GIANTS NERVOUS ABOUT QB LEAK BEFORE SEASON BEGINS

Best opening line in an article: "What's pink, puffy and screams a lot when it's not whining? Right, it's Tom Coughlin!"

You may be asking yourself, well why is he so angry? Did another of his players shoot himself in a crowded club? No, this time, Coughlin, the coach of the New York Giants, is angry because the Washington Redskins recently acquired backup quarterback, Andre Woodson. Just after Woodson learned some Giants' plays, calls, and signals he was shipped over to the Redskins. This is what is making Coughlin see red. Lots and lots of red.

The thing that I don't quite understand is how Coughlin automatically thinks that the Redskins are trying to cheat and learn how they play. Of course if that was the case, then Washington has a brain since they are in the same division as the Giants, and this of course could help them when they play them all TWO times this season. Coughlin needs to relax. I think that he would be someone who would draft a player just to find out impertinent information so that he could get his team to the top. And if he really didn't want that to happen, then maybe he shouldn't have cut Woodson. Problem solved.

I find it funny that Coughlin is calling (or the media is having us believe he is calling) Woodson "Benedict Andre." The simple fact is that if you thought he had any talent at all, you would have kept him on the roster and wouldn't have let him go to any team that wanted him. And speaking of Benedict anyone, I can recall when the "god" QB on the Giants was signed to the San Diego Chargers and refused to play for them until he was traded to the New York Giants. So Benedict Andre doesn't even come across as the bad guy of the organization. He got cut. He went somewhere else. Get over it. Wait and see if the Redskins can beat you this season. IF they beat you all two times, maybe you could make a case for cheating, but it could also be the incredible overhype and under performing ape you call quarterback.

Jaclyn Kahn

MONEY IN THE BANK: ELI AGREES TO BIG CONTRACT EXTENSION

The New York Giants and quarterback Eli Manning agreed to a six year-$97.5 million dollar extension Wednesday, making him the richest player in the NFL. Manning is guaranteed $35 million under the new deal.

I am very surprised, like many sports fans, that the Giants forked over this much money to their star quarterback. I know he won a Super Bowl two seasons ago after defeating the New England Patriots in a shocker, but it still does not seem right. He has led the Giants to the playoffs the last four seasons, and luckily for him, was able to get hot a couple of years ago.

As you can tell, I'm not a huge Eli fan. It all goes back to when he broke into the league and complained about how he didn't want to play for the San Diego Chargers. He came across to me as a spoiled brat who already lived in a rich family and wouldn't budge until he got what he wanted. Well, in the end, he did. He got to play for the Giants, he won a Super Bowl ring, and now he has the big contract. He now makes more money than his more talented brother, Peyton. I hope he is finally happy with his life.

In my opinion, I think Eli should pick up the check at the next family dinner. Peyton and big daddy Archie eat for free the next time they all get together.

Shawn Marosek

BURRESS' LEGAL WOES

Not only does New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress know how to shoot himself in the foot (or thigh), but he knows how to get himself into loads of legal trouble.

Before accidentally shooting himself at a New York nightclub, Burress apparently was involved with many legal woes, especially financial legal woes. Burress has been sued nine times. NINE! Maybe shooting himself wasn't actually an accident...since he has a "history of being sued over debts a millionaire professional athlete seemingly could have paid."

Obviously he has more important things to spend his money on, or at least spend it on time. For example, all of his clothes, accessories, nightlife partying necessities, etc etc. Every time he has been sued, the number for the amount he owed is most likely pocket change to Burress. So I have no idea why he wouldn't just pay whatever he had to pay, like taxes, and just get it over with instead of digging himself into a hole, repeatedly, nine times over.

Regardless of his financial/legal woes, Burress still has time for a public service announcement on gun control. Because he's just trying to help the kids...


Jaclyn Kahn

NY GIANTS ARE THE CLASS OF THE NFL

Maybe last year's stunning Super Bowl victory wasn't as huge of an upset as it appeared to be. Make no mistake that stopping an 18-0 team from perfection is a monumental upset, but the New York Giants may have just been getting started with that historic win back in February. There is no question right now who the best team in the NFL is at the end of the first quarter of play.

You can say the Dallas Cowboys or San Diego Chargers have better offenses when everything is clicking, and you might be able to say the Tennessee Titans have a better defense. But the Giants are the most balanced team in the NFL. HANDS DOWN!

