Tom Brady.  A sentiment that leads one to believe that Brady holds magical powers beyond the norm of a human.  We may find out how extra-terrestrial he is come Super Bowl Sunday.  His legacy will not be complete if every sentence about his greatness is abruptly cut short by the news that he could never beat Eli Manning and the Giants in a game that actually mattered.

The great ones can draw inspiration from even the tiniest of slights and yet I doubt that the Giants can say anything over the next two weeks that could motivate Brady anymore than their last two meetings have already.  Brady admitted Monday that he can’t re-watch Super Bowl 42.  I’m sure tape of this season’s contest won’t bring back fond memories for Brady but you can see that he’s taking every single step to correct any flaws.  He phoned his quarterbacking guru in California to help fix whatever needs fixing after an awful performance in Baltimore.  He’s not chuckling this time if Giant players call out a low scoring game for him and his offense.  This Tom Brady is scary because he’s got a chip on his shoulder.  A chip on the shoulder of a sixth round draft pick.  A guy you may as well have assumed came via the heaven opening up and dropping him into Foxboro and onto Bill Belichiek’s lap.  His divine presence has meant a dynasty for New Englanders, a term hardly mentioned in those parts given the former state of the Boston Red Sawx and the curse.  Brady’s emergence and Belichiek’s ability to get his defense to play up to par have given the Patriots the kind of team that most would be jealous of.

But if there is a mental advantage to be had by the Giants its this:  they know not to expect a hesitant Tom Brady on February 5th.  They know not to expect a giddy Tom Brady who overlooks the Giants.  They know to expect an angry Brady playing behind a no name defense on a ho-hum team that has a few offensive weapons.  A team that draws its strength from its tight ends while merely glossing over the fact that they also possess the league’s best slot weapon.  The Giants know that in order to defeat Tom Brady they can not allow him space or time to operate his offense.  The Giants have this knowledge and at this moment are playing the kind of football that would have you believe that they will be prepared.  If not, it will be Brady’s crowning achievement and the final jewel in his amazing crown of accomplishments.  THIS will be Brady’s BEST win ever.  Only the Giants stand in his way.

Well its finally time for the game and its now at the point where you can put all the festivities aside and get down to what’s important here and that’s this:  the Giants and Niners are going to play A CLASSIC NFC Championship game.  Its almost as certain as the reports of showers coming in.  Why?  I’ll give you a few reasons why:

1. The Weather-  If this were the 07 team, I’d tell you that the advantage was clearly on the Giants side since that was an offensive line that could obliterate any run defense.  Remember the game against the Ravens the season after the Super Bowl win and the Giants ran up over 250 yards on the ground?  The Ravens were the number one rushing defense.  THIS team is not built on the run like the Niners are.  But the Niners aren’t really built on the run either.  As they showed in their first game, if you dare Alex Smith to throw on first and second down like the Giants dared him to do Smith CAN make plays.  Hitch routes and slant patterns can effectively stop a pass rush if need be.  Both teams will need to air it out, but that game will be affected by reports of rain AND 20 MPH winds.  The QB better able to make the plays will prevail.  Both teams will have to make effective use of the running game and the team that can run up the middle without having to go outside into the edges will be the one who wins.  Look for the biggest plays to come over the tackles, the team that can effectively run off tackle against the defensive ends will be victorious.  Look for the Niners to put Justin Smith, their ALL-Pro tackle in the middle on first and second down and then their second team All-Pro defensive end Justin Smith (yes, same person.  Yes, its the first time a player has made it on to the team in two different positions) on third down at the edge, JUST in case the Giants try and go off tackle on their now-infamous draw plays.

2. Pass rush vs. Pass Rush-  The Giants are known for getting a pass rush from their front four, especially when the Giants get their NASCAR front.  But the Niners have two Smiths that aren’t average Joe’s at their position.  Justin and rookie Aldon, are two extreme motor guys who will continue to keep coming and will give it everything they’ve got.  Justin is probably the best defensive player on the field with JPP coming in a close second, since he can play a multitude of positions and plays it well enough to earn ALL-PRO honors, it will be important for the Giants AND Niners to get the pass rush.  I think the Niners have an excellent chance to get pressure up the middle against Eli thanks to Sopoaga, and Smith and the Giants will depend on C David Baas and their interior lineman to hold the fort down.  Expect the Giants to go with Tony Ugoh on several downs in place of Jake Ballard who will come ONLY on passing downs to try and neutralize the rush coming from the Niners who will also rush Navarro Bowman AND Patrick Willis.  On the Niners side, don’t expect Vernon Davis to have A HUGE game considering he will be used to block and chip on most downs so any catches that he will have will come as a result of it being Alex Smith’s last option or a blown coverage on the Giants part.  Since Ted Ginn’s injury and Michael Crabtree relative ineffectiveness, the onus is on these two to play critical roles.

3. Offense of Giants vs. Defense of the Niners-  The Giants have the superior offensive weaponry.  There’s no denying that.  But, the Niners have speed.  Last week, Patrick Willis and Navarro Bowman played a lot of man coverage against Jimmy Graham AND Darren Sproles, lining up speed vs. speed.  Now, the Niners don’t have to commit those guys into coverage like that on single players.  They can have one OR two of these guys back there making tackles and making plays or going on blitzes.  This will be extremely beneficial to the Niners since this will be a comfort zone.  Why does this effect the Giants?  Because now, the Niners can use them to go against Victor Cruz in the slot.  They will play bump and run coverage.  They will use Willis or Bowman to try and muscle them within five yards and delay their routes.  They will try to throw off their timing.  Cruz’s strength is an undeniable weapon that i’ve seen him use to go and get those jump balls or go and make plays against corners who just can’t match up against him.  They will try to delay the timing and HOPE that the jam will throw them off routes.  Of course what makes Cruz and Nicks so tough to stop IS their physicality and they risk getting beat and those guys going deep which is why they will have safety help over the top on those guys which brings us to the match up that I think will decide the game: Carlos Rogers vs. Mario Manningham.  This will be one on one ALL DAY in my opinion.  They will try and match him up,  and if i were the Giants i would try and get Manningham routes going to one side of the field and Nicks and Cruz’s routes going on the other side of the field and making the safeties make a choice where to go.  Eli will have to make a decision where to go and depending on where he goes, it will decide the game.  Manningham has a case of the dropsies here and there, but there’s no denying that all it may take is one or two huge plays and the Giants will be in business.  If Manningham is torching them early watch for the Giants to get more favorable match ups against Cruz and Nicks and having no safety help and then it being just pitch and catch for the Giants.  As for the running game, I think if the Giants get a huge day running the football game the Niners have absolutely NO shot of winning which is why I DONT think the Giants will have a great day running the football.  But the Giants MUST stick to the run to keep the Niners honest.  If they are playing coverage Jacobs and Bradshaw MUST get into the second layer with regularity.

