The Eagles land in the Meadowlands Sunday night for a very important, but not critical, division game. The Eagles have fallen victim to many injuries this year , and continue to get healthy, but also to be inconsistent. Westbrook WILL NOT play this week, Jeremy Maclin their rookie receiver has a bad foot and has not practiced all week, and DeSean Jackson, their sensational wide-out and kick returner is making a return from a concussion two weeks ago. This team has become a Big Play team. They take risks on defense and look for big plays on offense. Donovan McNabb is healthy and we all know how he loves to play in Jersey. They have a new emerging weapon in Brent Celek, a very talented young tight end.
The GIANTS must bring the same emotion they brought to the Cowboy game. This Eagle team is a little tougher mentally than the Cowboys and will not fold under pressure. The defense must again stop the run and make the Eagles one dimensional. Look for the same strategy of allowing the short throws, rallying to the ball and making strong tackles. The Giants must test the Eagles patience, make them drive the field 3,4 or 5 yards at a time, get them in third down on every series, then bring the pressure and hope to force a mistake. For all the whining about how the Giants played last week, it was by design. They made the Cowboys convert third downs. Almost every series resulted in a third down. You don't win time of possession this way, and you don't look good in the stats the next day, but you can win ball games using this strategy, and that is the name of the game.
As Giants fans we are always a little skeptical of our team, we tend to question if they are good enough, or coached well enough, or mentally prepared. Except for some dominating teams, like 1986, we have had reason to question. This group is well coached, you can see how Tom quietly (quietly for New York that is) stepped in and made the adjustments necessary. He challenged guys personally, but did it in a way he knew they would respond to. The GIANTS love to play with their backs against the wall, and I think a key to last week was after the game Brandon Jacobs called himself out for being a poor leader. He thought he had not been vocal enough, and had not showed the passion we all know he has. We will see how this all translates Sunday night.
I look for the Giants to show they want to stop this 3 game slide to the Eagles, to continue to look better on defense, and to take advantage of their opportunities on offense. This game will be decided on special teams and turnovers.
The GIANTS will be celebrating the 2007 team before the game, so look for a few familiar faces on the sideline during the game. Second to last home game in the "OLD" stadium.
The Giants control their destiny now, but keep an eye on the Cowboys Chargers game earlier in the day, that game has just as much meaning as ours.
For more on the Giants see: www.profootballinsight.net
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