As a die-hard New York Giants fan, I’m still relishing in the fact that my Giants are the Super Bowl champs. However, with free agency set to begin on March 13, it’s time to start making some moves that will help Big Blue repeat as Super Bowl champions.

Here are five things the Giants must do during the free agency period:

Extend Osi Umenyiora’s contract - Bottom line: Pay the man. Lock him up and give him what he wants. He’s worth it. I dig that the Giants may not have a ton of wiggle room under the cap, but signing Osi should be priority number one. He’s one of the best DEs in the league, and he deserves to get paid like one.

Re-sign Mario Manningham - Manningham will be one of New York’s 21 unrestricted free agents in March. That makes me sad. I really hope the Giants can get this guy re-signed. I know he could have a bigger role on another team, but the Giants’ WR depth is not very impressive. After Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, there’s really nobody else.

Re-sign Terrell Thomas – He was hurt all of last season, but this guy is an integral part of what the Giants want to do on defense. Add him to the mix with what New York has now, and I know New York’s defense would be significantly better. Maybe best in the league. Yeah, Thomas makes that much of a difference.

Give Victor Cruz a new contract - This really should be priority number two behind extending Umenyiora’s deal. Cruz was nothing short of fantastic this past year. All he did was catch the ball and leave defenders in his dust. This guy is a must-have, especially if Manningham leaves. No way can the Giants afford Cruz to be a holdout.

Find another TE - I like Jake Ballard. I do. But he’s coming off of ACL surgery and that’s a scary thing. How good will he be after? If I’m not mistaken, Joel Dreessen of the Houston Texans is going to be a free agent. Why not go after him? He had a solid year, and I think that he would be a great addition to the Giants.

I know that it’s a tough thing to repeat as Super Bowl champs, and I know that free agency can be a wild beast. But if the Giants want to defend their crown and build a nice little franchise, these five things will surely give them a head start.

Source:

ESPN New York.com

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Sunday, 1 p.m., MetLife Stadium, WTTG-5

Falcons 10-6, Giants 9-7

How the Falcons can win… The Falcons are a relatively balanced team, at least by the standards of some of this year’s top playoff contenders. They ranked 10th in the league in total offense and 12th in total defense during the regular season. The Atlanta defense ranked sixth against the run, and seems likely to shut down a Giants’ running game, which struggled all year. The Falcons rediscovered RB Michael Turner when he ran for 172 yards Sunday, and QB Matt Ryan has the receivers–in WRs Roddy White and Julio Jones and TE Tony Gonzalez—to exploit the Giants’ 29th-ranked pass defense.

How the Giants can win… The Giants enter the playoffs feeling good about themselves after beating the Jets and Cowboys on the final two weekends of the regular season to win the NFC East. They get to play at MetLife Stadium again, and they’re talking about re-creating the magic of their postseason run to a Super Bowl title after the 2007 season. QB Eli Manning has been one of the league’s most dependable players all season, leading the Giants to five victories with fourth-quarter comebacks. The defense played well against the Cowboys, sacking QB Tony Romo six times. DE Jason Pierre-Paul has become the most disruptive of the Giants’ pass rushers; he had 16-1/2 sacks during the regular season.

–Mark Maske

By Ed Valentine

– Regional Editor

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Dec 23, 2011 – Let’s continue our position-by-position look at the New York Giants and New York Jets with a look at the special teams units for each team.

Giants

When the Jets let punter Steve Weatherford go after last season the Giants snapped up the veteran free-agent punter to avoid the disastrous inconsistencies experienced a season ago with rookie punter Matt Dodge. Weatherford has responded with a career year. His 46.3 yards per punt average is the best of his career by nearly three yards and his net average of 40.0 puts the Giants seventh in the league, a vast improvement from a season ago. 

Placekicker Lawrence Tynes is having an excellent season. He is 16-of-20 on field-goal attempts, with two of his misses coming from outside 50 yards. Thirty-three of Tynes’ 70 kickoffs have been for touchbacks, a percentage of 47.1. That puts Tynes, historically near the bottom of the league in kickoffs, in the middle of the pack for NFL kickers.

The problem for the Giants has been in the return game, where they simply have not generated any big plays all season.

The Giants’ average of 23.0 yards per kickoff return is 19th in the league and they have only one return longer than 40 yards all season. Devin Thomas handled the job early in the season, and rookie speedsters Da’Rel Scott and Jerrel Jernigan have been the primary returners recently.

Punt return has been even worse. The Giants average just 7.4 yards per return, 28th in the league. Aaron Ross handled those duties early in the season and Will Blackmon has taken over recently. The Giants are one of only two NFL (Carolina being the other) that does not have a punt return of 20 yards or longer this season.

Jets

The Jets replaced Weatherford with T.J. Conley and the rookie from Idaho has done a decent job. He has a 43.0 yards per punt average. His net average of 38.7 puts the Jets 17th in the league. Conley leads the league in forcing fair catches, with 25.

Placekicker Nick Folk is 18-of-23 on field-goal attempts, including thee-of-six from more than 50 yards. Folk’s difficulty comes on kickoffs, where only 16 of his 73 kickoffs (20.9) have gone for touchbacks. That puts the Jets 31st in the league in that category.

Where the Jets are clearly superior to the Giants is in the return game.

The Jets are third in the league with an average of 26.8 yards per kickoff return, and have a league-best of seven returns of 40 yards or longer. Joe McKnight leads all regular NFL kick returners with a 32.3 yards per return average and has five of those 40+ yard runbacks. Antonio Cromartie has the other two.

The Jets average 8.6 yards per punt return. Rookie Jeremy Kerley has been the primary return man, averaging 9.4 yards per return.