The Giants have perhaps the most underrated offensive line in all of football. They have made a star out of Brandon Jacobs and the other two backs simply get the job done as well. The Giants receiving core is very deep and just got done hammering the Seahawks without Plaxico Burress. Most importantly, Eli Manning has not come back to Earth after his amazing playoff run last year. I doubt he'll join the elite ranks of Tom Brady and his older brother, Peyton, but he is becoming a superstar who will be the Giants man for years to come.

Perhaps the most stunning part of this team is the bottomless depth of the primary portion of the defense. This team lost the future hall-of-famer, Michael Strahan, to retirement, and Osi Umenyiora to a season-ending injury. But even without those two studs, the Giants defense has not missed a beat. Mathias Kiwanuka, Fred Robbins, Justin Tuck and others have been simply outstanding. The one knock on the Giants defense last year was their secondary, but that part of their team has improved greatly this year. Remember Aaron Ross is a year older and the rest of the secondary has fallen in line.

The only part of this team that you have a chance to exploit is their special teams. If you can dominate field position and somehow stop their running game, maybe someone can stop this team. As it stands right now though, I don't see a team beating them. The Cowboys are showing major warts, the Eagles are nobody without Brian Westbrook, and it may be too soon to take the Redskins real seriously. Outside of the division there really isn't another big time team in the NFL. Maybe the Panthers can get there, but it is a really weak conference outside of the East. Of course we know the AFC empire is crumbling down before our eyes. As I said many things can happen (injuries, breakdown of team chemistry), but it is hard to imagine the Giants won't have a great shot to win their second consecutive championship.

Pat Morgan

A Giant Win for the Ages; A Super Bowl XLII Shocker!!!

This is to anyone that is a New York Giants fan. You never have to win another game in your lifetime to backup the victory you celebrated last night. The Giants shocking 17-14 win over the three-time champion, New England Patriots, will simply go down as one of the greatest upset victories of all time. The Giants incredible march through the playoffs probably will go down as the greatest Cinderella story ever.

So how the hell did this happen? Well, the Giants defense was simply spectacular! They got to Tom Brady time after time after time. Again their pass rush covered up some of their holes in their secondary. Justin Tuck or Michael Strahan probably would have been named Super Bowl MVP prior to the Manning drive because they were that good. Even the secondary was great in making plays. Corey Webster tapping the ball away from Randy Moss in the closing seconds was tremendous. They held the NFL's best offense ever to a mere 14 points and just over 200 yards for the entire game. That is an all-time effort by the Giants defense.

Eli Manning was great when he had to be as well. Engineering that final drive was a thing of beauty. He did dodge a bullet when Asante Samuel couldn't grab an interception, but his scramble on that 3rd and 5 play will be shown forever. Then, of course, the grab by David Tyree. Where did Tyree come from? He has been a big disappointment for the Giants since he was a highly touted youngster four, five years ago. What a catch that was! Eli took a page out of Joe Montana's biography and engineered the same exact type of drive Montana did in Super Bowl XXIII. And what an effort all year by Plaxico Burress. Whether you like him or not, he played hurt all year and came up with the game-winning touchdown.

Two sequences really stood out to me and told me the stars were aligning for the Giants last night. In the 2nd quarter, Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled and it was clearly recovered by a Patriot. However, Bradshaw stripped it away before possession was ruled. Even though the Giants ultimately punted, that disallowed the Pats from taking over at the Giants' 25. The other was the Giants defense coming up huge after the 12-men on the field penalty on a Pats 4th down. That gave the Pats a first down inside the Giants' 40 with what I thought a prime opportunity to take a 14-3 lead. A touchdown there changes the game. The Pats probably win. Instead the Giants come up huge and force the Pats into either a 50-yard field goal or a 4th and 13. They went on 4th and 13 and came away with no points. Both those sequences were very telling.

In any event, this is a tremendous, tremendous win for the New York Giants and their fans. Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning have gone from the ultimate goats to the ultimate New York heroes in just six weeks! SIX WEEKS! You can't under sell how big a win this is. Like I said, Giants fans never need to see the playoffs again because you just had the ultimate win. It does NOT get any better than what you had last night. No way, no how! Enjoy it! I am one very jealous New York Jets fan this morning.

