Some Very Big BOYZ

There are twelve Pro-Bowl players on the Dallas Cowboys. Romo, T.O., Jason Witten, Marion Barber, Demarcus Ware, yes, all the guys you've heard of, but there's more....oh yes, a lot more. Probably the reason the Giants haven't been able to beat the Cowboys in their two previous matchups, those huge and nasty Dallas offensive linemen.

Shown above are just two of them, probably the nastiest of them, 6' 7" 340 lb. left tackle Flozell Adams and 6'6" 366 lb. right guard Leonard Davis. But there are also Pro Bowler 6'4" 312 lb. Andre Gurode at center, 6'8" 320 lb. Marc Colombo at right tackle and the little fella left guard Kyle Kosler, only 6'5" and 305 lb. Their tight end, Jason Witten, is also a Pro-Bowler.

Is it any wonder the Giants can't dent this line? In the first game between these two juggernauts, the Giants managed just one sack by Justin Tuck. In the second contest, there were just two sacks, one by Michael Strahan and one by the injured Osi Umenyiora. If the Giants come with blitzes, not only might they be picked up, but that will open up just one more receiver for Tony Romo to hit.

After a great deal of thought and careful analysis, I've decided our G-Men will do well just to stay close in this game. Despite their terrific recent performances against the Patriots and Tampa Bay Bucs, I don't think the Giants can win this game. Despite the recent troubles in the Dallas running game, despite a total lack of momentum on the Cowboys part, despite Tony Romo's romancing of Jessica Simpson in far-away Cancun, it's just asking too much, isn't it?

Twelve Pro-Bowlers, count 'em. On offense, there's Romo, Terrell Owens, Marion Barber, Jason Witten, the three offensive linemen already mentioned and even the kicker, Nick Folk. On defense, there's the hard-rushing linebacker Demarcus Ware but also three of their defensive backs, safeties Ken Hamlin and Roy Williams and cornerback Terence Newman. And they're all healthy for this game.



The Giants had just one Pro Bowl representative, Osi Umenyiora, the defensive lineman, and he won’t be playing in this game. Does that mean the Giants can’t win? Not necessarily, as almost all the Giants started playing better down the stretch. The Giants have several new elements that have made a difference late in the season, and, who knows?, maybe they’d have been Pro Bowlers given enough time.



Like who? Well, there’s Ahmad Bradshaw, probably the most visible example, as he ran roughshod over the Bucs last Sunday. But there’s also Kevin Boss, the tight end replacement for Jeremy Shockey. He’s a pretty big boy himself and catches everything thrown his way. There’s Aaron Ross, the rookie corner who’s been playing well all year, and Cory Webster, the cornerback who’d been riding the pines since Sam Madison’s injury, but recovered a fumble Sunday and made a critical interception vs. the speedy Joey Galloway.



You’d think that would be the end of the line for the new guys, but it’s really not. There’s Justin Tuck, who’s been solid all year at his left DE position and seems to defend the run and the pass equally well. There’s Gerris Wilkinson, covering at his linebacker position, who’s been all over the place. You might even consider Brandon Jacobs, the huge starting running back, as a new guy.



What about the old guys? Well, you know Michael Strahan and Eli Manning. You may have heard of Antonio Pierce too. Amani Toomer’s been great lately, catching everything thrown his way. And speaking of old, what about their old coach, Tom Coughlin? He’s been pretty fair to middlin’ on the sideline too.



Gee, as long as I’m looking at old and new, what about borrowed? Yep, the G-Men have some borrowed guys too. Madison Hedgecock was picked up from the St. Louis Rams and he’s been a horse. Domenik Hixon is a speedy kick returner they picked up from the Broncos. He only returned a kick for a touchdown in that huge Patriots game.



Let’s see we got old, and new, and borrowed. What about blue?



Heh-heh. Waddaya kiddin'? They are Big Blue.



Maybe we do have a chance after all.