Advantage: Jets … based purely on the quality of their return game

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – After watching Eli Manning carry the offence with his arm for the first three quarters of the season, the New York Giants are finally showing signs of life in the run game.

For only the second time this season, the Giants (7-6) head into Sunday’s game against Washington (4-9) coming off consecutive 100-yard rushing efforts as a team.

“I thought we started to run a little bit better against Green Bay and I thought it was continued improvement in this game,” offensive co-ordinator Kevin Gilbride said of Sunday’s 110 yards on the ground in the Giants’ remarkable 37-34 win over the Cowboys. “We don’t have huge stats, but I’m looking for consistency. I thought for the most part we got that.”

Brandon Jacobs was outstanding in the game, rushing 19 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns in the comeback win that vaulted the Giants into first-place in the NFC East.

New York — still ranked last in the league in rushing offence, averaging 85.8 yards — had gained 100 yards rushing against Green Bay, after failing to hit the century mark in the three previous games.

The big difference seems to be new line, the fifth starting combination used this season.

David Diehl was moved from left guard to left tackle three games ago after Will Beatty suffered a detached retina. And then, the left guard and centre positions were switched the following week when David Baas suffered from severe headaches and continuing neck problems.

That forced offensive line coach Pat Flaherty to move Kevin Boothe from left guard to centre, with second-year pro Mitch Petrus taking over the guard spot. Chris Snee and Kareem McKenzie remain at the right guard and tackle spots, respectively.

The line opened a couple of excellent holes that allowed Jacobs to get through the first level with some speed and forced the Cowboys defensive backs to come up and stop the 260-pound back.

“I think we have guys in the right place,” Jacobs said. “I think guys are working hard and doing everything they can to make the run game work. I think the offensive line is doing a fabulous job of moving people out of the way and I think E (Eli) is doing a great job of getting us in things that we need to be in. Our coaches are confident in what we are doing and I am confident in what we are doing.

“We just have to keep going.”

Jacobs also ran as hard as he has all season in getting most of the carries with Ahmad Bradshaw sitting in the first half because of disciplinary reasons. There were no signs of the hamstring injury that bothered him for a couple of weeks.

Redskins defensive tackle Barry Cofield, a former Giant, said watching New York’s run game is a shocking, considering Tom Coughlin’s team always was among the league leaders.

“It’s just not like them,” Cofield said. “They’re not the team that they used to be. They used to pound the ball, and I’m sure they would love to get back to that. … I wouldn’t be surprised to see them come out and see them pound the ball.”

Gilbride and Jacobs feel the running game has only taken baby steps. It still has to improve, especially with the Giants next three games being at MetLife Stadium where the wind can make it tough to throw.

“It can be a factor here, weather wise,” Gilbride said. “That’s where you would like to be able to run the ball, but regardless of that, you always would like to have the ability to force people to play honestly. To do that, you have to be able to run the ball a little bit. I think the fact that we did it a little bit better (against) Green Bay, did it even a little bit better last game is a good sign. We’re headed in the right direction.

“We’re not where we want to be, but we’re headed in the right direction and I think that just makes us more difficult to defend.”

Having a run game will make Manning twice as dangerous in a season in which he has already thrown for 4,105 yards and 25 touchdowns.

“It’s a different team. It’s just a completely different look. They’re playing differently,” Cofield said. “They’ve got a lot of different faces in there because of injuries and things like that, and it seems like Eli’s matured, a couple of seasons’ worth of maturity in one year, with how well he’s playing down the stretch this year.”

NOTES: DE Osi Umenyiora probably will not play this weekend because of a high ankle sprain and Baas also seems unlikely the way he talked after missing practice on Thursday. … DE Justin Tuck is nursing a sore toe and probably will be a gametime decision on Sunday. … A subdued Perry Fewell, the defensive co-ordinator, says his unit has not played a complete game this season. … S Kenny Phillips (left knee) hopes to play Sunday after missing the Cowboys’ game.

NORTHBROOK, Ill. (STATS) – The New York Giants’ offensive line has done a
solid job protecting Eli Manning all season. On Sunday night, it came up with
one of its best performances to help put them in control of the NFC East.

The Miami Dolphins, on the other hand, continually saw their quarterbacks
get sacked.

One day later, their coach did too.

The Giants were the only team not to allow a sack in Week 14 and finished
second in the league with a 98.5 rating in the New York Life Protection Index,
while Miami matched an ignominious franchise record by giving up nine of them to
finish with a week-worst minus-36.3.

Oakland finished first with a 103.1 score, thanks mostly to a big early
deficit against Green Bay, which was able to play more conservatively with leads
of 31-0 going into halftime and 43-7 entering the fourth quarter.

The NYLPI is a proprietary formula created by STATS LLC which measures pass
protection by using metrics such as length of passes, penalties by offensive
linemen, sacks allowed and quarterback hurries and knockdowns.

New York, which ranks fifth for the season with a 75.7 NYLPI rating, ended a
four-game losing streak with a 37-34 victory over Dallas, gaining the tiebreaker
over the Cowboys for the division lead. They trailed by 12 points in the fourth
quarter before Manning threw two touchdown passes in the final 3:14.

Manning finished 27 for 47 with 400 yards behind a line that has allowed 21
sacks this season, and his front five stepped up when he needed it most.

“It’s been awhile since we’ve had that winning feeling,” Manning said. “It’s
good to have excited guys with a lot of smiles in the locker room.”

The Giants’ NYLPI rating was their best of the year, and the line play seems
to be coming together just in time: The unit has allowed just two sacks in the
last three games – the fewest in the NFL over that span.

Manning was hurried 11 times, but knocked down only twice.