Pat Morgan

Super Bowl XLII Fearless Prediction

After what seemed like four months of endless Super Bowl discussion, it is finally the eve of the big game. The perfect New England Patriots will take on the ultimate underdog in the New York Giants. No matter what happens tomorrow, Super Bowl XLII will be remembered forever. Either the Pats go 19-0 or the Giants spoil the Pats chance at history.

Even though the Giants are the ultimate underdog, many "experts" are picking them to stay close or even win tomorrow. I've heard countless guests on Mike and the Maddog and other shows this week say they think the Giants will win. So for that, I am sick of the Giants and their fans saying that no is one giving them a shot. It simply isn't true. Yes, the majority is picking the Pats, but 35-40% for an ultimate underdog is a big number.

I really can't believe that many people are picking them. It is funny how perception works in the mind of people. The Patriots aren't playing well, and the Giants are playing great. The reality is the Patriots are still beating people by multiple possessions and the Giants have gone to the gun two straight games. The Giants have been impressive no doubt, but the Patriots are a team for the ages.

As for the game. I expect the Patriots to revert back to midseason form and put up well over 30 points. On the fast track in a warm climate, the Patriots can spread them out and pick apart the weak Giants secondary. I know the Giants secondary has played valiently shorthanded this postseason, but the Pats are a different animal than the Cowboys or Packers. Some players are coming back, but I don't think it will make much of a difference. I expect Tom Brady to use Randy Moss more than he has, but I really expect Wes Welker to have an enormous game.

The Patriots running game has also performed very well this postseason. Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk have been outstanding. There are just too many weapons for Brady to play with, and lets face it, his ankle will be just fine. Remember Super Bowl XXXVI when Brady came in with a legit injury? He did just fine leading a far inferior offense than this current one down the field in the final moments.

The Giants need a lot of things to go right for them to pull the upset. They will need Eli Manning to continue to play flawless football. The Pats' defense can be scored upon, but will the Giants score when the Pats really tighten up? While old in spots, the Patriots' defense has come up huge late in the game everytime they have needed to this year.

The Giants will have to score touchdowns and not settle for field goals, and definitely not turn the ball over. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw will have to eat up the clock and thus keep the ball away from Brady. If they can't run the ball tomorrow, they really have no chance to win. Because even if Manning throws five touchdowns and Plaxico Burress and company tare it up, they won't win a high-paced shootout with New England.

The Giants are also going to have to hope for their defensive front four to get to Brady a few times, and hopefully force a fumble. They will also need Domenik Hixon to continue to be extremely effective on kickoff returns. Remember he returned one against the Pats in Week 17.

The Giants winning tomorrow would be a bigger upset in my opinion than the Broncos over the Packers (XXXII), the Patriots over the Rams (XXXVI), and would be on par with the Jets beating the Colts in Super Bowl III. The extra week off would make it even more impressive. The Giants probably had a much better shot winning if the Super Bowl was last week and not this week. Giving Bill Belichick two weeks to prepare is almost illegal (maybe it is in some spots).

Therefore...

New England Patriots 38, New York Giants 24
MVP: Tom Brady (Going out on a limb!)

Pat Morgan

Third Tyme the Charm; Giants Claim NFC Championship

-Giants 23, Packers 20/OT
Heroes: Eli Manning & Plaxico Burress
Goat: Brett Favre
Turning Point: Brett Favre's INT in overtime to set up Tynes's third FG chance and game-winner
Next: Super Bowl XLII vs. New England

The New York Giants are going to the Super Bowl! Lawerence Tynes's 47-yard field goal in overtime completed an unlikely 3-0 run through Tampa, Dallas, and a frozen Green Bay. Now they will have two weeks to prepare for their second crack at defeating the perfect Pats in Super Bowl XLII.

Eli Manning was absolutely spectacular in leading the Giants on this march. He went through the entire NFC playoffs without throwing an interception! How his career has changed drastically since the regular season finale vs. New England. Manning managed another brillant game by picking apart the Green Bay defense with short stuff all over the place. He was extremely efficient in getting the Giants down field. He was only 21 of 40, but sometimes statistics lie as he was much better than that today.

Plaxico Burress had a tremendous game by catching 11 balls for 154 yards. Green Bay made the mistake of leaving Al Harris alone on Burress for most of the game. Harris is a good cornerback, but he was schooled today by Burress. Most importantly, the Giants dominated field position for most of the game. Even if a drive did not amount in points, they made the Packers' defense work. Only once did they go three and out, and that was only because Amani Toomer dropped a wide open pass. The Giants held the ball for over 40 minutes.

