QUITE FRANKLY: Giants like it this way

Sunday night the Giants face the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game. It's a big game for so many reasons. So many reasons for so many people.

For the Giants, Eli Manning and coach Tom Coughlin it's about proving all the critics wrong. Over at FOX, all of their analysts chose the Cowboys to win last week and the Bucs the week before. So much for in-depth analysts. alg_manning.jpgYou will get a few people in the media rooting for the Giants Sunday night but they'll be in the minority. Everyone in New York and New Jersey (the Giants' real hometown) will be rooting for Big Blue. Ask any Giants fan and they would tell you they would love to face the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Their week 17 meeting caused so much attention because the Pat's perfect season was on the line and if they meet again in two weeks in Arizona, it will be again. The Giants came as close as anyone else to beating them this season so what makes you think they can't pull it off when everything is on the line? Ok so I got a little ahead of myself there...they do have to beat Brett Favre and the Packers Sunday in Lambeau Field, the Yankee Stadium of football. They would have to do it in single digit temperatures and freezing conditions. If the G men can win, it makes it all the better.

It's interesting to note that Mike Lupica has said this is the kind of game New York needs. I happen to concur with his notion. New York's last big game was in 2006 when the Mets lost Game 7 to the Cardinals when they were one win away from the World Series. Now, Manning can follow in his brother Peyton's footsteps and win the "big" game. This is as big as it gets for the Giants. The game gets bigger and bigger by the week and the Giants seem to rise to the occasion. Their playoffs started Week 17 against the Patriots and even though they lost, they gained so much. If it wasn't for Eli's interception in the fourth quarter that night, they might've beaten Tom Brady and his crew. That "almost" turned into two consecutive wins and put them into a championship game.

The Giants once again have their backs against the wall and they seem to like it that way. Whenever you have them as the favorite they tend to disappoint. So let them be the underdog, let them be the ones fighting an uphill battle. That's the way they like it and if it results in a win, then so be it. That's the way we like it and that's the way we want it.

(Frank's articles can also be read at www.HotStoveNewYork.com)
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • Furl
  • Reddit
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati