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New York Giants DE Justin Tuck wears a green wristband that reads Brick Strong during every game. Have you noticed it before? Ever wondered its significance?

The wristband was given to Justin by a young man named Evan Sullivano who suffered from leukemia. ESPN's Rachel Nichols reported this story and I wanted to share it with my readers in case you missed it.

Athletes usually make headlines with negative stories, most of their good deeds and moments go unnoticed, as good stories lack sensationalism. Unfortunately Evan Sullivano has passed on due to his illness but before leaving this earth he left a lasting impression on many people including his friend Justin Tuck.

His mother Debbie Sullivano remembers her sons football playing days and his desire to one day play in the NFL. He was known for his toughness on the field and was nicknamed "The Brick" by teammates. Sadly, this tough young man began a battle for his life at the age of 13 when he was diagnosed with leukemia. The Sullivano family faced even more tragedy when Evan's dad passed away from a heart attack.

Justin Tuck heard his story and was told he was Evan's favorite player. The Giants DE visited him and that initial visit turned into a friendship between the two.  This wasn't just a one time PR hospital visit for JT, it turned into a special bond. They communicated with one another via emails, texts and even visits until the very end.

On February 5th 2012, Justin Tuck and the New York Giants take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, Tuck will be going on to the field not only with his teammates but also with Evan Sullivano and that bright green wristband.

Watch the ESPN video and full story by going to Justin Tuck Brick Strong.

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Every super hero has a weakness and for Tom Brady the New York Giants are  his equivalent of Superman's Kryptonite.

The GMEN present a serious problem for the Patriots and Tom Terrific. Without a doubt they are the most complete team New England has faced in the playoffs. Throw away regular season stats where an injured Giants team suffered through a very tough season. When the playoffs began New York had most of their starters back and were clicking on both offense and defense.

Here are the unique issues New England will face in Super Bowl XLVI (46).

Tom Brady Vs The New York Giants Defense

Big Blue has an above average defense led by a ferocious front 4, the best in the NFL. They can bring serious pressure with players like Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck. Not to mention packages and blitz' which allow other players like Mathias Kiwanuka and Michael Boley to get their shots in on opposing quarterbacks.

New York's defense can wear an opposing offense out. It isn't a coincidence that the Giants were always a better second half team this season. Adjustments by coaches of course contributed to the teams better play in the second half of games but the Defensive Line was also a contributing factor. They can rotate players in and out of that D-Line and maintain a steady and fresh pass rush. Players like Chris Canty and Dave Tollefson are key factors and sometimes go unnoticed due to the bigger names within that group.

One more factor to consider is the play of the Patriots QB when facing good pass rushing teams. I wrote an article earlier this week titled "Tom Brady is A Soft Cry Baby". Tom Terrific becomes very hesitant when he feels pressure and will make mistakes. He does not like to get hit! That being said, no QB likes to get hit but every QB reacts to a hit differently. Eli Manning shrugs it off, gets up, doesn't complain and moves on to the next play. Tom Brady on the other hand feels entitled, he will complain and openly ask and even persuade referees to throw flags if opposing players come close to hitting him. He does not take hits well and becomes very jittery in the pocket after he takes a couple of hard shots. Just look at the AFC Championship game where he had a horrendous performance against the Ravens.

Eli Manning and NY Giants Offense vs Tom Brady

Another aspect to consider here is Eli Manning and the NY Giants offense. When Tom Brady faces defensive teams he usually does not have to worry about being outscored. Most defensive teams the Patriots faced in the 2011 season did not have the fire power to keep up with The Golden Boy and his TE's.

New York on the other hand has one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. All three of their wide receivers are a TD waiting to happen. Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham can take a short reception the length of the field for a score. The GMEN's TE's are not in the class of the Patriots tight ends but Jake Ballard, Travis Beckum and Bear Pascoe are all capable of making game changing catches.

The running game is not too shabby either with Ahmad Bradshaw relatively healthy and Brandon Jacobs running better than at the start of the season.