4. Offense of the Niners vs. the defense of the Giants-  This will be where the Niners MUST win.  Up front that line will HAVE to give Frank Gore lanes to run.  Its interesting that nobody is talking about this but this Giant front is playing the run SO much better even with only one true defensive tackle in there.  In my opinion when its 3rd and 5 or 3rd and six, and the Giants show that NASCAR look, I would run the football.  I know fans may not like it if they get stopped but that’s where the Niners must run it.  They have to run it to Osi’s edge.  If I were coaching the Niners I’d tell the Niner offensive lineman who’s going against Osi to hard sell the interior and give up the edge, IT WILL OPEN up huge holes.  Osi can’t play the run.  His biggest strength is when you line him up and its a passing down.  Delayed hand offs, draws, running to his side will be good.  Don’t run it to JPP’s  side because even with a lack of real fundamental awareness, his long athletic body can make plays and so you don’t want to run into that.  The Niners best bet is to run to the tackle side where Osi is and identify that area as to where the Niners will run the football.  Once that happens, the Giants WILL keep Osi out of the field on more plays which can only benefit the Niners.  I think you’ll see more of what the Niners did in the first game.  Three step or five step drops at the most, identify the best match up adn go to it.  I expect the Niners to attack whoever Aaron Ross is covering OR Prince Amukamara who will see extended action today as well.  It will be interesting to see how the Giants play their safeties.  Do they play them close to the line of scrimmage or keep one or two guys deep?  The Niners will take three to five shots deep in this game and it will be interesting to see how and when they choose to do the play action.  It will be run heavy early on in my estimation.   The Giants will have to watch for Delanie Walker who made some huge first downs for the Niners because all of the attention was on Vernon Davis.  Now, even more attention will be paid to Davis given his breakout performance against the Saints.  The Giants may just put Michael Boley on him and have Jacquian Williams OR Deon Grant against Delanie Walker.  They MUST make Vernon Davis a non factor and have Delanie Walker as a non factor as well.  Alex Smith will look to his tight ends as I don’t think their routes will go deeper than seven yards.  They are move the chains kind of guys.  They will be used to get first downs and the more they stop them the more the Giants will get off the field.  The Giants will need Corey Webster go against Michael Crabtree and have him put up a zero.  The match up will be Aaron Ross/Prince Amukamara vs. a very hobbled Ted Ginn Jr.  His speed is a nightmare which means that Prince will be in there to offset that.  But a double move was seen as very effective against the rookie when the Giants faced the Packers this season and so expect on a few of those play action passes for Ginn to put a double move on the young’n and get points that way.  The Giants win if they play tight coverage and FORCE Alex Smith to wait for receivers to open up.  Again, he’s NOT going to beat himself and throw into tight windows.  He will throw it away and take a three and out instead of give the team a short field because he knows his punter, Andy Lee WILL put the other team on their heels.  The Giants will need to force a BUNCH of three and outs.

5. Special Teams-  Andy Lee and David Akers are All-Pros at their position and Giant fans know about Akers history.  He’s used to playing against Giants.  He’s been a HUGE signing for the Niners and now they have the best special teams in California which is saying something when you share the same state as the Shane Lechler/Sebastian Janikowski tandem.  Lee is the fifth most important player on the field today behind ONLY Alex Smith, Frank Gore, Justin Smith and Aldon Smith.  Lee MUST put the Giants up against their backs.  He’s done it all year so no doubt he does it again.  Lee’s most important test will be to angle his kicks.  I think Lee wants to kick it to the Giants special teams returner Will Blackmon because he’s not exactly the best option they have.  With the wind and the slick ball CATCHING that football will be tough.  If Lee booms punts and then suddenly there’s a slip and the Niners recover deep in Giants territory it could be bad news and the same for the Giants.  Last year’s Matt Dodge experiment was a horrible failure and the Giants went and stole Steve Weatheford from the Jets.  His directional punting has been a God-send to this team and shored up a glaring hole.  It will be very interesting to see teams kick it straight up the middle or angle it a bit with the wind gusting at nearly 25 mph at game time and see how the ball lands.  It could be a comedy of errors.  It could be alot of short fields for both teams.  It will be interesting to note how the teams handle punts if it lands anywhere inside the ten.  Do you try and handle it?  Do you just let it bounce and hope for a good bounce?  I think both teams will concede punts inside the twenty even.  They dont want to give either team a good field IF there is a mishap.  The Niners have a clear advantage and the Niners will be happy with a field goal even if they don’t score seven on a horrible special teams mishap.  The Giants faithful don’t have nearly the faith the Niner faithful do in their kicker so it will be interesting to see late in the game if the Giants are trailing IF they go for it on fourth down IN field goal range OR try and get closer through the field goal.   But that means both teams will be wary of handling it which gives BOTH defenses the edge because BOTH teams will have to travel longer fields to score points.  Lee is the more trust-worthy commodity so I would take him in this fight.

6. Coaching-  I expect a few trick plays from Jim Harbaugh who is a slam dunk coach of the year candidate despite Tom Coughlin’s job late in the year.  He woke up Justin Tuck and look at what a monster he’s been late in the season.  Coughlin’s take it easy demeanor is in stark contrast to Jim Harbaugh who’s football INTENSE and OBSESSED.  It works for both their teams and credit them for knowing what works.  Harbaugh does an excellent job preparing his team for battle each Sunday.  He’s never been blown out this year DESPITE not having a full training camp and despite having to mend a lot of relationships along the way.  He’s done it his way.  Coughlin is a steady manager and these last four Sundays while coaches are trying onside kicks in the second quarter and going for QB sneaks on fourth and one when it hasn’t worked already instead of taking the points, Coughlin’s steady hand at understanding game management has been on full display.  He knows when to go for two.  He knows when NOT to go for it on fourth down.  Having a feel for your team at any given moment is a gift that only the truly great coaches have.  Coughlin has that and I believe that Harbaugh has that.  Look, Harbaugh is going to have one or two very sneaky plays that make you jump out of your seat like “Holy shit did he just do that?”.  Like that 3rd and 7 QB bootleg that scored a TD late against the Saints.  He has the guts to trust his team and their ability to execute.  He’s coached them up well.

These are the reasons that this game will be close.  All of these match ups are WAY too close to call.  The slick weather and field and ball will make the Niners only really glaring advantage over the Giants completely moot.  That is if the Giants don’t have a brain fart and try and handle a ball deep in their own territory and it turns the game because it becomes a turnover.  I think the Giants allow the punts to go deep into their own territory and it will become so important for Weatheford to punt the Niners deep into their territory.

The Niners will come head hunting these Giants receivers.  It will be important for the Giants to protect themselves against those hits and hope that they can make plays.  The Giants won’t try and hit with shoulder pads they will wrap up on tackles because the Niners know the difficult of just trying to lay the lumber on these Giant receivers as Charlie Peprah found out.  Peprah tried to come in hard with his shoulder and Nicks just bounced off him like a pinball and off he ran for a long touchdown which set the tone.  The Niners MUST wrap up and i have no doubt they will.

No matter how much confidence Giant fans have, this will be a close game and even if you tried, I won’t predict a winner.  Enjoy the NFC Championship game.

Forget the hype and delirium that I’m feeling while typing this.  As a Giant fan, its unnerving to know that most prognosticators will pick them because they have been flying under the radar throughout these playoffs and during their run.  Its an unusual position to put the Giants in but they have to be weary of an opponent who plays possum.  Alex Smith’s career was done when this season was about to start.  Now he’s led his team to a playoff victory in dramatic fashion and remade his legacy in San Fran.  He’s now one win away from a Super Bowl berth.  Meanwhile the Giants are standing in his way.

The Jerry Reese story is funny because during his first full year as GM, Reese had seven draft picks whom all played and had a role in the Giants success during their first Super Bowl run.   But he’s had to go out and remake the roster and after sitting and lying in wait this off season as the Eagles were signing every marquee name, the Giants were able to stick to what they knew best: player development.  Victor Cruz.  Will Beatty.  Kevin Boothe.  Henry Hynoski.  Chase Blackburn returning.  Read out the names and you wouldn’t give him any offseason awards, but read those names again before the NFC Championship game and you may give him props and were it not for all the gold that the Niners found among all their free agent nuggets perhaps Jerry Reese would be a slam dunk for GM of the year, but alas, all is well if the G-Men go out and play the game that we know they can play.

