As I said last season, when they made that impressive late-season run from Wild Card to Superbowl champions, the New York Giants are the new cardiac kids of the NFL. In 2012, they’re at it again already. Even Tiki Barber agrees!
Has this become so routine now? Are we to the point where we just expect Manning to do something like complete 8-of-13 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter? Manning had one of the 10 highest yardage passing games in the history of the league Sunday, finishing the game with 510 yards of which his team needed every single one to complete its comeback victory over Tampa Bay. But it was his fourth-quarter brilliance that once again brings into focus what Manning means to the Giants. Which is absolutely everything.
Typical, incredible, invaluable Eli Manning | NFC East Blog.
It’s 2012 now, and this is G-Men 2.0, which means nothing means anything until the fourth quarter, whether it’s a single game or the season as a whole. NFL teams are usually defined by their head coach, and Tom Coughlin has proven to be a great one. But this team belongs to Eli. A bad call, an injury bug, a ridiculous loss to the Dallas Cowboys or three interceptions in 30 minutes, it doesn’t matter. The feeling is the same: Just wait for the fourth quarter.
It’s probably maddening to Giants fans, who must spend two and half hours cursing or biting their nails before the real game begins. But if they look at Manning, they’ll see a ho-hum calmness that should give them comfort. Eli reminds me of the quiet kid you never should have messed with.
Tiki’s Take: Giant new persona dominates Big Blue | USATODAY.com.