(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images North America)
By Auther of Mario Manningham Facebook Fan Page - InReeseWeTrust.com 12/13/11
The New York Football Giants pulled
out a spectacular win against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday December 11th. With eight lead changes, Big Blue hung in
there and proved that they deserve to be NFC East champions. With this victory,
the G-men improve their record to 7-6 and rise up to 1st place in
the division (tied with Dallas). Now,
there are many improvements the Giants need to make, the majority of them will
occur on defense. Even though we scored 37 points against the Cowboys, giving
up 34 isn’t going to get us though the playoffs. In week 15, the G-Men will
host the 4-9 Washington Redskins. Certain players will have to bring their
A-game in order for the Giants to increase their win streak to two.
To begin with, DE Justin Tuck has been
invisible for the past couple of games and is having a weak season. Tuck only
has 24 tackles and 3 sacks in 14 games, when Jason Pierre-Paul has 61 tackles
and 12.5 sacks. The former Notre Dame star is clearly being outplayed and is starting
to become a disappointment and a question mark to a ton of fans. His
performance was so horrendous against Dallas; he didn’t even make it on the
defensive stats list. There could be an injury that is causing his performance
to plummet, but a superstar like him shouldn’t be struggling either way. Tuck needs to assist his teammates on the
rest of the D-line and force pressure on Redskins QB Rex Grossman. We all know
Justin is capable, he just has to pursue.
Moving
onto the secondary, S Antrel Rolle has to learn how to backup his talk by
performing on the field. Rolle has 77 tackles and 1 interception on the year
which isn’t too shabby, but could be more impressive. It seems like Antrel
winds up in the NFL news every week because of something he has said about an
opponent, or even his own team. The Giants signed him prior to the 2010 season
so he could be a difference maker and possibly be the answer to the complications
in the secondary. The former Hurricane
has made some outstanding plays for the G-Men thus far, but he has also
struggled with tackling, covering, and finding the football. The Redskins have
speedy receivers and tough running backs; therefore it is imperative that Rolle
is aggressive and wise. It’s his time to shine and make some game-changing
plays.
The only offensive player chosen this week
will be wide receiver Mario Manningham.
Of course it’s simple to say Manningham is having a disappointing
season, but it’s only because his teammate Victor Cruz is on the field more.
Mario currently has 36 catches for 466 yards and 4 touchdowns while Nicks and
Cruz have over 1,000 yards a piece. The former Wolverine has been slowed down
by a few injuries this season (concussion, ankle, and knee). The receiver
hasn’t had a 100-yard game all season, but is dependable for the most part. He
will have the occasional drop, but that’s part of the NFL and making errors. Manningham’s contract expires after this
season so it’s relevant for him to play his heart out. We all need Manningham
to step up against Washington in week 15 so we can secure our division lead and
work our way to the playoffs. Mario has the talent, he just needs to stay
healthy and focus on his game.
In summary, DE Justin Tuck, S Antrel
Rolle, and WR Mario Manningham are the key players for week 15 when the Giants
face the Washington Redskins. A solid performance from each of them will give
us a larger chance to become victorious. Talent is not the question when it
comes to these players; all they have to do is perform and contribute to the
team as much as they possibly can. Look for Manningham to have a breakout game
being that he’s healthy again and the Redskins may cover Nicks and Cruz tight
the entire day. With a Giants victory, their record will improve to 8-6 and
they will remain in first place. Go Giants!!!