“I don’t think it mattered how we did it, I think bottom line was about just
getting a win,” center Kevin Boothe said. “We haven’t won in a long time and our
opportunities are getting short. So, it didn’t matter who we were playing and
how much we won by. We always would like to win by a lot more but just getting
back in the win column and putting ourselves in the position to have an
opportunity.

“That is what we play for – to have meaningful games in December, and here
we are with everything in front of us. We just have to take advantage of it.”

While New York boosted its playoff chances, Miami’s already disappointing
season took another hit just as it was showing signs of life, having won four of
five – it’s lone loss being by just one point at Dallas on a last-second field
goal.

On Sunday, however, it was a different story. The Dolphins watched Matt
Moore and J.P. Losman go down nine times in the 26-10 loss to Philadelphia,
dropping them to 4-9 and prompting the team to fire Tony Sparano on Monday.

The number of sacks equaled the franchise record, set Oct. 17, 1999, in a
31-30 win over New England.

“The results speak for themselves,” said owner Stephen Ross, who named
assistant Todd Bowles interim coach. “We’re looking to becoming a winning
organization, and I thought this was the best time to make the change and let us
go in a direction that will allow us to become that.”

After a back injury in the first quarter to Pro Bowl tackle Jake Long,
Miami’s line collapsed. The minus-36.3 score was by far the worst of any team in
Week 14 – Chicago’s minus-3.8 was 31st – and was the second-worst of the season,
behind only a minus-52.7 by San Francisco on Thanksgiving night.

Moore was sacked four times – the fifth time this season he’s been sacked at
least that many times – before leaving the game with a slight concussion. Backup
J.P. Losman didn’t fare much better, getting dropped five times, including once
for a safety in the fourth quarter.

Not surprisingly, Miami’s signal-callers were knocked down a league-most 11
times while attempting to elude oncoming defenders throughout the day.

Moore’s status for next week’s contest against Buffalo is uncertain, while
Losman – a former Bill – waits to find out if he’ll make his first start since
Dec. 7, 2008.

“All the blame is squarely on our shoulders,” said guard Richie Incognito,
who is part of a line that ranks 30th for the season with a 44.1 NYLPI rating.
“We got Matt hurt. They’re a physical group. They just beat us one on one.”

The Packers were similarly dominant over the Raiders, just not in the area
of quarterback pressure. Oakland’s offensive line allowed only one sack and
didn’t commit a single false start or holding penalty, but Carson Palmer’s four
interceptions and the team’s otherwise sloppy play wiped out the effort.

“I’m not going to let this team keep going backwards,” coach Hue Jackson
said. “The last two weeks, we haven’t come close to playing or looking like the
football team we’ve been.”

That statement can certainly be echoed by the Bears, who lost their third
straight game – 13-10 in overtime to Denver – after finishing with a negative
rating in the NYLPI for the second straight week. A week ago, they graded out at
minus-2.7 in a 10-3 loss to Kansas City.

Caleb Hanie, making his third straight start in place of the injured Jay
Cutler, was sacked four times and knocked down six overall, while the offensive
line committed three false start penalties.

The Bears rank third in the league with 24 false starts this season and 25th
with an overall NYLPI grade of 49.9.

“I hate to say it, but we gave this one to them,” Hanie said after Chicago
blew a 10-0 fourth-quarter lead.

New Orleans continues to sit on top of the cumulative year-to-date index
with a score of 86.2. The Saints finished fifth for the week at 83.0 following a
22-17 win at Tennessee.

By Santosh Venkataraman

While the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys both lost last weekend, the damage by those defeats can easily be mitigated thanks to what’s at stake this weekend.

The Giants will try to end a four-game losing streak Sunday night on the road against the Cowboys as these rivals play for the NFC East lead.

Dallas (7-5) leads New York (6-6) by one game. The Giants led the race by two before their slide.

The Cowboys had their four-game win streak snapped thanks to mistakes that included poor clock management in last Sunday’s 19-13 overtime loss at Arizona – a defeat that cost them a chance to clinch the division this weekend.

“Most importantly, we have to put this one to bed and go to the next one,” coach Jason Garrett said.

The Giants, meanwhile, seem buoyed despite last Sunday’s 38-35 last-second loss to Green Bay. After giving the unbeaten Packers their toughest game, New York is looking forward to the chance to move back into first place.

“The mindset is looking ahead,” quarterback Eli Manning said. “It doesn’t matter what you’ve done last week or what your record is. It’s what you’re playing for, who you have this week. And you have Dallas, Sunday night football, that’s a big one.”

These teams’ quarterbacks are having similar seasons. Manning has a 96.0 passer rating, 23 touchdowns to 11 interceptions and 3,705 passing yards. Tony Romo owns a 97.3 rating with 22 touchdowns to nine interceptions and 3,325 yards through the air.

“I think everyone knows this is an important game and you have to play the best football this time of year,” Romo said. “We’re going to go out there and give great effort and be ready for a great challenge in the Giants.”

Each passing game could get a boost Sunday.

Receiver Mario Manningham, out the last two games with a sore knee, could return for New York. Manningham has three touchdown catches in his last four games against Dallas and would complement a group that includes Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz.

Cruz is fourth in the league with 1,076 receiving yards after three straight 100-yard efforts.

Cowboys star receiver Miles Austin and blocking fullback Tony Fiammetta returned to practice Wednesday and both are expected to play. That should provide help to an offense that has produced three touchdowns over the last two games.

“We feel like we have a rejuvenated offense,” receiver Laurent Robinson said.

The Giants had some changes on their offensive line last week with Kevin Boothe replacing David Baas (neck) at center and Mitch Petrus entering at left guard. Dave Diehl had already replaced the injured Will Beatty at left tackle.

