Sean Dunne's G-MEN Update

by Sean R. Dunne
The New York Football Giants are coming off a Thursday night beat down of the Carolina Panthers, who left feeling the Carolina blues after the Giants brought the "cryp'CAM'ite" to counter the Panther's "Man of Steel," Cam Newtown. 

The Giants went into week 3 without 5 of their starting players, including wide outs Dominick Hixon and Hakeem Nicks, runningback Ahmad Bradshaw, as well as offensive tackles David Diel and Will Beaty. The offense had to work with less proven weapons, including 6'6'' wide out Ramsees Barden and 2009 4th round pick out of N.C. State RB Andre Brown. Brown has proven he can make it in the NFL after all, displaying great vision and patience while rushing for 184 yards on 33 attempts, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Brown's size and speed are going to be a problem for defenses that will not only have to deal with an "eliTE" passer, but will have to stop the Giant's rock solid rushing game as well. The Giants offense has depth at key positions, including running back and wide receiver now that they have the addition of Barden, Brown and 2012 2nd round pick WR Ruben Randle. Randle is a gifted athlete who has yet to fully grasp the Giants offensive playbook and who looks to get more opportunities on the field, but with veteran wide outs like Nicks, Cruz, Hixon and now with the emerging Barden showing his skills, Randle may have to wait in line. Randle must find his opportunities whenever he can, whether it be on offense or returning punts on special teams.

This weekend The G-Men travel 77 miles down I-95 for a Sunday Night divisional game at the Philadelphia Eagles, who are coming off a poor showing against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cards were underdogs to the Eagles, possibly because an eagle would definitely kill a cardinal easily in the animal world. That was not the case in Philadelphia last week, when the Eagles struggled against a tough Cardinals defense. The Cardinal offense aired it out with former Eagle quarterback Kevin Kolb, who ended up having a great passing game, connecting with Larry Fitzgerald for two scores.

Remember the horrible 2010 season-ending loss to the Eagles in The Meadowlands when Desean Jackson had a punt return for a touchdown with time expiring? You know, the game when the Giants blew a 3 touchdown lead with 10 minutes left in the game. They then lost to Green Bay, who ended up taking the G-Men's wild card spot and going on to win the Superbowl. Well, you can bet your bottom dollar that the G-Men remember that game, and that they will try to inflict the same pain on Philly that they felt during that home loss in 2010.

The Giants look to ground the Eagles on Sunday Night Football with a better looking defense now that cornerbacks Price Amukumara and Jerome Hosley came back from injuries last week. Amukumara and Hosley both played well against Cam's Panthers and both seemed to be the missing pieces to the shaky Giants secondary that allowed over 600 yards passing yards in the first two games. Look for the young corners to help shut down the Eagles in Philly, where Eli Manning loves to have big games. The Giants are going to get personal this weekend as they try to leave the Eagles with a bitter taste in their mouths, one worse than seeing all of the G-Men's recent Super Bowl bling.