Keidel: Giants Continue To Defy Doubters, So Why Can't They Be More?
By Jason Keidel
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Sometimes you get a vibe.
Two days before the Giants squared off against the Dallas Cowboys, a few of us had the gall to give Big Blue a shot. In the face of all the critics and cynics who asserted that the Giants were an illusion, a product of smoke, mirrors, and a soft schedule. Indeed, after they had their six-game winning streak snapped on the road by the very potent Pittsburgh Steelers, the doubters came charging out of the closet.
Look what happens when they play a real team, they charged. Some pundits deadpanned that Big Blue might be the worst 8-4 squad they'd ever seen.
So, naturally, the Cowboys would grind the Giants into the pulp they clearly were.
Or not.
MORE: LISTEN: Mike Francesa Says Giants' Win Over Cowboys Made 'The Earth Move'
No doubt the 'boys earned the back page, bold ink, and the rest, while they surged to the top of the sport, led by two rookies playing with the talent and temerity of Pro Bowl veterans. But the Giants haven't exactly sleepwalked through the season.
Was it so shocking that a divisional foe, who had already defeated the Cowboys, in Dallas, could win again? You'd be hard-pressed to find too many 8-4 home teams not just underdogs but as decidedly dormant as the Giants. Or doormats, rather, under the feet of America's Team while it marched back to prominence.
In case you forgot, teams led by Eli Manning and backed up by a stout defense, have a thing for super-teams. Not that these Giants have earned a place next to their Super Bowl brethren from 2007 and 2011. And the G-Men would surely be more playoff-ready if they had a rugged running game, like those of the aforementioned teams of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, respectively. But if anyone should respect the Giants, it should be Giants fans. None other than the patron saint of the franchise, who also coached the Cowboys, told us that we are what our record says we are.
To that end, what are the Giants? In the playoff mayhem of the NFC, they have the second-best record in the conference (along with Detroit), behind a team they already beat twice (Dallas).
Even with a vastly improved defense, it's clear they will only go as far as Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. take them.
MORE: LISTEN: Eli Manning Discusses Giants' Big Win Over Cowboys
In fairness, yours truly also recently wondered if Beckham is worth $15 million per season, which is about where his agent will start to negotiate his next contract. It's hard to resist Beckham's singular talent, especially when he turns 10-yard crossing routes into game-winning TD dashes.
There's long been a chasm between the stat people and gut people, those who think the world can be defined by numbers, by science, by the physical, and those who still rely on the metaphysical, on eye and instinct. We hear about 40 times and then we hear about football speed. Jerry Rice hardly short-circuited the stopwatch. But when did anyone ever catch him in full gallop?
No matter what Beckham produced in the combine or pro day or whatever high-end showcase he attended, he's faster in real life, when the lights and pads are on. The great ones indeed make it look facile. So much so with Beckham you forget he's being hounded and pounded by the best athletes in the world, the top 1 percent of the top 1 percent.
When athletes become brands, when they're more celebrated for tweets or TD dances or haircuts, they lose so much of what makes them special. Anyone can moonwalk or riverdance or macarena -- some of the wideout dances du jour -- after a touchdown. But very few, even among the most divine athletes in the NFL, can do what Odell Beckham Jr. does.
And while he just turned 24 and likely thinks this show will run forever, Beckham's only got a few years at this level of almost biblical brilliance. We can argue about whether wideouts are ever worth the vault-bending money they always demand. But no one doubts that you need special players to win championships. And Beckham clearly qualifies. We'll find out in a month if the Big Blue does, too.
Follow Jason on Twitter at @JasonKeidel