Diehl is accustomed to that spot from years past, and could renew his battle with linebacker DeMarcus Ware. Ware, who leads the NFL with 15 sacks, sat out practice Wednesday with a stinger.

“That has always been a great matchup and there have been some other ones all across the board on both sides of the ball,” Garrett said. “That is certainly one of the subplots of the game and we are excited to see how it plays out.”

No NFC team has more sacks than the Cowboys’ 35, and the Giants are close behind with 33.

New York’s rushing defense is 23rd in the league, allowing 127.0 yards per game. The Giants will get their first look at Cowboys rookie DeMarco Murray, who averaged 108.5 yards rushing during the win streak before being limited to 38 last Sunday.

“I think they are averaging 114 yards a game rushing,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “They are doing some good things with the run game.”

The Giants remain last in the league in rushing with 83.8 yards per game. They reached 100 for the first time in four games last Sunday as Ahmad Bradshaw returned after missing four straight with a broken bone in his right foot.

New York’s depleted secondary received good news on safety Kenny Phillips, who left the Green Bay game with a knee sprain but could play.

These teams split notable meetings last season.

Romo’s season came to an early end with a broken collarbone due to a hit by Michael Boley in last year’s 41-35 home loss to New York – part of a 1-7 start that led to the dismissal of coach Wade Phillips.

Garrett had a memorable debut as interim coach, guiding Dallas to a 33-20 victory at New York in the last meeting Nov, 14. 2010.

Their upcoming clash Jan. 1 in the regular-season finale has the chance to be even more dramatic.

New York has won both previous matchups at Cowboys Stadium, where Manning has six touchdown passes, three interceptions, a 68.5 completion percentage and 636 passing yards.

By Ed Valentine

– Regional Editor

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Dec 8, 2011 – The New York Giants face a must-win Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys in Texas. The Giants (6-6) trail the Cowboys (7-5) in the NFC East and have just four games remaining, two against Dallas. Let’s take a look at what the Cowboys are all about.

RECORD (7-5, first place in the NFC East)

Much like the Giants, the Cowboys have been all over the map this season. They started the season 3-4 but, following a lopsided 34-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles Dallas ran off four straight victories. Then, last week, is a game against a weak Arizona team, Dallas lost in overtime, 19-13. 

Which Dallas team is the real one? Maybe the answer is both, which makes largely identical to the Giants.

OFFENSE

Dallas, of course, is led by quarterback Tony Romo. The Cowboy quarterback has had a typical year statistically, completing 64.7 percent of his passes for 3,325 yards with 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions thus far. He has a passer rating of 97.3 and a QBR of 71.0, which is fourth in the league.

The Cowboys leading receiver is tight end Jason Witten, who has 61 catches. Since the start of the 2007 season, Witten leads NFL tight ends with 426 catches & 4,889 yards.

On the outside the Cowboys have Dez Bryant (46 catches and seven touchdowns) and Laurent Robinson (42 catches, seven touchdowns). They also expect to get Miles Austin, who has compiled more than 1,000 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons, back Sunday. Austin has played only six games this season due to a hamstring injury.

The Dallas running game is led by rookie third-round pick DeMarco Murray. He has 872 yards this season and is averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Felix Jones is the backup. The Cowboys could also be helped by the return of fullback Tony Fiammetta.

DEFENSE

For Dallas, linebacker DeMarcus Ware leads the league in sacks with 15 and will be matched up most of the time with Giants’ veteran offensive tackle David Diehl. That pair has locked horns for years, and Ware has generally gotten the better of the match-up. Second-year linebacker Sean Lee leads the Cowboys in tackles with 76. Nose tackle Jay Ratliff is another key defender for Dallas.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Dallas placekicker Dan Bailey is 29-of-32 on field goals this season. Punter Mat McBriar averages 45.2 yards per kick. Several players have shared kickoff and punt return duties. 

COACHING

Jason Garrett is in his first full season with the Cowboys. He is drawing some scrutiny after calling a timeout at the end of regulation Sunday against Arizona that would have won the game for Dallas in regulation. Bailey missed the subsequent re-kick and the Cowboys lost in overtime. Dallas is 12-8 since Garrett replaces Wade Phillips midway through last season.

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While the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys both lost last weekend, the
damage by those defeats can easily be mitigated thanks to what’s at stake this
weekend.

The Giants will try to end a four-game losing streak Sunday night on the
road against the Cowboys as these rivals play for the NFC East lead.

Dallas (7-5) leads New York (6-6) by one game. The Giants led the race by
two before their slide.

The Cowboys had their four-game win streak snapped thanks to mistakes that
included poor clock management in last Sunday’s 19-13 overtime loss at Arizona -
a defeat that cost them a chance to clinch the division this weekend.

“Most importantly, we have to put this one to bed and go to the next one,”
coach Jason Garrett said.

The Giants, meanwhile, seem buoyed despite last Sunday’s 38-35 last-second
loss to Green Bay. After giving the unbeaten Packers their toughest game, New
York is looking forward to the chance to move back into first place.

“The mindset is looking ahead,” quarterback Eli Manning(notes) said. “It doesn’t
matter what you’ve done last week or what your record is. It’s what you’re
playing for, who you have this week. And you have Dallas, Sunday night football,
that’s a big one.”

These teams’ quarterbacks are having similar seasons. Manning has a 96.0
passer rating, 23 touchdowns to 11 interceptions and 3,705 passing yards. Tony
Romo(notes) owns a 97.3 rating with 22 touchdowns to nine interceptions and 3,325 yards
through the air.

“I think everyone knows this is an important game and you have to play the
best football this time of year,” Romo said. “We’re going to go out there and
give great effort and be ready for a great challenge in the Giants.”

Each passing game could get a boost Sunday.