The Keys to Victory for Super Bowl XLVI (46)

PRESSURE! New York has to maintain constant pressure on Tom Brady or else he will go off. There is no doubt the man is talented despite being a soft cupcake.

Disrupting TE Rob Gronkowski at the line of scrimmage will also be important. The Giants success over Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers can be attributed to the disruption of the timing from QB to receivers. They will have to do the same against not only Gronk but also Aaron Hernandez and WR Wes Welker.

If the Giants are capable of pressuring and disrupting the Patriots timing, I guarantee Tom Brady will get frustrated. When he gets frustrated he does not maintain his composure and will make and force bad throws which the GMEN can capitalize on. I believe the New York Giants are up for the challenge and will once again prove to be Tom Brady's Kryptonite and win Super Bowl XLVI (46)!

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It's a fact, New England Patriots QB Tom Brady is a soft cry baby who is over protected by NFL refs.

He goes by many names, "The Golden Boy", "Tom Terrific", I call him "Mr. Perfect" cause in the eyes of NFL referees he cannot do any wrong and cannot be touched. Just looking at Brady the wrong way may get a player flagged.

As Super Bowl XLVI (46) approaches the New York Giants better be aware that they will be facing Tom Terrific, the Patriots and also the referees. If you hit the Golden Boy and he decides to complain to the officials, chances are there will be a flag thrown even if it is a legal hit.

You think I'm kidding? Just ask any defensive player like Terell Suggs, Haloti Ngata or London Fletcher. Better yet watch this video.

Tom Brady Over Protected By NFL Referee - London Fletcher Hit

I posted this video and an article on December 11th, you can read more by going to "Jeff Triplette Bad Call On London Fletcher". As you will see below, Fletcher puts a legal hit on Brady yet he is flagged. The funny part is that Tom Brady right away gets up and starts applauding the penalty as if he in fact had been illegally hit. The video and replays clearly show it was perfectly legal. The ref claims it was a forearm to the head which could not be further from the truth.

Watch the video below. The Ravens Terrell Suggs barely makes contact with Tom's leg, the referee looking on hesitates to throw the flag but Brady starts pointing at the ref who in turn then nods and acknowledges his request for a penalty and throws the flag, UNREAL!

Players in the league openly talk about his sense of entitlement. In an interview for Sports Illustrated Baltimore Ravens Haloti Ngata told Dan Patrick

I love hitting Tom Brady because he always complains, he thinks he should never be touched.

Ngata's teammate Terrell Suggs during a Sirius Radio interview said of Brady

Rules made for him, he gets to tell the referee when to throw the flag

Even a former teammate has called out Tom Brady. Former Patriots player and now NBC Football analyst Rodney Harrison said

Tom Brady if you're listening, take off the skirt and put on some slacks, toughen up"

That quote by Harrison was made on a live broadcast of Sunday Night Football on NBC. Rodney made his comments after analyzing the play where the Ravens Suggs barely touched "The Golden Boys" leg (video shown above).

Tom Brady isn't only soft and a cry baby but also seems to have very thin skin. After an INT during the Washington Redskins vs Patriots game this season, Mr Perfect threw a tantrum on the sideline and argued with his now former Offensive Coordinator Bill O'Brien. It seems Bill O'Brien questioned Brady's decision which in turn infuriated the QB.

Let's Hope Superbowl XLVI (46) Isn't Tainted

The infamous Tuck Rule changed the course of NFL history and Super Bowl XXXVI. The Oakland Raiders were robbed of a chance to be the AFC representatives in that Super Bowl. Instead that questionable call favored Tom Brady (surprise, surprise) and the New England Patriots.

The referees have a responsibility to call plays as they see them not as Mr Perfect sees them. Tom Brady is a great QB, he doesn't need additional unfair help from officials. In many games Eli Manning takes a beating and rarely does he get calls which protect him from late hits. All fans are asking for is a fair game! A mano a mano match-up between two very good quarterbacks and two excellent teams.

There is no denying how good Tom Brady is but there is also no denying he has a little Justin Bieber in him, he is soft and a big time Cry BABY!

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Is former New York Giants great Michael Strahan making a comeback?