While the Giants have found their offensive punch, the Knicks haven’t found theirs as Mitch Lawrence of the Daily News writes, they had better find it soon.  According to Amar’e Stoudemire, the Knicks need to speed up their offense says Marc Berman of the Post.  

Its perplexing to me as much as Mike D’Antoni and he said it right: if with Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire the Knicks cant score 85 points they don’t deserve to win.  My problem is that the offense has yet to be in synch because there isn’t enough spacing in D’Antoni’s offense and also because there’s too much iso play going on.  There are moments when the Knicks can look good, and feel good but their reliance on a 3 point shot is beyond foolish and they continue to shoot with reckless abandon even as they miss and miss and miss.  Yet every single shot they miss they don’t get offensive rebounds so most of those opportunities are missed because there are no second chance points.

Will Baron Davis help?  Perhaps they need a better floor leader capable of handling the point but here’s the dilemma.  Too much one on one play and too much standing around while superstars shoot must stop.  The Knicks have been prone to making those mistakes and frankly its tough to watch and tough to stand.  Watching them play this way is the reason that people drink these days during the mid afternoon.

What will help the knicks?  If you have answers please do share with Knick management.  Its gotten so bad that James Dolan began making hockey predictions and forgot that he has a basketball team.

Look, I’ve said this repeatedly that this game will be the end all, be all.  As good as that Saints/Niners game was, purists will thoroughly enjoy Sunday’s game at Candlestick for two reasons.  The Niners will have to earn every point against the Giants defense and the Niners will make the Giants earn every point when they have the ball.  The Niners have the better defense, but the Giants have the better overall team playing RIGHT NOW.  As it stands its a coin flip.  I won’t give you a prediction because I’m not in the business of picking games when it comes to the Giants since I have a certain rooting interest and in fairness, my objectivity would be questioned had I made one but I will tell you that this game will come down to the final five minutes.

That last drive by the Saints was fantastic for one reason: Jim Harbaugh made some calls at the end of that game that made Alex Smith feel like he believed in him so much.  It does wonders to your confidence as a player if a coach can put that kind of trust and faith in you.  I’ve always said that there’s a reason these guys are getting paid millions of dollars to play a sport.  Its because they have genuine talent.  That talent doesn’t magically just go away, but you need the right mindset to keep it up.  Alex Smith’s career has never had stability and Troy Aikman said it best, having Norv Turner for three years to guide his maturation as a QB was vital to his career.  Once Aikman was given direction, Norv was no longer needed to guide him later.  Eli has had Kevin Gilbride throughout his professional career.  The stability of having Tom Coughlin as his coach for the last 8 years.  These things can’t be overlooked and glossed over, yet they are because we want immediate results.

Could Alex Smith have been a star had Norv stayed on as offensive coordinator of the 49ers?  You can’t answer that question because it never happened, but if you want to prognosticate on that, I will entertain that question and say yes.  I think Smith could’ve been more than serviceable.  Coming out of Utah the kid was smart and as Urban Meyer said it, “Tebow before there was a Tebow” and as crazy as this sounds, that’s saying a lot.  Not everyone benefits from the stability that others enjoy.  Its amazing what Jason Campbell could do playing on a team that DIDNT change its offensive coordinator every year like he had in Washington.  It takes time for QB’s to become who they are.  It takes time to mature into that position and its always a good story when QB’s or even high draft picks make good for your franchise.

The Giants head into San Fran as the most complete team left.  Does that matter?  No.  Because ALL of these teams have the ability to win the Super Bowl.   I learned nothing about the Patriots defense after that Denver game.  You give Bill Belichiek and Tom Brady two chances to play you and then add the former coach of that team to the staff days prior to the game, and you expect what exactly?  The Pats to lay an egg?  Come on.  The Ravens haven’t proved they can pass the ball and the Pats will play the run all afternoon, but that’s of course playing to the Ravens strengths because like Phil Simms said on NFL today, did anyone see Joe Flacco miss a pass?  No.  Did I see the run game disappear? Yes.  And then there are the Niners and as good as the offense was against the Saints, the Saints don’t have a defense that scares anyone.  Like the Packers they aren’t physical and depend too much on the takeaway.  This will be an interesting match up and I will have a preview of that game up shortly after I finally finish the wrap up from Sunday’s game.

In their annual MLK showing, everyone but Carmelo Anthony forgot to show up.  Anthony’s 33 points were not enough to slow down the Magic say Frank Isola of the Daily News.  Marc Berman says that the Knicks are not meshing well with both Melo and Amar’e even on an offnight for Superman.  John Jeansonne of Newsday says that Carmelo Anthony had more of everything for the Knicks, but not enough to overcome the bad.  

Its not to anyone’s surprise that the Knicks are not playing well against the bad teams in the league.  They started a stretch against Philly at home, and since winning that game have lost their last three games against quality opponents which raises eyebrows.  I said this before and I’ll say it again, judging the Knicks can’t be done till mid February or early March at the latest because we wont know how D’Antoni’s team will react to having another quality player in Baron Davis on the court.  IF good Baron shows up, this team can patch up a lot of their problems pretty quickly and allows for Iman Shumpert to come off the bench.  IF bad Baron shows up we can forget this season and pray that they convince the Suns to give up Steve Nash and he comes aboard.  Its going to be a very tense next few weeks but D’Antoni and the Knicks deserve a few more weeks to allow themselves to get fully healthy and have their complete squad before we start handing out pink slips to coaches and begin charging up the trade machine to see what we can get for Amar’es contract.

Interesting article in the Houston Chronicle detailing Javale McGee’s performance yesterday in which his Wizards lost again, to the Rockets.  During the game he threw an alley-oop off the backboard and slammed it home as if he were in practice and his defense was that he was trying to hype up his teammates.  Minutes later they were trailing by 19.  Whatever run he was trying to convince the team to have, he did so for the Rockets who blew them out.  Johnathan Feigen said, that’s how teams become 1-13, they become about themselves.  Michael Lee of the Washington Post says Flip Saunders defended McGee’s actions by saying that he wants to build up his confidence and so whatever he does to do that he needs to keep doing.  MMM, okay coach.  

As a fan of a team that routinely disappointed me over the years and only started getting expectations for winning again, I can tell you its demoralizing to see the difference between a good team and a bad team.  A good team knows what it takes to win and knows it takes five guys playing in synch and rhythm to win.  All of them individually have earned their right to play on a professional level, but all of them have earned teh right to play on a team.  The Wizards are talented and they have the kind of talent that can go very far, but its clear that Saunders is not the guy to deliver that message OR to make sure that the message is being driven home.  He’s defending McGee’s actions to protect him.  Meanwhile, he’s doing nothing for his growth.  McGee possesses one of the most athletic frames for a true center in this league.  He can lead the league in blocks.  He has some kind of idea when he’s on the offensive end.  They have an all-world Point guard in John Wall waiting to break out.  The problem is that they don’t have veteran leadership in that locker room and worse they don’t have a coach who will put his foot down.  Saunders is so passive its not funny.  The guy looks like he hasn’t slept in weeks and is waiting for the game to end so he can finally rest except he doesn’t.  He goes home and watches hours of skinemax.  The Wizards are a mess and until they get a coach who can hold these players accountable it won’t end.  Also, naming Andray Blatche a captain is a HUGE problem.  Apparently Rex Ryan runs this team too.