Receiver Mario Manningham(notes), out the last two games with a sore knee, could
return for New York. Manningham has three touchdown catches in his last four
games against Dallas and would complement a group that includes Hakeem Nicks(notes) and
Victor Cruz(notes).

Cruz is fourth in the league with 1,076 receiving yards after three straight
100-yard efforts.

Cowboys star receiver Miles Austin(notes) and blocking fullback Tony Fiammetta(notes)
returned to practice Wednesday and both are expected to play. That should
provide help to an offense that has produced three touchdowns over the last two
games.

“We feel like we have a rejuvenated offense,” receiver Laurent Robinson(notes)
said.

The Giants had some changes on their offensive line last week with Kevin
Boothe(notes) replacing David Baas(notes) (neck) at center and Mitch Petrus(notes) entering at left
guard. Dave Diehl had already replaced the injured Will Beatty(notes) at left tackle.

Diehl is accustomed to that spot from years past, and could renew his battle
with linebacker DeMarcus Ware(notes). Ware, who leads the NFL with 15 sacks, sat out
practice Wednesday with a stinger.

“That has always been a great matchup and there have been some other ones
all across the board on both sides of the ball,” Garrett said. “That is
certainly one of the subplots of the game and we are excited to see how it plays
out.”

No NFC team has more sacks than the Cowboys’ 35, and the Giants are close
behind with 33.

New York’s rushing defense is 23rd in the league, allowing 127.0 yards per
game. The Giants will get their first look at Cowboys rookie DeMarco Murray(notes), who
averaged 108.5 yards rushing during the win streak before being limited to 38
last Sunday.

“I think they are averaging 114 yards a game rushing,” Giants coach Tom
Coughlin said. “They are doing some good things with the run game.”

The Giants remain last in the league in rushing with 83.8 yards per game.
They reached 100 for the first time in four games last Sunday as Ahmad Bradshaw(notes)
returned after missing four straight with a broken bone in his right foot.

New York’s depleted secondary received good news on safety Kenny Phillips(notes),
who left the Green Bay game with a knee sprain but could play.

These teams split notable meetings last season.

Romo’s season came to an early end with a broken collarbone due to a hit by
Michael Boley(notes) in last year’s 41-35 home loss to New York – part of a 1-7 start
that led to the dismissal of coach Wade Phillips.

Garrett had a memorable debut as interim coach, guiding Dallas to a 33-20
victory at New York in the last meeting Nov, 14. 2010.

Their upcoming clash Jan. 1 in the regular-season finale has the chance to
be even more dramatic.

New York has won both previous matchups at Cowboys Stadium, where Manning
has six touchdown passes, three interceptions, a 68.5 completion percentage and
636 passing yards.

49-24.

The final score of Monday night’s New York Giants at New Orleans Saints game tells the story. The once unbeatable New York defense was absolutely incapable of stopping Drew Brees and company after the first quarter of play, and the Saints had a double-digit lead during the game’s final 32 minutes. One team on the field of play Monday evening looked like a playoff squad capable of winning a championship. It certainly wasn’t the one sporting the red, white and blue unis.

3 final thoughts on Giants loss at Saints: Blame

Many New York Giants fans I speak with on a weekly basis are guilty of what I call “selective blaming.” For example, they blame head coach Tom Coughlin when the team loses because of a turnover or similar miscue. I can’t help but wonder when fans and/or members of the media will start calling for the head of defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. Fewell has been badly out-coached and his defense out-played in two of New York’s three consecutive defeats, and the Giants gave up 35 points in under two quarters against the Saints. Yes, the Saints have numerous offensive weapons, but it’s not as if New Orleans has been flawless this season. Brees has been forced into many mistakes this season, turning the ball over 11 total times. The New York pass rush barely found its way into the New Orleans backfield, however, and the team’s front four can only be blamed so much for the loss. Fewell, thought to be the “next big thing” in NFL coaching just two years ago, has hardly impressed during his tenure with the Giants.

3 final thoughts on Giants loss at Saints: Lost in the loss

Giants fans have seen more than a little of “Bad Eli” during the current campaign. Still, Eli Manning is arguably having his best season, and he was again stellar against the Saints. Manning got past both an interception that probably should have, at the very least, been broken up by tight end Jake Ballard and several dropped passes during the first half, keeping New York in the game as best he could until the Saints took a 35-10 lead in the third quarter. With his running game betraying him on a weekly basis, Manning has quietly emerged as one of the league’s most clutch, reliable quarterbacks. There are but a few QBs I would take ahead of Eli Manning heading into this December.

3 final thoughts on Giants loss at Saints: The missing piece

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw, currently nursing a broken foot, is quickly becoming the ultimate “don’t know what you got ’till it’s gone” story of the 2011 season. Brandon Jacobs obviously isn’t capable of getting the job done as New York’s number one running back, and the team’s rushing attack is currently ranked last in the league. Ahmad Bradshaw being sidelined is about more than a handful of missed opportunities on offense. The New York offense has been transformed without Bradshaw, and dropped passes and other miscues have resulted in the team’s defense being forced to take the field more often than desired. This results in a tired unit taking the field during the second halves of contests. “Giants football” is a thing of the past without Bradshaw on the field, and New York’s current style of play isn’t one that’s leading to victories.

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Whether a two-game skid and a tough upcoming schedule could combine to spell doom for the New York Giants is a question Eli Manning sees little point in addressing right now.

“It’s not about who our next opponent is or what the standings are in the division,” Manning said as the Giants (6-4) prepared for their matchup with the Saints (7-3) in New Orleans on Monday night.

“When you start looking ahead or trying to calculate other teams that teams in our division are playing, and wins and losses, or how many games you have to win to get in the playoffs, that’s when you lose focus.”

