I remember November 12th, 2006 like it was yesterday. Actually, I didn't remember the exact date (I had to look it up), but the images remain embedded in my brain much more clearly than anything that has happened today or really over the past few weeks. The Giants were 6-2 and had a huge Sunday night showdown with Chicago, who were the undisputed powerhouse of the NFC. A less than impressive 14-10 victory over the lowly Texans the week before left a great deal of questions swirling around this Giants team that had looked so powerful at times (thumping of the Falcons, OT comeback win against Philadelphia, and a Monday night win against Dallas) and so ordinary at other times (embarrasing loss to Seattle for which the score in no way indicates how poorly they played, a nailbiter with Houston, etc.). Going into the game, I knew deep down that this was going to be a litmus test for us. Were we really one of the top teams in the NFC? If we were, this was our chance to show it. I think deep down I knew that we weren't solid enough yet to handle a game like this, which might explain why I was so excited when Brandon Jacobs scored in the first quarter "Holy shit! We're gonna fucking do this!", I yelled. Clearly, I hadn't been counting on us scoring much. The Giants blew their load early that night and walked off the field beat up and humiliated (mostly from an embarrasing FG return for a TD by Devin Hester). This was when the bottom came out from this team, and the second half of the season became a 2-6 circus.
November 11th, 2007's late afternoon showdown with the Cowboys, has a feel similar to that game last year. However, there are many differences between where the Giants stood at this time last year and where they find themselves this season in the same week. The first difference is the opponent. The Bears have fallen a long way since this time last year. Instead, this year's NFC frontrunner is one of our own division rivals. This makes the game twice as important for the Giants, who have already fallen to Dallas in the season opener. I feel like fans from outside of the NFC East have a hard time comprehending the intensity of these rivalries. The renewal of this fierce rivalry combined with the post-season implications make this game the biggest we have seen so far this season in the NFL. Colts-Patriots may have been more exciting to some fans, but really that game only confirmed what we all knew already: the AFC championship game is going to be played at Gillette Stadium.
The next difference is the Giants injury situation. One critical factor that many people omit when discussing the Giants collapse last season is that fact that they were playing that entire time without either of their pro bowl defensive ends, without their all-time leading receiver, without their left tackle and center, without either of their starting cornerbacks, and a whole host of other starters at one point or another. This year's team has managed to avoid any major injuries thus far. Brandon Jacobs bounced back well from his early season injury to earn the NFC Offensive Player of the Month Award for October. Despite an ankle injury that has held him out of practice until this week, Plaxico Burress is having a career season and currently has two more recieving TDs than Cowboys star Terrell Owens. If this Giants team stays healthy, you can expect them to have a strong second half of this season.
The final difference is that this Giants team, despite having many of the same starters, appears to have a totally different identity than last year's team. Many in the media attribute part of this turn around to the fact that Old Redface Coughlin has loosened up a little bit on his "all business" approach that seemed to wear thin on many of the Giants players. Next, the departure of Tiki Barber seems to have allowed many of the young leaders on this team to take the next step in their development. Despite what people might have thought outside of the Giants circle, there was always a feeling that this was Tiki's offense. This made it difficult for players like Eli Manning, Plaxico Burress, and Jeremy Shockey to assert themselves as leaders on the field. Tiki has always lacked leadership qualities and his presence has clearly not been missed since the team seems to be in a better position this year than it has been in a long time. Say what you will about Eli Manning, he is improving every week. If his name wasn't Manning, you wouldn't find anybody saying that he has been a dissapointment. This offense has been impressive, and I expect them to have a great deal of success this weekend against Roy "I horsecollar one person blatantly every game and never ever get called for it" Williams and the pathetic Dallas pass defense.
The Giants will be looking to send a message to the entire NFL this weekend. It's time to take this team seriously. They are no longer made up of players with a lot of potential. They are made up of good football players. They are no longer a disjointed circus of egos mouthing off to the media. They are a unified team that enjoys playing together and has rid itself of its biggest ego (Barber). They can run, they can pass, and they can get to the quarterback like no other team in the league. Sunday afternoon's game is the biggest they have played this season. However, regardless of the outcome, this team will not fold and crumble the way they did a year ago.
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