On a relatively quiet sports….ok fine, even I couldn’t hold back.  The 49ers defeated the Saints 36-32 in a 60 minute thriller/Instant classic game that will go down as this season’s best game likely.  While people are trying to come up with a proper title for that amazing comeback engineered by Alex Smith (the Post?), thirty years after “The Catch”, these Niners are writing their own legacy writes Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Tim Kawakami of the Contra Costa Times (bad ass name for a newspaper by the way), says that Vernon Davis authored one of the greatest moments in Niner legacy which, looking at team history, is extremely difficult to do, but he may just have done it.  Monte Poole of the Contra Costa Times says that despite Alex Smith’s modesty claiming this was just one more step, let’s face it, it was his moment and one that he deservedly could take bows on.  Don Banks of SI.com writes that Alex Smith, “ran out of town years ago”, stayed home and rallied his team to victory.  Jeffrey Chadiha of ESPN.com writes that San Fran was just the toughest team out there yesterday and it showed up in jarring hits that forced 5 turnovers for the Saints.  John DeShazier of the Times Picayune writes that this loss is going to hurt for a while for these Saints.  

Ladies and gentleman, I give you the game of the year and its not even close.  Let’s put this up there now in the top 10 greatest games ever played in the NFL.  It had everything you could ask for.  It had a great offense against a great defense.  It had a maligned QB seeking redemption.  It had a head coach looking for further validation that he is indeed the coach of the year.  It had a super team going for a ninth victory in a row.  It had the hits that will be played over and over again in those epic NFL Film highlight videos.  It had that five minute stretch in the final quarter that saw one huge call (the Alex Smith 3rd and 7 play which in my mind is one of the gutsiest calls you can make in that situation), one huge game breaking play (the Jimmy Graham catch and run and think about it this way: the guy had back spasms where he could barely move) and then Vernon Davis replying on the other end with two great plays to seal the win for the Niners.

I can’t begin to describe how much emotion was flowing through me during that game.  I was at my anniversary dinner with my wife and I’m sitting there almost choking on a T-Bone Steak (no homo), watching the game.  The owner of the shop is watching with me and keeps going its over three separate times when both teams traded punches.  I thought it was over when Brees hit Graham for that big play when Patrick Willis lost his footing and Graham turned and ran with the ball.  But there was too much time for (gulp) Alex Smith with 1:32 remaining and anyone who thought Alex Smith was going to finish that comeback had to be on meds.  Or a 49er homer.

As far as the rest of the game is concerned.  I can’t remember a game where one team hit the other harder and faster than the 49ers.  Every time Donte Whitner hit somebody there seemed to be chunks of the other player flying off him or he just unconscious.  The guy was hitting people like somebody slapped his momma in the stands before the game (stolen from Deion) and played like this guy.  The Niners were so fast limiting the ability of the Saints to run their screens that the Saints had to go north and south ONLY as opposed to using all parts of the field.  That’s what having Navarro Bowman and Patrick Willis can do for you when they are spying on guys like Sproles.  But when the Saints lost RB Pierre Thomas who was slipping tackles all last week against the Lions, I thought that the Niners had effectively eliminated their complement to Sproles.  I love Sproles but when the Saints were winning their Super Bowl it was due to Pierre Thomas’ own ability to shed tackles and be a tough run after the catch or run after the first guy gets their hand on him.  He’s so hard to stop and when the Saints got him on the field he was being laid out by Donte Whitner who hit him with a helmet to helmet and aside from the hit you knew something was wrong when Thomas just went limp while going down.  Those are the toughest hits to watch because its not about pain, because the guy can’t feel anything and you just hope that the guy gets up.

But on this day it was about Alex Smith.  Everyone will talk about Alex Smith’s amazing finish and about how he’s seeking redemption and not to jump on the bandwagon but has any guy been under more scrutiny?  We all knew coming into the league he was a smart kid having completed a bachelor’s in Econ in 3 years at Utah.  He was Urban Meyer’s last great QB prospect.  He had the pedigree heading in to the NFL but as most great college QB’s do he fell into a terrible situation.  The Niners have had five offensive Coordinators heading into this year.  He has been called out by the media, the fanbase who wished they took North Cali’s own Aaron Rodgers, and by former head coaches who either called him soft (Mike Nolan) or just never believed in him (Mike Singletary.

Enter John Harbaugh.  It takes a former maligned QB to know one and that connection has propelled this Niner team.  They had the defense but they never had an offense help out and that’s what happened.  If ever there was a game to show a microcosm of a team’s season it was yesterday.  The defense playing lights out for most of the game and just giving up one big play and needing their offense to come through, and them coming through was kind of a watershed moment for this team when you think about it.  The 49ers will be a great team for a few years.  It starts with Alex Smith who doesn’t make mistakes.  Who doesn’t beat himself.  A guy that follows the game plan and is athletic enough to make plays when the original one breaks down.  The bottom line is this: the San Francisco 49ers have made over the organization on the fly in a year.

That is the hallmark of this great coach.  I said before the season that perhaps Harbaugh left a year early from a plum Stanford job JUST to tank the season so he could get Andrew Luck with the number one overall pick.  I felt that in my heart of hearts, that would be the best situation for this team in the longterm and that Harbaugh had the job security to do that.  But of course what we got instead was a dominant defense, an All-Pro filled Special teams and an offense that controlled the clock built behind a good offensive line and a physical running back that runs hard behind his blockers.  No mention of their QB yet right?  Because he was a liability heading into this season but Harbaugh’s greatest job coaching was building back that quarterback from Utah.  Six years of naysaying and doubting had to be erased in order for Harbaugh to get Smith prepared to handle his job and what a remarkable job he’s done in such a short limited time.  That week they spent in the east coast when they had to travel two straight weeks was a blessing in disguise and one that Harbaugh used to unify the team.  Small things like that give you a sense of what kind of coach he is and how much he understands the nuances of his title.  Its not just about drawing up game plans, its about instilling in your team a sense of togetherness and pride.  Its not players that win games, its teams.  The 49ers beat Drew Brees yesterday and that’s all you need to know.

From a great team finish to a complete rout.  The Denver Broncos got blindsided by the New England Patriots yesterday in what was a mismatch from the moment the teams took the field.  Peter King of SI says that Tom Brady and the Patriots have never looked better.  Jackie MacMullan of ESPN writes that everyone was worshiping the wrong guy coming into the game.  Greg Bedard of the Boston Herald wrote that the Pats defense hadn’t played that well from beginning to end since they faced a fellow southpaw in Tyler Palko.  Woody Paige of the Denver Post writes that the wild ride of Tebow time came to a close because there was never anytime for Tebow to work his magic.  Forget the negativity of the loss says Dave Krieger of the Denver Post, the rebuilding process that was supposed to take years is way ahead of schedule.  

I’m not here to jump on everyone’s parade about this guy but let’s put things into perspective for everyone to understand how Tebow crazy this entire country had gotten.  We love a great story and that’s what Tebow was.  He was a crazy, improbable, out of the loop and out of left field kind of success that we weren’t ready for.  Our football sensibility tells us that Tim Tebow is not a good quarterback capable of doing the things he did over this NFL season and yet those who hold out belief and understand that sports can stop reality for a moment and have us seeing things that suspend our own understanding of things and believe in something magical know that anything was possible heading into Saturday night’s contest between the Pats and the Broncos.  Take for instance that the Patriots had a running two game losing streak.  The Pats secondary was a maligned group who could be taken advantage of.  The Broncos had this feel about them as riding a wave of something into their contest.  It was probable and I get all of that emotion.