Giants coach Tom Coughlin is in no mood to dwell on whether the Giants’ season is on the brink, either.

“It’s interesting that after a couple of seven-point losses we are going to talk about that,” Coughlin said this week when asked about the potential for a late-season swoon. “It’s difficult for me to understand why there’s nothing more prevalent to talk about than that.”

While consecutive close loses to San Francisco and Philadelphia could hardly be considered shocking, the timing of New York’s slide could not be much worse.

The Dallas Cowboys’ recent surge has vaulted them to a half-game lead in the NFC East, meaning the Giants must now try to keep pace by winning in New Orleans, where the Saints are 4-0 this season.

If the Giants’ difficulties persist in the Big Easy, they’ll face the prospect of a four-game losing streak when they host unbeaten Green Bay the following week.

New Orleans also has tough games coming up, but that’s a more comfortable topic of discussion for the Saints, who’ve won two straight and enter Week 12 with a one-game lead over Atlanta in the NFC South.

Following its meeting with a desperate Giants squad that only a few weeks ago played well enough to knock off the Patriots in New England, New Orleans will then host Detroit.

“We have a couple of conference games coming up that could affect playoff positioning, which I know we aspire to be there, as do the two teams we’re playing coming up,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. “It’s very much strategic. These games mean that much more because of that.”

If the Giants want to reverse their fortunes, they’ll likely have to find a way to slow down Brees, whose 3,326 yards passing led the league through last week’s games and represented the most yards passing through 10 games in NFL history.

Coughlin hopes New York can manage that with pressure from a defensive line as formidable as any in the league. Defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora have combined for 17 1/2 sacks.

“You have to have a little bit of the approach that the Rams used,” Coughlin said, referring to the six-sack performance of St. Louis’ defense in a shocking upset of the Saints in Week 8. “They played very well against New Orleans and seemed to get to the quarterback.”

Brees figures he’ll have to get rid of the ball as quickly and accurately as he has all season.

“What I see is a defense that does a great job of getting after the quarterback, that does a great job taking the ball away and taking advantage of those opportunities when they have it,” Brees said. “You have to play extremely smart against them. You can’t be one dimensional. You have to be able to run the ball as well as throw it.”

New Orleans has demonstrated this season that it can run the ball well, though not always consistently. The Saints do have their top four running backs — Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas, Mark Ingram and Chris Ivory — all healthy coming out of their bye week, though it remains to be seen whether all four will be active.

“Running the football has been a point of emphasis,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “Certainly we have a lot of confidence in Drew Brees in the pocket and outside of the pocket. I also know and recognize the ally that a running attack provides the quarterback and the importance of that.”

The Saints’ running game ranks in the top half of the league, 13th overall.

Surprisingly, the Giants, who’ve run the ball well in recent seasons, rank second-to-last in rushing with 83.2 yards per game. Still, Payton warned it would be foolish to underestimate New York’s ground game.

“Although their statistics haven’t been as strong as in years past, I don’t think their commitment has changed at all,” Payton said. “I would expect that to be something they’ll work very hard at and try to correct.”

That’s not the only thing the Giants want to fix.

Defensive back Antrel Rolle said his team needs to summon and sustain more emotion on the field. That, he said, might have made the difference in their last loss to the Eagles, and could be vital in New Orleans.

“We are too calm out there and football is not a game for you to be calm,” Rolle said. “It is a game of attitude. It is a game of emotion.”

NEW ORLEANS – Whether a two-game skid and a tough upcoming schedule could combine to spell doom for the New York Giants is a question Eli Manning sees little point in addressing right now.

“It’s not about who our next opponent is or what the standings are in the division,” Manning said as the Giants (6-4) prepared for their matchup with the Saints (7-3) in New Orleans on Monday night.

“When you start looking ahead or trying to calculate other teams that teams in our division are playing, and wins and losses, or how many games you have to win to get in the playoffs, that’s when you lose focus.”

Giants coach Tom Coughlin is in no mood to dwell on whether the Giants’ season is on the brink, either.

“It’s interesting that after a couple of seven-point losses we are going to talk about that,” Coughlin said this week when asked about the potential for a late-season swoon. “It’s difficult for me to understand why there’s nothing more prevalent to talk about than that.”

While consecutive close loses to San Francisco and Philadelphia could hardly be considered shocking, the timing of New York’s slide could not be much worse.

The Dallas Cowboys’ recent surge has vaulted them to a half-game lead in the NFC East, meaning the Giants must now try to keep pace by winning in New Orleans, where the Saints are 4-0 this season.

If the Giants’ difficulties persist in the Big Easy, they’ll face the prospect of a four-game losing streak when they host unbeaten Green Bay the following week.

New Orleans also has tough games coming up, but that’s a more comfortable topic of discussion for the Saints, who’ve won two straight and enter Week 12 with a one-game lead over Atlanta in the NFC South.

Following its meeting with a desperate Giants squad that only a few weeks ago played well enough to knock off the Patriots in New England, New Orleans will then host Detroit.

“We have a couple of conference games coming up that could affect playoff positioning, which I know we aspire to be there, as do the two teams we’re playing coming up,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. “It’s very much strategic. These games mean that much more because of that.”

If the Giants want to reverse their fortunes, they’ll likely have to find a way to slow down Brees, whose 3,326 yards passing led the league through last week’s games and represented the most yards passing through 10 games in NFL history.

Coughlin hopes New York can manage that with pressure from a defensive line as formidable as any in the league. Defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora have combined for 17 1/2 sacks.

“You have to have a little bit of the approach that the Rams used,” Coughlin said, referring to the six-sack performance of St. Louis’ defence in a shocking upset of the Saints in Week 8. “They played very well against New Orleans and seemed to get to the quarterback.”

