No NFL team has successfully maneuvered this tightrope before, hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in the same year it hosted the Super Bowl. Its too easy to lose focus, too easy to forget about the game at hand. Thats exactly what Romo warned the Giants about on Wednesday, when he said that if youre already thinking about January or February right now, youre probably not doing what you need to do for September. Romo spoke from experience; three seasons ago, when The Big Game was played in The House that Jerry Built, Romos Cowboys lost seven of their first eight games, limping to a playoff-less 6-10 record. Thats a Cowboy speaking, of course, so the Giants dont care. And theyre not worried in 2013, not with plenty of veterans who can recall the Super Bowl run of 2011, said Nicks. And not with Tom Coughlin at the helm. Its tough, Victor Cruz admitted. But I think it comes down to ourselves and Coach (Tom) Coughlin.
Giants links: Jason Pierre-Paul has had memorable games in Dallas
Snee said hes been impressed with how the rookie has gone about his business of being a professional football player and believes there should be no reason for the Giants offense to scale things back just because Pugh has never taken a NFL regular season snap before. Its full steam ahead, he said. Im excited for Justin to make his first start. First game of the year at Dallaswhats there to not be excited about? Ronald Martinez/Getty Images Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Ware figures to line up across from Justin Pugh on Sunday when the rookie makes his NFL debut. Speaking of Dallas, Pugh probably couldnt ask for a tougher assignment this week, as hell likely see Cowboys all-Pro defensive end DeMarcus Ware at some point in the game. If Pugh is the least bit nervous about potentially lining up across from Ware, he did a good job of hiding it. Im going to go out there and whoever I go up against, Im going to go out there and compete, he said. I cant hope that they dont line him on my side. Getting into that is just a sticky situation, so Im going to go out there and play whoever they line up against me. Pugh obviously cant predict the outcome of the game, but he ishoping that this week will be the first step toward him earning the respect from his teammates.
New York Giants Will Have Trouble Stopping Jason Witten in Week 1
Backup DE Ben Bass is also out after suffering a dislocated shoulder Thursday. KEY MATCHUP Giants WR Victor Cruz vs. Cowboys CB Orlando Scandrick Cruz is the best option, attacking the in-between zones against the Tampa 2 scheme of new defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and Scandrick, as the nickel corner, will pick him up in the slot with help over the top. While Scandrick is above average in coverage, hes a poor tackler and Cruz will have the chance to pick up yards after the catch. Eli Manning has a knack for exposing the Cowboys secondary. SCOUT SAYS RELATED: SCOUTING THE GIANTS: BIG BLUE LOOKS FOR SUPER WIN IN OWN BUILDING The Giants are going to need a good effort out of (David) Wilson. If he isnt effective running the ball, Kiffin can keep more people in coverage, forcing Eli to be patient. They are going to dare the Giants to run it and Wilson, with his flat-out speed, will have the chance to break things at the second level.
Giants hand Cain ball versus D’backs
Often the Giants will bring in a third safety in these situations to cover Witten, but also have good roamers. With only three safeties on the roster, however, this would be a dangerous move. The three-safety approach fits best from a scheme perspective as Rolle and Mundy are both comfortable playing close to the line and in the box. However, it is a risky proposition and it requires Cooper Taylor to play a lot, something the Giants probably are not comfortable with. The other clear option is having a linebacker guard Witten, but none of the Giants starting linebackers excel at guarding tight ends, especially not All-Pro ones like Witten. Keith Rivers is the strong-side linebacker, and whether in man or zone, he will probably deal with Witten a lot. Rivers moves relatively well, but is not as good in coverage as someone like Michael Boley, who played with the Giants last year. Witten burned Boley and every other Giants linebacker last year, and now has an even worse player lined up across from him.
NY Giants at Dallas Cowboys: Can Big Blue continue win streak in Big D?
The right-hander suffered the injury when he was hit by a line drive in a 10-5 loss to Pittsburgh on Aug. 22. “We were fortunate there was no fracture and so was he,” manager Bruce Bochy said after that game. “That ball was smoked. It caught him flush.” Cain is 4-0 with a 2.57 ERA in his last seven starts against Arizona, losers in six of nine, and 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA in his last four home matchups. He gave up two runs over five innings in his most recent meeting with the Diamondbacks, a 4-3 victory at AT&T Park on July 20. Arizona (71-69) is hitting .235 in its last nine games — 23 points lower than its season average — and has produced 20 runs. The Diamondbacks have scored 18 runs in their past nine contests against San Francisco while batting .227.
Week 1 Prediction: Giants at Cowboys
The D’backs, though, have lost six of their last nine games and were shut down completely in Friday’s 3-0 loss. Patrick Corbin pitched well in the loss and went eight innings, allowing all three runs and eight hits with five strikeouts and one walk. Chavez broke up Petit’s perfect game with his big hit in the ninth. “We made a lot of quick out and had a lot of ground balls. I have to tip my cap to him (Petit), he pitched a great game. We couldn’t solve him once again,” D’backs manager Kirk Gibson said. Brandon McCarthy draws the start for Gibson’s club Saturday and has lost six of his last seven starts. McCarthy previously took the mound in Monday’s 4-1 loss to Toronto and yielded all four runs in nine innings of work. The right- hander is now 3-9 in 17 starts with a 4.94 ERA.
Diamondbacks-Giants Preview
Cowboys place defensive lineman Ben Bass on injured reserve. He joins DE Anthony Spencer (knee) has been out since July and star DT Jay Ratliff (hamstring) is on the reserve/PUP list. AROUND THE LEAGUE: San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh continued his attack on the league’s ruling regarding the read-option offense , calling them “flawed and a bit biased.” The topic became a hot-button issue when Packers LB Clay Matthews recently said the Packers will be looking to hit 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick when the teams meet in a playoff rematch Sunday. In that playoff game, Kaepernick rushed for 181 yards. Ouch! Here’s your latest Tim Tebow fix. The throwing-challenged quarterback has turned down an offer from an unnamed NFL team to switch positions. Also, he has said no to invitations from the CFL and USA Rugby. We’d like to know what film of himself is Tebow watching?
New York Giants Rookie Offensive Lineman Justin Pugh Is Ready for His NFL Debut
Three road games in the month and they’ll lose the first one. Ian O’Connor GIANTS 31, COWBOYS 28 Manning is better than Tony Romo , and the Giants feel comfortable inside the monument Jerry Jones built to himself. Ohm Youngmisuk GIANTS 34, COWBOYS 31 The Giants are banged up and coming off a shaky preseason, but they typically find a way to score and win in Jerry World. Kieran Darcy COWBOYS 27, GIANTS 24 The G-Men have plenty of firepower on offense but aren’t clicking on all cylinders yet, as evidenced by the preseason. Stephen A. Smith COWBOYS 31, GIANTS 30 It’s sickening to pick the Cowboys for anything, but defense is a concern with Big Blue, along with their running game and the health of Hakeem Nicks . Ryan Ruocco GIANTS 31, COWBOYS 30 Nicks will look fully recovered and have a big opening week. Look for David Wilson to break a couple of big plays as well.
Motherhood Uncensored 