My first NFL post

I used to play football once upon a time, but since NYU has no team, I've channeled all my repressed energy into the NFL. I'm trying to get into sports writing a little more, so here's my first shot at an NFL post. I'll start with my own team: the New York Giants.

My boys just lost their second straight, which is what tends to happen when you fall asleep on the field in the 3rd quarter against a Super Bowl team from the previous year. Goodness gracious. I can see losing to the Saints, who will be in the Super Bowl barring an act of God or a hit on Drew Brees (my realistic pick for the Super Bowl right now is Saints/Colts). That team is unquestionably legit and is as close to the '07 Patriots as we're going to get this season. But the Cardinals? Certainly beatable, although nobody expected a cakewalk. This was a statement game for New York and they came out swinging early. But after a lethargic 3rd quarter it took the Giants too long to get their mojo back and the rust cost them two turnovers: one on Ahmad Bradshaw's fumble and the last on Eli Manning's pick in the final minutes, both of which came during important, and up till then, textbook, drives. Big Blue has the Eagles next week, a game that has me nervous to no end. On the one hand, Philly did just drop one to Oakland. But on the other hand, the Eagles knocked off the Giants in the playoffs last year, AND they hate the Giants to begin with, AND the NFC East is in kind of a tailspin right now, so the teams in it are going to be scrambling against each other to determine who's top dog. I'll never give up on my G-Men, but they've got more questions than answers at this point; they've got some tough games coming up that will show their true colors. This is still a playoff team, but they coasted for too long on gimme games and they need to get used to earning their wins again. I see a good, not great finish and a likely shot at the wild card spot and conference title, provided the next few games go well.

In other NFL news, Brett Favre finally got knocked off his 6-0 pedestal by the Steelers, who I had pegged as too inconsistent to slow down the stampeeding Vikings. Shows what I know. Favre goes to Lambeau next week to play Green Bay, a game even people who hate football might tune in to watch. Peyton Manning and the Colts devoured St. Louis 46-6, but Peyton did NOT throw his 6th consecutive 300-yarder, which analysts and talking heads are pegging as an act of mercy. But...the Rams still lost by 40, so I'm not sure if they'd exactly agree right now.

The Bengals destroyed the Bears in Cedric Benson's revenge game, and the Cowboys dominated Atlanta in Tony Romo's vindication game. The Patriots also murdered the Bucs in London, which is just what happens when Bill Belichick loses to his division rivals and former underling within 3 weeks: he hits the kill switch hard.

Speaking of which, Denver has a bye and the Jets beat up on Oakland, who finally switched quarterbacks to minimal effect (kudos to JaMarcus Russell for keeping his hat on and not sitting on the bench. If nothing else, he is certainly a professional with a lot of heart - it takes a lot of heart to get thumped on live TV and in the press week after week and still show up for more beatings). Mark Sanchez needed a pick-me-up game, and I'm sure the win feels good for a New York team that just dropped 3 in a row, but as any Giants fan can tell you, crushing the Raiders does little to prepare you for competitive games.