THIS is the time of year when an investment must be made. Is it wise to make an emotional deposit on the Giants, to make a contribution of belief on a team that somehow after seven mostly uneven games would be in the playoffs if the season ended today?
All that stands between the Giants, their bye week, mid-season and real contention is Sunday’s game against the Eagles at the house of compassion otherwise known as Veterans Stadium. If the Giants are 5-3 at their break there is no reason why they cannot and will not remain in the NFC East race, as every team in their division and most of the teams in the conference are flawed in one way or another. At 5-3, it’s all systems go for a meaningful second half of the season. At 4-4, well, the skies get a whole lot more cloudy and it will be difficult to take the Giants seriously.
By the time the Giants take the field in Philadelphia, the Yankees could be World Champions and what figures to be an intriguing season for the Knicks will still be a few days away. The Jets have self-destructed, the Rangers appear pointless. November is fast approaching and the Giants could warrant considerable attention.
Or else not. Here’s a lowdown on which way to think:
REASONS TO BELIEVE
1. The later it gets the better they get. In Jim Fassel’s previous two seasons, the Giants after Nov. 15 compiled a record of 9-2-1. They were 7-0 in December. In both those seasons, the schedule was supposed to be a killer down the stretch. Instead, it was the Giants who inflicted the punishment.
2. Kent Graham’s quarterback rating is up to 81.2 and he’s second in the NFC (behind the Rams Kurt Warner) in fourth-quarter passing with a rating of 101.7. If his performance against the Saints is any indication, perhaps Graham is finding his stride.
3. Jessie Armstead is a two-time Pro Bowl player but he’s never quite played at this high a level. As long as he’s healthy, he breathes fire into the defense. And the offense actually is more efficient in the passing game, despite some glaring struggles. If Graham gets time, there are weapons in Amani Toomer, Ike Hilliard, Pete Mitchell, Tiki Barber and Joe Jurevicius.
REASONS NOT TO BELIEVE1. The schedule. Following their bye, the Giants get down and dirty with some pretty respectable opponents. They play on the road against the Redskins, Bills, Rams and Cowboys and won’t be favored in any of those games. They are at Giants Stadium for games against the Colts, Cardinals, Jets and Vikings. The Colts have an explosive offense, the Cardinals have already beaten the Giants (14-3), the Jets, despite their nightmare season will not be a soft touch and the Vikings appear to be finding themselves.
2. They still can’t run. And if they can’t run better than they have (83 yards per game, 2.9 yards per rushing attempt) they won’t win very often. Here’s something to watch: In only three games, Gary Brown vaulted to the team lead with 177 rushing yards. Far behind are Charles Way (76), LeShon Johnson (73) and Sean Bennett (70). Brown is out for the season and here’s a hunch he continues to sit atop the Giants rushing stats for at least three more weeks.
3. They’re too banged up. There’s no margin for error with this team, meaning the defense must be sensational for the Giants to have a chance. The loss of three important players, Percy Ellsworth, Robert Harris and Shaun Williams, will weaken the defense, and the slightest let-up will be costly. To address their gaping hole at free safety, the Giants yesterday as expected signed Brandon Sanders to the roster and Tre Thomas to the practice squad. To make room, Gary Brown was placed on injured reserve and receiver James Kidd was waived from the practice squad. *HEADING into mid-season, here are some other Giants-sized issues and observations:
*The Redskins were 4-1 with four consecutive victories before losing to the Cowboys 38-20 last Sunday. Afterward, an incensed Daniel Snyder, Washington’s 34-year-old owner, engaged in an anger-filled 40-minute closed-door meeting in the locker room with head coach Norv Turner. The founder of Snyder Communications, Snyder is in charge of a company with more than $1 billion in annual revenues. This proves that riches cannot buy common sense. The Giants co-owners, Wellington Mara and Bob Tisch, believe they are part of a team, even though they own the team. Judging from his actions, Snyder’s interest in the Redskins is ego-driven. Mara has the football credentials to demand anything from Fassel yet has the common decency to let the man do his job and provide support, not bitter second-guessing and threats based on the emotion of the moment.
*Even though he was barely on the scene, Joe Montgomery, who is out for a month with a broken bone in his foot, will be missed, and not only for the yards he would have gained. Montgomery should not be evaluated on his difficult debut (14 rushes, 28 yards, one eye-opening 12-yard touchdown run in a 31-3 victory over the Saints) as the bulk of his attempts came with the Giants playing with a commanding lead and content to run Montgomery into the line and get little in return. This rookie looks like a keeper, and beyond any impact he would have made on the field is the intensity and determination he brought to an offense that lacks outward fire. There was nothing light and breezy about Montgomery and he passed a rugged initiation by his defensive teammates, who wanted to see just how tough this rookie was.
“We pounded him so much in practice, we hit him, we pushed him after the play, we treated him bad,” Armstead said, “and he don’t say nothing. He takes punishment from us and he don’t say nothing. He kind of got a mentality of a defensive player.”