Welcome home Eli Manning. Now go home with your tail tucked between your legs.
That’s the message waiting to be delivered when this Giants-Saints game comes to the Superdome. Saints fans are certainly proud of their home town quarterbacks playing in the NFL. Both the Mannings are points of pride here in the Crescent City. But that pride ends when the National anthem begins. From that point on even a Manning is just an opposing quarterback.
On Oct. 18th the New York Giants vs New Orleans Saints contest could be one of the better NFC games around. The Saints will more than likely be racing against either the Carolina Panthers or Atlanta Falcons for the top of the NFC South. Or maybe both. This division looks to be tough in 2009, maybe even tougher than the NFC East.
The Giants have now put together back to back years in which they contended in the playoffs, although last season ended without a Super Bowl appearance. But Eli Manning is a quarterback who will have to elevate his game again if New York wants to make a post-season appearance. The jury is still out on who’ll take the place of Plaxico Burress, Mannings deadliest target the past two years. His absence puts the onus on Eli in a big way. The crowd in the Superdome will be loud and that could affect the communication between Manning and a receiver only a few weeks into a starting position.
The New Orleans Saints ticket holders will get a look at what their team can do against one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Saints offensive line, especially, will have all they can handle with pass rushers like Justin Tuck, and Fred Robbins. Look for Drew Brees to work the short passing game and make use of Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell in the running game. Hopefully, Reggie Bush can do some damage from out of the backfield as well as on the punt return team.
All in all, the Giants vs Saints matchup should be a good one. Both teams have something to prove after dissapointing season. Both are undergoing a transition of sorts. And both carry the pride of New Orleans.