But the reality set in early.  And often.  The Broncos couldn’t run.  And when they can’t run, we know they can’t pass.  And there was Tebow scrambling around like a chicken with his head cut off and trying to make something happen and one too many three and outs cost them against an offense that never stopped moving from the moment the opening kickoff got lofted into the cool air of Massachusetts.  Gilette Stadium was the arena in which Tim Tebow and all his Tebowmaniacs would get a lesson in Football 101.  NO QB that played with such an unconventional and simplistic offense could win in the playoffs against the best of competition and that’s what the Patriots were.

The Pats defense put the clamps on and held on tight to Tebow affording him no room, maintaining gaps and not giving him outside lanes.  Their secondary covered the limited options that they had.  Let’s be real, the Broncos offered a subpar receiving group that couldn’t possibly offer up any kind of contest to a former 3 time Super Bowl winning team.  Brady and Belichiek though were the major players in this game.

Two full weeks to rest and get their team playing sharper and install new wrinkles.  The Josh McDaniels from the Patriots returned in time to see the offense move with a rhythm and execute on a scale that hadn’t been seen before.  Aaron Hernandez as a running back?  Yessir.  Julian Edelman getting more and more snaps as a cornerback?  Sure why not.  Brady with the hurry up through much of the first half? Yep.  Six touchdowns later the Broncos had long thrown in the towel and were left wondering exactly what had been done to them.  I watched only portions of that game but never was there any doubt.  Even when Brady threw that interception.  He made a bad throw.  He knew it.  He also had enough confidence to know that he would NEVER give them another chance.  He was methodical and so dominating in a performance that made you think that the Patriots were conjuring up remnants of that 2007 offense that blitzed the league and gave defensive coordinators nightmares.

And trust me, with McDaniels back, the Patriots have gotten the right guy back at the right time to make it work.  They have an almost unguardable TE in Gronkowski.  They have the best slot receiver in football in Wes Welker.  They have an offensive line that’s relatively healthy.  They have a creative playcaller in Josh McDaniels.  They have a great QB and a great defensive minded head coach.  They have the elements to make another Super Bowl Run.  Watch out.  The Patriots are now the Patriots of their great teams from the earlier part of the milennia.  Big time QB play.  Solid defense.  Good offense.  Great game planning.  Watch out NFL.

As for the Broncos, look: you have a decent QB.  Next year will be super important and it will be interesting to see how the Broncos go about this offseason especially draft wise.  The Broncos aren’t trading up to take any QB’s.  But let’s say a kid like Russell Wilson falls to them in the first round (unlikely) or a Taylor Martinez (more likely in the third or fourth), why wouldn’t the Broncos take him and stash him away?  The Broncos need immediate help on the defensive end.  They need defensive tackles to stuff the middle.  They need help in the back end.  They need another pass rusher to help Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil who has taken a step back.  They need to get better playmakers.  But let’s say next year the Broncos don’t duplicate the magic carpet ride run they had this year which is a near certainty.  Remember, literally every team they faced had something go horribly wrong either due to injury or having already had a few guys injured, before they faced Tebow and had a lot of defensive coordinators not taking Tebow seriously.  That won’t happen next year.  Tebow won’t sneak up on anybody.  The team will see what they have in Tebow as a QB.  Let’s see what improvements Tebow makes.  Yes, the intangibles are out of the planet for this kid.  Yes, he will try his hardest to improve.  If nothing is improved and Tebow remains the same mechanically flawed QB he is today trust me the Broncos organization will scrap the Tebow Time t-shirts and send those to needy kids in Africa and chart ways to get a franchise QB.  The Broncos are a rebuilding project and yes, they are ahead of schedule.  But the question still remains: WHAT do we do with Tim Tebow?  The answer to that question will come next year.  Unless we’re in for another crazy season next year, hold on to your bottoms.

And now to today’s game.  Mike Lupica of Daily News writes that despite the similarities that people want to draw, this time beating the Packers at the Frozen Tundra will be far more difficult.  Stefan Bondy of the News writes that the Big Blue offensive line are out to be tougher Sunday than BJ Raji gives them credit for.  Mike Vaccaro of the Post writes that winning at Lambeau is as difficult as they come because of the history and fable surrounding the place.  Steve Serby of the Post writes that if the Giants are All In like they claim to be, they will write their own history.  Paul Schwartz says that if the Giants want to win today, replaying that Road Warrior mentality in their heads will be a good start.  Tom Rock of Newsday says despite Justin Tuck saying there’s nothing to gain from their last meeting on December 4th, there is plenty of material to be gained for their next showdown.  

Let’s manage to calm down all the hype and glamour out of the match up and let’s say this for the Giants: they are not the 2007 Giants.  They are the 2011 New York Giants.  A completely unique identity and entity unto themselves.  Fifteen players remain from the team that went on that improbable run in 07 and frankly I, like them, are tired of hearing the remarkable similarities in seasons.  We all need points of comparison to draw up some kind of response to everything and we all want to believe that THIS version of the New York Giants will duplicate that run but that would be an injustice to both THIS current squad and the group of men who marched into the sure-fire no doubt coronation of the greatest team ever, New England Patriots and decimated their dreams and sent Patriot fans packing as Super Bowl chumps.

Yes, that team deserves its credit and its OWN unique place in Giant and NFL lore and don’t deserve the injustice that’s been placed on them by the media over the last few weeks.  Comparing the two teams are like apples and oranges and we all know that using numbers we can conjure up any comparison we want and have anyone believing anything we want.  Yes, that 38-35 score is indicative of something.  But its only telling you what the score was on December 4th.  Not some harbinger of things to come today at the Frozen Tundra.  I believe what’s happening here is that a team is coming together.

Now, you all may be asking yourselves, wait is this the same guy who wouldn’t change his underwear or game day traditions because he had some remote belief that it ultimately mattered in the context of the Giant playoff run?  Yes.  I’m not saying I don’t believe in de ja vu.  I’m not saying that these events don’t bear a striking resemblance to the one from 07 and that having several players from that team on this one doesn’t make these comparisons apt.  I’m just saying that we should appreciate what 07 did and not overshadow what this team is doing currently by comparing the two.  They are two different teams with different identities on offense and newer leaders on defense.

I said this when it happened and I hold on to this one belief: what the 07 Giants did will stand the test of time and I am assured that I will never see a run like that EVER AGAIN.  But that’s not to say that this team can’t put together a run that could rival the one the 07 team did.  That’s not to say that the championship earned at the expense of a 18-0 team is any less credible if they do it again against a team that had a loss coming INTO the Super Bowl.  All I’m saying is that let’s leave the comparisons at home because it would only be right for both teams.  MMkay?

Moving on, here are my final thoughts on this game before it happens:  The Giants must run the ball and rush the passer.  They can pass on this team but if the Packers only have to defend the pass they have the corners to make game changing plays that can eventually cost the team the victory.  Erase the Clay Mathews pick six and the Giants win that game 35-31.  The fact is, the Giants held the ball for only 26 minutes and allowed Aaron Rodgers to hold the ball for 34 minutes and no matter how good your defensive line is, in those 7 minutes that offense can score two- three touchdowns in that time.  The Giants must control the clock and take their chances deep.  Drawing in their linebackers, who they have healthy today will be key.  If AJ Hawk and Desmond Bishop aren’t in coverage and the Giants can  get their running game going and keeping Rodgers on the sideline, and their pass rush constantly gets the Pack off the field because of hurried throws and bad decision making, the Giants can win.  But it won’t be easy.  Not against Aaron Rodgers who seemingly performs under ANY kind of condition given to him.  Want him to run wtih the ball? Sure.  He was the leading rusher in the game.  He, like Alex Smith won’t beat himself.  He wont give you a game.  You have to beat the Packers square.  So what the Giants need is a great game from Eli (or a continuation from last week minus the safety), and a great game from their front four who need to play lights out.  The Packers have a good offensive line but Chad Clifton and Josh Sitton haven’t played for quite some time and only got reps in Week 17 after missing chunks of the regular season.  Bryan Bulaga is hurt.  That banged up front is going against a defensive line that is aching to continue their great stretch.  IF the Packers front keeps the Giant pass rush at bay it will be a long day.  Expect the Pack to go two tight end a lot and having them chip and giving Rodgers 3 to five step drops early and get their guys running slants.  They will run into the middle of the defense because they know that the Giants best attribute is speed and those ends can cover the run.  They will run off tackle every once in a while but doing that at Jason Pierre Paul will be disastrous and I expect the Pack to stay away from his side.  They want Rodgers sitting in the pocket.  In my opinion the Giants MUST win the battle up the middle.  THEY MUST have Chris Canty, Justin Tuck win their matchups against the guards.  They MUST have Mathias Kiwanuka be able to come right over the middle and go after Rodgers and have him running.  If they win the interior battle, I have no doubt they can win the outside battles against the two tackles.  Osi’s speed and JPP’s overall play are excellent.

