The Giants’ 5-0 start to the 2009 regular season seems almost as long ago as David Tyree’s catch. After going 3-8 to end the regular season last year, there are more questions than answers for Big Blue. Beyond knowing Eli Manning will start at quarterback, and Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw will be taking care of the running game, the Giants have some serious issues with the exit of Antonio Pierce and a defense that gave up 142 points in the final four games of the regular season.

If the Giants are going to bounce back from their very poor end to last season, it is going to start and end with their defense. Questions surround newly acquired cornerback Antrel Rolle, who came from a secondary in Arizona where he was a young talent mixed in with a much different bunch of guys than the Giants will surround him with. Both Kenny Phillips and Corey Webster will get some relief in the secondary with the addition of Rolle, but the front four will have to be the reason why this secondary succeeds next season. With the drafting of Jason Pierre-Paul, and hopefully getting a healthy Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka for all 16 games next season, the Giants’ defense should get back to their 2008 Super Bowl dominance.

This Giants defense will be extremely tested in the first week of the season, facing the Carolina Panthers’ running back duo of DeAnglo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, who helped Carolina beat the Giants 41-9 in the Giants’ last game at the Meadowlands, ending their playoff chances last season. The Giants’ defense will also have to face Peyton Manning’s Colts and Chris Johnson’s Titans in the first 3 weeks of the season, which is no small task with Peyton being a 2-time NFL MVP and Johnson breaking Marshall Faulks’ single season yards from scrimmage record last season. Looking at next seasons schedule, you quickly see the possible struggle ahead for this talented group, but what must be seen is the opportunity. With no division games until week 7 at the Dallas Cowboys (and a bye in week 8), the Giants have a chance to get a head start on the season and this time finish it the right way.

The Giants closed the gap in the NFC East with a 31-24 win over the Cowboys. The division is officially a three-team race with the Giants (7-5) lagging one game behind the division leading Cowboys (8-4) and Eagles (8-4). The G-Men have the opportunity to get atop the division next week when they host the Eagles and the Cowboys travel to San Diego.

The Giants defense stuffed the run, their offense made a couple of big plays, and their special teams made one spectacular punt return in the win over Dallas. Coming off an embarrassing loss to the Broncos on Thanksgiving, the Giants made a huge statement against their division rivals. Despite an impressive game by Cowboy’s quarterback Tony Romo (41-55, 392 yds and 3 TDs) and a late push to get within seven, the Giants were able to hold on in the Meadowlands.

Eli Manning connected with running back Brandon Jacobs in the third quarter for a 74-yard touchdown that put the Giants up 21-17 and they never looked back. The win was capped by a Domenik Hixon 79-yard punt return for a touchdown with a little over five minutes left in the fourth quarter.

In all likelihood, the NFC East will come down to the final week when the Cowboys host the Eagles and the Giants play the Vikings.

The Giants can see the NFC East slipping away and so could the entire nation on Thanksgiving. In the Giants’ Thanksgiving night loss to the Broncos, Kyle Orton outplayed Eli Manning, Knowshon Moreno outplayed Brandon Jacobs, Brandon Marshall outplayed Steve Smith and the Broncos’ defense outplayed the Giants’ defense. This added up to a 26-6 win for the Broncos.

Both teams have had similar seasons thus far starting the season on long win streaks and struggling since. The Broncos started out 6-0 before losing four straight games before this one. The Giants started out 5-0 and have since lost five of six including the loss on Thanksgiving.

“We’re a good football team,” Osi Umenyiora told the Associated Press. “We just played bad today. …From here on out, every game is a must-win.”

The Giants can’t afford to play “bad” anymore. Not with the Cowboys and Eagles in the division. The NFC East is the most competitive division in the NFL with the AFC North a close second. The Giants’ next two games are pivotal as they host the Cowboys and Eagles in back-to-back weeks. They can either remain in the division race or fall far behind.

At 6-5, the Giants are going to need to win at least three more games to have a shot at a playoff birth. Four wins would put them at 10-6, which may lock them into a wild card. Four wins won’t be easy. After the Cowboys and Eagles, the Giants have to play the Redskins, Panthers and Vikings. None of those opponents are going to lay down for the Giants.

The Giants and Saints play in New Orleans on Sunday in a battle of unbeatens. A lot of people are saying the Giants season starts now, but I don’t agree. The Giants season began week one against an NFL team (Redskins) and the season has continued through five weeks, all wins, against five NFL teams. No NFL team can be taken for granted because with that mentality, they’ll beat you. Several times we have seen a strong team looking over a weaker team, looking ahead to a bigger game, and lose to the weaker team. The Giants have worked hard, played through injuries, and it’s unfair to them to say their season starts now when they are off to a 5-0 start.

On to the game itself. Two of the top quarterbacks in the NFL will be on display in the Superdome. Eli Manning and Drew Brees look to lead their respective teams to 6-0. 

Eli Manning, who is originally from New Orleans, said, “I am excited about it. First time playing in the Superdome, ever, for any level of football. I am excited about getting the opportunity to play where my father spent most of his career, going to back to New Orleans and playing New Orleans, who is playing very well this year. Two undefeated teams. It should be a great atmosphere.”