The Giants' defense did a tremendous job in giving Brett Favre problems. They didn't really get to hit him much, but they did take away his receivers down field. Other than the broken play that resulted in a 90-yard touchdown to Driver, the Giants had Favre forcing passes all day. He threw two interceptions, but he really could have thrown two or three more. The Giants also took Ryan Grant completely out of the game. After having 201 yards last week vs. Seattle, Grant ran for a mere 29 yards. Conversely, Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw ran for a 130 yards between them.

The Giants really dominated this game in a lot of ways. They really should have won this game easily if it wasn't for missed field goals, dropped passes, key penalties, and a few big plays from Green Bay that kept the game close. Conventional wisdom tells you the Patriots from the much stronger AFC will beat them handily in the Super Bowl, but it's hard to bet against the Giants giving them a big, big test the way they are on this magic carpet ride. It should be a great game in two weeks in Glendale, Arizona.

Let the two weeks of media nonsense in beating this game to death in every possible way begin!

Pat Morgan

Third Time the Charm; Giants Stun Cowboys in Big D

-Giants 21, Cowboys 17
Heroes: Giants defense, especially after another injury in secondary to Aaron Ross
Goat: Tony Romo
Turning Point: After the Cowboys ate up 10 minutes to take a 14-7 lead, the Giants matched that TD with one of their own to tie with just :53 seconds on the clock before the half
Next: NFC Championship @ Green Bay

Well there will be a Manning playing on championship weekend after all. It will just be Eli Manning and not Peyton. For the second time today the road team went into a hostile environment and came away with a stunning victory. The Giants are clearly still riding high from their impressive performance vs. New England in Week 17 and playoff win in Tampa Bay, while the Cowboys were effected by not playing big time football in six weeks. This was a game the Cowboys had several chances to win, but they were unable to get on track in the second half.

The Cowboys were able to score two touchdowns in the first half because Marion Barber ran at will on the Giants' defense. Barber's ability to rush the football gave Tony Romo time to throw on third down. However, when the Giants adjusted in the second half, Romo melted under the pressure. He melted like Jessica Simpson on Celebrity Jeopardy! (zoom, zoom, zoom!) He overthrew Terrell Owens on what would have been a touchdown. It would have made the score 21-14. Patrick Crayton did drop a critical pass at 17-14, but other than that Romo was awful.

With good starting field position on each of the last three drives, Romo was unable to do much with the ball. During the final series, he did a poor job of managing the clock. They got the ball with 1:50 remaining at around midfield, but yet somehow they were forced to take last ditch shots at the end zone from around the Giants' 25. They were slow getting to the line on completions, and even ran the ball once on the drive that ate up about 30 seconds. It was not a good night for Romo, and for the second year in a row he'll be left to wonder what if?

I have to give a lot of credit to the Giants' defense though for their ability to stop the Cowboys several times in the second half. After Aaron Ross's injury there was not much left in the secondary. I thought at this point that the Boys would go to town on the Giants, but they didn't. Then the pass rush started to have an effect, and that really rattled Romo on the last few drives. How does a receiving core with Terrell Owens, Jason Witten, Terry Glenn, and Patrick Crayton not have success today? Give a lot of credit to the heart of the Giants' defense. After years of all kinds of internal problems, the Giants are finally playing as a team. Tom Coughlin has done a great job, and has gone from the chopping block to the cusp of a long-term extension. I wonder what Tiki Barber is feeling right now.

Eli Manning was fantastic in managing the Giants offense today. He did not have sexy numbers, but he didn't make any key mistakes. The drive of the day for Eli was his ability to lead the Giants down the field in 53 seconds at the end of the 1st half. The Cowboys had just taken a lot of momentum by scoring a go-ahead touchdown on a 20-play, 90-yard drive that lasted 10:28. If the Giants don't score there, they go in to the locker room down a TD without the ball first in the second half. That is a big time drive that even the likes of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning would have trouble doing.

Give credit to the Giants' special teams as well. R.W. McQuarters was able to return a punt to the Cowboys' 35 which set up the ultimate game-winning TD drive. It was an all around big time effort from the Giants, who were beat up and were playing a team with far more talent. The Giants will head to Green Bay next week with a chance to advance to Super Bowl XLII. It will be interesting to see if Eli Manning can go into a cold weather environment and continue his run.