Here’s where I think the Giants may have problems.  The Pack may play hurry up depending on personnel.  They may run the ball against the Nascar package (four defensive ends) if they get it and when they see Osi off the field, they may hurry up to keep the big guys Canty/Rocky Bernard in the game and wear them down.  JPP is going to see a majority of the snaps as is Tuck and Canty.  A pristine Giant game has Osi playing between 40-50 offensive snaps and coming off either end.  I don’t think the Giants can be effective with JPP coming as a speed rusher by standing up.  They must attack him as as down lineman.

The matchups for the Giants are out there.  The Giants have the offensive weapons to light up the scoreboard and must lean on their strengths.  They are a passing offense.  But I do think they MUST run the football effectively.  They may not need 170 yards today but they need Brandon Jacobs running over people and Ahmad Bradshaw catching passes out of the backfield.  They MUST win time of possession handily.  Even then, if they don’t score touchdowns it won’t matter.  If the Giants can get off to a fast start and have the ball at the end of the game, which I think will be a close game they can win.  OTHERWISE, Aaron Rodgers will torch them.

If the Giants don’t get enough of a pass rush, or the Giants can run the ball or you give Aaron Rodgers even a three minute advantage in possession time, you’re asking for trouble.  He does NOT get rattled under pressure.  He won’t beat himself by forcing passes into tight coverage.  He has really good receivers who have a very good relationship with him that can understand when to abandon a route so that he can move the ball forward.  Unlike the Saints who you know are looking for the deep ball, the Packers are more than happy to just hit short passes and move the chains.  They can live either way.  The fact is, this Packer team coming in will play lights out for their head coach who lost his son.  The Giants must remember that.  Absorb the early blow and go out and punch them in the mouth and then knock the Pack out.

Its going to be close and that’s all I’m going to say on that.

Ok, here it is folks.  Time for talking is done and really what BJ Raji said doesn’t do anything for me and shouldn’t for the Giants football team.  The offensive line has been soft at times this season and so that criticism does have legs.  It is ripe with merit.  But, these last few games the offensive line has looked more and more like a unit that can play with anyone and will HAVE to open up holes.  The Giants have done the most damage running off tackle and away from center.  The Giants had this reputation years ago as this monstrous offensive line that could run anywhere on the field on anybody.  This incarnation does not have such a resume and it bears repeating that this Giant team is a different team following a different philosophy than that magical 2007 team that shocked the world.

Take for instance their mantra:  ALL In.  Plastered on towels used for waving and wiping off Dirty Bird spit, the Giants have used it as a rallying cry for their team.  Many wondered aloud who the leader was of this group and while you can make plenty of money betting on both Tuck and Rolle, this team does not have to have one leader, but they must have one mindset and its clear that every so called captain (we know that word can get you in trouble in this town) has been rallying his troops behind the one message of all in.  Some of you of lesser faith may not buy into hokey stuff like this but I do.  I love these stories that add substance to the style and give some depth to your average NFL roughian story.  This is what makes this team special.  Its a purpose.  A sense of mission and it seems as though this team has a mission.  Its to seek out and destroy.

The defensive line, the offensive line the areas that you MUST be good at, are playing exceptionally and must.  I agree with Mike Francesa (God help me), the Giants can not afford to play the time of possession game.  Like the Falcons who tried to take on a different persona than their own, the Giants must play with what got them here: the big play and decent up and down, move the chains kind of team that can wear the opponent down.  They must hit a few big plays in order to knock down the bully.  The Giants are facing their first road test since being in the comfort of their own digs for the last 3 weeks giving people this sense that this team is rounding into  form.  That team in 07 made a living on going into other people’s backyards and bullying them.  The Giants must do that this week.  If they really want to be compared, lets see them on the road.  But the real comparisons will begin should they make it to Indianapolis as players instead of visitors come early February.

The Knicks played a horrific game last night in which everything that could go wrong did.  The Knicks lost to the Grizzlies 94-83 (trust me folks the game wasn’t that close), Frank Isola of the Daily News said the Knicks were out of whack in every way possible.  Marc Berman of the Post writes that the mauling the Grizzlies did was not just mental, but physical as Melo had to leave after spraining his ankle.  Mark Hermann of Newsday writes with Melo in the locker room and Amar’e battling foul trouble the Knicks had no where to go in terms of offense.  

Our superb rookie, Iman Shumpert took 20 shots and made only five and watching the shot selection a lot of it could be blamed on his own aggressiveness.  This was the knock coming out of college on Shump: he grabbed it and he shot it.  He was a one man play making machine and while that may work fine in college, its a different animal in the pros.  Of course, nobody except Anthony was hitting shots last night and when he left and Amare, who got two fouls in the first two minutes of the game and was limited in action all night,  had to leave the Knicks were left with no one to take the offensive mentality up.  These are the times that the Knicks need a point guard more than anything else.  They don’t have that much in terms of depth to go to for offense.  They have Amar’e and they have Carmelo.  That’s hurt the overall mentality of the team as they were unable to close the gap to allow Amar’e to get back in and try and lead a surge.  The Grizz were more active on defense and got so many more turnovers and it led to more stagnant offense, something most didn’t expect.  The Knicks again played with some fire defensively which is what you want to see.  The proven part of their game is not the defense: its the offense.  I have no doubt that the offense will come around at some point and Melo and Amar’e will get it going and the superb passing that we saw in some of these games will be a road map for future victories.  Let’s just say that what the Knicks need, they need from their superstars.  Melo and Amare haven’t taken over games and the ones they have won is because the entire team has contributed.

The Knicks don’t seem to have any rhythm on the offensive side of the ball and the biggest flaw is that they have nobody to penetrate the defense.  The ball passing on teh perimeter that starts when Toney Douglas enters the game shows the major flaw in Toney’s game but in the Knicks offense overall.  Their back up can’t drive and while Toney plays superb defense, his inability on the other end will make him a unwelcome commodity.

I do like Toney Douglas and while I don’t support him along the lines of Mike Breen who absolutely can’t stop talking about what a gym rat he is and how determined he is to be better, the fact is, he’s not getting better but that doesn’t mean he is limited to what he is now for the future.  He CAN be the floor general if he dribbles with his head up.  His quick hands and his ability to track the ball when its in the hands of the opponent when he’s on defense show me that he HAS the ability to fix some of the flaws but it will take repetition.  He will need to be confident.  He has to be quicker with his decision making: all things he can work on in practice.  Yes, it will take a few weeks but if he’s the hard worker that everyone says he is (ok fine, just Mike Breen), then he will get that fixed and then imagine come March with three point guards that can pass the ball with efficiency?  Plus I love Toney’s clutch game.  He has that gene.

