Posted by jazz74:
vd, i have to give you props again, man. you called from the beginning of the season that the giants should be one of the top team in the nfc and here they are proving it. i wathced the game with a cowboy fan and he was disappointed but said that we played a great game. the defense really stepped up in the second half, which is what they have been doing most of the season. also that one drive eli had at the end of the half was KEY. he was impressive not because of the numbers ( which weren't the best), but because he scored when we needed a score and did NOT turn the ball over. there were MANY situations that if it was eli a year ago or even a month ago he would have forced it and then it would have been an interception. he deserve credit as well as the recievers, particularly toomer, who did not drop many passes. steve smith is going to be a player in this league. great game all around when i was proud of what they accomplished last week. green bay will be a challenge but i must have faith that they can get it done.
The 48 second drive by Eli is the defining moment of his career so far. The Giants had every right to be demoralized after giving up a 20 play, 10 1/2 minute drive. I mean, I was sitting on my couch demoralized at that point. But for Eli to come out and orchestrate a drive to tie the game before the end of the half. That wasn't just a counter punch to all the body blows that Dallas was giving us for 6 rounds- that was an uppercut that put them on the canvas and equalized the fight.
Eli has not come close to making a mistake so far in the playoffs- they are not asking him to throw a lot, but when he threw yesterday he was very good. A 133.1 rating for the game is phenomenal.
The other thing I love so far is the sense of urgency from Toomer and Strahan. Damn if these guys haven't given a Herculean effort in the 2 games. Not sure that it shows up in the stats, but Toomer has made the plays to ignite the offense and Strahan has fought through constant double and triple teams to continually make plays against the run and to apply pressure. Strahan led the team with 8 tackles yesterday- DE's don't often lead the team in tackles, but man was his motor ever running. He was sniffing out screens, containing Romo in the pocket, making plays against Barber. Wow did he have some kind of game.
It was strange the way it plays out- b/c what your normally see in the NFL is Defensive Lines getting worn down in the 4th quarter after getting pounded by the run all day like the way the Cowboys were doing it. But what happened was the reverse- the Cowboys OL got tired cause we kept rotating in all the great athletes we have down there and their motors were running nonstop. Osi, who was basically rendered moot by Flozell Adams for 3 quarters started applying relentless pressure on Romo on the last 2 drives! I don't think I've ever seen that in the NFL where the DL wears down the OL.
And take this to the bank- Romo had the better season the last two years, but look at who the QB that wilted was when the chips started falling. Jessica's Boy had a meltdown.