GEICO Week in New York: Sept. 28-Oct. 4

Oh the difference a week can make in sports.

Last week around this time, Mets fans were panicking after a 2-4 week against the Marlins and Yankees. The Nationals had won six of seven and were lurking six games back in the NL East. Two weeks is rarely enough to make up that kind of ground, but Mets fans had seen this script before.

Fast forward a week later, and New York is coming off a four-game sweep of the Reds which saw their bats wake up to the tune of 36 runs in four games. The hitter-friendly environment of Great American Ballpark and the hitter-friendly quality of the Reds' pitching staff didn't hurt matters, but the Mets have their swagger back after clinching the NL East with a 10-2 win Saturday. Even with most of their regulars resting Sunday, the Mets completed the sweep with an 8-1 victory, all while the Nationals won just once and watched Jonathan Papelbon attack Bryce Harper in the dugout.

The Mets weren't the only New York team to watch their fortunes flip in the span of just seven days. The Giants sat in an 0-2 hole after blowing their second consecutive fourth-quarter lead with a key division game against the Redskins on Thursday night. In a typical Thursday Night Football slopfest, the Giants built an early lead on their way to a 32-21 victory. Just a week after sitting two games back of Dallas in the NFC East with fans wondering if they could avoid an 0-3 start, New York is just a game back of the division lead with the division's best quarterback.

The Jets were riding high after a big Monday night win over the Colts, but came back to Earth in a big way Sunday against the wounded Eagles. Philadelphia had struggled to run the ball through two games, but DeMarco's Murray injury opened the door for Ryan Mathews to shine. The Eagles gashed the perimeter of the Jets' defense on the ground and found themselves with a 24-0 lead late in the second quarter. Ryan Fitzpatrick couldn't lead the Jets to a comeback, and a team that had high aspirations after two weeks was sent back to the drawing board.

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Should the Giants have kept Coughlin?

In a word: Yes. In more than one word: Only if they didn't think they could get Bill Cowher.

Tom Coughlin is not a bad football coach. He had four winning seasons in eight years with the expansion Jaguars and has four in seven seasons with the Giants, not including two 8-8 years. And while all the wins from his 4-3 playoff record in New York came during the Giants' 2007 Super Bowl run, he did win the big one on the biggest stage against one of the best teams in NFL history.

Coughlin is 133-107 in his 15-year career (.554 winning percentage) and his players still respond to him. The Giants could have collapsed in Week 17 after losing control of their own destiny for the NFC's second seed and then for a playoff spot, but they came out to play and if Chicago had beaten Green Bay, the Giants would be in and no one would be questioning Coughlin's job.

Granted you can look at the second half of the last two seasons and see noticeable collapses. But is the coach ALWAYS to blame when their team underperforms at the end of a season? This year the Giants were snakebitten by injuries and last season, well, there's really no excusing last season's stumble.

If New York fired Coughlin, who would they have hired that would've been an upgrade? The only name that comes to mind is Bill Cowher, who has been considering a return to coaching for years and would likely only come back to a team with an established quarterback. And as much as I hate Eli Manning, he is a capable NFL starter.

Cowher also is close with the Mara family and was supposedly in the running to be New York's next head coach before Coughlin won Super Bowl XLII. Former Steeler Jerome Bettis, who played under Cowher, even went as far as saying that Cowher would definitely be the next Giants coach whenever Coughlin is ousted.

But as long as Coughlin maintains the respect of his players and gets them to play hard for him every week he should remain the Giants' coach. This is especially true since they can wait on Cowher, who seems to be in no rush to return to the sidelines. After all, was it Coughlin who threw an NFL-high 25 interceptions this season? No, that was Manning.

Was it Coughlin who also led the league in fumbles with 17? No, that was due in large part to Ahmad Bradshaw and others. Sure, coaches can teach ball security and turnovers and penalties are generally a reflection of a lack of discipline, but watching this team on the field every week makes it hard to pin all of their issues on Coughlin.

About one-third of Manning's interceptions were dropped passes by his receivers and an offseason of work should teach Bradshaw how to protect the football after a breakout 2010 season.

All in all, I think the Giants were right to retain Coughlin. The NFC East will be tough again next season with Tony Romo returning to the Cowboys and possibly Michael Vick re-signing with the Eagles. Either way it looks to be a three-team race and one of the most difficult things to do in the NFL is maintain chemistry under a new coaching staff with a new philosophy.

In most other seasons, the Giants' 10-6 record gets them to the playoffs. Just not 2010. But that doesn't mean that Tom Coughlin shouldn't be back for 2011.

Jets back in, Giants back out?

This just in: A strong-armed quarterback plus two of the league's fastest receivers beats man coverage. At least that's what the Bears were able to do against the Jets on Sunday.

