Arizona may be the cure.
The Giants running game has been weak , but in the past four games against the Cards, the Giants have rushed for 186, 105, 223 and 146 yards. Tiki says he's feeling much better, and Ron Dayne was looking real sharp last week, so the timing is right. Kerry Collins is a passing machine with 300 or more yards passing in five of his last six games dating back to last year, and Amani Toomer is off to a great start. Toomer's had two 100-yard receiving performances in the first three games, and he's third in the NFL with 326 receiving yards on 17 catches He's the NFC leader with eight third-down catches which have gained 165 yards, or an average of 20.6 yards per catch on third down. Then there's Ike Hilliard with 13 catches for 216 yards, and throw in fearsome rookie Jeremy Shockey and you see the Cardinals will have their hands full this Sunday.

Strahan, give me a break.
Michael Strahan says that no one is harder to bring down than Jake Plummer. He says it with a straight face, knowing that Plummer is number 2 on his all time sack list. Jake the Snake has been sacked six times this season, and isn't having a very good year overall. This came to the attention of his fans last week when in the fourth quarter, Plummer threw his second interception of the game, both which resulted in touchdowns for the Chargers.
The Fans realized there would be no come from behind victory that day, and the next time Jake took the field, they reacted. After the game, Jake said he could give "a rat's ass" about the fans booing him. The fans did not like this. It's sort of like being booed back, and so they complained some more. It also made talk show news and some headlines.
Star athletes saying something that may tick fans off is a rookie mistake. You can ask Jeremy Shockey about his Howard Stern appearance, but that's another story. Jake Plummer, in his last year of a four year contract, clarified his rat statement, "When I said that ... I meant the boos, not the fans. I appreciate every fan that's cheered for me and will continue to cheer for me".

Respect can go a long way.
Michael Strahan knows how to give proper respect, and Strahan praises Jake Plummer. "He's slippery like a snake. He's elusive. He can throw on the run. He can run the ball. He can do everything. He is the hardest guy in the NFL to sack."
Meanwhile the Cards serve up wins for the Giants and sacks for Strahan. As a proper guest, he's not about to feast at their table and then turn around and trash them. Who knows? Maybe Strahan will be in dire need of a sack one day and a grateful quarterback will throw him one. Don't laugh, it could happen.

Arizona.
The fans sit through the 100-degree heat at Sun Devil Stadium to watch their team lose, which is what mostly happens here. Last year the Cards finished at 7-9 just like the Giants, but that's a good year for the Cards. Before that they were 3-13, 6-10, 9-7 (lost the Divisional Playoffs - but a good year), 4-12, 7-9, 4-12, 8-8, 7-9, 4-12, 4-12, 5-11. 5-11..., you get the idea. Only 28,890 tickets were distributed last week, making it the franchise's smallest crowd for a home opener since 1963. .
Still, these are true fans of the game who care more than a rat's you know what to see the Cards play. You can't just turn on the TV and expect to see the Cards as they run into a number of blackouts. They will be missed from the NFC East where the Giants, Redskins, Cowboys, and Eagles got to play them twice a year.

Bad luck.
The San Diego game, three turnovers and a blocked punt led to 23 points for the Chargers, and they won the game 23-15.
The Cardinals have drafted some good talent, especially up front, but they always seem to have something going against them. This week, Marcel Shipp is the team's only healthy running back. Thomas Jones is expected to play but hasn't practiced this week because of a sprained ankle, The Cards have had fullback Joel Makovicka spend some time at running back in Thursday's practice, just in case Jones can't play and Shipp is injured. He's had just one carry last season. That leaves Jake and the passing game. By all rights, the Giants should win this next game, but still, football is football, and nothing is ever a given. The Cards may surprise the Giants like Seattle did last week.

Blitz the Giants.
While the Giants were busy devising the "blueprint" to stop the Rams in week two, the Seahawks were working on their own plan to stop the Giants, and it almost worked. No Giant receiver caught anything in the endzone, and no running back crossed the goaline The Seahawks held the Giants to just 9 points, all coming from Matt Bryant's magic foot. The blueprint to win against Giants is to use the blitz.
"It was weird. It was like they were blitzing every play," FB Charles Stackhouse said. "You caught yourself looking side to side. You knew one was coming, but another one might come from the other side, and he's also your man. It was hectic at first. Once you know what you're doing, you can pick it up. When I was in and had to pick it up, I picked up what I had to pick up. It all comes from watching film."

The Red Zone.
Whatever the Seahawks were doing, it only works half way. It didn't stop the Giants from marching up and down the field, but it did keep them out of the endzone. For the season the Giants have just one touchdown and eight fieldgoals on 10 trips to the red zone. Overall, they have only two offensive touchdowns and nine field goals. The Giants hope to cure that this week, or else they'll have to turn to Matt Bryant, who is 9-of-9 on field goals this season.

Next Game
Oct 6, Giants at Dallas 1:00 PM.

Last Week's review, game 3 - Giants 9- Seahawks 6

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