MVN - Most Valuable Network

Enemy Predictions: Giants 101 writers weigh in on NFC Championship

Sometimes it’s valuable to cross enemy lines to discover their perception of the upcoming battle. What are their predictions, their keys to the game? What is their confidence level? Who do they think needs to be targeted?

To that end, I asked several of the columnists for MVN’s New York Giants’ site, Giants 101, to provide the readers of The Frozen Tundra with their opinions and prognostications for Sunday evening’s highly-anticipated NFC Championship in Lambeau Field. Giants 101 is a highly trafficked site and was even named the best Giants blog on the Internet in 2007 by Deadspin. Read what they had to say and let us know what you agree with and where your outlook differs.

Michael Warren
“Plainly, in order to defeat the Packers, it’s imperative that the Giants get pressure on Brett Favre. They need to do whatever they can to disrupt his composure and force him out of the pocket, much like what was done to Romo in the second half of the Cowboys game.”

Brandon Buchanan
“Bring the pressure. Favre will become simply an older Romo when he has Osi, Strahan, Tuck, and Robbins in his face the entire game. Then throw in a few corner and safety blitzes, and Favre will be throwing the ball around to the men in blue. However, the pressure HAS to get home, or Favre will dissect our defense.

“Run the ball hard and inside the tackles. Green Bay is very fast, and outside runs will not be that effective with Jacobs. Inside plays that highlight the tackles run-blocking talent, will be the most successful.

“Win first down. The conditions will be bad, and having 3rd and longs will not be good for Eli Manning, who has had trouble in “harsher” weather conditions. Likewise, our D needs to stifle GB on first down, and force Favre to make plays.”

Richard O’ Callaghan
“Beating the Packers Sunday night at Lambeau Field is going to be a tough task for the GMen, and here are the keys to victory. On offense we must first run the football effectively with the combo of Jacobs and Bradshaw. This will keep the chains moving, allow us to control the clock in the elements, and open up the play action pass for Eli Manning. This will also keep the pressure off of Eli, which has been a key for the Giants over the past two road playoff wins. Defensively the key will be stopping Ryan Grant and the Packers run offense. If we can stop the run, it will allow us to focus on our biggest strength, rushing the passer. Strahan, Osi, and Tuck should be able to force Favre into a few 2005 Favre-like mistakes if we can get enough pressure on him.”

My Reaction
Michael, Brandon and Richard all seem to describe at least one consistent theme: get as much pressure on Favre as possible to force him into poor decisions. This will be a tougher task for the Giants defensive line than it was against Romo, from my perspective. Under Mike McCarthy, Favre tends to take short drops, usually three steps, and gets rid of the ball very quickly, working in an offense that favors slants and quick-hitters and relies on the receivers for yards after the catch — something the Packers led the NFL in this season. Romo, on the other hand, operates within an offense that involves some more five- and seven-step drops and longer pass routes, generally speaking, allowing the opposing defense more time to apply pressure. That being said, there’s no doubt that Favre can, and has, been forced into some bone-headed throws when he receives consistent pressure (see the week-13 game at Dallas).

It looks like it could come down to the Packers offensive line versus the Giants defensive line. Green Bay’s O-line has allowed only 19 sacks all season, which was 3rd in the NFL (and they only allowed one last Saturday against a very tough Seattle front seven), while New York’s D-line amassed an impressive 53 sacks in ’07, good for best in the NFL (although they’ve only recorded 3 sacks in their first two playoff games combined).

Something’s gotta give. Will it be the Packers O-line or the Giants D-line that wins the battle in the trenches? The answer to that question may well determine the outcome.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 17th, 2008 at 2:45 pm and is filed under NFC Championship, Brett Favre, Legendary Games, Postseason, Game preview. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.