A Star is Born-Mario Manningham helps Giants edge Boys 33-31

I was wrong about Mario Manningham. He has the speed to get past defenders. Whether it is a long route or a screen, Manningham was getting past Dallas defenders. Last night, I thought he was tremendous. Manningham caught 10 passes for 150 yards and one touchdown. Even with starting WR Domenik Hixon suffering an injury in the game, unfazed by the record crowd at Cowboys Stadium 105,121, Manningham stepped up. It is my truth, the turning point in this game was: With 22 seconds left in the 3rd quarter, Mario Manningham caught a 49 yard pass from Eli Manning. At the time the Giants were trailing 24-20, this play silenced the raucous Dallas crowd. Subsequently, the Giants scored a touchdown to give them a 27-24 early fourth quarter lead. After the Cowboys took the lead 31-30, on the Giants final drive, on a crucial 3rd and 4 from the Dallas 41 yard line, Manningham caught a deflected pass good for 8 yards to keep the drive alive.

In addition, WR Steve Smith also played well. Smith caught 10 passes for 134 yards and one touchdown. He was clutch on third downs too.

Although it is week 2, I think Eli Manning played like an elite quarterback. Bereft of a running game, Manning was 25/38 for 330 yards 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. I thought he was magnificent. If he plays like this, the Giants are going to be tough to defeat.

The Giants did not turn the ball over. They had only 4 penalties. Despite not running the ball like they normally do, the Giants had a decisive edge in time of possession 34 minutes to the Cowboys 25 minutes. Most importantly, the Giants created turnovers. The Giants had three interceptions and a fumble recovery. With 4 turnovers, this game should have not been this close. Again, the Giants struggled in the red zone area. According to nfl.com, the Giants were 0 for 5. After the game, NBC's Andrea Kramer asked Eli about the Giants impotence in the red zone area. Generally, Eli is soft spoken and speaks in platitudes. During this interview, he stated the red zone is killing us. We need to score more touchdowns. On the radio side, Giants RG Chris Snee was asked about the Giants red zone woes, Snee paused and thoughtfully stated I would have to look at the tape. Additionally, Giants TE Kevin Boss was asked the same question. Boss did not offer an answer. He stated bluntly this continues to be a problem. Although I have been even handed with Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, based on the players responses, Gilbride is the problem. Case in point, last week, in the red zone area, he called a stretch run play. Bradshaw did not gain a yard. Last night, against the Cowboys, he calls the same play at about the same spot. The Giants have a second and five on the Dallas five yard line. On the stretch play, Bradshaw is tackled for a seven yard loss. After this play, I was frustrated. Gilbride is too predictable. I think he has to give defenses something to think about. How about changing formations? How about using play action? If the Giants want to win the Super Bowl, Coughlin must fix this ASAP.

On a good note, the Giants are 2-0 and most importantly 2-0 in the NFC East.