Brees figures he’ll have to get rid of the ball as quickly and accurately as he has all season.

“What I see is a defence that does a great job of getting after the quarterback, that does a great job taking the ball away and taking advantage of those opportunities when they have it,” Brees said. “You have to play extremely smart against them. You can’t be one dimensional. You have to be able to run the ball as well as throw it.”

New Orleans has demonstrated this season that it can run the ball well, though not always consistently. The Saints do have their top four running backs — Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas, Mark Ingram and Chris Ivory — all healthy coming out of their bye week, though it remains to be seen whether all four will be active.

“Running the football has been a point of emphasis,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “Certainly we have a lot of confidence in Drew Brees in the pocket and outside of the pocket. I also know and recognize the ally that a running attack provides the quarterback and the importance of that.”

The Saints’ running game ranks in the top half of the league, 13th overall.

Surprisingly, the Giants, who’ve run the ball well in recent seasons, rank second-to-last in rushing with 83.2 yards per game. Still, Payton warned it would be foolish to underestimate New York’s ground game.

“Although their statistics haven’t been as strong as in years past, I don’t think their commitment has changed at all,” Payton said. “I would expect that to be something they’ll work very hard at and try to correct.”

That’s not the only thing the Giants want to fix.

Defensive back Antrel Rolle said his team needs to summon and sustain more emotion on the field. That, he said, might have made the difference in their last loss to the Eagles, and could be vital in New Orleans.

“We are too calm out there and football is not a game for you to be calm,” Rolle said. “It is a game of attitude. It is a game of emotion.”

While Drew Brees(notes) and the New Orleans Saints are ready to return and make
their push for the postseason, Eli Manning(notes) and the New York Giants are again
having trouble in the second half of a season.

Brees will try to help the Saints remain perfect at home Monday night and
hand Manning and the sputtering Giants a third straight loss.

New Orleans (7-3) has not played since a 26-23 overtime win at Atlanta on
Nov. 13. The Saints are 4-0 at home, where they’ll be for the majority of their
games the rest of the way as they try to maintain a one-game NFC South lead over
the Falcons.

“Four of the next six games at home … and this is our opportunity to try
to separate ourselves and really establish our position both in our division and
in the conference,” Brees said.

New York (6-4) held a two-game NFC East lead before losses the last two
weeks to San Francisco and Philadelphia have helped surging Dallas take a
one-half game lead in the division. The Giants managed season lows of 29 yards
rushing and 278 of total offense in their lowest-scoring effort of the year, a
17-10 loss to the Eagles last Sunday night.

It’s been a common theme for the Giants, who had late-season collapses the
last two seasons to miss the playoffs. They have turned in worse second halves
than first halves in each of coach Tom Coughlin’s first seven seasons.

“It is not going to be the history, believe me,” Coughlin said. “I know that
this is something fanatically involved with all of you but each team is a new
team and each year is a new year.”

This contest centers around both quarterbacks, former Super Bowl MVPs who
figure to have strong efforts since New Orleans’ defense ranks 20th overall and
New York’s is 21st.

Brees leads the NFL with 3,326 yards passing and his 23 touchdown passes are
the league’s third-most. He’s 3-0 in his career against the Giants, with seven
touchdowns, no interceptions and a 65.5 completion percentage with his team
winning by an average of 22.0 points.

Brees is eager to play after coach Sean Payton gave the Saints eight days
off for the bye.

“We have enough of a veteran team now, and leadership and character, and
guys just knowing the right thing to do to take care of themselves and make sure
they’re prepared and ready when we come back,” Brees said.

Manning will play in the city he grew up for the second time. He completed
14 of 31 passes for 178 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 48-27
loss in New Orleans two seasons ago while Brees threw four touchdowns.

“I know it’s not easy playing there,” Manning said. “It’s a loud stadium and
we have to try to do our best to concentrate well. We have to try not to let the
crowd get into the game. We have to start fast and then not allow them to get
big plays.”

Manning leads the league with a 120.5 fourth-quarter passer rating and is
sixth in the NFL with 18 TD passes. He’s already been sacked 19 times – three
more than last season – as the Giants’ revamped offensive line continues to
struggle.

That unit will be without left tackle Will Beatty(notes), scheduled to have surgery
to repair a detached retina in his right eye. David Diehl(notes) could move back to
left tackle, with Kevin Boothe(notes) moving in as left guard.

The line is a major factor why the Giants own the NFL’s second-worst rushing
attack at 83.2 yards per game. Top running back Ahmad Bradshaw(notes) could return
after missing three games with a broken bone in his right foot.

“Actually, this line has gotten better in the previous games coming into
this (Philadelphia) game and we continue to do that,” Coughlin insisted. “We did
not play well the other night and hopefully we will go right back to it.”

The Saints, meanwhile, have a stable of running backs to choose from to
complement Brees and the passing game. Either rookie Mark Ingram(notes) or second-year
pro Chris Ivory will be inactive despite being healthy, with the other joining
veterans Pierre Thomas(notes) and Darren Sproles(notes) on the active roster.

“This discussion we’re having is a good one,” Payton said. “It’s something
we sought to start the year – that depth and that competition.”

New Orleans ranks eighth in the league in yards per carry at 4.6 compared to
New York’s league-worst 3.2 mark.

The Giants have an edge with a pass rush that is tied for the most sacks in
the league with 31. Their defense will be hampered, however, if middle
linebacker Michael Boley(notes) misses a second straight game with a hamstring strain.

New York Giants fans come off their bye pretty happy, leading the NFC East at 4-2 and the closest thing in the league to a sure win — a home game with Miami — today (despite Brandon Marshall’s moronic tweets; he should worry more about holding onto the ball than his smart phone).

