Don't Believe The Giant Hype
The local media would have us believe that the Cowboys will face a wounded Giants team this Sunday. Some say that this is a team spiraling downward increasing in velocity with each swirl as their season goes down the drain.
Just look at them. Their coach is criticizing their young quarterback, who has been anything but Phillip Rivers (dig). That quarterback can’t seem to get the ball to his loud-mouth, yet pretty talented tight end who, by the way, is criticizing the coach’s decisions. The recently-announced retiree running back has some choice words about coaching decisions as well…for the second time. The injured, Pro Bowl defensive end criticizes the pouting wide receiver and then blames it on the media.
And you guys thought that Owens, Vanderjagt, and Parcells were full of drama.
Then the media points to the new and improved Dallas Cowboys. The antithesis of the train wreck in New York. The sports world is in love with the Cowboys again sparked by the experienced-rookie quarterback Tony Romo. This kid is “cooler than a fan”. Four of five as a starter including a huge win over the then-undefeated Colts. He has breathed new life into this team.
The defense, led by Demarcus Ware, Bradie James and Roy Williams, have been hot even in the absence of their veteran leader Greg Ellis. The young leaders have made plays and other guys feed off that to make plays of their own. The product: a big, relentlessly physical defensive squad. Give ‘em a lead as Romo has, and they truly are a different unit.
The coach is exuding a confidence that you can just feel. Relaxed and often engagingly amusing in his daily sparring sessions with the media. No more bitter old man; he’s found the Fountain of Youth…again, sparked by the experienced-rook.
Even the swirling wind that surrounds Terrell Owens has subsided, for now, to a soft whisper with only slight gusts each time he drops a pass. But a touchdown quickly calms the air and all is quiet again.
Mike Vanderjagt, the Cowboys biggest problem, is no longer a problem. Who knows what Gramatica will do? What we do know is Vandy wasn’t gettin’ it done, so let’s see if a clean slate may restore some faith in the kicking game.
The arrow is pointing up for the Cowboys and down for the Giants.
But what if we’ve been duped by the media? What if we’re looking at a half full glass in Dallas and comparing it to a half empty glass in New York?
Could the Giants’ three game skid be akin to the inconsistencies of this Cowboys team through the first 8 games? In this most recent road bump, the Giants got stomped by the division leading Bears, took a beating in Jacksonville, and let a young Titans team steal their last game in Tennessee.
Is that much different from portions of the Cowboys season?
The Cowboys lost to that same Jacksonville squad. The Cowboys allowed Washington to steal the game in DC. And just like the Giants got blasted by the Bears, the Cowboys got blasted by the Giants. Which glass is truly half full?
Before this 3-game losing streak that the media so readily references, the Giants were on a 5-game winning streak and had won 6 of their first 8 games (including their win in Dallas against the Cowboys).
This is not to say that the Cowboys will meet certain disaster this Sunday in the Meadowlands. The point is that New York is still very talented and capable. Although key injuries to both their Pro Bowl defensive ends (Strahan & Umenyora), their best offensive tackle (Pettigout), their best wide receiver (Toomer is far more reliable than Burress – on the field and off), one of their playmaking linebackers (Arrington), and their best cornerback (Madison) have made them less explosive, they are still very dangerous.
So, don’t buy the hype. The Giants are a good football team and the Cowboys will need to play a very good game to beat them on the road.