The Jets pressured Jay Cutler into an early pick-six but from then on it was all Cutler to Johnny Knox and Devin Hester, who consistently got downfield behind the Jets secondary for three touchdowns (2 from Knox, 1 from Hester). Few people expected a shootout between two teams with good defenses and the potential to struggle offensively, but based on the matchups it shouldn't have been too surprising.

I discussed why the Bears were able to rack up the points (not to mention Matt Forte had a field day on the ground) but Chicago's defense generally allows teams to throw downfield, something Jets fans know is a better fit for Mark Sanchez than a team that only allows the underneath stuff. Even with a supposedly sore shoulder, Sanchez had one of his better games of the season (24-37, 269 yards, TD, INT) and was an impressive 13-for-15 in the first half.

That interception was a killer though, as it shut down a potential game-winning drive from the Jets. Sanchez was unable to recognize the Bears' Cover 3 and his pump fake did nothing to freeze safety Chris Harris, who jumped in front of Santonio Holmes to seal the game. If Harris isn't there, the Jets take a 41-38 lead and might have clinched a playoff spot themselves.

Instead, they had to rely on a Redskins victory over the Jaguars to get in by default. And while that should allow the Jets to rest guys like the aging LaDainian Tomlinson and possibly the injured Mark Sanchez and Santonio Holmes, I'm sure Rex Ryan and company would rather have gotten in with a win.

Speaking of Ryan, a questionable coaching move probably cost the Jets the game. A fake punt on fourth-and-three from his own 40 resulted in a dropped pass and a Bears touchdown on the next play, while kicking to Devin Hester on the next possession led to a 38-yard return and a 25-yard touchdown to Hester a few plays later.

But the Jets are in and that's really all that matters. The AFC playoffs are set except for the AFC South, but the Colts are in complete control there after Jacksonville's second straight loss. The Giants, on the other hand, need lots of help after their turnover-filled 45-17 loss to Green Bay.

Four Eli Manning interceptions proved that he really does miss Steve Smith and a fumble each from Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs doomed the Giants against Aaron Rodgers, who threw for 404 yards and 4 touchdowns to put Green Bay in the driver's seat for the final Wild Card spot.

There really isn't too much more to say about that game, but possibilities still exist for the Giants to make the playoffs. If they beat the Redskins and the Packers lose to the Bears, they're in. If they win and the Saints lose to the Falcons tonight and the Bucs next week, they're in.

Right now New Orleans (even with a loss tonight) and Green Bay control their own Wild Card destinies. But both have tough matchups next weekend, much tougher than New York's. It's not all over just yet for the Giants and all they really need to do to beat a Rex Grossman-led Washington team is limit turnovers. Take care of the football and your talent will win out. Too bad it may not be enough for the team that many considered the league's best after a 6-2 start.

Vick comes back in spectacular fashion as Giants fold late

I would've been sitting pretty as a Giants fan, up 31-10 with about eight minutes to play. There is only one quarterback who could have engineered an Eagles comeback yesterday and it just happens to be the man who was under center for Philadelphia.

Using his arm, legs and some poor Giants coaching and execution to his advantage, Michael Vick single-handedly brought the Eagles back from a sure loss to win in regulation thanks to Matt Dodge failing to kick away from DeSean Jackson. But he had other help too.

Brent Celek made an appearance catching a beautiful deep ball from Vick, but Kenny Phillips whiffed on the ball instead of playing to make the tackle and allowed Celek to tack on another 30 yards and a touchdown and with time being the one major factor playing against the Eagles, they scored in two plays.

Vick would scramble three times for 20-plus yards over the next two drives, running one in himself from four yards out and hitting Jeremy Maclin on a short curl for a touchdown. Where Terrell Thomas was playing Maclin nobody will ever know, as he was on the goalline with Maclin at the five, allowing him to catch and make an unbeatable move to the inside to clear a path to the endzone. You can't give a player as quick as Maclin that much room and give yourself a chance.

Just when you figure the game is going to overtime, the Giants were stopped on their next drive and had to punt with 14 seconds left. Rookie punter Matt Dodge, instructed by coach Tom Coughlin to kick out of bounds, didn't and Jackson made the Giants pay.

Jackson bobbled the punt, which was probably the best thing he could have done. The Giants coverage team lost their lanes and Jackson used the best acceleration I've seen in the NFL in a long time to break free and sprint down the sidelines almost untouched for the winning touchdown as time expired.

All the positive things the Giants were about to take from their big divisional win went out the window. It doesn't matter that they held Vick to 21 passing yards in the first half. Or that Eli Manning threw 4 touchdowns and looked comfortable even without Steve Smith. The Eagles magic number is now down to one thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker; one Philadelphia win and one New York loss and the Giants only path to the playoff is through the Wild Card and a guaranteed first-round road game.