And then this.  Manish Mehta of Daily News writes that several Jets players and members of the organization offered up a very sobering picture of Mark Sanchez saying he was “lazy and content” and that the Jets should “bring in a back up to make him work in practice.”  

Well, I can’t say I’m surprised.  I’m not going to sit on a high and mighty cloud and come down on either Mark Sanchez OR Brian Schottenheimer for the Jets lack of success this season.  They both played a role in their downfall.  But this hiding behind a veil of words is cowardly and shows you the kind of rift that the organization has and MUST fix.

From Schottenheimer’s perspective he was asked to help the growth of Mark Sanchez and there has been none.  So he didn’t do his job.  That’s the black and white of it.  From the perspective of what he had to work with: a coddled quarterback, an entitled quarterback, petulant wide receivers, divas, and a regressing offensive line.  Let’s face it, the offensive line regressed along with Mark so much of the blame has to go to him.  He was brought to NY behind a very very good offensive line.  ANY QB in the league can tell you that success begins up front and the Jets had that kind of production from those players.  However, the problem with the Jets was their inability to grow from that.

I was never a Schottenheimer fan.  I hate him as much as I hated Kevin Killdrive i mean Kevin Gilbride.  One guy should be conventional the other guy shouldn’t be so damn conventional.  Its maddening to see Schotty’s game plans sometimes.  He just seems to have no real grip on how to run the team.  I was just mystified at some of his decisions and it bears noting that he’s not the only culprit here.

I think one guy getting a free ride for the moment is Mike Tannenbaum who made some very questionable personnel decisions the past two years.  He let leaders go from this building to upgrade skill positions on offense.  Jerricho Crotchery was released.  Damien Woody retired.  Alan Faneca gone.  Tony Richardson, Thomas Jones gone.  Alot of good locker room guys were thrown away in order to make room for pricy acquisitions with glitz and glamor and nothing else.  The Jets regressed as an organization.  Not just one guy.

Now, the problem heightens if these rumblings of the QB being entitled are true and you can only take the man at his word.  Manish Mehta has done a tremendous job covering the Jets for such a long time and I trust him in these areas so to hear players say that its an indication that perhaps the Jets have more work to do than just firing the offensive coordinator.  One major loss being glossed over is that Bill Calahan, offensive line guru, left to take up the same position in the Cowboys.  He wanted the OC position here but was not permitted to have the job since the job is going to Tony Sparano which is interesting.  He was a former offensive line coach as well so he takes up that mantle.  His job will be to put Mark Sanchez and the offensive line in a position to win.  A lot of the offensive coordinator’s job is to make a read about a player’s ability and create an offense suitable for his skill set.  Look at what Ron Rivera did in Carolina for Cam Newton?  Look at what the Broncos did with Tim Tebow?  You grow confidence as a quarterback by being in a position to succeed and its the job of the head coach to do that.  NOT to come in and demand your players to follow a specific system.  You have to guide and lead and fit and construct.  Your job is to mold but also to bend a little.  You have to be able to walk that thin line.  Your authority shouldn’t be questioned but at the same time you can’t be so hard edged that players cant offer their input.

As far as the Peyton Manning conversation, listen it makes sense.  The Jets need an upgrade and there’s no denying that the Colts are weighing their options right now.  My money is on the Colts working something out with Peyton Manning in signing a much friendlier team contract that would be able to be moved to another team of his choosing.  Whether he chooses the Jets is anyone’s guess and yes having Tom Moore as a “consultant” is a great step forward but not a deal clincher.  Tony Sparano will be the offensive coordinator and that marriage will be interesting if it happens.  However, I see Peyton NOT going to the Jets and going to the 49ers  if they can afford it.  The Niners give him the defense and a ridiculously easy NFC West that he can torment over the next few years.  He’s got skill players on offense, a pretty damn good line, a great running game, an elite TE, and a few good WR’s.  The Niners have the pieces that would intrigue the Colts and plus the Niners play in the NFC and not in the AFC like the Jets where the Colts are likely to see them more often.

Sorry Jet fans.

Hank Gola of the Daily News offers up his thoughts on how to defeat the Packers.  Steve Serby of the Post hopes that the Giants were watching the Chiefs when they beat them.  Paul Schwartz talks about unflappable Eli.  Tom Rock of Newsday writes about the emergence of the defense upon the return of Chase Blackburn as MLB.  

Look, the Packers are going to be difficult to defeat.  They have the best team in all of football though that’s debatable right now with how the Saints are playing (at home).  But like I’ve said all season: there is no DOMINANT team that does everything right.  Each team has a major flaw that can be exploited and its up to the Giants to find that flaw.  Both number one seeds have shoddy defenses though the Packers are opportunistic and that ranking is a result of that aggressive scheme.  The Giants have a very good chance of beating the Packers it will be up to unflappable Eli and Chase Blackburn’s leadership on defense to set the tone and punch the cheese in its mouth.

The Rangers win again.  Eventually I will have an intelligent opinion about hockey.  Eventually.

This is going to be ONE LONG week but needless to say the Giants are beginning to form into a team that is scary.  All the projections and calculations of what this pass rush could do, our wildest fantasies as Giants fans about the running game getting back on track and our greatest imagined wide receiving corp are suddenly all taking shape and creating what is a scary scary team.  Will that at all cause the Packers any panic?  No.  None.  I dont blame them.  They are the formerly undefeated Packers.  The one loss Packers.  The team with the year’s MVP.  The team that has a ton of talent and plenty of skilled players to give Giants defenders fits.

BUT, like I’ve been saying, each team has its faults.  The Packers have a very very beaten up offensive line.  A line that has shuffled players in and out as late as Week 16 and Week 17.  How many guys they get back will be key for them as they face a defensive line that is generating pressure and reminders of the ’07 line that went on to win the championship.  Its simple.  If the Giants man their gaps and don’t allow Aaron Rodgers to throw in a comfortable pocket and get to him and hit him repeatedly the Giants will have a shot.  IF they give him all the time in the world to operate he will dissect them like Sunday Morning NFL Match up on ESPN! (PLUG!).

As per my policy, I’m not giving up predictions.  I will give my thoughts as the week goes on.  The Giants will have to get pressure.  Maintain gaps and NOT allow Rodgers to get the ball deep down the field.  The one guy the Giants have to worry about is Jordy Nelson.  He’s the third receiver but he’s the guy that Aaron Rodgers uses to dump his passes off to.  Remember, Michael Boley is playing in Sunday’s game and will be asked to cover JerMichael Finley as tall an order as that is.  The Giants MUST cover on the back end to have any shot.  Rodgers is lethal with his precision passing and even a sliver of room he can hit the man in stride.  The Giants MUST MUST take away the intermediary and that means that the Giants will depend on their rookie LB’s to not make mistakes but to play the kind of smart aggressive football we’ve been seeing from them starting four weeks ago after the Redskins game.

Hey, everything else seems to be clicking, why not them?

It was a small victory, but of greater concern for Mike D’Antoni and his team is that three weeks into the season the coach’s bread and butter — his offense, particularly in the fourth quarter — remains a work in progress.  “We aren’t a confident team,” D’Antoni said after the Knicks survived a late scare to defeat the Bobcats, 91-87, Monday night at the Garden. “It’s going to take a while to get to that and wins do help.”  So writes Frank Isola of the Daily News on the Knicks surviving the Charlotte Bobcats 91-87.  Team first Tyson Chandler, deciding to opt out of a visit to the White House by the Dallas Mavericks, helped the Knicks to a win  writes Marc Berman of the Post.    John Jeansonne of Newsday writes that the Knicks are learning to play together offensively and defensively on the fly.  Literally.  

