Like a bolt of lightning or a crack of thunder, the realization hit the New York Giants at the same time Tiki Barber celebrated his game-clinching, 31-yard
touchdown run against the Eagles Sunday.
"Amani (Toomer) came up to me and was like, 'We're high-powered!' and I
said, 'You're right,' " Barber said. "There are so many weapons here."
|  | | Giants running back Tiki Barber has his eye on the NFL rushing title. |
The Giants? High-powered?
This is not an expression one normally associates with the Giants offense,
not even when it was good. Save for that 39-point outburst against Denver in
the Super Bowl 14 years ago, they've been more bland than a golf tournament
without Tiger Woods.
The Giants tried to change all that when they hired Jim Fassel, reputedly
an offensive guru, as head coach in 1997. Four years later, they've become an
overnight sensation.
In the biggest makeover in sports since Andre Agassi got serious, the
offense suddenly looks like an irresistable force. The Giants lack the
downfield firepower of the 1998 Vikings or the 1999 Rams but, like those
recent breakthrough offenses, they have pieced together a well-rounded unit
with ample weapons and a sound approach.
In victories over the Cardinals and Eagles to open the season, the Giants
offense has been so productive the Berlin Wall that ran through the middle of
the locker room has been torn down. The Cold War between the defense and the
offense has thawed noticeably.
"I'm loving it," said linebacker Jessie Armstead, whose scathing criticism
of the offense in recent years often made the New York media look mild by
comparison. "I don't want to get too hyped because we still have to work our
way up the hill. We still have to make sure we're doing our job. But it's
lovely."
The Giants? Lovely?
That is not an expression one normally associates with the Giants offense.
Well, any offense for that matter. Yet, it adequately sums up the feelings of
the still-strong defense, which finally has an offense that can give it an
occasional rest. That offense is the product of a series of acquisitions that
seemingly have converged in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.
The halfback tag-team of rookie Ron Dayne and Barber, which has already
spawned a "Thunder and Lightning" T-shirt industry, has turned the Giants into
the No. 1 rushing team in the NFL. Quarterback Kerry Collins has been reborn
and is the seventh-rated passer in the league. Toomer and Ike Hilliard, the
starting wide receivers, are finally living up to their high draft position. And the reconstructed offensive line, where only guard Ron Stone remains in
the position he was in a year ago, has paved the way for 195 rushing yards
per game while allowing only one sack all season.
Off the field, the change has been equally significant. After three seasons
of empty promises about the offense, Fassel surrendered the play-calling
duties to coordinator Sean Payton. The result is a creative offense that uses
multiple formations, shifts and personnel groupings. So far, it has left
defenses confused, even helpless at times.
Granted, neither the Cardinals nor Eagles were playoff teams last year. The
fact remains, however, that the Giants offense is averaging 27 points a game
even without Pete Mitchell, their best pass-catching tight end. Last season,
the Giants scored more than 24 points only twice in 16 games.
"I've been saying it since training camp," Barber said after the Giants'
34-18 win in Philadelphia. "No one wanted to believe me, and people are still
going to be skeptical. But this offense is for real. (This) was an example of
what we can do. I don't want to say we were perfect, but it was close to
perfection."
The Giants? Perfect?
That is not an expression one normally associates with the Giants offense.
But with the unexpected emergence of Barber, Collins and the offensive line, New York has become the poster child for diversity in the NFL. The Giants can
run or throw effectively.
Pigeon-holed as a third-down back in his first three seasons, the 200-pound
Barber leads the NFL with 240 yards rushing and averages 10 yards per carry.
The 250-pound Dayne, drafted in the first round, actually gets more carries
than Barber in their time-share agreement at halfback. He averages 64 yards
per game, a pace that would get him to 1,000 for the season, too.
Used judiciously by Payton -- the offense has a Thunder package for Dayne
and a Lightning package for Barber -- they have provided a change-up that so
far has completely fooled the hitters.
|
“ |
Every running back wants to lead the
league in rushing. If my offensive line keeps doing what it's doing, come year-end I
might be able to say that. ” |
|
|
— Tiki Barber, Giants running back |
"The way Sean is using me, you never know when one of those is going to
pop," Barber said. "What I'm doing is a testament to this offense. The line
is opening some huge holes, and Dayne makes my job easier. Sometimes I don't
even think the defense realizes I'm in there, after he has been pounding it
in there against them."
Collins represents the biggest gamble the Giants have taken. Variously
labeled as a drunk, a racist and a quitter en route to losing jobs with the
Panthers and Saints, Collins was given a four-year, $16.9 million contract by
the Giants 19 months ago, a move that was heavily criticized at the time.
Always enormously talented, Collins looked promising in six starts at the
end of last year. With a firmer grasp of the offense this year, he is
completing 70.4 percent of his passes and making great decisions. Now, he's
beginning to look like a steal.
"I've exorcised all the demons that were with me," Collins said, "and
I'm going out and having fun."
It's early, but Collins looks like he could live up to the promise he
showed when he led the Panthers to the NFC Championship Game in 1996. "He has everything you want in a quarterback," Toomer said.