The Giants outplayed the Eagles badly for over 50 minutes, but the Eagles have the league's best quick-strike offense thanks to Vick, who added to his MVP candidacy in leading this comeback. Speaking of Vick, it's time to look at what this man has done.

From a lazy player who took his immense talent for granted to sitting in jail not knowing when or if he would play again to using a Kevin Kolb injury to propel himself back into the spotlight, it sure has been a journey for Michael Vick. And while I am a dog lover I'm also a firm believer in second chances and I've been all about Vick's from the start.

To paraphrase something I heard Vick say earlier this week, he wants a dog himself as part of the "rehabilitation process." Vick wants to be a role model for kids but he understands his path and how people can learn from it. He wants to be looked up to as somebody who "rose to the top, failed dramatically, then rose again."

This is a contrite man who knows he made a huge mistake and that quote shows he recognizes this. Am I forgiving his behavior...no! What he did was terrible and it will always be in the back of my mind whenever I watch him play. But what will be at the forefront of my mind at the same time is the beauty of watching what happens when once-in-a-lifetime talent meets work ethic and that was on display yesterday.

We all make mistakes, some on a larger scale than others. And since being put in jail, Vick has done everything he was supposed to. He lost all of his money, did his time and returned to the league humbled and ready to prove he could still play. He has been a model citizen and until that changes, I will continue to root for the man and his second chance.

And I will also continue to root for an Eagles-Falcons NFC Championship game. The owner and team that Vick essentially screwed versus the player and person they thought they were drafted nine years ago. This saga has honestly turned from a terrible story into one of redemption. And wouldn't beating Atlanta to get to the Super Bowl be the ultimate redemption?

Giants ride the ground game to dispose of Vikings

So this is what "ground and pound" is supposed to look like, huh? (take notes Brian Schottenheimer) That's two straight weeks where both Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw have rushed for over 100 yards, this time against the Williams Wall and a top-five run defense.

The Giants run game is jelling at the right time, especially considering their struggles in the passing game. Hakeem Nicks returned this week with a solid 7-catch, 96-yard line but Steve Smith struggled in his first action since Week 9, catching just one pass for 12 yards before leaving with a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter.

It's obvious that Smith is essential to the success of Eli Manning, who is still burdened by poor throws and poor decision-making. Since the start of last season, Smith has served as Manning's Mr. Reliable and without him, Manning really does look lost at times. Nicks' healthy return gives him a big-play threat, but not a sure-handed guy he can trust on third down. That's Smith.

There were questions heading into this game about whether New York was rushing their receivers back and in Smith's case, maybe they did. Obviously a hamstring injury has no correlation to his previous chest injury, but his availability for the Giants' most important game of the season to date, this week against Philadelphia, is now up in the air. If he was rested this week, he'd be ready for sure. But hindsight is 20-20.

The Giants defense rendered the Vikings offense essentially useless with Brett Favre breaking his streak of 297 consecutive starts. Tarvaris Jackson looksed lost on every play and without much of a passing threat, Adrian Peterson had no holes to run through against the Giants defensive front. Minnesota had just 164 total yards for the game.

As for what to expect against the Eagles, I see no reason why the Giants won't continue to pound the run successfully. They had just 61 yards on 19 carries the last time these two teams played and you can be sure they will make a point to establish the run early, especially if Smith can't go. The Eagles have a good run defense but it's no better than Minnesota's and the Giants are coming off of two straight 200-plus-yard weeks on the ground.

If the Giants come out running the ball well and can keep Michael Vick off the field, I like their chances at home. They contained Vick in the last meeting; his 34 rushing yards were his second-fewest since his return from injury and he didn't pass for a touchdown.

It's a tall task to ask this defense, no matter how good it is, to contain Vick once again but if they do, there's no reason to think they can't win this game and pull ahead in the NFC East with two games left. Keep Vick in check, establish a strong rushing attack and limit turnovers (looking at you, Eli) and the Giants should come out with a win. But if they only do one or two of those things, I think Philly has a great chance to sweep the season series and essentially clinch the NFC East.

What a difference two weeks makes, right Giants fans?

Four weeks ago: The New York Football Giants were riding high after five straight wins, which included just one over a team with a record over .500. But there they were, the best and most complete team in the NFL and a Super Bowl favorite.

Two weeks later: Following a terrible loss to a newly-inspired Dallas team and a tough loss at divisional rival Philadelphia, the bloom was off the Giants' rose. They were on the outside looking in to the playoff picture and without their top two wide receivers, many thought this was the beginning of the end.