Through six games, Eli Manning has been terrific. He’s one of four quarterbacks in the league with a rating of 100 or more (Rodgers, Brady, Brees the others), has thrown for 1,778 yards and 11 TDs and — most importantly — thrown just five interceptions (he had 25 last season).

Manning’s high level of play has disguised a disappointing running game (30th in the league). And the G-Men rank in the bottom half of the league defensively, surprisingly, though injuries have played a role there (missing talent such as cornerback Terrell Thomas and linebacker Jonathan Goff really doesn’t help).

But getting Justin Tuck back strengths an already very good defensive line and the Giants have shown they can overcome adversity in wins over quality teams such as Philadelphia and Buffalo.

Giants fans shouldn’t count on a division title yet though: their post-bye schedule is a killer, with games at New England, New Orleans, San Francisco and the Jets and home games with the Eagles and Green Bay.

As for the Jets, Rex Ryan’s quarrelsome and contentious bunch snapped a three-game losing streak with home wins over the Dolphins and San Diego and go into the bye at 4-3 but only third in the AFC East. While teams have made the playoffs coming in No. 3 in their division, it takes some doing, and the Jets have a lot of work to do.

The losing streak saw the Jets give up 98 points in losses to Oakland, Baltimore and New England, but that’s slightly misleading as the Ravens scored three defensive touchdowns and the Patriots light up everybody’s defense.

Still, Ryan cannot be happy with a defense ranked 26th in the league against the run. Darrelle Revis is having the kind of year at cornerback that Eagles fans thought Nnamdi Asomugha would for them, and the Jets are No. 7 in the NFL in pass defense, but there’s a general feeling the Jets are cottony-soft on defense when they have to get tough.

Offensively, the Jets may rank 29th in total yards but are 7th in scoring — definitely better than the reverse — and if Mark Sanchez can get the ball to Plaxico Burress (5 TDs in 18 catches) and the underused Santonio Holmes more the Jets will be fine.

The Jets also have a very manageable schedule the rest of way, outside of a game at the Eagles and the matchup with the Giants. At some point, the Jets have to win a road game – they are 4-0 at home, 0-3 on the road — but trips to Washington, Miami, and Denver should end that streak.

The Giants may be in better position now; it will be interesting to see where the two teams stand when they meet on Christmas Eve.

***

The NFL’s TV ratings have been spectacular this season. NFL games are beating most new network shows and are piling up huge audiences on cable. Thirteen of the top 15 network broadcasts have been NFL events this fall.

But that certainly won’t continue if the league rolls out prime-time bow-wows like last week’s 62-7 Saints win over hapless Indianapolis and Jacksonville’s snooze-fest 12-7 defeat of the Ravens. The Saints’ rout saw ratings drop 49 percent from the same time-slot game (Vikings-Packers) a year ago.

Peyton Manning’s injury has left the league with Colts’ prime-time affairs that will be ugly. But the ratings collapse with a dreadful game shows how important competitive games are to the cash machine that is NFL TV contracts, and why the league picks the prime-time games with care.

Brad Wilson can be reached at 800-360-3601 or bwilson@express-times.com. Talk about sports at lehighvalleylive.com/forums.

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Giants owner John Mara was appointed chairman of the NFL Management Council, the league’s most powerful committee.

Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Thursday several changes to the leadership of league committees, with Mara replacing Panthers owner Jerry Richardson as head of the Management Council, which is the main NFL labor committee.

Goodell also has formed a committee on health and medical issues that will be chaired by 49ers owner John York. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Falcons President Rich McKay, Packers President Mark Murphy and Mara also will serve on that group, called the Health and Safety Advisory Committee.

There have been few significant changes to the committees in recent years due to labor and other issues.

“Our committee structure has been very important and beneficial to the NFL over the years,” Goodell said. “It has allowed us to address and study complex issues in depth and present our clubs with comprehensive information and thoughtful recommendations.”

Most notable is the creation of the health and safety unit as the league deals with increasing concerns about the health of current and former players, and the dangers of the sport.

“Player health and safety has been a key focus of the league for decades,” league spokesman Greg Aiello said. “An ownership level committee will support and oversee all of our work in this area that is critical to the future of the game.”

Other new committee chairmen are Texans owner Bob McNair (finance), Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver (investment), Steelers President Art Rooney (stadium), Chargers President Dean Spanos (business ventures), Bengals executive Katie Blackburn ( Super Bowl advisory), Chiefs owner Clark Hunt (international) and Jones (Hall of Fame).

“I’m honored that Commissioner Goodell has asked me to serve in this capacity,” McNair said. “The finance committee is one of the most important committees in the NFL. We have many challenges facing us in the future and I look forward to working with the commissioner and staff and other members of the committee as we do our financial planning to continue to be a successful enterprise going forward.

“Fortunately, I’ve been on the committee for a number of years and so I am familiar with its workings and so I don’t see there will be much of a transition to move from being a member of the committee to being the chairman.”

Stepping down as chairmen are Saints owner Tom Benson (finance), Broncos owner Pat Bowlen (labor), McNair (investment), Weaver (business ventures), Bears chairman Mike McCaskey (Super Bowl advisory and Hall of Fame), and York (international). Of course, McNair, Weaver and York are taking on similar duties with other committees.

Staying on as chairs are Patriots owner Robert Kraft (broadcast), McKay (competition), Falcons owner Arthur Blank (audit and compensation), Saints executive Rita LeBlanc (employee benefits), Cardinals President Michael Bidwill (stadium security and fan conduct), Jones (NFL Network), Patriots executive Jonathan Kraft and Redskins owner Dan Snyder (digital media), Colts owner Jim Irsay (legislative), and Blackburn (workplace diversity).