5 Keys to a Giants Victory over Kansas City- Week 4

Hello SportSpacers! Well today is Friday and you know what that means....OK it means two things, one of those being 2 days until NFL Football! After looking back on the games last week, a couple of things stood out to us NY Football Faithful. 1) Even though we hate that Favre guy, you kinda had to chuckle after that (say 6 hail mary's and see me in the morning) prayer of a pass he threw at the end of regulation 2.) The Jets look like they are a Super Bowl Contender fo' real. (We'll know after this week for sure.) Lastly but certainly not least 3.) Jerry Reese is a God. Did anyone see Bruce Johnson play last week....WOW....Jerry Reese continues to provide great depth across the board. Giants fans knew we were deep at the D-Line. But the secondary....? I had no idea. After being without Aaroon Ross, Kevin Dockery (starting CB and Nickle CB) and losing Kenny Phillips for the year last week, how on Earth are the Giants NUMBER 1 in PASSING DEFENSE?!? The answer Jerry Reese. Drafting Terrell Thomas, and signing Bruce Johnson that's how. Jerry Reese, I love you. Now that we are done with man love we can talk about this week's 5 Keys to a Giants Victory In thinking about 5 points to make this week, I couldn't help but reflect on last weeks predictions and see how those panned out. I stated that the Giants needed Bradshaw and Jacobs to rush for over 150 yards...THEY DID After beating the Bucs 24-0 and not allowing a First Down for 3 quarters, I'd say they fought off complacency. I also said they needed to kick the ball deep and hit gimmie FG's. Thankfully this was not a close game because TYNES missed another chip shot. Kevin Boss caught 2 passes not 6, which was what I thought the Giants would use to open up the field a bit. Ok...I was way off on that one but I still think that Boss will need to get involved soon to keep defenses honest. The most important point to me in last week's 5 keys was "Red or Green Zone" efficiency. I said the Giants needed to score TD's on 66% of their Red Zone opportunities. Going 3/5 in that department last week is a success for the GMen after going 0fer 8 in their first 2 games. In all I think i did pretty well. I'll try to keep the Keys fresh this week. Speaking of Fresh...did you see Reby Sky Last week...NY Giants Girl Reby Sky Check the site for more photos. So how do the Giants get to 4-0 this week..Look below and find out.

1) Treat This Game Like a Business Trip If you have you ever gone away on business for an important meeting you'll know what I mean. If you haven't you'll know soon. On a business trip your goal could be (closing a deal, getting a crucial advancement, or a variety of other things). Your meeting is across the country on Monday morning. The week before you prepare like crazy; power points, internal meetings, going through potential roadblocks. Then you board that plane Sunday to avoid any late travel screw ups. You eat a good meal at the hotel, expense it and then go to bed early. Then after your meeting if you got what you wanted you either go to the strip club, bar, casino or party with your friends and family if that's your thing. Let's face it, this is what the Giants have to do this week and next against two teams that are far below them in terms of talent and cohesiveness. The Chiefs and Raiders are in the way of the Giants Goal, which is of course the Super Bowl. To get to the Super Bowl the Giants have to take care of these less-than-mediocre teams. And for god sakes if you win Giants, please don't go here...and if you do, don't bring a gun.

2) Hit-A-Homerun or 2 I know, this isn't baseball dummy. But neither is this. I'm talking about throwing the ball deep. Over the last 3 weeks, the Giants have gotten by pretty well going 3-0. One of the GIANT (Cheesy, I know) question marks was who is going to replace Plaxico Burress. Even with the emergence of Steve Smith and "Super Mario Manningham" I still have not seen the deep threat that I did in years past. I want the Giants to take some 30-40 yard shots down field. Hey Gilbride, perhaps you can do that on 1st down with a play-action? Even Manningham's 30 yd TD reception against the 'Skins was a 10 yard out followed by some missed tackles and spectacular moves. I want to see Eli-Let-it Fly. Maybe some 4 Wide Sets where the play call is "Go-Deep" But seriously, even with up and coming CB's like Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr why the eff not! Even if the Giants don't complete the the passes, they can force KC to committing penalties like defensive holding or pass interference. With 19 penalties in their last 2 games, this is a likely outcome for the Chiefs.

3) Sack The QB at least 3 times- When was the last time the Giant's failed to register a sack in a game let alone 2-games in a row. Well after not getting to Romo or Leftwich or Josh Johnson, we need to feed the sack machine. Some people have argued with me about this, saying that it's ok...we keep the pressure on...well it's not ok. It's like the feeling you get when you win a dollar on an instant scratch lotto. You're happy you won but you'd much rather had hit the jackpot. Any defensive player wants the sack, interception, forced fumble or TD to the house. Pressures are like ehhh. This week against a poor offensive line, and a team that is struggling offensively I expect the Giants to sack either Croyle or Cassell at least 3 times. It is A Must.

4.) Take the crowd out of the game Early- Someone once said Arrowhead was one of the most intimidating places to play. Well with a sea of Red, over 82,000 screaming fans who are upset their team sucks and pissed that every franchise in KC sucks, of course they are going to be loud. The following quotes are from NFL players and coaches:

-Tedy Bruschi- [Arrowhead] is the loudest outdoor stadium in the league. It’s so loud you can’t hear yourself think.”
-Rodney Harrison- It’s not the same as other places...It’s loud. It’s the loudest I’ve ever played in."
-Rod Smith-“When they say, ‘The home of the Chiefs’ right there in the national anthem, I thought they were going to attack us. I thought 70,000 people were about to come out of the stands and get us.”

I expect the trash talk to rain down on the GMEN and for the crowd to be very loud at least in the beginning. This is why it is imperative for the Giants to crush their hopes early. Maybe go no huddle the first drive, since Eli is so good at audibles and catching people off-guard, give him the playbook, and score a TD on the opening drive. That would be a good start. Sorry about the link Eli, I still love you, you silly bastard.

5.) Back-Ups-Step it-Up As I eluded to in my monologue tirade I love how Jerry Reese has drafted depth and made sure that if we have injuries we can overcome them. This started when Strahan skipped mini camp the year they won the Superbowl, and continued when they lost Osi last year. This year with the loses of Canty, Tuck, Alford, Phillips, Ross, Dockery, Nicks, Ware and Sintim to injury for either one or more games, the back ups and in some cases like with Bruce Johnson the backup's backup the Giants have needed that depth. With Kareem McKenzie and Rich Seubert being dinged up, guys like Guy Whimper and Kevin Booth need to step in and step up. Now all of these guys with the exception of Phillips and Ware may play. But according to the Giants injury report not many of them practiced Thursday...PRACTICE....Kiwi is a starter who can def step in for Justin Tuck, and Bruce Johnson has done very well, but let's see for how long. Let's keep an eye on the back ups this week. If the Giants follow these 5 keys they should walk away with a victory.

Prediction: Giants 27, Chiefs 9