Hey Cowboys fans. I am crashing your board.
So I was looking through some threads here to see what some of you guys are saying, and I couldn't help but notice what some of you guys are saying about the Giants.
It seems as if a lot of you guys are hoping the Plaxico situation will be a constant distraction for the Giants and really hurt them. I don't think this could be further from the case. This is the most focused team in the league. They already manhandled the Commanders just two days after the Plaxico story came out. This "distraction" is not going to make them miss a beat.
Some of you also seem to be hopeful that Pierce might be suspended by the team, the league, or else the city of New York. It is worth pointing out that a suspension from any source is highly unlikely. Pierce is cooperating with city officials. It is highly doubtful he will face criminal charges as long as he continues to cooperate with the police. There may be some rumors that swirl around about an obstruction of justice charge on his part but don't expect anything to come of it. If you think Pierce is going to be suspended you're just setting yourself up for disappointment.
As far as Plaxico goes, there is no way losing a #1 receiver is a GOOD thing for the team. However, I really do not believe the Giants will be hurt by his loss. For some proof, the Giants are 3-0 in games in which he has not played, and have outscored their opponents by an average of 21 points in those games. Furthermore, the three games Plaxico has missed have coincided with three of Eli's best games of the year. Since a great week 1, Plaxico hasn't had much of an impact for the Giants anyway. Dominic Hixon stepped into Plaxico's shoes on Sunday and had more yards receiving than Plaxico has had in a long while. Finally, cutting ties with Plaxico cuts ties with what was clearly the most uncooperative player on the team. Simply put, the Giants don't need Plaxico.
Tiki Barber
Jeremy Shockey
Michael Strahan
Osi Umeniyora
Plaxico Burress
It doesn't matter who the Giants lose, the team just keeps rolling. The Giants truly play as a team and not merely a collection of talented individuals. In fact, this is part of what makes them thrive. I added Plaxico to the list because he has basically been M.I.A. since week 1 even before he pulled the trigger.
And one other thing worth mentioning... because of the structure of Plaxico's contract, the Giants are going to be able to get the vast majority of the $35 million back. That gives them more cap room in the coming seasons to sign and/or keep other good players that the Giants otherwise would not have been able to hang onto.
So, while Cowboys fans understandably may be hoping this whole Plaxico incident leads to some sort of Giants downward spiral, a feeling that the national media is doing its best to instill in people, don't bet on it.
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As for my thoughts on the Cowboys, I think they are going to have a tough time of making it to the playoffs. The problem is right now they are losing the tiebreaker to the Falcons. The Cowboys are a better team than the Falcons, but with their schedule, the Cowboys are going to have to win AT LEAST 3 games to make the playoffs. 4 wins gets them in for sure, 2 wins assures that they will miss the playoffs, and 3 wins is a probably/maybe.
I will admit this: I think the Cowboys are the second best team in the NFC, as well as a top 5 team in the NFL. As a Giants fan, I certainly don't want to be facing the Cowboys in the playoffs, I must admit. The Giants will be the bona fide favorites no matter who they play, but if I could take my pick of which NFC teams I would like to play in the playoffs, the Cowboys would be my last pick.
That said, the Giants are going to make it back-to-back Super Bowls this year, and Eli Manning will only further solidify his legend. But don't listen to me, I'm just a Giants fan.
