It’s Hump Day. Lots of blame to go around as of late, but at least the ball hasn’t been turned over yet. Progress.
Eli’s Gonna Keep Chucking It: As the Giants find themselves already in must-win territory, the Big Blue got themselves a big break going into their game on Sunday in Carolina. With Carolina’s best defensive player Charles Godfrey being done for the rest of the season due to a torn Achilles tendon, if there’s any time for Manning to get himself on track, this is the week.
With Justin Tuck wondering if Manning is pressing due to the virtually non-existent running game, now is the time for the Giants offense to keep from making their own collective lives miserable.
But this feels like a game where Eli can do what he does best. The yards have been there. Now if he can only keep the ball out of the wrong hands…
This is Obvious, but the D Needs to Help: If Tuck is going to wonder aloud about Eli’s mental state, then the defense needs to show up. Granted, there has been pure bad luck mixed into the simple bad play, so the blame can’t be placed entirely on them.
But it doesn’t erase how bad they’ve been, so let’s call it wash. Most still believe that the Giants are a better team than the Panthers, but it’s up to them to prove it.
It’s Time for Wilson to Pick it Up: The stay in Tom Coughlin’s proverbial doghouse could be fairly short, simply because the Giants have no other choice. With Brandon Jacobs picking up a goal-line touchdown that felt more like a nice little story and little else. Super-Glue the ball to Wilson’s bicep. Open a hole and let the guy run. Watch him to some stupidly athletic things.
The Kerry Rhodes Thing: The Giants brought the longtime safety in for a tryout yesterday, but it seemed as if nothing came of it. Rhodes believes he’s being blackballed due to rumors of his sexual orientation. All of this should be largely meaningless, because the Giants could use a guy like him. They need playmakers right now, and with Terrell Thomas making the move to safety, Giants fans still fear for the health of his knees. Rhodes would’ve been a nice veteran complement to the back end in a role similar to what former Giant Dion Grant held. Hopefully, Rhodes is still on the short list if help is needed.
Final Word: It’s time for the Giants to stop hitting the snooze button. The Panthers are a team seemingly stuck in eternal mediocrity, so this is a good time for the Giants to get their bearings. The Panthers will likely put up some points, but if if the Giants can just wait him out, Cam Newton will make a mistake that will swing the game back into the Giants favor. This week, they snap out of their early-season malaise, 27-17.
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