NYG vs ATL Preview

A Break From Tragedy

What happened Friday was awful. Being so close to my hometown made it hit even harder. I know this isn't going to go away anytime soon, with new details emerging every day, but at least the NFL can supply a much needed distraction for a few hours. A Sunday afternoon is perfect for being with family and watching the greatest sport in the world. Cherish what you have today, because you may not have it tomorrow. I was thinking about not even writing this today, with so many emotions running through my head, but writing about what I love will sure help.

As you can see in the picture, the Giants will have a S.H.E.S decal on their helmets Sunday for Sandy Hook Elementary School. Just an act of pure class, all NFL games will have a moment of silence. Athletes in all sports had something to say. LeBron James was tweeting, Kevin Durant wrote on his shoe, and many others made their voices heard. They know sports are needed at a time like this. 

To the preview. Antrel Rolle says the dogs are hunting for birds Sunday, but the pack may be a little thin. We are flying to ATL without RB Ahmad Bradshaw, S Kenny Philips, CB Prince Amukamara, and S Tyler Sash.

Time for David Wilson to get the lions share of the carries. My concern about kickoff returns was thrown out the window when Coughlin stated that the field position was too important to take him off of them. Falcons ranked 22nd in rush yards allowed with 127 YPG against. We've seen Lumpkin with Eli in the shotgun multiple times already this season. Will be interesting to see when Torain will get in, goal line? Bottom line, it's time for Wilson to prove he can carry the load as a RB on this team.  Hope to see what celebration he has up his sleeve now that he won't be doing those ridiculous backflips anymore.

Eli has had an easy time with the Falcons the last four times hes played them. Won all four including last year’s  wildcard blow out. In past 2 games against the Falcons he  has 661 yards passing with 6 TDs and only 1 INT. Falcons pass defense ranks 14th in the league against the pass. They give up 235 a game through the air but they are 3rd in the league with passing TDs allowed. Will be fun to see the balance that KillDrive comes up with. 

Biggest threat to the Giants defense is Matty Ice and his triple threat J.Jones, R.White and the ageless wonder Tony Gonzalez . Matt Ryan has won 32 out of his first 36 starts at home, the best of any QB in the Superbowl Era. The dome helps significantly in the passing game and he takes advantage of that with a NFL best 10 straight wins at home. I assume the Giants will play Tony like they played Graham last week. He will see a mix of Jacquain or Rivers along with Rolle and Hill. His speed isn't what it used to be, but he is a wise veteran that always finds an opening. 

With a banged up secondary, Hosley has come out and said he knows he will be tested, but refuses to back down. Coughlin said we may see Rolle at the outside CB position with Prince out. Played CB in college and would be good for press to knock the 2 main threats off their routes. To bolster a hurt secondary, Giants signed a CB from the practice squad. Terrence Freaderick is a pure zone corner, if he plays, he will be on ST or in the slot. Expect Will Hill to be out there again in 3 safety looks. Fewell needs to be on his A game with a weak secondary.

Talking about Fewell, he said the gameplan for the DLine last week did not put them in position to get sacks, but to disrupt Drew Brees' launch point. All fine and dandy cause we got the win. Our DLine wants to get after the QB. Let them loose.

Falcons will be hungry after that blowout last year in the Wild Card game. They say they aren't using it as fuel, but lets be serious. Yes they are. Just like last week with Wilson, I can see a unlikely hero emerging this week for the W. At this point in the season the Giants are the biggest threat to themselves.