E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants' beat writer
for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995.
He is the author of 26 books and he is one of
only four sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls.
Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.

TROY AIKMAN (REMEMBER HIM?) LIKES DEFENSE
BUT THINKS SAINTS WILL WIN THIS ONE (SURPRISE)
By Dave Klein

It's a good thing Troy Aikman played quarterback, because if he was counting on being remembered as a television announcer, he would have a long, long trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio - and he'd probably have to take a bus.

But he was a better than good quarterback, and the fact that he played his entire career for the Dallas Cowboys cannot be considered his fault. He was drafted by them, the first overall pick in the 1989 body snatch, and he became one of the "Cowboy Triplets" - along with Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin - to lead Jerry Jones' 'Boys club to all those championships. He was the man behind the center in three winning Super Bowls.

So now he is an announcer, an analyst. A talking head, if you will, for the FOX Sports network. And - what a surprise here! - he appears in an on-line interview, a question and answer thing, provided by, you guessed it, FOX Sports.

Anyway, since FOX will telecast the Giants-Saints game on Sunday, the reason for the visit to the internet by the former Oklahoma (he transferred, found himself at UCLA) All-America made some sense.

And get this. It has been documented several times over that Aikman wears his allegiance on his jersey sleeve, that he will always find a way to boost the 'Boys and, conversely, find something negative to say about the Giants - the team he perceived, along with a few others, as Dallas' greatest arch enemy.

So when the questioner posed this one: "Which unit has the advantage, both physically and tactically, the Giants' defense or the Saints’ offense?" he responded thusly:

"When a good defense plays a good offense, I generally side more with the defense, which may come as a surprise to you since I was a quarterback."

But that's all the Giants will get from Mr. Aikman. "It's hard to sack Drew [Brees]," he said. "He can throw the ball on the run. Don't get me wrong. I really like the New York Giants' defense, and the way they have dominated their last three opponents, but I do think the Saints' offense has a slight advantage when normally I wouldn't be saying that against an outstanding defensive team.”

This man must have coined the cliche: "Damning with faint praise," you know?

Aikman notwithstanding, the general feeling about such games is that the team with the stronger defense usually survives - if it can manage to put a few points on the board, too. The Giants have had no trouble doing that, and especially so if they don’t change the way they have opted to run the ball. Forget the idea about starting Ahmad Bradshaw for Brandon Jacobs. That’s not necessary and, in fact, it might be counter productive. Big B.J. softens them up, as only a 6-4, 265-pound running back with a head start can do, and it doesn't matter if he runs high or doesn't square his shoulders or takes small steps or doesn't lift his feet.

Come on, fellas, he is a 265-pound battering ram. He is bigger than most of the linebackers he runs over, and there is virtually no contest when he comes head-up with a defensive back. As most of you have already pointed out, defenders have started to go for his feet. He will lose his balance. That's true and indisputable. But the effort expended in getting him down counts for something, usually in terms of bruises and pains and - as an old linebacker once said: "Every time I tackle Earl Campbell, I lose a few I.Q. points."

So you spend time and effort and energy tackling Jacobs low. Sometimes, of course, you're going to miss, and the next sensation you'll feel is a loud buzzing in your head and the impact of a forearm placed strategically across your throat. And when you don't miss, when you keep him to two or three yards, the pain factor is viable. Then, suddenly, in comes the 190-pound Bradshaw, and you can't tackle him low because he gets past you too fast. It is a conundrum for defensive coordinators and tacklers, and then Eli Manning is going to pull one of those play-fakes and pull the ball back and throw it - short to a back or a tight end, long to a wide receiver (have you seen the amazing progress made almost play-by-play on the part of rookie Hakeem Nicks?) and, all it all, it just doesn’t seem very fair.

"He is frustrated because his stats are down," says offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, "but I told him to just keep going, keep playing, keep doing what he does. He is a big, powerful man and he is a key part of our offense."

And if Jacobs tries to say that the success of Bradshaw has had a little negative effect on him, don't you believe it. He was asked whether he "feels good" when he sees his teammate excelling on the field.

"Not really," he says. "He is a different style runner from what I am. A lot of the stuff suits him perfectly. If someone is running free, he is able to see him real quick, make him miss and do something. Me, I am 6-4 and 265 pounds. I am supposed to run into people. I am supposed to take somebody on. That's me. If I don't do that, I am terrible. So it is what it is. Any more questions about New Orleans or the Giants' success?"

Defensively, the Giants are just short of amazing. They don't have the use of strong safety Kenny Phillips, of course. He's out for the season. There is some conjecture as to whether tackle Chris Candy and cornerback Aaron Ross will finally get to play Sunday. Knowing head coach Tom Coughlin as everybody has grown to know him by now, do not expect any definitive answer. "We'll see," he says. "That's a day to day question. We'll see. We'll do what's best for the team."

Sure. And with the guys he does have ready and healthy, the defense is going to be a challenge for the Saints and for Brees. Blitzing will come from all the unexpected places. From cornerbacks, safeties, linebackers, inside tackles and, of course, the ends - two or three of them, perhaps.

Some of the onus will be placed on the Saints' tight end(s), and part of the job description for that position is to block down on the defensive ends. Let's see, one of the Saints' tight ends is, oh, come on - right, Jeremy Shockey. Didn't he promise to "get even" with the Giants, the team that drafted him in the first round in 2002, and the team that traded him in the summer of 2008. Problem?

Nah, he wasn't a problem, no more than walking naked covered with honey into a swarm of hornets would be a problem. Shockey likes to fight. He loses his control. He is a 'wild thing' on the field. But he is also reasonably intelligent and as such probably won't want to pick a fight with Justin Tuck or Osi Umenyiora or Mathias Kiwanuka. Tough and feisty, sure; but stupid? No.

So what have we learned today? Troy Aikman usually likes a strong defense over a potent offense, but found ways to subjugate that since it is the Giants with the strong defense.

One wonders if his response would be the same if the Saints, 4-0 and coming off their bye, were going to play, say, the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Baltimore ravens, 5-0 with an awesome defense? Oh, he'd deny that.

EXTRA POINTS - Those who did not practice Thursday were cornerback Aaron Ross (hamstring), defensive tackle Chris Canty (calf, hamstring), linebacker Michael Boley (knee) and Bradshaw (ankle/foot).

Check out Dave's website at E-GIANTS where you can subscribe to his newsletters which run much more frequently than what is available here.
- Team Giants

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