Tuesday Two-Step: Week 7 Edition

I don’t know if it’s the back-to-back losses talking, but the 2009 NFL steadily is becoming less and less exciting by the week...ok, so it's definitely the losses talking. The good teams are good, the bad teams are not, and the Giants are making it hard to determine where they fall in the pecking order with their poor performances in consecutive weeks.

Speaking of poor performances, Jake has a real job now and can’t be here this week, so it will be a short-handed Two-Step for Week 7.

Bring on the random section titles with “step” in them!

Steppenwolf!

Let's talk Week 7:

• British fans at this year’s annual London game were outraged to discover the contest pitted two of the most loathed groups in the country’s history against each other: pirates and colonials. One fan remarked, “Oh, that’s great. Does one of them have to win? I mean really…What’s on the schedule for next year? The Catholics vs. the Prussians?!?”
• Pressure, turnovers and points. The Steeler D remains the (black and) gold standard in the league.
  

LB Lamarr Woodley was one of the stars in Pittsburgh's stellar defensive performance against Minnesota.

• On Monday, the Redskins tied a season high for most points in a half with ten. 'Nuff said...
• Relax everyone, the Raiders are back to being terrible.
• Gang Green got gang-banged on the injury front this week, losing the corner stone of their defense, DT Kris Jenkins, and skill position superman, RB Leon Washington, for the season.
• Is Miles Austin the next Miles Davis? Wait…what?
• The Dolphins wildcat offense confirms the “Green Day Rule”: when some new genre comes along, the originators do it best.
• Who dey? Who dey? Who dey? The Bengals are 5-2…What the? What the? What the?
• After whining like a spoiled prima donna about not being involved enough in the offense in last week’s win, Steve Smith South had 6 catches for 99 yards to go with a fat Carolina loss. Haven’t heard any complaints this week…
• The highly anticipated clash of the Midwest titans ended up a bit of a disappointment, with Indianapolis surprisingly beating St. Louis in a blowout.

Giants Stumble

• I can’t decide whether or not to be panicked about the inability of the defensive line to get more pressure. I’m not sure if it’s the new coordinator, the three starters coming back from knee injuries, or Canty’s absence. In any case, the team’s trademark on defense has been wanting.
• Despite the lack of pass rush, the Giants still lead the league in total defense. Unfortunately, when the opponent starts every other possession in Giant territory, it still translates into over 20 points per game.
• Sunday night, 2009 Eli looked like pre-2008 playoff run Eli. Anybody else wondering about that foot?
• If they kept a stat for most games with at least one awesome play and one terrible play by a player, I think Terrell Thomas might lead the league. The guy is often great in coverage. He picked off a pass and broke up a deep ball on Sunday. He complimented that with a horrific missed tackle that resulted in an Arizona touchdown. Not the first time he's put on such a bipolar display.
  

CB Terrell Thomas picks off Kurt Warner in the first quarter of Sunday's loss to Arizona.

• Monday morning, Brandon Jacobs’ picture was on the milk carton at the breakfast table. He was apparently abducted by some guy named “Kevin G.” who suffers from a mental disorder that causes him to try and mimic the high-flying passing attacks of his opponents. Police say “Kevin G.” can be identified by the trail of questionable plays he leaves strewn across a field in his wake, and by his creepy pervert moustache.
• One last thought on the running game: I hope this “more Bradshaw” camp will keep quiet from now on. Two costly mistakes in consecutive weeks and a reduced load for Jacobs have not done much for this offense. Bradshaw is a great player, but Jacobs is a pillar of this offense and should be recognized and utilized as such.

The Top 10

1) New Orleans (6-0) (1) A huge come-from-behind win against a very good team cements the Saints’ status on top of the board.

2) Indianapolis (6-0) (2) The Colts were lucky they had two weeks to prepare for the Rams, otherwise…no, they still would’ve slaughtered St. Louis.

3) Denver (6-0) (3) The world waits with anticipation to see what horrific throwback uniform the Broncos will unveil next week.

4) Pittsburgh (5-2) (8) Told ya Jake.

5) Minnesota (6-1) (4) Another one bites the dust…

6) New England (5-2) (5) Despite back-to-back shellackings of their opponents, the Pats drop a spot to make room for the defending Super Bowl Champs.

7) Cincinnati (5-2) (9) An impressive win over the Bears earns Palmer, Benson, Ocho Cinco and co. the seventh spot this week.

8) New York Giants (5-2) (6) The Giants need to right the ship quickly before this slide becomes a plummet. A division win in Philly this week will do the trick.

9) Green Bay (4-2) (N/A) If Rodgers gets some help from his offensive line, who knows what this team might do. This week, they broke into the Two-Step Top 10.

10) Dallas (4-2) (N/A) I’d rather not talk about it…

Post your comments and let us know what you think. You can also post your own two-step thoughts below!

Spread the word!

... ...

Giants 5-2
Sack Count: 16
Take-away Count: 14

... ...

Cast your vote in the latest Giants' Steps poll!

... ...

Please post your comments and subscribe to Giants' Steps!

Follow Giants' Steps on Twitter!

E-mail Giants' Steps!