Nov 9, 1:00 pm (FOX) - Atlanta at Giants
Relax or maybe not.
Optimistically you can say that the Giants can tune up against the 1-7 Atlanta Falcons before facing off against the Philadelphia Eagles the following week. Realistically
as a Giants fan, you know better. The Giants have shown over the first half of the season that nothing comes easy for them and to expect the unexpected.
Still, the Falcons are a team that is tied with Jacksonville for last place in the NFL. They have scored more points than only 3-5 Cleveland, and that's misleading because Atlanta has given
up a full 113 points more than Cleveland. That's not a typo. In half a season, Atlanta has scored 130 points and generously given up a total 243 points. That's an average of over 30 points
a game and more than any other team in the league.
So there is hope for if not a blowout game, maybe one where you won't have to worry as much as these past few weeks.
Atlanta quarterbacks.
Once again, Michael Vick is off the table for a game against the Giants. Vick broke his right leg in the preseason, and may be able to play against Houston later this month. Dan Reeves said
that second year quarterback Kurt Kittner will make his third straight start, his first on the road, against the Giants. Kittner's quarterback rating is
32.4. He has completed only 42 percent of his passes, has thrown 4 interceptions and tossed 1 touchdown.
Last week against Philadelphia, Kittner completed 11 of 18 passes for 78 yards, making some really bad throws in the process, and Doug Johnson, who started
the first 6 games for Atlanta, went in to replace him. Doug completed 5 of 10 passes for 86 yards. In that 23-16 loss to the Eagles Bob Whitfield, the left tackle, sustained a season-ending
injury. Kittner will have Kevin Shaffer making his first career start up against Michael Strahan.
What can happen.
None of the above sounds too good for Atlanta, but remember, last year Vick was out, and the 1-3 Falcons came into Giants Stadium with their backup quarterback
(Doug Johnson) and they left with a 17-10 win. Johnson made the Falcons as an undrafted rookie in 2000. In that game, Collins had an interception at Atlanta's 7-yard line on the first drive
of the fourth quarter and Ron Dixon fumbled at Atlanta's 17 yard line with 3:22 left to play.
Now, you would think that facing a 1-7 team that's ranked 29th on offense and 26th on defense would be good medicine for the 4-4 Giants, but for the Giants it's more a case of physician heal
thyself. If they just played up to their potential using weapons like Kerry Collins, Tiki Barber, Amani Toomer, Ike Hilliard, Jeremy Shockey, and dare we say underutilized Dorsey Levens, this
game should be no problem. However, you know your Giants team. Give them a chance to blow a long drive or a lead, and they will entertain you with all the ways imaginable and unimaginable
that you can do it.
Dorsey Levens on the run.
Dorsey Levens wasn't used by Jim Fassel for some reason for the first five games. Last year, used as a reserve in Philadelphia, he used his 75 rushing attempts to pick up 411 yards for a career-high
average of 5.5 yards a carry. Levens also caught 19 passes for 124 yards. Fassel finally un-benched the talented Pro Bowl running back, and In the last three games Levens has had 32 carries
for 110 yards and 1 touchdown.
We know the head coach thinks in mysterious ways, and maybe when Fassel heard that Dorsey Levens was the Green Bay Packers' career postseason rushing leader with 647 yards, he figured he was
supposed to save him for the playoffs. The trouble is coach, you have to somehow get there first.
The second half - Giants vs the NFC South.
One way or another, the Giants will leave their mark on this group. They play all four teams that make up the NFC South over their last eight games. Starting off, head coach Jim Fassel matches
wits with former Giants head coach Dan Reeves and his 1-7 Falcons. There's a Monday night game against Jon Gruden's (not so super this year) 4-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jim Haslett comes next
in this group with his 4-5 New Orleans Saints, and the Giants finish the season at home playing against former defensive coordinator Jim Fox and his 6-2 Carolina Panthers.
The second half - Giants vs the NFC East.
Besides playing all the teams in the NFC South during this last half of the season, they will play every team in the NFC East once again, and 4-4 Buffalo. That really puts the Giants in a
position to determine their fate. Of this group, only the leader, 6-2 Dallas, has scored more points then they have given up, and they play Buffalo this week. The 5-3 Eagles face Brett Favre's
struggling 4-4 Green Bay Packers and then they host the Giants in their new stadium. It would be nice if they were tied at 5-4 for that game, but if the Giants help themselves this week and
the Eagles are 6-3, a win for the Giants would make it a tie then. Washington at 3-5 plays it's next two games against teams that are currently 6-2, Seattle and Carolina.
Notes.
Keith Hamilton tore his Achilles' tendon in the second quarter of last year's game against the Falcons.
Frank Ferrara had 1 1/2 sacks and 9 tackles in his first career start in that same game.
Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick (not playing this game) led the Falcons to the playoffs in his first season as a starter.
Atlanta receiver Peerless Price had a 168 yard day against Minnesota on Oct. 5.
Dan Reeves has a career record of 199-171-2 in 23 seasons.
Only Don Shula, George Halas, Tom Landry, Curly Lambeau and Chuck Noll are ahead of him.
Last week Dan Reeves benched his entire secondary - cornerbacks Ray Buchanan and Tyrone Williams and safeties Gerald McBurrows and Keion Carpenter
Last week the Falcons gave up 312 passing yards to struggling quarterback Donovan McNabb.
That was just a little less (331) than what McNabb had thrown for in his prior 3 games combined.
Next Game
Giants at Eagles Nov 16, 1PM.
|