Last week after being asked to be an honorary captain Strahan had a twitter conversation with Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon where he expressed his potential interest.

The exchange between the two was quite amusing as Michael tweeted "Tell John Mara he could have thrown an offer to play this Sunday in there too, I have 25 plays in me easy.. Let's go!!". Pat Hanlon's reply was

10-12 plays is what you meant

Michael Strahan's comeback was

LOL!! I would surprise you

Obviously this conversation was all in good fun and after yesterdays article "Jim Harbaugh is a Disrespectful Whiny Jerk" I wanted to keep it nice, lite and fun.

Who can get upset about Michael Strahan? No one the guy is awesome. He was a Giants great and now has proven to be just as talented in front of the cameras for FOX. I do believe him when he claims to have 25 plays left in the tank. It would be a treat to watch him play for just one more game, especially a Super Bowl. Even though that's an impossibility he still has been an inspirational figure for our current players and has always provided much support for the GMEN.

Michael Strahan is a class act, I'm sure he would feel almost as much enjoyment in watching the New York Giants win a Super Bowl as he did when he played and won one.

If you are a football fan you should be following #92, his twitter is @MichaelStrahan. Spokesman @GiantsPatHanlon is also great especially for GMEN fans and make sure to add @GiantsKickoff as well! Here are the tweets.

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San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh is proving to be a disrespectful, whinny jerk. You can throw immature and unprofessional into the mix.

A good head coach? Maybe, time will tell he certainly had great success his first season. Then again he wouldn't be the first coach to have success only to fall flat on his face after his act starts wearing thin with players and the media.

When Jim Harbaugh got into it with Lions head coach Jim Schwartz most people gave him the benefit of the doubt but it's clear the man is rude. After beating the New Orleans Saints he met coach Sean Peyton on the field and pretty much ignored him during the hand shake. He was looking out onto the field as he shook his hand and just pushed him along and kept going.

This past Sunday after the New York Giants beat the 49ers, Harbaugh proceeded to do the same thing to coach Tom Coughlin. He also refused an interview after the game with FOX something he had agreed upon before the game. Of course if San Francisco would have won he would be all over it.

Jim Harbaugh Acting Like A Whiny Sore Loser

He isn't only rude and disrespectful but also showing the NFL his whiny side. Jim Harbaugh has been crying up a storm about the refs making a bad call on the Ahmad Bradshaw non fumble. That play was clearly blown dead before the fumble, there is nothing to argue. Bradshaw's forward progress had been stopped, the referee then whistled the play dead which is specifically designed to prevent players from getting injured or into scuffles. It's up to the referee's judgement to determine when forward progress has ended and when he should whistle a play dead. It wasn't as if the ref knew Ahmad Bradshaw would cough up the ball right after he blew the whistle.

Jim Harbaugh has been saying that call was worse than the Tom Brady "Tuck Rule" in the Super Bowl against the Raiders. In actuality there is no comparison between the two. I understand it was a difficult loss, I'm sure he must be second guessing his own judgement. His decision to send out a young man like Kyle Williams to return punts is probably the main reason they lost the game. Williams is a WR who had not participated in many punt returns this season. There were many reasons why the San Francisco 49ers lost the game but the non call on Ahmad Bradshaw was not one of them.

The New York Giants have been recipients of many a bad call, not plays which were blown dead but blatant calls which were either over turned or called unfairly against them through the course of the 2011 season. In both games versus the Green Bay Packers the GMEN were clearly facing the opposing team and the referees. They continued playing despite horrendous calls and were in a position to win both games, they fell short in the regular season but won in the playoffs despite several calls which were clearly erroneous.

San Francisco 49ers head coach needs to grow up. He needs to put the pom poms down and realize he is not a college football coach anymore. His act will wear thin fast just ask Jets head coach Rex Ryan! Jim Harbaugh has proven to be a big baby, sore loser and he obviously lacks sportsmanship. At least Rex Ryan had the guts to face the media after the games.  No doubt about it Jim Harbaugh is a disrespectful, whiny jerk and I'm glad the New York Giants smacked that dumb smirk off his face!