Pat Morgan

Finally! Giants and Chargers Win Playoff Games!

-Giants 24, Buccaneers 14
Hero: Eli Manning
Goats: Tampa Bay secondary
Turning Point: Josh Bidwell's terrible punt early in the 2nd giving the Giants great field position (which they would tie the game with) after Tampa dominated the first 20 minutes
Next: @ Dallas

Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin finally got the monkey off their back by winning a playoff game. Manning played very efficiently in leading the Giants to the road win in Tampa. The Bucs took the running game away from the Giants for the most part, so Eli had to be good in order for the Giants to win. I thought a big play in this game was when Jeff Garcia missed Joey Galloway which would have given the Bucs a first down while up 7-0. The next play was a short punt that put the Giants at midfield, and allowed them to even up the game and change all the momentum.

The 16-play, 4th quarter drive was the signature drive of the game. I know fans didn't want to admit it at the time with Garcia having led the 49ers to that huge comeback against the Giants, but that drive effectively ended the game. The Giants defense was also fantastic today in giving Garcia problems the entire way. Right now the Giants are a very balanced team and will head down to Dallas with a lot of momentum. Coughlin's decision to play full throttle vs. New England has turned golden by giving the Giants a lot of confidence. Of the road teams in the divisional round, I think the Giants have the best shot to win other than probably Seattle in Green Bay. Will the third time be the charm?

-Chargers 17, Titans 6
Heroes: Chris Chambers, Vincent Jackson
Goat: None
Turning Point: Halftime adjustments
Next: @ Indianapolis

This game was a tail of two halves. The Titans' defense simply dominated the Chargers in the first half, and had chances to have more than just a 6-0 lead at halftime. A big play that kept lead just one possession was the Chris Brown fumble in the red zone. At worst they should have come away with another field goal there, and perhaps they have a 9-0 lead at the half. I didn't like the call to begin with on that play. It was a toss back to Brown so he could run to the outside. I have never been a big fan of those plays cause they result in big losses quite frequently. In this case I had more reason to dislike it because it allowed the big, fierce linebackers of San Diego to have clear tackles and clean looks at stripping the football. Shawne Merriman took full advantage. San Diego did nothing with it though so it was far from a momentum swing.

LaDainian Tomlinson didn't get going the entire game, so it was up to Philip Rivers in the second half. Rivers would play a brillant second half. He connected on several long passes to Chambers and Jackson. The Titans offense couldn't get anything going, and the field goal miss by Rob Bironas really hurt them at 10-6. I didn't like the TD call by the officials to make it 17-6, as I thought forward progress was stopped before LT placed the ball over the goal line. I doubt it would have mattered though as the Titans couldn't move against the Chargers defense. I don't have a goat for Tennessee in this game because I thought they gave a valiant effort. I did not expect them to make this a game. Jeff Fisher did a brillant job with so little this year. As for the Chargers, they are off to Indianapolis and a date with the Colts. They will have to get LT going if they want any chance for the upset.

Pat Morgan

Shawn Marosek's Wild Card Picks

Redskins @ Seahawks

I'll be watching the game with a Redskins fan and for her sake, I hope Washington pulls off the victory. However, I don't think it will happen. The game should be a close one, but I see the Seahawks coming away with the win. The Redskins have won four in a row with new Quarterback Todd Collins and the emotion driven from the death of Sean Taylor. It would be a great story if the Redskins advanced to the second round against the Cowboys. I could see the Redskins beating the Cowboys in the divisional round based on their performance last week. The Cowboys are not going into the playoffs playing their best ball and the Redskins are. Even with all this, I don't think Washington will advance. Matt Hassleback and the Seahwaks defeated the Redskins two years ago in the same round by the score of 20-10 and it would be no suprise if that happened again. Hassleback is better than Collins by far, even though the Redskins QB has been playing well. The Redskins have a 12th man in Sean Taylor, but the Seahawks have one of the loudest crowds in the NFL and that alone will make it very difficult for the Redskins to have an effective offense. Seahawks 20 Redskins 13

