It seems pretty clear to me that with 4 weeks remaining the New York Giants have to be crowned the clear cut Regular Season Champions in the NFL. They have gone out there Sunday after Sunday and outplayed their opponent every single time, except for their one no show on Monday Night Football. And not only are the NY Giants winning, but they are doing it rather comfortably. But the question is, is this a good thing?

When I think back to last season, the two teams that come to mind when talking regular season champions are the New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys. The New England Patriots were absolutely dominant, and clearly seen as the team to beat in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys were seen as the NFC’s team to beat and the team whose offense was too difficult to stall. But it was just around this time of year where things started to become very interesting. Just about this time last season was where experts, fans, and analysts were guaranteeing Super Bowl spots.

The last 4 games for Dallas last season was where their momentum stalled, and their, “machine”, of an offense seemed to not be so unstoppable. They barely squeaked a 1 point win over the lowly Lions, got held to 6 points in a tough loss to the Eagles, held on for a 7 point victory over Carolina (while watching T.O. go down with a sprained ankle), and lost their final game to their rivals in the Washington Redskins. This final quarter of the NFL regular season, proved pretty costly, as we all know what happened in their first postseason game following these games.

As the regular season of perfection closed out for the New England Patriots, a big step was taken also. Week 17, which has become well known as the New York Giants franchise rising point, was also the week that provided doubts to the unstoppable Patriots. When The Pats entered the postseason there were no more easy games and their offense which was record setting in the regular season began to do just enough to get by on the AFC side of the bracket. But once in the Super Bowl the offense was rattled by pressure and had no flow.

So in learning from history, just last year we saw what can happen in what some may call meaningless games at the end of the season. The question is who, if anyone is going to step up to The Gmen. Phily, at Dallas, Carolina, or at Minn? Will the Eagles continue their bounce back from Thanksgiving night? Will Dallas prove that they are back on track now and back to their preseason status of Super Bowl favorites? Or will Carolina or Minnesota come through as an under the radar team that excels at the key moments in the playoffs?

So am I doing the 2008-2009 New York Giants an injustice for comparing them to these two teams of yesteryear, or are they going to be another regular season dominator that will get slayed by David in the postseason. Will they continue their ride of destiny to a dynasty like run, or will they be the stepping-stones to the rise of another NFL franchise. Only time and the development of the teams in the NFL will tell, but I’m sure it will be an entertaining ride.

        Peter Lomuscio