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A team of Destiny, the New York Giants beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 in a grueling game. They will meet the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI February 5th!

I saw this Super Bowl match-up coming and called it on January 4th when I wrote "The New York Giants Are the Most Dangerous Team in The Playoffs". Tooting my own horn? YES! Not many believed the GMEN could pull this off after the up and down season they had but the writing was on the wall the last 2 weeks of the regular season.

The NFC Championship game was by far the toughest playoff game the Giants have had this season, the San Francisco 49ers are a TOUGH team but New York once again displayed unmatched resiliency!

Is there any question of the "Elite" status of Eli Manning? He is on the verge of surpassing even his brothers legacy in the NFL, proving to be a clutch performer especially in the playoffs with his 5th road win which is an NFL record. Eli Manning's stats line was 32 for 58 for 316 yards and 2 TD's. The New York quarterback took a beating in this game but as usual kept his cool, made clutch throws and never got rattled. He was sacked 6 times, hit 20 times in the course of the game, the 49ers were bringing it.

New York Giants Who Stood Out

The whole team deserves mention, they are playing hard, inspired and everyone contributed to this win. Here are a few other worthy players besides Manning who stood out in the NFC Championship game.

Victor Cruz was unbelievable in the first half, he ended his evening with 10 catches for 142 yards. Even his attempts on  balls which were not catchable were amazing.

Devin Thomas recovered both mistakes by Kyle Williams which changed the course of the game and led the Giants to victory. First, a ball which hit Williams in the leg  and Thomas alertly picked it up. After a review the Giants got the ball and it led to an Eli Manning to Mario Manningham TD which put the Giants up 17-14. The second a fumble in over time which led to the game winning FG.

Jacquian Williams had the play of the game! Jacquian Williams was the Giants player who stripped Kyle Williams in over time allowing Devin Thomas to recover the fumble which once again led to the game winning field goal in over time.

Steve Weatherford deserves mention. Yes, a punter deserves credit. He has been money all season long and under very tough conditions on Sunday he helped keep the 49ers with less than desirable field position.

Lawrence Tynes kicked the game winning field goal and unlike 2007 vs the Green Bay Packers it only took one try to finish the deal!

Bear Pascoe had one catch and it was a 6 yard touchdown reception. The 49ers were busy covering Hakeem Nicks (5 catches 55 yards), Victor Cruz, Mario Manningham and Jake Ballard and forgot about the big man!

Ahmad Bradshaw rushed 20 times for 74 yards, these stats may not seem like much but they were hard, earned yards especially in over time when it came to setting up the game winning field goal.

The Giants defense as whole did very well. Two huge mistakes covering Vernon Davis hurt New York but in crunch time the line began putting serious pressure on San Francisco 49ers QB Alex Smith. The big 4 all contributed with sacks, Justin Tuck led the way with 1.5 sacks, Osi Umenyiora, Jason Pierre-Paul and Mathias Kiwanuka each recorded half a sack.

Super Bowl Rematch New York Giants vs New England Patriots

The New York Giants needed an overtime win against the San Francisco 49ers to get into the Super Bowl for a rematch vs the New England Patriots. In 2007 the GMEN needed an overtime win against the Green Bay Packers to accomplish exactly the same. This 2011 New York Giants team is a team of DESTINY very reminiscent of 2007. Tom Brady and the Patriots better be READY!

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New York Giants great Michael Strahan has been asked by owner John Mara to be an honorary captain this upcoming Sunday vs the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. Joining number 92 will be Mark Bavaro and Rich Seubert.

The Giants have a handful of retired players who are considered "All Time" team greats. Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks, Phil Simms come to mind right away and of course the great Michael Strahan! Other players like Mark Bavaro, Joe Morris, Maurice Carthon are also part of this select group.

Number 92 however is the most recent retired great and is also New York's 6th man (cheap use of some basketball terminology). On Thursday night Strahan tweeted the following:

As much of an honor that it is for Michael to be asked by John Mara to be an honorary captain it is also an honor for fans to have him be one. Strahan was not only a great player for the Giants but a leader. He played hard every game even when the Giants had horrible offensive teams who never provided the Giants a chance to win despite having good defensive performances.

