Brandon Jacobs: The Thunder He Brings

The Giants have been on a slight decline as of late but I think for the most part it’s something they needed.  

I mean, who really wants to make the playoffs with only one loss while feeling invincible? When you review the last two games—ones in which Brandon Jacobs has seen little to no action—you really get an idea of how good this football team really is.  

When we took the field at the Meadowlands against the Eagles, we had the pleasure of the watching Big Blue play their worst game all year. The outcome? A six-point loss. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but when most people talk about a club's worst loss all season, it usually is a three-touchdown defeat, not a loss by only six points.  

How about the beat-down in Big D? I mean, that was just horrible. No Brandon Jacobs, no protection of Eli Manning. He looked like a rag doll out there getting chewed out by the pit bull you used to avoid on the walk home. Instead of looking at this from a glance, let’s take a closer look at Brandon Jacobs and what he brings to the table.  

How much of the Giants' current slump can be attributed to the health of Jacobs?

Let's put it this way: With Plaxico Burress in the lineup, there was always a safety over the top, which meant not one in the box against Jacobs. Without Plaxico Burress in the lineup, teams can throw an extra man in there, to stop the beast that is No. 27.  

Without Plaxico Burress and Brandon Jacobs, we get to see eight men in the box, with every single one of them rushing towards Eli Manning. A prime example of this is the box score from Sunday night's slobber.

While the entire blame can’t be attributed to only one player, it definitely has changed the way that teams line up against the Giants.

If Brandon Jacobs is unable to go on Sunday, what changes will Big Blue have to make?

While it looks like Jacobs will be ready to go, it still is important to wrap our minds around the changes our offense will have to make. Personally, I live in Maine and we are expecting a Nor’easter that day. Now I’m not sure what images just ran through your mind, but Brandon Jacobs crushing people just ran through mine.

Without Jacobs there, and the weather as terrible as it sounds, it would be an extremely difficult day on the young shoulders of Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw.

Taking an extreme approach here, if the weather is decent, but we still lack Jacobs, then the best idea I can muster is to play Ward in every single formation.

Let me explain. Young wide outs Sinorice Moss, Mario Manningham, and Steve "Mr. Third Down" Smith are all less than six feet tall. Sounds like the perfect day to use Ward as a decoy to draw an LB out. Send Hixon on medium to long routes and voila! The middle of the field is now open to a bunch of slants. Just saying.

What's more important: Jacobs playing on Sunday and giving us a greater chance to get the No. 1 seed, or being healthy for the playoffs?

This one is a no-brainer in my opinion.

Look at it this way: Let's eliminate the "what if" game about Jacobs playing and getting re-injured. It could happen on any given Sunday.

So let’s say Brandon Jacobs plays this Sunday and the Giants are not victorious. He got his feet back under him, and remembered how it felt to get pounded.

How about Jacobs doesn't play? We win the game, then that's awesome. Or is it? Jacobs certainly wouldn't play against the "Williams Wall" in Minnesota the following week because the game would hold no value.

The Giants then have a bye the following week in the playoffs. You know what that means? When Big Blue takes the field for the division game, we would be starting a runningback who hadn't taken a hit in around a month. No thanks.

How about Jacobs playing and we win? Best case scenario right here. Jacobs gets his momentum back AND earns himself two weeks off. A win-win situation by far.

Written, edited, and developed by Travis Rand, NYG Bleacher Reporter