Ellsbury and Redsox

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/2008/01/09/2008-01-09_how_giants_can_lasso_cowboys-1.html?page=0

BY RALPH VACCHIANO
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Wednesday, January 9th 2008, 4:00 AM


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The last time the Cowboys looked like the best team in the NFC was the week after Thanksgiving, when they rode their high-powered offense to a victory over the Packers.

It has since been a slow and strange downward spiral.

They split their last four games, but barely escaped in both wins. Their offense was in a slump the entire month of December. Terrell Owens has been out with a high ankle sprain. And now all the talk in Dallas is centered around Tony Romo's trip to Mexico with Jessica Simpson, and whether that will distract him on the field.

Whatever the reasons, there is a feeling around the NFL that the Cowboys are vulnerable - even to the Giants, who have lost to Dallas twice this year. If nothing else, it's obvious that the Cowboys struggled at the end of the season, whether Tom Coughlin wants to concede that or not. "I wouldn't use that word at all," Coughlin said. "There is not a lot of struggle in some of what I saw of late. I don't think 405 yards at Carolina (in a 20-13 Dallas win) is any indication of a struggle. I think the Philadelphia-Dallas game (a 10-6 win by the Eagles) is a battle in the NFC East and you have to leave it at that. You know how strong Philadelphia was at the end of the year.

"So I wouldn't use that word anywhere near this game. They are extremely explosive and productive and they have had the extra week."

Yes, but unless Romo found something in Mexico to heal Owens' ankle, the Cowboys are more vulnerable than they were earlier in the year. They haven't scored a touchdown in the six quarters since Owens was injured (Romo and many of the starters sat out the last two). They were awful in their finale against the Redskins even before their starters were pulled. They had only 63 first-half yards with Romo in the game. They had one rushing yard for the entire game.

Those are just some of the reasons one NFL scout Tuesday labeled the Giants' chances of pulling off the upset as "excellent." With the help of various league sources, the Daily News has come up with a blueprint for a Giant triumph:

PUNISH TONY ROMO

Did you see what the Giants did to Jeff Garcia on Sunday? They sacked the Tampa QB only once, but hit him 11 other times. And even when they chased him out of the pocket, they were right on his tail. He had no time, which is why he was only 23-of-39 for 207 yards. When Garcia started forcing things late, he was picked off twice. Romo is better than Garcia, especially on the run, and he's got a better offensive line. He's thrown for 592 yards and eight touchdowns against the Giants this season. "(The Giants) have an average secondary at best," said an NFC assistant coach. "He'll pick them apart if they don't get to him."


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"(Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) has done a great job covering up the weaknesses on his defense," added an NFC scout. "The strength of that team is obviously the defensive line. If they're on their game, that can make a huge difference."

It made a big enough difference Sunday that Corey Webster did a good job covering Joey Galloway. Using a Cover-1 scheme, the Giants often sent anywhere from five to seven rushers at Garcia and used single coverage on the Bucs' receivers. "They had a great scheme," the assistant coach said. "They made it really tough for (Garcia) to pick up his reads."

But, the assistant added, "Dallas' receivers are better than Tampa's receivers."

The Giants have sacked Romo only three times and hit him four other times in two games against him this season.

MANAGE ELI MANNING

In the last two games, against two of the best defenses in football, Manning has completed 71.2% of his passes with a passer rating of 119.0. Statistically, it's by far the best two-game stretch of his career.

However, Manning didn't magically morph into his brother, and scouts haven't noticed anything different about him. What has changed is what he is being asked to do. The Giants have altered their game plan, emphasizing the run and short passes, and they have eased up on their passes downfield. In a sense, they have told Manning: Don't be a hero. Don't try to win the game on your own.

"Eli Manning is clearly much better when the pressure is off," said another NFC scout. "They get in trouble when they try to make him carry the offense. They can't put him in a position where he has to win the game on his own."

Can they resist temptation in Dallas? The weak spot of the Cowboys defense is the secondary, specifically the safeties, where Roy Williams has never been known for his coverage ability. There will be a temptation to try to get someone (preferably Plaxico Burress) matched up one-on-one with Williams for a deep route.

In the first two meetings with Dallas, Manning completed 68% of his passes (51 of 75) for 548 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. But the Giants can't be lured into thinking he can put up those kinds of numbers again.

RIDE THE NEW THUNDER & LIGHTNING

Brandon Jacobs had a pretty good game against the Cowboys in November (24 carries, 95 yards) after getting hurt early in their first meeting. The Giants rushed for 226 yards against Dallas this season, with an average of 4.8 yards per carry

According to one NFL team executive, the beauty of the Giants' rushing game - which ranked fourth in the league - is no longer in its power. It's the variety. That's why Coughlin can't be afraid to turn to rookie Ahmad Bradshaw, who bailed out the Giants in Tampa when the Bucs' quicker defense took Jacobs out of the game (13carries, 34 yards). In the second half, the faster, shiftier, smaller (5-9, 198) Bradshaw was the perfect change of pace (17-66). He had 15 of the Giants' 19 second-half carries, which was the right thing to do. "Tampa shut down Jacobs," an NFC assistant coach said. "But that little (guy), he's pretty good. He gives them a totally different dimension."

The Cowboys got a taste of him in the second meeting when he returned a kickoff to Dallas' 2-yard line, only to have it called back due to a holding penalty. Bradshaw didn't touch the ball on offense in either of the two games.

The Cowboys give up only 94.6 rushing yards per game (sixth in the NFL). The Giants can't go at them with only one man.

HOPE T.O. IS TOAST

No one around the league thinks Owens is going to sit out Sunday, so the Giants' best chance for slowing Dallas is if Owens is a little slow, too.

Here's what Owens did when healthy against the Giants this season: nine catches, 212 yards, four touchdowns. He's also blistered the Giants' secondary many times before.

This time the Giants might be without Sam Madison, their top cornerback, which means Owens will be covered by either Webster or rookie Aaron Ross. That makes it even more imperative for the Giants to knock Owens off his routes and out of his rhythm at the line of scrimmage.

If Owens is still limping the way he limped through practice on Monday, there's at least hope the Cowboys' offense will struggle. Otherwise, there might not be anything the Giants can do to slow the Romo-to-Owens connection.

http://rotoworld.com/content/home_MLB.aspx

Mariners signed infielder Miguel Cairo, who had been with the Cardinals, to a one-year contract.
Cairo would be tolerable as a 25th man, but the Mariners already have one of those in Willie Bloomquist. They didn't need another, and they especially didn't need to throw away a 40-man roster spot on one. Cairo has posted OPSs of 620, 600 and 631 the last three years. With fine defenders throughout the infield and Bloomquist capable of playing very good defense as a backup, the Mariners should be using the bench spot on someone likely to pick up a hit every once in a while. Mike Morse was one superior option already in the organization.