He has shined as a football analyst for FOX and usually finds himself regulating colleagues who are doubters of the GMEN. However, he keeps it real and calls it how he sees it when the team isn't playing to it's full potential. It's going to be a privilege for fans to have Michael Strahan as an Honorary Captain on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers!

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It could have been different Sunday but despite the refs bad calls the NY Giants beat the Green Bay Packers and display Championship caliber poise. The final score was 37-20.

New York was more than impressive during the NFC Divisional Playoffs against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. They displayed discipline which has lacked for most of the season. They kept their poise even when things were unfairly going against them.

It was Deja Vu as the referees made questionable calls in important moments of the game similar to week 13 when these two teams faced off. The first touchdown scored by the Cheeseheads can be attributed to an atrocious and blatant missed call by the officiating crew led by referee Bill Leavy.

Replays clearly showed WR Greg Jennings had fumbled the ball and New York had recovered it. The initial ruling was a fumble then head referee Bill Leavy over ruled his colleague. Coach Tom Coughlin confidently challenged the ruling, Fox commentators Joe Buck and Troy Aikman both agreed it would be New Yorks ball. Unbelievably enough after reviewing the play Bill Leavy comes back to the field and states:

The Ruling on the Field Stands

Afterwards Fox had former NFL Vice President of Officiating Mike Pereira on the air, he seemed perplexed by that call and admitted he would have over turned the fumble and given possession to the Giants. Sure enough the Packers score a TD after that call. This has to be one of the worst calls I have ever seen, especially if you take into account angles which clearly displayed the ball being lose before Jennings knee or elbow hit the ground.

The Packers last touchdown can also be attributed to a bad call. Osi Umenyiora put a HARD but LEGAL hit on QB Aaron Rodgers which was flagged as a penalty. Leavy's explanation was an illegal blow the the head. There wasn't a reply which showed a hit to the head at all yet the refs saw it that way. The Green Bay Packers now have a new set of downs and 15 extra yards and end up scoring a touchdown.

New York Giants Overcome, Overwhelm and Prevail

New York only committed 3 penalties during the game, obviously Big Blue fans and players would argue only 2 were committed if you take into account the phantom Osi Umenyiora penalty. This was a very clean game played by the Giants.

Despite the bad calls, an Eli Manning interception, a blocked field goal and a missed field goal by Tynes New York players never seemed frustrated. The Giants just kept coming on both offense and defense. At the end it was too much for Green Bay to deal with. Add to that their own mistakes with dropped passes and fumbles and it led to a clear and concise victory for the boys in Blue.

Eli Manning was phenomenal, especially on 3rd downs where he made clutch throw after clutch throw to keep drives alive. He ended his day 21 of 33 for 330 yards, 3 TD's and 1 INT.

Hakeem Nicks had an AWESOME afternoon catching 7 passes for 165 yards and scoring two unbelievable touchdowns. Here are the videos in case you would like to see them:

Hakeem Nicks 66 Yard TD Reception
Hakeem Nicks Hail Mary TD Catch

Victor Cruz caught 5 receptions for 74 yards, a couple of those catches were huge 3rd down receptions. Mario Manningham once again comes through with a TD catch along with 3 receptions for 31 yards.

The defense was excellent, Osi Umenyiora and Micahel Boley both recorded 2 sacks on QB Aaron Rodgers. The GMEN applied the pressure needed to move Rodgers out of his comfort zone. The Packers did drop a lot of balls and it seemed as if Rodgers also made a few bad throws but that can be attributed to the defense. Rodgers was constantly on the move, so much so that he ended the game as the leading rusher with 66 yards. Green Bay receivers were hearing footsteps every time they made an attempt at a ball, Big Blue defenders were hitting hard and often. The defense forced 3 fumbles (really 4) and were very aggressive. Cheeseheads can cry all they want about all the mistakes and lost opportunities but the truth is the Giants were responsible for many of them!