I came away from this game impressed for two reasons.  Tyson Chandler said it correctly: once the team learns to play in synch and feed off each other games like this will be blowouts.  Everytime the Knicks got a 9 point or 11 point lead, the Knicks went back to the one on one game where they quickly missed shots leading to easy transition points for the Bobcats.  When they were building their lead up again, it was about passing and getting the ball to the open man and keeping everyone in on the play.  The Knicks still are working on that aspect of the game.  They have their work cut out for them considering that Wednesday they go up against the Philadelphia 76ers who don’t have any great names but play really well with each other.

Let’s put this game into perspective.  Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony were having off shooting nights for the Knicks and yet they still were able to build up leads of 9 and 11 points consistently throughout the night.  Why?  Effort.  Just plain hustle and effort on the rebounding  front.  The Knicks have seemingly begun to give a damn and you see four or five guys staying around to get defensive rebounds.  You are seeing atleast one or two guys trying for the offensive bounds.  Guys hustle up the court and contest transition buckets well.  They are playing smart basketball and not giving their opponents easy buckets.

Remember opening day when Rondo seemingly was in the backcourt everytime and the Celtics were getting easy baskets?  The Knicks have limited the ability of teams to do that.  Iman Shumpert has been really good.  Yes, he’s in the line up due to Toney Douglas’ rough start.  Yes, its because Baron Davis isn’t healthy but his effort and his defensive ability is going to make him a starter soon even when Baron Davis returns.  Shump has a natural ability and is instinctive on the defensive end knowing when to tap the ball out and when to be aggressive.  Yes, he still needs to learn how to play point guard a little bit and I’d much rather him learn the nuances of the game because I feel as though he would learn it quicker, but the Knicks need only plug holes and not try and fit round pegs into square spaces.

However, Shump can be a combo guard.  A guy that can confuse defenses.  A guy who can bring the ball up and set the offense up in the half court sets and/or look for his own shot coming off of screens and taking a few dribbles to the hoop.  If he drives and the defense collapses imagine the defense having to choose between Amar’e, Melo and Tyson Chandler underneath the basket as to who to guard?  That’s a tough order for any team.  That’s where the Knicks must attack.  That’s why a point guard is so essential.  You also need your guards to hit the open looks from beyond the arc and they haven’t been getting that from Landry Fields and Toney Douglas.  I understand the backcourt has gotten a ton of unnecessary blame for the team’s deficiences.  Some of it has to do with the half court game that the Knicks love to go to.  Melo takes a lot of stupid shots.  Contested shots.  Amar’e has found his offensive game and has stopped settling for jump shots and that’s allowed him to get some space when he is taking jump shots and he’s been hitting them with regularity.  Melo on the other hand has been getting fouls called on him in obvious situations where teams will take advantage of his aggressiveness.  He’s a big 6’7 and he can muscle up against most guys and what they do is draw charges on Melo and he’s been in foul trouble with regularity.  Teams see that and know that Melo loves to go one on one and will drive to the hoop.

I know that Melo likes to create his own shot, but I think he’s been doing a better job of trusting his teammates.  He’s dished out seven and six assists on consecutive games.  He’s a more willing passer and he’s gifted with his court vision.  Its amazing how he can create offense in so many different ways but he settles ALOT.  The Knicks need to work on that among other things.

Greg A. Bedard of the Boston Herald writes that what the Patriots (Denver’s opponent Saturday) and the Steelers saw was a more pass-happy Tim Tebow.  Mike Kils of the Denver Post writes that in the spirit of fair play how fair is it that the Patriots hired the former Denver head coach Josh McDaniels in time for the playoffs to face against his former team?  John McClain of the Houston Chronicle writes that Texan fans should stop being so worried that Wade Phillips is interviewing for the vacant Tampa Bay head coaching job.  His allegiance is with the Texans and their playoff game against the Ravens.  Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun believes that the quarterback match up Sunday will go to Joe Flacco.  No doubt about it.  Damin Esper of the Times Picayune writes that the Niners remember Greg Williams blitzing during a meaningless preseason game.  Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle says that putting the pressure on Brees is easier said than done.  

AND ACTION!

Ok Giant fans.  I’m going to come out with it.  I was confident heading into Sunday’s game against the Falcons and I’ll tell you why.  Like in 07 when the Giants faced the Tampa Bay Bucs, the Falcons weren’t anything special.  They weren’t anything bigger or badder or that much better I thought and in a straight up chess match OR a fight the Giants could beat them.  I wasn’t impressed by Matt Ryan who earlier in the year I called THE most overhyped player in the NFL.  In an age where you can slap together some ridiculous stats to make a QB sound better than he actually is, some clown crowned him with the moniker Matty Ice and everyone drank the juice like a bunch of thirsty animals.

Fortunately I came properly hydrated and told everyone to show me a signature victory and the defense could NOT provide sufficient evidence.  Once again, the defense was given a game where the Falcons had a chance to show everybody they belonged in the upper echelon and they couldn’t do it.

I’ll get more into the win later in another post but let’s just say this for the Giants.  The Giants were more determined.  The effort was there.  That was a ferocious team.  A team that came ready to play.  A team feeding off the emotion of the crowd.  A team that fed off everything that the Falcons gave them and they seemed to get more and more ferocious as the day wore on and it was great to see the Giants and Eli and Coach Coughlin get their first home win.  Ever.

Sunday was impressive.  What remains to be seen is if the running game continues to show up.  If this intensity and emotion continue to show up.  If they do.  Watch out.

The Broncos and Tim Tebow continue to do the unthinkable.  Forget all the hyperbole.  Forget everything you know about football.  Tim Tebow came in and did what everyone said he couldn’t do.  He outdueled Ben Roethlisberger and out Roethlisbergered him in a crucial playoff game.  Dave Krieger of the Denver Post says that the play to win it in overtime was just brilliant everything.  

I was reading all the other articles but I just couldn’t stomach all the bullshit that was being said.  Listen, when Tebow connected with DeMarius Thomas for the 80 yard touchdown on the very first overtime with the new rules, on the very first play, the internet became a combustible engine capable of exploding.  From Twitter to Facebook, those involved intimately with the game and those five and ten times removed were exclaiming the virtues of one Timothy Tebow.  His play notwithstanding, it was what the Steelers didn’t have.  I dont mean to sound like a hater but let’s be real.  No Lamar Woodley for stretches.  No Ryan Clark the secondary’s coach.  No Brett Keisel.  No Casey Hampton in the middle stuffing the run.  The Steelers were missing a ton of elements to their game and so I can’t completely give the Broncos credit but a win is a win.  This doesn’t fall on Tebow.  This falls on the entire Bronco team who played a very good game against a very hobbled team.

Amazing win for a team that’s rediscovering the magic at the right time.

One other quick note, Anthony Reiber of Newsday writes about Toney Douglas and losing his starting job.

I admit that I was not and still am not a Toney Douglas fan.  I will say this: he’s been nothing but class since losing his starting job Saturday.  What that means for tonight where he will again start off on the bench, I dont know.  All i know is that right now as the team is flying the Knicks will go with the hot hand which is the rookie Iman Shumpert.  Shump has more athleticism and has a natural court vision that Douglas doesn’t have.  Its not that much better but his ability to cut through traps and work the pick and roll will be instrumental in how the Knicks view his progression moving forward: Shooting guard or point guard?  Red pill, blue pill.  You live and you learn.