First, I want to admit that I was nervous about this game but that anxiety led me to take a deeper look at the Saints.
All week long I have been hearing about their offense and their new blitz style defense under former Redskins DC Gregg Williams and how Drew Brees is a borderline elite QB. The Saints are without a doubt a formidable team. If they defeat the Giants on Sunday every football expert on the planet will crown them as the best team in the NFC. If you judge them on 2009 alone then there is no doubt that the Saints would be in the discussion of the best teams in the NFL. If the Giants win, most certainly guys like Peter King and John Clayton will have Brett Favre and his Vikings ahead of the Giants.

This bothers me because I look at the last four years of the Giants development and I see a team that has earned the right to be where they are. The Saints, meanwhile, have not earned a thing. Last season Drew Brees threw for over 5000 yards, 34 TDs, 17INT and a 65% completion rate. Brees was sacked just 13 times last season, a testament to his O-line and his quick release. Outstanding numbers, just amazing. The Saints even led the league by scoring 463 total points last year. However, the Saints went 8-8, most of the blame for that went to the defense but if you look at their schedule they should've been 10-6 or at the very least 9-7. Why were they an 8-8 team? Against teams that made the playoffs last year the Saints were 2-4.

Moreover, against teams with +.500 records, the Saints went 2-5 and was 2-6 on the road beating the Bears and the 0-16 Lions on the road, while losing critical early games against the Redskins and Broncos. There is no question this team has the talent to be better and maybe this year the Saints have turned the corner. However, to be considered a top level team in the NFL, you have to win tough road games and you have to beat teams on your level or better than you and the Saints have not done so. To illustrate that fact, against teams with double-digit wins last season, the Saints were 1-4.

Much of the argument against the Giants winning Sunday is that the Giants haven't beaten anyone so far this season. Well, in recent years who have the Saints beaten? Where is the track record of success against winning teams? Granted this league is about what have you done for me lately but we what we do know is that if the Giants win on Sunday, they have had four years of experience beating teams that were supposed to be better. They have already won a game they were supposed to lose in Dallas in front of 110 thousand fans and largest TV audience in the history of football. They beat both SuperBowl participants last season on the road in games they were supposed to lose and some game in 2007 against a team with the greatest offense in the history of football, which also happened to be 18-0.

The Saints are healthy, they are at home, they have the best offense in league, they are rested, they have a better defense this season, all signs point in their direction. If the Saints win on Sunday it will be the first time that they've beaten a team as good or better than them in quite some time and they will be given the title of the best team in the NFC. If the Giants win it'll be no big deal, no fan fair, and no fireworks because unlike the Saints, winning big games isn't something they haven't done before.

While watching Tony Romo Monday night I noticed something interesting. Romo recognized a blitz and checked out of the play, the defense then backed off but Romo didn't adjust the play based on the defense changing their coverage. This took my mind back to Bruce Johnson's interception last week. The Cowboys get to the line of scrimmage, 3 wide, one TE and 1RB. AP calls a check to what looked like a blitz with a safety about to rush off the edge. Romo checked to a hot route and AP checks to Cover 2 zone, the safety retreats along with AP and Boley into coverage. Romo notices but he doesn't check out of the play and throws the pick. I thought that was weird but then I saw Romo do it again on Monday, this time completing a pass to Witten who was double covered. I thought, maybe he runs out of time or perhaps Romo only gets one or two check plays based on what he reads at the line.

For much of his career Eli Manning has been ridiculed for his arm strength, his confidence, his leadership ability and his looks(as if that matters in football). It has taken him sometime to get to the point where he can control the game but I'm beginning to believe that Eli has become a master at reading defenses. QB's like Romo have better arms and better athletic ability than Eli but Eli earned the trust of his offensive coordinator to call whatever play or any adjustment he wants to call at the line. Romo doesn't seem to have that freedom or the trust of Jason Garrett. For all his athletic ability if you make Romo read and react you'd have a better chance to win the game. If you over pursue Romo with exotic blitzes he relies on athleticism, his strength, and he wins. For years it had been "make Eli throw" and you win but now Eli has studied his tail off and knows what he's seeing at all times. Stack the box, play coverage, doesn't matter Eli is going to assassinate you.

We really shouldn't be surprised, Eli scored 39 out of 50 on the wonderlic exam. Tom Brady scored 33 and his brother Peyton scored 28. It doesn't make you a better QB but it gives you an idea of the aptitude of the player. On Sunday during the game, Eli took his usual "I'm running out of time" timeout, he went over to Gilbride and motioned for him to get the play in faster. At that point I thought, maybe Eli doesn't even care what play is called, he just wants to get to the line as soon as possible to see what the defense gives him so he could adjust accordingly and beat them. An area of his game that was once maddening and heavily scrutinized is now a joy to watch and heralded. We all have watched the maturation of Eli Manning. His arm isn't stronger, his feet aren't faster and his muscles aren't any larger but he is smarter. Perhaps smarter than any QB in the league.

When Tavis Beckum was drafted, there was a ton of talk by GM Jerry Reese, Coach Coughlin and Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride about how TE Travis Beckum would be used on offense this season and talked of specific plays and packages that would be developed for him. Yet we saw very little of Beckum used in the preseason and I can't recall a pass attempt by Eli to Beckum at all although I admit I haven't seen tape of every preseason play.