In my previous article 5 Reasons Why The New York Giants Will Beat The Green Bay Packers, I explained why I thought this game would go New York's way. It was simple to see, the Giants lost by 3 points versus this same Packers team in week 13 when they were playing horrible football and had a ton of injuries. This current New York Giants team is healthier and playing much better football.

Next in line the San Francisco 49ers who barely beat the Giants week 10. Some 49ers players stated they would prefer to play the Giants, guess what? Wish granted!

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Not too many people think the New York Giants will beat the Green Bay Packers this coming Sunday in the NFC Divisional Playoffs. The odds makers certainly don't believe in Big Blue who currently find themselves 7.5 point underdogs.

I understand it's probably natural to gravitate towards Goliath (that's why he is Goliath). I'm sure the Giants are very content with being David. Why wouldn't they? We all know how that story ends!

The high point spread is what surprises me especially when the first meeting between these two teams was decided in the final seconds. Not too mention how much help the Packers received from referee Jeff Triplette and his crew during that game. This current Giants team is not the same squad Green Bay faced in the week 13 match-up, this team is much better!

Here Are 5 Reasons Why The NY Giants Will Beat The Green Bay Packers

1. - Health

New York has not been this healthy all season long. Even more important than just being healthy is the continuity the team now has due to playing together for a few weeks and adjusting to one another. In 2011 the Giants faced a ton of injuries to important starters which never allowed them to field a complete team. In week 13 when they faced this same Packers team the GMEN were banged up. Osi Umenyiora and Mario Manningham were out, Michael Boley and Ahmad Bradshaw played with serious injuries as were several other players on the team.

2.- Running Game

The Giants ended the regular season ranked dead last (32nd) in rushing. This stat is deceiving because it obviously takes into account the season as a whole and does not reflect the state of the current running game.  The last 3 weeks Big Blue has rushed for:

• 115 yards against the New York Jets
• 106 yards against the Dallas Cowboys
• 172 yards against the Atlanta Falcons

What is more impressive than rushing over 100 yards in each game was the teams they were able to rush against.

• Jets ranked 13th overall defending the run
• Cowboys ranked 7th defending the run
• Falcons ranked 6th defending the run

These teams aren't bottom dwellers when it comes to stopping rushing attacks, yet the Giants were able to run on them. This is a very important factor in this weeks upcoming game. If the GMEN can effectively run the ball and control the clock it will limit Aaron Rodgers' chances to be on the field reeking havoc with his receivers.

3.- Offensive Line Play

An unappreciated group! Offensive linemen usually go unnoticed or unmentioned, that usually means they are doing a good job. The only time you hear the average fan discussing the offensive line is when they are messing up. New York's O-Line is much improved, free agent acquisition David Baas has stepped up his game after also suffering through injuries all season long.  Kareem McKenzie, David Diehl, Kevin Boothe, Chris Snee have also been playing very well and consistent!

The reason the Giants are rushing the ball as effectively as they have in recent weeks is a direct result of the better offensive line play. Finally playing together as a unit has been extremely important, the good offensive line play should continue this week vs the Packers.

4.- Defensive Line Play

The New York Giants defensive line play has been lights out the last few weeks. They had a bad stretch of about 3 weeks when Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck were injured where the teams production went down. Despite the bad stretch the Giants ended tied for 2nd overall with 48 sacks. Jason Pierre-Paul (JPP) has been better than advertised, he practically carried the team on defense giving maximum effort week in and week out.

Sacks aren't even that important at this point in time, just applying relentless pressure on Rodgers will suffice and the GMEN have been able to do that consistently. The secondary benefits greatly from better D-Line play, this past week it showed when Matt Ryan was hurried time and time again and threw some clunkers out there in order to avoid getting hit.

5.- Confidence

The current NY Giants team is a confident bunch and have their swagger back. They don't seem nor act over confident either which is important. Why shouldn't the GMEN be confident? Reminiscent of 2007 this team is playing their best football at just the right time. They took this same Green Bay Packers team to the brink in week 13 and almost gave them their first regular season loss. Very similar to 2007 when they gave the New England Patriots all they could handle in the last regular season game but felt a bit short. They made up for it in the Super Bowl and the Giants have another opportunity to get their revenge this coming Sunday.

