I'm trying to get back in the swing of regular scheduled postings that have slipped the last few weeks for various reasons. One item we missed was 5 Questions. Well, it's back as you can see below. Also, I do plan to have a Scouting Report up today or Saturday.
For 5 Questions this week, I talked to ETVal over at Big Blue View and he sent me the following responses. Enjoy!
Blogging The Boys: Since we last saw the Giants win the Super Bowl, has anything changed about the team this year that the casual NFL fan may not have observed?
Big Blue View: I think the thing that has changed is this team's core belief in itself. They are still a team that is not always pretty, not always perfect. Yet, they have a belief that if they stick to their plan, stick with each other, that things will work out. They have won two games this season -- in overtime against Cincinnati and last week against Pittsburgh -- I believe they would have lost before last year's Super Bowl run. And they won them mostly because they believed that they were supposed to.
BTB: We have a WR who gets a lot of negative attention in the press. I see that you guys have one, too. Give us the truth about Plaxico Burress.
BBV: Ha-ha! I have taken to calling him 'Distrac-Tico.' I believe that 5-year contract he just signed with the Giants isn't worth the paper it's printed on. No way he finishes it as a Giant. As for this year, I am just hoping they can get him to play hard and quit the nonsense for three more months. This team can go back to the Super Bowl, but Plax will need to make some plays at some point for that to happen.
BTB: When I think of the Giants I think of the pass rush. Is that still the case? Are they producing up to expectations even with Osi out?
BBV: Yes, they are. Justin Tuck is playing extremely well, and Mathias Kiwanuka (back at DE now) had three sacks last week. He is healthy, and seems to have settled in at the end slot. Fred Robbins is playing well at defensive tackle and, as always, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo dials up pressure from everywhere. Against Pittsburgh the Giants blitzed Ben Roethlisberger like crazy the final two times Pittsburgh had the ball -- situations where most defensive coordinators would have rushed three and played coverage. I loved it!
BTB: Good Eli and Bad Eli? We hear about that all the time. What happens when he goes bad and is it caused by the opposing defense or is it self-inflicted?
BBV: When Eli goes bad the ball is off target, simple as that. And it's usually off target by a lot. Sometimes it is self inflicted, but you can get him to make mistakes if you can flush him and get him to move around. The Giants offensive line has been rock solid, though. I'm not sure he even got hit last week against the Steelers, who have a great pass rush. We are seeing less and less of the Bad Eli, as his career-high completion percentage (61.4) will tell you.
BTB: Give it to me straight, do you think the Giants are going to roll over the Cowboys on Sunday?
BBV: On paper, they should. I am not counting on that, though. It's Giants-Cowboys, no love lost, no holds barred. The Cowboys are pretty desperate right now, and I expect them to play that way. I have a lot of respect for the talent they have, injuries or no injuries. This will be a close game, but unless the Giants beat themselves with turnovers I don't see how the Cowboys can score enough points to win it.