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Giants battle vs. Cowboys is for NFC East bragging rights
BY RALPH VACCHIANO
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Wednesday, November 7th 2007, 4:00 AM
Two years in a row, the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC has gone straight through the heart of the Giants. It might happen again this Sunday.
When the Giants (6-2) face the Dallas Cowboys (7-1) at Giants Stadium, it will mark the third straight year that the Giants will have been involved in what could be considered the NFC's game of the year. Two years ago, the 7-3 Giants played at 8-2 Seattle in Week 12. Last year, the 6-2 Giants played host to the 7-1 Chicago Bears in Week10.
Both times the Giants lost and never recovered.
Both times the team that beat them rode the momentum all the way to the Super Bowl.
Before eventually losing to the AFC on Super Sunday, players on both the '05 Seahawks and the '06 Bears admitted that the Giants game was a turning point for them - the spark that powered their Super Bowl runs. So while this game might not be considered Super Bowl XLI1/2 or even an NFC Championship Game preview, the experience of the last two years should make it clear to the Giants that there is more than just the NFC East lead at stake.
"I think that experience (of the games against Seattle and Chicago) is going to help us out," said receiver Amani Toomer. "That experience of playing in a big game and feeling what it's like to lose a big game, how that big game changed our whole season."
The Giants know well that a loss in a game like this could have catastrophic effects. Had the Giants not lost to Seattle on Nov. 27, 2005 - a 24-21 overtime loss remembered mostly for Jay Feely's three missed field goals - they probably would have had home-field advantage throughout the playoffs that season, not to mention a first-round bye. Instead, even though they went 4-1 down the stretch and finished 11-5, they lost their confidence and ended up getting shut out in the first round of the playoffs by Carolina.
Last year, the effects were worse after they blew a 13-3 lead late in the first half against the Bears on Nov.12 and ended up losing 38-20. Saddled with injuries they limped to a 2-5 record down the stretch, barely snuck into the playoffs at 8-8 and got bounced in the first round again, this time by the Eagles.
"It was tough sledding," right tackle Kareem McKenzie recalled. "The bye week was earlier and we really didn't get the chance to breathe. As the season goes along in November and December, it gets that much tougher to play. You can really get yourself on that steamroller."
The Giants need to be driving the steamroller this time instead of being the ones under it. They know now that the rewards are great if they can actually prove they are the best team in the NFC. If they can't, they know from experience how far the fall can be.
RED ALERT: The Giants will be Big Red again this Sunday, when they don their red jerseys against the Cowboys. ... Fresh off an eight-game suspension for a variety of offenses, DT Tank Johnson is expected to make his Cowboys debut against the Giants. ... The Giants won after their bye week last year, but are 4-14 all-time following a week off.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...giants_battle_vs_cowboys_is_for_nfc_east.html
BY RALPH VACCHIANO
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Wednesday, November 7th 2007, 4:00 AM
Two years in a row, the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC has gone straight through the heart of the Giants. It might happen again this Sunday.
When the Giants (6-2) face the Dallas Cowboys (7-1) at Giants Stadium, it will mark the third straight year that the Giants will have been involved in what could be considered the NFC's game of the year. Two years ago, the 7-3 Giants played at 8-2 Seattle in Week 12. Last year, the 6-2 Giants played host to the 7-1 Chicago Bears in Week10.
Both times the Giants lost and never recovered.
Both times the team that beat them rode the momentum all the way to the Super Bowl.
Before eventually losing to the AFC on Super Sunday, players on both the '05 Seahawks and the '06 Bears admitted that the Giants game was a turning point for them - the spark that powered their Super Bowl runs. So while this game might not be considered Super Bowl XLI1/2 or even an NFC Championship Game preview, the experience of the last two years should make it clear to the Giants that there is more than just the NFC East lead at stake.
"I think that experience (of the games against Seattle and Chicago) is going to help us out," said receiver Amani Toomer. "That experience of playing in a big game and feeling what it's like to lose a big game, how that big game changed our whole season."
The Giants know well that a loss in a game like this could have catastrophic effects. Had the Giants not lost to Seattle on Nov. 27, 2005 - a 24-21 overtime loss remembered mostly for Jay Feely's three missed field goals - they probably would have had home-field advantage throughout the playoffs that season, not to mention a first-round bye. Instead, even though they went 4-1 down the stretch and finished 11-5, they lost their confidence and ended up getting shut out in the first round of the playoffs by Carolina.
Last year, the effects were worse after they blew a 13-3 lead late in the first half against the Bears on Nov.12 and ended up losing 38-20. Saddled with injuries they limped to a 2-5 record down the stretch, barely snuck into the playoffs at 8-8 and got bounced in the first round again, this time by the Eagles.
"It was tough sledding," right tackle Kareem McKenzie recalled. "The bye week was earlier and we really didn't get the chance to breathe. As the season goes along in November and December, it gets that much tougher to play. You can really get yourself on that steamroller."
The Giants need to be driving the steamroller this time instead of being the ones under it. They know now that the rewards are great if they can actually prove they are the best team in the NFC. If they can't, they know from experience how far the fall can be.
RED ALERT: The Giants will be Big Red again this Sunday, when they don their red jerseys against the Cowboys. ... Fresh off an eight-game suspension for a variety of offenses, DT Tank Johnson is expected to make his Cowboys debut against the Giants. ... The Giants won after their bye week last year, but are 4-14 all-time following a week off.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...giants_battle_vs_cowboys_is_for_nfc_east.html