Why No Mention of Eli Manning and the Wide Receivers?

Eli Manning and his core of young wide receivers Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, Mario Manningham and TE Jake Ballard have been the most consistent group this 2011 season. Eli has been superb and if Big Blue wins it all he deserves all the accolades which will certainly follow along with his receivers. I expect them to play at an ELITE level against a weak Packers defensive team. Of course Eli and his wide outs deserve mention but without the components mentioned above the GMEN would not stand a chance to win this game.

So there you have it my 5 reasons why I believe the New York Giants Will Beat the Green Bay Packers. You GOTTA BELIEVE!

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Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham all possess the ability to catch a short pass and turn it into a touchdown in the blink of an eye.

So opposing NFL teams pick your poison when it comes to covering New York Giants wide receivers.

On Sunday during the NFC Wild Card Playoff game the Atlanta Falcons learned just how difficult it is to defend these young and extremely talented group of receivers. Most of the talk this week centered around Victor Cruz of course after his last two performances. Atlanta defenders made it clear they were not going to allow the salsa dancing wide out to beat them for a big play but they failed to take into account New York's other dangerous pass catchers.

Giants WR's Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, Mario Manningham Are Unstoppable

One of the reasons the talented trio has become an unstoppable force is due to QB Eli Manning who had the best season of his career. In the regular season Eli Manning threw for 4,933 yards with a 61% completion rate. He also had 29 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, several of those INT's were actually tipped balls or miscues with this set of young receivers.

Hakeem Nicks Number 88 was considered the number 1 WR for the Giants coming into the season. In 2011 he caught 76 passes for 1,192 yards, that included 7 touchdowns and 17 plays over 20 yards. His stats could have been much better but he missed a couple of games and played injured. Nicks was the main receiver targeted for double coverage as well making it harder for the young wide out to get open more frequently.

Victor Cruz Number 80 was the surprise of the 2011 NFL season. A virtual unknown who really took advantage of his opportunity when Domenik Hixon was placed on IR. Cruz ended his regular season with 82 receptions for 1,536 yards, 9 touchdowns and 25 plays over 20 yards. His total yards were a franchise record for a single season surpassing Amani Toomer. Victor Cruz has definitely benefited from  double teams on Hakeem Nicks. This young man is talented, fast and extremely explosive plus he is a pretty good salsa dancer.

Mario Manningham #82 had what many would consider a disappointing season but that still does not diminish his talent nor his potential. Manningham was plagued with injuries this season which also made it hard for him to get into a rhythm with Eli Manning and the offense. His regular season totals were 39 receptions for 523 yards and 4 touchdowns. In 2010 he had 60 catches for 944 yards with 9 touchdowns.  From this core of three wide outs Mario probably has the biggest issues with dropped passes even though all three young WR's have had their dropsy's here and there his have been more frequent. Much like Cruz and Nicks, Manningham has the ability score a touchdown on any reception whether or be a short pass or a bomb.

Opposing Team's Dilemma When Facing the NY Giants and Their Wide Receivers

The New York Giants as a team have gotten healthy at just the right time not only on offense but also on defense. Opposing teams trying to defend the GMEN are faced with a huge  dilemma. Who do you double cover? You can't play these guys man to man for a whole game.

Especially the last 3 weeks where the Giants running game has come back in full force with a healthy Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. Take the running game and the three aforementioned wide receivers and add another wrinkle into the mix with TE Jake Ballard who had himself a pretty productive season.

I have been a fan for roughly 30 years and have never seen a New York Giants team with so many weapons on offense, especially at wide receiver. The Atlanta Falcons thought they had a game plan by concentrating on Victor Cruz and diminishing his chances for a big play. They were successful but in the process they completely neglected Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks who both combined for 3 touchdowns and 183 receiving yards. This team is full of weapons, healthy and hungry to prove naysayers wrong. Now the weak Green Bay Packers defense has to pick their poison cause the New York Giants are coming to town!