GIANTS PLAY THEIR CARDS RIGHT

You’d have to go a long, long way to recall the Giants showcasing their arsenal with such completeness as they did Sunday at the Meadowlands against Arizona. While it’s a far cry from a perfect game, Big Blue finally looked like a dam that can both hold water and generate some electricity. Time will tell if this new trend of scoring points, converting short yardage situations and fewer penalties is here to stay. But if Sunday’s 42-19 drubbing is any indication of things to come, then much of the sports punditry should get ready to eat crow (or Cardinal).

Let’s get the quarterback business out of the way. No, Eli Manning (10/23, 2 TD, 2 INT, 175 yards) didn’t have a Hall of Frame performance, but nor did play poorly. Just think of him as that humble bus driver who got you across town safely and without incident. Sometimes a workmanlike performance is all that’s necessary; especially when your surrounding cast is playing, and even more importantly, believing in what the team is doing. “That performance is not OK by me…I got to play better,” Manning said. Easy kid, you’re still green.

At first, the opening half looked like a microcosm of the 2004 season, if not much of the Jim Fassel era. The Giants took command of the opening drive. Running here, running there, a pass, a zig, a zag and poof…Manning to Shockey for a clean touchdown strike. But as the half progressed, the ghosts of yesteryear swirled within the balmy winds of the Meadowlands. Manning threw two picks, of which one was returned for a touchdown by Karlos Dansby, and, as we’ve seen so many times before, when the game throws out a sneeze, the Giants catch a cold; going into halftime trailing 13-7. Excerpts from Chicken Soup for the Soul were likely not incorporated into Coach Coughlin’s halftime speech.

The second half however, thankfully, did not look like a microcosm of last season. And with not one, but two touchdowns coming off of special teams, it was anything but a reminder of the misbegotten Jim Fassel era.

There’s so much to like about this game, but there’s always a player or two that falls under the radar. Besides Eli Manning, one of the greatest beneficiaries of the signing of Kareem McKenzie is Dave Diehl. If there was any adhesive on the Band-Aid that held the Giants’ offensive line together in 2004, it was Dave Diehl. A left guard by nature, Diehl stepped up last season by playing right tackle; receiving quiet recognition as the one bright spot in the Giants porous line play. This year he’s back in his is sweet spot, leading the freight train with aggressive downfield blocking as well as making quick, agile pulls to the opposite side. Just watch the number of running plays shooting through Diehl’s gaps. Luke Petitigout looked good too.

The Giants’ pursuit on the defensive side of the ball looked crisp and mean, with standout penetration from William Joseph chasing Kurt Warner like a famished grizzly after Timothy Treadwell. They didn’t just hit, but they hit and wrapped; finishing the tackle and doing it often with a swarm of blue jerseys. A team’s heart and discipline can be measured in how they tackle. Antonio Pierce can sum up the Giant’s inspired play when he said, “Today was probably the best team effort you are going to get for opening day.”

For Big Blue, the key is playing every game like it’s opening day.