AUTHOR: Anthony Fucilli TITLE: Giants and Jets have their work cut out for them DATE: 12/15/2006 09:52:00 AM ----- BODY:

The New York Giants are back to their winning ways. Confidence is obviously going in the right direction after a dominating performance in Carolina. But this week it will be a different story. Philadelphia’s defense, although they are really bad against the run, will have some healthy corners. They have Brian Dawkins back there and Jeremiah Trotter in the middle. Look for the defense to be a little more difficult to deal with for Eli Manning and company; however, the Giants' game plan shouldn’t waiver. They must come out early, they must establish a running game, they must run Tiki Barber and Brandon Jacobs up the middle of that defense and keep pounding until Philadelphia is put away. Once that happens then Manning can work his magic, the play-action passes to Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress. One thing Giants fans should keep an eye out for is the cornerback formerly known as William Peterson. He is now called William James, and hopefully he doesn’t turn into Jesse James in this game, a thief stealing the ball away from that Giant offense. That would be a big kick for Ernie Accorsi and company to have former defensive back William Peterson a.k.a William James come back and steal the show. He knows a little bit about the Giants' receivers and he knows a little bit about Eli Manning. But you can say the same thing about the Giants; their offense knows a little something about him. It should be an interesting matchup. One thing's for sure, the Giants are in position to get themselves back into the playoff hunt. They have to think bigger than the Wild Card. They have to think that hopefully the Cowboys stumble somewhere and they can put themselves back atop the NFC East. They must understand that there is going to be an angry Eagles team who remembers blowing a 24-7 lead to the Giants in Philadelphia, only to watch themselves lose. Also, you have to remember that ridiculous penalty in the wee moments of the fourth quarter by their defensive end Trent Cole. If not for that penalty, on a drop-kick to Kareem McKenzie, the Eagles probably would have held on with a victory. But the Giants know as well as any other team in the NFL that it is not over until it’s over. Just ask them about Vince Young and Tennessee. The Giants will be back in front of their fans, who I’m sure will be pumped up knowing what’s at stake. Anytime the Giants and Eagles get together it's usually an emotional, physical, competitive contest. And although Jeff Garcia is now the quarterback, very similar to what Donovan McNabb wants to do with the Eagles' offense, he wants to get out of the pocket and create havoc, he wants to get the ball down field and let the Eagles' receivers run under it. Also, Brian Westbrook usually gives the Giants fits whether it’s in the air or on the ground. So look for a game that I think the Giants will squeak out. But again, it will be a different story from the one in Carolina. This is one that the Giants will have to work at it and will have to work at it long into the fourth quarter, it maybe Jay Feely deciding this one.

---

TIME TO GET AGGRESSIVE As far as the New York Jets are concerned, if you want to talk playoffs and you want to go to the playoffs, eventually you will have to beat someone good. I understand that earlier in the season the Jets beat the New England Patriots, but this time they have to go to Minnesota, and that’s a difficult matchup for the Jets. If the Jets want to say that they are one of the elite teams in the AFC, then Eric Mangini and company must rebound. They must figure out a way of stopping the Vikings' running game and also turning over Brad Johnson. More importantly, the Jets have to figure out a way to somehow hold onto the ball against a team that is dominant against the run. They are ridiculous this year when it comes to holding opponents under 55 yards on the ground. So that means Chad Pennington and company will have to somehow victimize that Viking defense in the air, which is not that difficult to do. Will Chad be 'Erratic Chad' or will he be Chad Pennington bouncing back from a tough performance against the Buffalo Bills? Chad Pennington usually does bounce back and they usually have that short passing game that is very effective. But understand this, you can’t be one-dimensional in the National Football League and be successful, especially on the road in a hostile environment where it’s going to be loud and the 6-7 Vikings think that they have something to play for. Mangini got conservative last week. When it was fourth-and-inches on the 38, he decided to punt. And that, in the biggest game, is a mistake. Well now he is in the next biggest game of the season with a lot on the line. It’s time to be a gambler again. It's time to be aggressive because after this week the Jets may not have another chance.

----- --------