Were it not for the offensive line, however, Collins might suffer from the
same fate as Dave Brown, Danny Kanell and Kent Graham, all former starters
who couldn't hold the job under Fassel. And Barber and Dayne might be no
better than Tyrone Wheatley, Gary Brown, LeShon Johnson and Joe Montgomery,
all of whom failed to hold the halfback spot in recent seasons.
After going 7-9 last season, the Giants junked almost their entire line.
They signed three free agents -- tackle Lomas Brown, guard Glenn Parker and
center Dusty Ziegler -- and moved Luke Petitgout, a rookie bust at guard, to
right tackle.
Although Brown is a seven-time Pro Bowler and Parker went to four Super
Bowls with the Bills, there was some risk involved. Brown is 37, Parker is 34
and Ziegler didn't even play center last year. Nevertheless, the play of the
line might be a bigger surprise than even the emergence of Collins.
"Every running back wants to lead the league in rushing," Barber said. "If
my offensive line keeps doing what it's doing, come year-end I might be able
to say that."
With the Giants 2-0 for the first time in six years and all alone in first
place in the NFC East, come year-end they might be able to call themselves
champions, too.
QB controversies come early
It's two weeks into the season and already three NFC teams have full-blown
quarterback controversies.
The airwaves in Washington, Chicago and San Francisco are filled with
cell-phone callers arguing over who should start and who should sit.
Of course, the Bears and 49ers are 0-2 and going nowhere, so they'll get to
play out their quarterback crises in relative obscurity. The Redskins will
catch no such break. Theirs will take place on the national stage.
| |  | |
| Johnson |
The furor in Washington began Sunday when Redskins starter Brad Johnson
threw four interceptions in a 15-10 loss to the Lions. On one afternoon,
Johnson's 90.0 passer rating (sixth in the NFL), his Pro Bowl appearance and
that playoff berth in 1999 were rendered null and void.
The segment of the population that wants Jeff George to play suddenly
became very vocal. That group is believed to include Redskins owner Daniel
Snyder, who signed George to a four-year, $18.5 million contract, but not
Redskins coach Norv Turner, who nevertheless knew this was coming.
"That's the way it's going to be with a high-profile position like
quarterback," Turner said. "It's not an issue inside this building. Brad is
our quarterback."
Translation: Johnson is the quarterback until Snyder decides to make a
change.
In Chicago, second-year quarterback Cade McNown is under fire after
throwing two interceptions, fumbling once and getting sacked five times in a
41-0 loss to the Buccaneers.
There are some in Chicago who think backup Jim Miller is a better fit than
McNown for the Bears' wide-open offense. There is almost no one in Chicago
who can figure out why coach Dick Jauron didn't at least try Miller during
the rout.
"We wanted to stay with (McNown)," Jauron said. "I mean, this is the
defense we're going to have to play against. They're the defending champions
of our division and in order to get where they are, you've got to go through
them. We've got to figure it out. We have to come up with some answers
against them."
Translation: McNown remains the quarterback of the future and it's his job
until he proves that he's not.
| |  | |
| Mirer |
In San Francisco, Jeff Garcia's continuing inability to sustain drives
caused coach Steve Mariucci to say after a 38-22 loss to the Panthers that he
would discuss the quarterback situation before naming a starter for Sunday's
game against the Rams. Two days later, Mariucci said Garcia would retain the
job he won last year despite a strong relief performance against Carolina by
well-traveled Rick Mirer.
"(Garcia) has given his all for the past year and has earned his position
as the starter," Mariucci said. "We also are pleased with the play of Rick
Mirer, who has shown an ability to run the offense when given the
opportunity. But at this time, we feel that Jeff is better prepared to start
and play well."
Translation: Neither one of these guys is the quarterback of the future, so
it just doesn't matter.
Mismatch of the week
Something has to give Sunday when the irresistible force -- the Rams
offense -- meets the increasingly movable object -- the 49ers defense.
After two games, the Rams offense leads the NFL with 494.5 total yards and
39 points per game. The 49ers defense, meanwhile, is last in the NFL,
allowing 404.5 yards and 37 points per game.
San Francisco coach Steve Mariucci, ever the optimist, called it "an
excellent test" for his young defense, which at one point last week was
playing eight defenders who were in only their second NFL game. In two games,
the 49ers have yet to force a first-half punt.
The Rams offense, meanwhile, is even more explosive than last year's model,
if that's possible.
"It's a great feeling right now," Rams coach Mike Martz said, "because when
they get in the huddle, they feel it is going to go the distance sooner or
later."
Sunday, it will probably be both.
'90 dynasties go 0-for-2000
The Packers, 49ers and Cowboys ruled the NFC in the 1990s, winning seven of
the last 12 Super Bowls.
However, the three NFC superpowers are 0-6 this season, victims of the NFL
salary cap and their free-spending ways. Some say it's inevitable that the
cap will eventually bring down great teams under the current rules.
"The system has caught up with those teams," Giants general manager Ernie
Accorsi told the New York Times. "They worked it to perfection. Now they're
paying the price."
Hey Redskins, Buccanneers and Rams, don't say you weren't warned.
Tom Oates of the Wisconsin State Journal writes a weekly NFC column for ESPN.com.
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