By Billy Fellin
Does anyone remember the old Wiley Coyote versus the Road Runner Looney Toons cartoon? How Wiley always had this ingenious plan to stop the Road Runner and 100% of the time, it backfired. Well, Saturday night the Road Runner was Tiki Barber and the Coyote was the Chiefs defense.
“Tiki Torch”
By Billy Fellin
Does anyone remember the old Wiley Coyote versus the Road Runner Looney Toons cartoon? How Wiley always had this ingenious plan to stop the Road Runner and 100% of the time, it backfired. Well, Saturday night the Road Runner was Tiki Barber and the Coyote was the Chiefs defense.
To be honest, I was astonished. The way that Eli was passing the ball, I thought that a chance for a Giant’s victory was going down in percentage with each and every pass he threw that hit the turf. Until that 41-yard impossible run by Barber, he only had 13 yards on 10 touches. But on that 41 yarder, I was in amazement at how poor the tackling of the Chiefs was and how good of a blocker Plaxico Burress is and how well Tiki Barber can run. When I watched it, it seemed as if the Chiefs defense was just sliding off of him trying to bring him down or getting bowled out of the way by the blocks of Plaxico and some of the other lineman that were winded by the time they got down to where he was running. That run re-energized the Giants going into halftime.
After halftime it really was all Giants from there, practically. Larry Johnson’s touchdown got me nervous, but there was nothing the Chiefs could do to stop Tiki. 240 yards, both rushing and passing, which is a career high for him. 2 touchdowns that was vital to the Giants winning the game. Of course, Amani Toomer’s let-me-see-how-close-I-can-get-to-the-turf-without-being-down catch were welcome points as well.
However, even with the Giants winning in a “let’s ride Tiki Barber” fashion, there is serious room for improvement. The offensive line, which has been a recurring problem that was supposedly “fixed” this past off season, need to get their act together, and really need to stop getting hurt. The Giants also need to figure out a way for Eli Manning to start hooking back up with Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress more times per game. The frustration those two are dealing with isn’t a good thing for team chemistry. Although, the aspect of having both of them on the field, along with Tiki Barber, is a plus in terms of the Giant’s play calling because defenses have to figure out how to cover all three of them, plus Amani Toomer, the real “sleeper” weapon of the offense. However, Plaxico really needs to get back in the offense, and Eli needs to figure out how to get the ball to him. He’s 6’3″, a target that tall shouldn’t be all that hard to hit.
But the good thing is that the Giants did come away with a win. An important one at that, and thanks to the Patriots handing the Bucs a loss and without the Bears or Panthers having played yet, the Giants are currently the #2 seed in the NFC. If the Bears loose and Panthers win, the Giants will continue to be the 2 seed. Actually, any scenario that has the Bears loosing keeps the Giants in the 2 spot. I am now very optimistic about our playoff chances, especially if Pierce and Emmons come back for the defense. Don’t forget those seatbelts, this ride isn’t over yet.