Giants have their hands full with Cowboys

By Andy Targovnik  |   Wednesday, October 18, 2006  |  Comments( 6 )

New York Giants
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The New York Giants' early-season schedule has been brutal. It doesn't get any easier this Monday night when Big Blue travels to Dallas to take on the division-rival Dallas Cowboys, who may be the best all-around team the Giants have faced yet.

The Cowboys are 3-2 but easily could be 5-0. They have a talented offense and defense; one of the best punters in the NFL; the most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history; and one of the best head coaches in league history.

Thus, facing Dallas on national television will be no easy task. But make no mistake, the Giants can win the game. Here's how:

On offense: Throw deep early in the game
In both of their losses, the Cowboys were burned by big pass plays. Rookie free safety Pat Watkins has experienced trouble covering deep routes. So Eli Manning should try to get the ball to his arsenal of weapons like Plaxico Burress and Jeremy Shockey. Should they hit pay dirt, it may not only demoralize the Cowboys, but it will take a raucous crowd out of the game.

Throwing long will also loosen up the Cowboys' run defense.

True, Tiki Barber and the Giants are averaging an incredible 5.2 and 5.3 yards per carry, respectively, but they haven't faced this good a rushing defense all season. The Cowboys are ranked No. 1 in the NFL against the run, allowing only 67 yards a game on the ground. So getting the ball down field will keep the linebackers on their heels and deter Pro Bowl strong safety Roy Williams from lurking in the box to dish out his nasty hits on Barber and Brandon Jacobs.

On defense: Stop the run early and then blitz Bledsoe
The fact that the Giants sacked Michael Vick seven times with mainly just a four-man pass rush can't thrill Bill Parcells. As a result, the Cowboys will probably try to run early to keep the Giants' bookends out of Drew Bledsoe's face. So New York should keep an extra defender or two in the box.

With Terrell Owens finally adapting to the Dallas scheme, the team's offense has officially become scary. So how do you stop the Cowboys' aerial attack? Easy. Throw the kitchen sink at Bledsoe.

Remember, Owens and Terry Glenn can only hurt a defense if Bledsoe can get them the ball. There are two different Bledsoes: The one that has time to throw and the one that doesn't. If he has time, I don't care how good the secondary coverage is, he will complete passes. But if he gets pressured, it can get ugly. And the Giants don't have to worry about over-pursuing because unlike Michael Vick, Bledsoe is immobile. So the more rushers Big Blue sends after the 14-year veteran, the better.

It also might not hurt the Giants to take a look at some Tony Romo film, because if Bledsoe's happy feet start early, Parcells may go to his more mobile quarterback.

There you have it. Will it be easy? No. But nothing in the NFL ever is.

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CommentsComments: 6  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
T		08:13 AM
10/19/2006
I do believe that the Cowboys light will officially shine this Monday night. But it all depends on OUR QB if he can execute and ...
No.2
fr8ttrain		09:13 AM
10/19/2006
I love how every time Dallas beats a scrub everybody gets all happy like things are coming together. With that said the Cowboys ...
No.3
Wayne Dugger		07:22 PM
10/21/2006
Giants are over-rated, and the Cowboys are vastly under-rated. Cowboys will win this one and get stronger throughout the season. ...
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