As for X’s and O’s, the Giants defense should be able to shut down Brees, who started the season hot but has cooled down since. The Saints are having a very strong season running the ball unlike last season. They are averaging 166.2 yards per game on the ground, good for second in the NFL. Their offense can be tantalizing at times but the Giants defense is up for the challenge. The Jets defense did a real nice job handling the Saints and the Giants defense is more solid than the Jets defense. Offensively, Brandon Jacobs needs to find his game. Ahmad Bradshaw had looked more like the Giants number one back, but Jacobs still poses a threat. Defenses load the box when Jacobs is on the field, making it hard for him to get going. 

This could turn out to be a very entertaining game. Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. at the Superdome.

When the Giants and Cowboys take the field Sunday night in Dallas it will be a clash of two teams who truely hate eachother. All the analysis and expectations can be thrown out the window because when two bitter rivals come together, anything can happen. The Giants and Cowboys are in for a physical game that could be decided by one play. Key in on each team’s run defense. Whoever wins the battle in the trenches is going to win this football game. There are also some questions in the Giants’ secondary that could lead to a big game for Tony Romo.

Players on both sides have acknowledged that their is true hate between these two rivals. Guys like Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, Giants defensive end Justin Tuck, Cowboys receiver Patrick Crayton and Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware have all used the word “hate” this week when talking about their counterpart. It is common knowledge by all players on both sides that there is mutual hate between the Giants and Cowboys. We’ll see on Sunday how much these teams really hate eachother.

In week one, the Cowboys gave up 174 rushing yards to the Buccaneers. The Giants will look to pound the football on the ground Sunday night when Dallas opens their brand new $1.2 billion stadium. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw should give the Cowboys defense fits behind arguably the NFL’s best offensive line. Cowboys coach Wade Philips thinks his defense will fare better against the Giants’ running game than they did against Tampa’s running game.

Phillips said, “We know they want to run the ball and we know the plays they run. I think we’ll be able to recognize their plays a little quicker than Tampa’s. That will help a little bit.”

Brandon Jacobs has pure hatred toward the Cowboys and that will drive him on Sunday night. It’s not like the Cowboys don’t hate the Giants back though. The Giants are always looking to be the most physical team on the field every week and if the Cowboys can’t match the Giants’ physicality, it’s going to be a long night for the Cowboys’ defense and a big night for the Giants running backs.

Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora lead the Giants to a 23-17 win over the Redskins. Tuck recorded 1.5 sacks and Osi forced a fumble, recovered it and took it to the house for six points. Eli Manning hit 20 of 29 passes for 256 yards with a touchdown and interception. The Giants went up 17-0 in the second quarter and never looked back. 

It was a game we’ve come to expect from the Giants. They had great play out of the irdefense, Eli did enough to propel the offense, but what wasn’t normal was that they didn’t excel in the running game. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw combined for 106 yards on 28 carries. 

Manning hit Mario Manningham for a 30 yard touchdown down the right sideline in the second quarter that highlighted the Giants day on offense. Steve Smith caught six passes for 80 yards and Kevin Boss caught three for 62 yards. Eli spread the ball out, completing passes to seven different players.

The Giants go on the road for the next three weeks playing at Dallas, at Tampa Bay and at Kansas City. All are winnable games. With Osi back at full strength, the Giants defense is poised for a big season.

The earth will quake when the Giants play on Sundays.  Behind arguably the best offensive line in the NFL, the Giants are going to run the ball down their opponents throat.  Danny Ware should fit nicely in the third running back spot that Derrick Ward filled last year and we can expect Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw to have similar seasons this season as they did last season.  If the Giants first preseason game was any indication of how well the Giants are going to run the ball this season then the Giants are well on their way to a playoff birth and division title.

The New York Giants ended their 2008 campaign with a 23-11 loss to the Eagles in the Divisional round of the playoffs.  They won the NFC East with a 12-4 record and were the top seed in the playoffs.

Offense:  The Giants retained running back Brandon Jacobs and have Ahmad Bradshaw as his backup.  They did not retain  third string running back Derrick Ward.  Without veteran receivers like Burress and Toomer, the running game will be much more important this season.  Both Jacobs and Bradshaw rushed for over 1,000 yards each last season and will need to do the same in 2009.  Eli Manning will be throwing to young receivers like Steve Smith, Domenik Hixon and first round pick Hakeem Nicks.  The receiving corps is weakest part of the offense.  I could see rookie Hakeem Nicks playing a big role in the offense.

Defense:  The Giants lost their defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, to the Rams and replaced him with linebackers coach, Bill Sheridan.  The defensive scheme will remain very similar although there will be some new faces on the field.  The Giants dove into the free agency pool over the offseason and signed linebacker Michael Boley (who will be suspended for the first game), defensive tackle Rocky Bernard, and defensive end Chris Canty.  The front seven looks as strong as ever and they have great depth on the line as well.

Overall:  The Giants have a stout defense and an offense that will need to run the ball and wear down opponents.  Inexperience at the receiver position may be the only downfall and hopefully will not hurt them too much this season.  The Giants will play the AFC West and I think they will match up well against those teams.

Prediction:  I think the Giants will go 11-5 (losses to Dallas, Philly, Atlanta, New Orleans or Arizona, and Minnesota) and win the NFC East.