Giants Vs. Panthers (Win 36-7)

The Giants routed the Panthers in Carolina on Thursday night by the score of 36-7. The Giants dominated from the opening kickoff. They were so dominant, that there was an in-season David Carr sighting. It could be argued that game MVP was GM Jerry Reese, as the Giants showed great depth in light of key injuries.  His drafts produced great depth that in generally called upon over the length of an NFL season. Andre Brown continued what he stated in Tampa, running fro 113 yards on 20 carries, and 2 touchdowns. Reese referrers to him as a Derrick Ward type and it is a great comparison. Ramses Barden finally delivered on the promise he has shown every preseason he has been with the Giants. In my Game 1 review, I called on Coughlin to give him more opportunity over Hixon.  Injury wasn't the way it was supposed to happen, but it was the right call. He hauled in 9 receptions for 138 yards and looked ungaurdable. When Nicks comes back, the Giants should have a 3 receiver tandem that is better than last year's Nicks/Cruz/Manningham tandem. A big question will be, is Bradshaw washed up or is the sample size of he and Brown just too small to draw any conclusions?? Either way, expect Brown to see more playing time. What this means for first rounder Wilson, who couldn't' even get garbage time carries over Da'Rel Scott is anyone's guess.

The blessing/curse that is Domenik Hixon- The guy seems to play hard and fast, he is also a very likable player. But every year, he gets injured and the guy who replaces him winds up being a revelation. Two years ago it was Manningham who got his shot when Hixon went down. Last year it was Cruz and this year it is Barden.  Amazing coincidence. The Giants should keep him around forever even if he doesn't get on the field.  Maybe if they put him at Defensive tackle for a week, we can finally get something out of Marvin Austin.

The much maligned defensive back field held their own. Amukamara, is no superstar, but an upgrade over Michael Coe. The secondary is only as strong as its weakest link. It's a shame that Antrel Rolle got hurt by a sideline camera, but it was nice to see Will Hill get some playing time. He is a great athlete and will eventually supplant one of the starting safeties (not this year).

Given the loss of San Francisco and the Eagles, the Giants should climb the power rankings this week. They have a big in conference game this Sunday night against the Eagles. Given the performances of the two teams this weekend, I find the point spread (Eagles -2.5) very surprising. I don't usually put betting tips on the sire, but that is way too expensive. Assuming the Giants are back healthy, take the Giants and the points this week against the Eagles.