Jaguars @ Steelers

It seems like everyone, except Pat Morgan, is picking the Jaguars. However, I'm going to have to agree with Pat on this one. The Steelers have been through this before and the Jaguars have not won a playoff game since 1999. I know the Steelers haven't played up to their expectations this season, but how can you look past this team. Ben Roethlisberger should have a pretty game while David Garrard has never started a postseason game, which isn't too promising if history repeats itself. Yes, the Jags went in and beat Pittsburgh at Heinz Field about three weeks ago. Good luck doing that again. If the Steelers can tackle better and stop the run, which they haven't been able to do consistent'y over the second half of the season, they will win this game. I expect this to be the case, resulting in a hard-fought Pittsburgh win. Steelers 17 Jags 13

Giants @ Bucs

In my opinion, the Giants will be the only victorious road team this Wild Card Weekend. The Giants earned a lot of support after playing full strength against the Patriots and they should bring some momentum into Sunday's matchup against Tampa Bay. Ronde Barber even gave the Giants more of a reason to want to come out and beat the Giants. Now New York is using Barber's statements as bulletin board material. When it all comes down to it, this game is about Eli Manning. This is his time to shine. If he can come through with a big game, he might be able to gain some respect from the hometown fans and it might help keep Tom Coughlin from being fired. But if SHEli plays another terrible playoff game, you can expect some rumblings in the Big Apple during the offseason. Eli will play solid, not great, but good enough to get a win. Giants 24 Bucs 17

Titans @ Chargers

I'd love to see the Titans win this game, but they have a lot of injury problems and San Diego is by far the better team. Jeff Fisher is one of the top 5 coaches in the league and should have been considered for Coach of the Year after getting this team to the playoffs. They are the least talented team in the playoffs and the fact that Fisher was able to coach them to a playoff berth is about as impressive as anything in the NFL this season. (Yes, despite the Patriots going 16-0!) This game will be a lot closer than many people think. I could see it being a three-point game late, but San Diego will hold on for a close victory. The running of LaDainian Tomlinson will be too much in the 4th quarter and the Chargers will advance to the divisional round of the AFC Playoffs. Chargers 27 Titans 21

Shawn Marosek

NFL PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

NFC Wildcard
3) Seattle 27, 6) Washington 17
I expect the Redskins' run to come to an end here after yet another long road trip. They have become an incredible story, but this is where the magic of Todd Collins will wear out. Expect Seattle's defense to give him a hell of a time. The Skins' D will play well too, but they won't score enough points on offense. Seattle is an awfully tough place to play, and the Seahawks are a much better team than the Skins.

5) NY Giants 20, 4) Tampa Bay 16
My only concern here is whether the Giants will experience an emotional letdown after going toe-to-toe with the Patriots this last weekend. They are the better team and have won on the road all season long. I like Jeff Garcia and Jon Gruden an awful lot, but I believe they are the product of a bad division. The Giants defense shouldn't have a problem with Tampa's offense, and I think Brandon Jacobs will be the difference in a defensive struggle.

AFC Wildcard
3) San Diego 28, 6) Tennessee 10
To me, this is the biggest lock of the Wildcard round. I know the Chargers are snake bit when it comes to the playoffs, but if they can't win this game, they will never win a playoff game. They have won six in a row, while the Titans have struggled since starting 6-2. Making the playoffs in year two of the Vince Young era is a big accomplishment already. The Chargers are about winning now. Just that fact alone tells me where the two teams are.

4) Pittsburgh 17, 5) Jacksonville 14
Jacksonville is the better team, but I can't see them winning in Pittsburgh twice in a four week span. Everyone seems to be projecting a Jaguars/Patriots matchup already, but I don't think the Jags are there quite yet. They are a remarkable story and will continue to get better as the years go on, but I think Pittsburgh wins a nail biter in this one. This is definitely the best game of the Wildcard round. I expect nothing short of a blood bath in this one!

(Rest of the Postseason: Reasons will come when matchups confirmed)

NFC Divisional
2) Green Bay over Seattle
1) Dallas over NY Giants

AFC Divisional
2) Indianapolis over San Diego
1) New England over Indianapolis

NFC Championship
Green Bay over Dallas (not since Buffalo/Dallas II have both #1 seeds met in the Super Bowl)

AFC Championship
New England (in a nail biter) over Indianapolis

Super Bowl XLII
New England over Green Bay (19-0)

Should the G-Men Go Full-Throttle vs. the Pats?

With the 38-21 victory in Buffalo today, the New York Giants clinched their third playoff berth in as many years. The Vikings loss to the Redskins tonight also means the Giants are locked in the playoffs as the NFC's fifth seed. They will travel to Tampa to play the Buccaneers, most likely in the Saturday wildcard primetime slot in two weeks.

