What to expect when Giants have the ball: Management. The team is operating as if it were a business. The CEO: Eli Manning. His charge: to “manage” matters, meaning to take what is there and to eliminate mistakes. Through his past three games, the junior of the quarterbacking brothers has made the club’s offense resemble something that a Fortune 500 company could envy. No errors. Well, one. In this interim (including two playoff games), Manning has completed 70.1 percent of his passes, eight for TDs, with one INT. This, with WR Plaxico Burress handicapped by an ankle injury. Before Manning took a place in Tom Coughlin’s executive suite, he had turned over the football 26 times in 15 games. Some transformation. For Manning to continue his immaculate play today, however, is going to be difficult. He doesn’t have TE Jeremy Shockey, eliminated with an injury. On the outside, his receivers – Burress, Amani Toomer and former USC whiz Steve Smith – are going to be confronted by two of the NFL’s most physical corner defenders, Al Harris and Charles Woodson. They’ll be eye-to-eye with the New York receivers at the line of scrimmage. Manning can hand off to Brandon Jacobs, a heavyweight running back with the thrust to wear down a defense, and to Ahmad Bradshaw, a rookie find who is tough and quick enough to get outside.Somebody unsung to look for: FB Madison Hedgecock (No. 39). He is considered one of the best lead blockers in the game.
Key matchup: MLB Nick Barnett is the hub of the Green Bay defense. Negating him falls to which center the Giants utilize, Shaun O’Hara (who has been injured) or Grey Ruegamer.
What to expect when Packers have the ball:Anything. Brett Favre can improvise, as he did last week when, stumbling and about to go down, he underhanded a pass for a first down during his side’s conquest of Seattle. Favre may be in his 17th season, but his arm strength has not been impaired. “That’s going to be the last thing that leaves Favre,” Fox Sports analyst Troy Aikman said. Favre is without peer at drifting, keeping a play alive by moving laterally, then directing one of his fastballs downfield. His receivers, Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, are as good after the catch as any two in the league. TEs Donald Lee and Bubba Franks also are useful. At his age, however, Favre is going to be challenged by the New York rush. “As you get older, you don’t tend to move as well,” Aikman said. “It seems as if you’re in concrete.” The Giants attack a QB in many ways, operating from different fronts in an attempt to confuse the man with the football. DEs Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora represent an elite pair. At times, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has another DE, Justin Tuck, join them. Anything to complicate matters. Favre must make full use of RB Ryan Grant. When the Pack pried Grant from the Giants for a sixth-round draft pick during the preseason, they obtained a rusher who hit the Seahawks for 201 yards and has the look of one of the NFL’s ranking backs. He has size, and he can take it to the casa.
Somebody unsung to look for: Atari Bigby (No. 20) is a second-year strong safety out of Central Florida. A 211-pounder, he made a series of concussive hits against Seattle.
Key matchup: Strahan shows up in the soup commercials, but the Giants’ most explosive pass rusher is Umenyiora. On him, the Pack will have 320-pound Chad Clifton, with Mark Tauscher part of a bookend pair of tackles.
Prediction: Giants 26, Packers 20.
– JERRY MAGEE
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