New York Giants: Time to Play Some Real NFL Teams

The New York Giants have had one of the easiest schedules to start the year and, of no surprise to anyone, are 5-0.

The Cowboys game could have been a speed bump in an otherwise smooth five-week ride, but they proved the only reason that game was close was a result of the emotions associated with the new stadium opening.

The Giants have taken care of business against three bottom feeders since then, outscoring their opponents 95-23 (including one shutout).  For those counting, the scores were a combined 78-10 after three quarters in those games.

In that span, they also held all three opponents to under 200 yards and have the league's No. 1 defense.

Let's think about this for a moment.

The New York Giants have had injuries to Aaron Ross, Chris Canty, Kevin Dockery, Clint Sintim, Michael Boley, Brian Kehl, Kenny Philips, Jay Alford, and Justin Tuck.

By my count, that is five starters and two players (Dockery and Alford) who were expected to see starter minutes, and yet they are still No. 1.

Honestly, this probably has to do with the fact that they have faced four inept offensive teams, but the way they have dominated those teams is still impressive.

It looked like the Bucs, Chiefs, and Raiders didn't even deserve to be in the NFL when they played Big Blue.

Let's be honest—if the NFL were like the English Premier League (soccer), these teams probably wouldn't be in the NFL.

You see, in the Premier League, after every season, they take the bottom three teams from the table (standings) and demote them to the Coca-Cola league (like the D-League in NBA), and promote the top three teams from the Coca Cola league to the Premier League.

That is something interesting to consider eventually adopting in the NFL, but I get the feeling it would never happen.

Sorry I had to make a soccer reference, I realize I may have lost several readers at that point...

The Giants have been the model of depth in the NFL this season.  No matter what, when one guy goes down, the next guy in line steps in, and the team does not miss a beat.

This speaks to the incredible ability of the coaching staff as a whole.  To be able to have 53 guys ready to play at such a high level is unprecedented—and refreshing, to say the least.

Going into this season, there were question marks about the linebacker and wide receiver positions.  The players at those respective positions have answered those questions emphatically and have this team and its fans thinking Super Bowl.

Why not?  The last time the Giants started a season 5-0 was in 1990, the year Parcells took home his second Lombardi trophy.

The individual player statistics are the best I've ever seen so far:

• Eli Manning is No. 2 in the NFL with a 111.7 QB rating and No. 2 with 10 touchdowns
• Steve Smith leads the league with 37 receptions, 481 yards, and is tied for first with four touchdowns.  He also is No. 2 with 25 first down catches.
  
• Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs are No. 5 and No. 9 in the league in rushing.
• Mario Manningham leads the league with eight catches of 20+ yards.
• Lawrence Tynes leads the NFL in scoring.

You'd be hard pressed to find better numbers than these.

The statistics for the team are staggering:

• No. 2 in Total Offense
• No. 9 in Pass Offense
• No. 4 in Rush Offense
• No. 4 in Points Per Game (No. 1 in points differential)
  
• No. 1 in Total Defense (They even have fewer yards allowed than the Eagles, Saints, Jets, Dolphins, Chargers, Packers, Bears, Cardinals, Panthers, and Falcons—all of whom have played one less games than the Giants.)
• No. 2 Points Per Game Allowed
• No. 1 in Pass Defense
• No. 16 in Rush Defense

So, basically, they are in the top ten in every major category except rush defense.  That category is inflated by the 251 yards they allowed when Justin Tuck was injured against the Cowboys.

The Giants have all the makings of a Super Bowl team, but the rest of the schedule will make or break the season.

Nine of the final 11 games are against teams with .500 records or better (two are 2-2).  The two games not in that category are at Washington and Carolina, who are anything but pushovers.

The team is looking forward to their matchup with New Orleans this week, when they will finally be tested against one of the NFL's elite teams.  The defense will be tested for sure, but it is safe to say they are up to the task.