We know that Coughlin is from the Parcells school of coaching which means keeping your preseason offense and defense as basic and vanilla as possible. Not only has Beckum been absent but so has Barden and Nicks playing with the 1st team and Eli Manning. With that being said all of the talk about the Giant offense lacking punch is without foundation because we haven't actually seen what the real offense looks like yet. Is Coach Coughlin keeping an explosive offense close to the vest? Did he purposely keep Sinorice Moss off the field after raving about his development and commitment all off season?

I'm hoping that Ed Valentine could help by telling us the offensive packages, if he remembers any, that weren't used in preseason games. The only new wrinkle I've seen is screen and swing passes to Brandon Jacobs. Even on defense we did not see the 5 man line of QB death in the preseason but we know it was practiced extensively in training camp. The bottom line is that the Giants true offense has yet to be seen and I can't help but wonder if it will be as inept as the pundits say it could be.

I have to say that this is the most excited I've been for any Giants defense in quite some time. In 2007, the defense developed into a monster but rarely has the Giants defense entered the season with such high expectations. I have been trying to configure in game situations in my head and what the personnel on the D-Line would be.

For example: Eagles 3rd and 9 on the Giants 45 yard line. Gmen are in Nickel with Osi and Kiwi on the ends with Tuck and Canty at Tackle. Will the Eagles hold those guys off or will the speed of the D-line win?

Or....

Cowboys 4th and 1 on the giants 20 yard line. D line is Tuck, Bernard, Robbins and Canty.  Sintim, AP and Boley up the gaps. Will Marion Barber get that yard?

That is the stuff that gets me excited. I also wonder if we will see the Gmen use more Dime packages this year to get AP off the field in passing downs and have Boley and Terrell Thomas get more playing time. Boley can cover better than Pierce. Thomas, Dockery, Ross, Webster, Phillips and Johnson is a pretty darn good coverage unit. 

The only weakness I see is if a team uses a hurry up/no huddle offense when the run stoppers are in the game. I am eager to know what other fans think of this defense and how the personnel will be used.

With all my daydreaming of battered QB's, I wonder though if the Giants D-Line will cause teams to throw more timing patterns and open themselves up for turnovers. There could be a scenario where the sack totals are not impressive but interceptions and fumbles might go up. 

So answer this for me. Will this D-Line dominate?

The 2009 National League Baseball Season in New York is over. The Mets will not have a New York Knick Willis Reed moment of players returning to provide a lift to the World Series. The Met players will not play critical games in September other than the role of spoiler. However, Omar and the front office has the spotlight and decisions made in the next few weeks will determine the Mets championship future. The media and the fans are livid at the season the Mets are having and rightfully so but no fan with a brain couldn't see this coming. The problem and maybe the flaw in this season is that the mets aren't playing with the full squad. Injuries will be blamed for this season when really the MLB ready depth of our farm was exposed and David Wright has taken a step back from the super-duperstar we all think he is.

I'd much rather the team had lost with all the players healthy so there could be a clear avenue to take. As it stands now, the team cannot trade Reyes, Wright or Beltran without major backlash. Likewise, the team cannot trade Niese, Holt, Marte, F-Mart, Parnell, or  Flores to try and jumpstart the big club to save this season. So what must be done here to improve the team? I say start moving the dead weight like Castillo, who is having a good season, Schneider, Sheffield and Feliciano. Trade or release Hernandez and Redding and let Niese and Holt pitch the rest of the season.

As a matter of fact I think the Mets should move to a 6 man rotation or DL Johan Santana. He is clearly bothered by something physically so give our workhorse some rest for next season. It makes no sense for him to push himself since he isn't in position to win the Cy Young. The Mets need to erase whatever Daniel Murphy did earlier this season and give him a clean slate for August and September to show what he's got at first. Shut Reyes down, shut John Maine down, shut Beltran down and let the kids play and the wounded heal.

Trading away prospects would be an incredibly bad move. The mets may not have a ton of MLB ready prospects at AAA but the farm is very healthy in single A and double AA in terms of potential MLB players. Chips that are not being looked at today could have incredible value next year and beyond. Imagine what a 20 year old Flores could bring you in trade value?

Omar must open up the positions that need to be improved and not trade away the prospects that have not been graded fairly because they are young and play in the lower levels of the minors. We need flexibilty more than players. It is tough for a team with 150 million dollar payroll to concede a season but strategically, it is the best move the Mets can make. Freeing up dollars and keeping your top prospects only strengthens you in the long run in case you do decide to trade a Reyes next year, you have a more seasoned Flores to replace him, thats strength. If we start seeing these kids go for rentals and borderline stars, then we know that Minaya has no plan.

The next few weeks will prove what kind of GM and front office the Mets really have. They will either stick to their guns and make moves for the future or they will crumble under the pressure and try to cover their own asses with bogus trades that will cripple the farm. On the flip side, not trading Castillo, Schneider and Sheffield is just as bad because it doesn't change anything at all. Omar is in the bind of his career and his path will determine if his career in New York continues.

I am a die hard Met fan and I've had enough. Enough of this team, enough of sports radio and enough of some Met fans. It completely stinks to watch a Met game because the pressure these guys feel is so palpable that every play they don't make is a "microcosm" of the psyche of the team. Give me a friggin break already! Gary Cohen has to go out of his way now to dissect every missed pitch and every missed play to placate the talking heads and the suicidal Met fanbase and I'm sick of it. For two days now all I've read and heard is "fire Omar" and "break up the core." This is, in my mind, the worst case scenario for the Mets and Met fans.

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