Today: An ugly season-saving win against Jacksonville (I'm not hating, just proving a point that a win's a win) and a blowout of a Redskins team that isn't as good as its 5-7 record have the Giants tied for the division lead at 8-4 with the Eagles and for the NFC's final Wild Card spot with Green Bay. With Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks hoping to return for this week' game at Minnesota, things are looking up for the Giants.

One of my major themes of this year's NFL season has been hating on fans who overreact to one week of football. The Jets are tied for the league's best record right now at 9-2 but after an ugly opening-week loss to the Ravens, they were the most over-hyped Super Bowl contender ever. Their quarterback was garbage and in today's NFL, no team could compete for a title without a great (or even average) quarterback.

Fast forward to eleven weeks later. The Jets have won nine of 10, many of them due to the great clutch play of their terrible quarterback, Mark Sanchez. Since Week 1, Sanchez has been great and has turned from the player many thought would hold this team back into a player that looks like he can lead the team to wins when other facets fail.

Back to the Giants though. They won't run for 200 yards every week but they won't need to with their receivers getting healthy again. Eli Manning has been more caretaker than playmaker the last two weeks, but this short stretch should help him and the offense once they're completely healthy.

The best news for Giants fans? With games left against the Eagles and Packers, they control their own destiny in terms of playoff positioning. All is not lost yet for the G-Men and it's looking more and more like one of these three deserving teams will miss the playoffs. The funny part is that all three can also still make moves on the second seed and a first-round bye. It's going to be a fun final four weeks in the NFC; much more so than the AFC.

Giants slip past Dallas in scintillating fashion

As the final four seconds ticked away at Cowboys Stadium on Sunday night, the NFL-record crowd of 105,121 fell silent. The massive arena’s abrupt shift from raucous to taciturn was brought upon by Lawrence Tynes’ 37-yard field goal as time expired, which gave the New York Giants a thrilling 33-31 victory in the first regular season game at Dallas’ palatial new digs.

Much was made of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ lavish, Texas-sized $1.15 billion stadium, much of which was paid for out of his own pocket. Unfortunately, the Cowboys themselves couldn’t come close to matching the excellence of the stadium in which they played, turning the ball over four times in a decidedly-sloppy performance. That the game was only decided by two points was a testament to the Giants’ continuing red zone woes – New York could have handily beaten the Cowboys on this night.

The Giants managed zero touchdowns in a whopping five trips inside the Dallas 20, whereas the Cowboys were a perfect 4-for-4 in red zone situations. This red zone disparity was certainly the mitigating factor in the game’s closeness, and raised some serious red flags for the Giants going forward.

However, New York’s red zone troubles by no means overshadowed the many bright spots of the game.

The Giants’ 2008 first-round choice Kenny Phillips intercepted two passes and made several touchdown-saving tackles as the last line of defense against an overpowering Dallas rushing attack. On one of the interceptions, Phillips was robbed of a pick-six after catching a bizarre deflection off of Cowboys tight end Jason Witten’s foot – the official erroneously ruled the play incomplete, but it was overturned by video replay.

On offense, Eli Manning turned in one of the most impressive performances of his career, throwing for 330 yards on a night when the New York running game was suffocated. The defining drive came at the end of the game, when the always-cool quarterback marched the Giants out of a first-and-20 hole and into position for the game-winning field goal.

Sharing in Eli’s highlight reel performance was the young-receiver tandem of Steve Smith and Mario Manningham, who, in combining for 20 catches, 284 yards and two touchdowns, put to rest any uncertainty in the 2009 Giants receiving corps. Manningham, in particular, demonstrated that he still has all of the big-play ability that he became known for at Michigan. (An aside: “Manning to Manningham” is too good of a catch-phrase to NOT work, right?)

The bruised New York secondary performed admirably against the previously-vaunted Dallas air game, picking off three Tony Romo passes despite playing without starting cornerback Aaron Ross and dime back Kevin Dockery.

Despite this, the Cowboys exposed a troubling weakness in this year’s Giants: The pathetic ground effort on both sides of the ball. New York, which built a reputation as one of the best rushing teams in the NFL, appeared overmatched at the line of scrimmage throughout Sunday’s contest. Brandon Jacobs couldn’t even manage enough of a head-start to break most tackles, and Dallas’ duo of Marion Barber III and Felix Jones slashed through gaping holes all night as the Giants’ supposedly-dominant front seven was instead dominated by the Cowboys’ O-line.

It was a resounding victory for Big Blue, given the environment in which they played. However, enough red flags were raised that fans’ hopes should be tempered in the coming weeks. Knowing the coaching style of Tom Coughlin, it’s going to be a long week of practice for the victorious G-Men.