Most importantly, the victory today means that the Giants will not have to knock off the undefeated New England Patriots this Saturday to ensure themselves a trip to the postseason. The Giants can either go full throttle to try and make NFL history or they can elect to rest some of their injury ridden players for their matchup with Tampa Bay. This has already been a hot issue of debate, but now that this scenario is a reality, expect it to beaten to death this week on sports radio, ESPN, etc.

As a historian of the NFL and wanting to see history earned in a competitive way, I would love to see the Giants challenge the Patriots and make them earn win number 16. However, the Giants should not be expected to do so, as they do not owe it to the NFL to risk injury that could seriously hamper their chances in the playoffs. Teams that clinch playoff spots with games remaining on their schedule have earned the right to decide whether they want to rest their players or not. Even if that game has playoff implications for the opponet (i.e. Tennessee vs. Indianapolis next week), or in this case with NFL history on the line.

For someone who is anticipating this game without my team involved, I would like to see the Giants play the game by giving it all they have to win. I can understand if they rest high injury risks like Plaxico Burress or Brandon Jacobs, but I hope they play Eli Manning, Amani Toomer, and the big play makers on defense. It will make for, potentially, some great drama on Saturday night.

However, I am not a Giants fan, so I don't have a team I'm emotionally tied with in the game. If the Jets were in this position, I would want the coaches to stress that the playoffs are the most important thing. I would love to play hard and try and win the game for a historic place in history, but a playoff win would be much more important to me. If the head coach feels the best way to win that playoff game is to rest and not risk having his players spending an exuberant amount of energy and emotion on a meaningless game then I would respect that. It is very possible if the Giants go full throttle against New England it will have no effect or even a positive effect on how they play against Tampa Bay. However, there are many instances where a team has an emotional letdown after a game that is deemed as HUGE! And should the Giants play New England full throttle, then the coaches would be sending their players the message that this game is huge.

This will be a great issue of debate this week, and ultimately we should agree with what the majority of Giants fans feel. We would want that respect if it was our team.

Pat Morgan

Trip to London Beginning of International Movement?

With the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins all set to square off in London tomorrow, it could mark the beginning of this becoming a regular, maybe weekly, thing for the NFL. Reports are that NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodall is seriously considering having all of the NFL's 32 teams play one of their regular season games outside of the United States.

The plan would call for the regular season schedule to expand to 18 games, which would mean the elimination two preseason games. One of the two extra games would be played outside of the USA. The plan has really been brewing for a few years now since San Francisco and Arizona played the first regular season game outside the country in Mexico City in 2005. The owner of the Buffalo Bills, Ralph Wilson, announced this week he would like to play one of the Bills' future home games in Toronto. Though, the story that got the most reaction this week was when Goodall said he might want to play a future Super Bowl in London. Clearly this is where the NFL is headed, but do we need to go crazy and play a multitude of games outside the USA every year?

I like the idea of having two extra regular season games, and I love that this plan would mean the elimination of two games from an unnecessarily long preseason. However, I wonder how this international experiment is going to work. With 32 teams, that would mean 16 games outside the country. Would it be one international game in 16 of the would be 19 weeks? If that is the case, I hope they cut off the games after week 16, and allow teams to prepare for the playoffs in the states. It would not be fair to have a team go play in Paris, Tokyo, or in Antarctica somewhere in Week 19 with a playoff spot on the line.

It is also a concern of mine of where around the globe these games will be held. Is it fair for one team to have to take an 18-hour flight to play in Tokyo, while another just has to cross the border to play in Canada or Mexico. I know I would be having fits if my New York Jets had to play in Bombay, India, while the Bills play in Toronto.

If I were making this decision, I would call for one international game a month. Sixteen games seem a tad rash to me especially when our brand of football is only popular in the US. Remember the rest of the world has their own soccer. However, if I was to go with the 16 international games, I would make sure they were all scheduled early in the season, and that those playing international games get bye weeks after that game. I can see flubbed schedules now. One week in Moscow, the next in Tampa. Goodluck!

As for the Super Bowl in another country, I think that would be totally ridiculous. I hate the fact it's already more of an entertainment event than a sporting event already, but to move a championship game across the Atlantic Ocean is stupid. It belongs here in America, and should be played in New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, and a bunch of other northern cities that never get a Super Bowl before it goes to another country.

Pat Morgan