I have to give credit where it is due. That said, 'SBaker' stole my lead for today when he dropped this comment in the 'Open Thread' Sunday night.

Nothing against the Titans, who look great so far, but i find it hard to believe that this isn’t the best team in football right now.

Considering Sunday's performance, that's hard to argue with right now. Unquestionably, the Giants are the best team in the NFC.

Led by Mathias Kiwanuka, the Giants defense laid a beating on Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, sacking him five times, hitting him on several other occasions and intercepting four passes.

Offensively, Eli Manning's crew held the ball nearly 10 minutes longer than Pittsburgh. They failed to convert a couple of opportunities, but got it done when they had to. That seems to have become the modus operandi for this group, not pretty, not perfect, but good enough.

Yes, the Giants got a couple of good breaks. James Harrison's snap resulting a game-tying safety for one. Harrison, of course, was only snapping because of an injury. Then there was the long touchdown pass to Nate Washington that was called back by a holding penalty.

So, you could argue the Giants were lucky. Good teams take advantage of those breaks, though, and that is what the Giants did.

Theyy played well, kept their poise and made the most of the breaks they were given. As a result, they wound up with an impressive victory over a quality team in a hostile environment.

All of that said, let's get to our traditional 'Kudos & Wet Willies' review.

 

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So, I checked in last night on how the live blog went without me. Three-hundred and twenty comments (115 by 'jrs."). Wow! Maybe you guys don't need me!

Anyway, good work by you guys. Almost as good as the work the 2-0 Giants did in dismantling the 0-2 Rams, 41-13. I watched the game on DVR, and there was an awful lot to like.

So, let's get on with our traditional 'Kudos & Wet Willies.'

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A pretty nice start Thursday night for your defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. An emotional entrance, a dominant first quarter, a new contract for Plaxico Burress, outstanding defense and a well-deserved 16-7 victory over the Washington Redskins.

Personally, I didn't think the game should have been that close. The Giants frittered away some opportunities to score more points, and the touchdown Washington got was set up by some bad kickoff coverage.

But, it's a victory. The first in what we hope will be many en route to proving wrong those skeptics who still doubt the ability of this team.

Let's review, in our traditional 'Kudos & Wet Willies' style.

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A crazy 30-3 start. A pretty lethargic second half. Great nights for Domenic Hixon and Danny Ware. It all added up to a 37-34 victory for the Giants in last night's second exhibition game.

Let's review, as we always do, 'Kudos & Wet Willies' style.

Kudos to ...

• Domenic Hixon, Domenic Hixon, Domenic Hixon: Two touchdown catches on passes from Eli Manning, and an 82-yard kick return for a score. This guy is a big-time playmaker. Tell me again why the Broncos cut him?
• Eli Manning: Two nice touchdoown throws to Hixon, a heads-up scramble for a first down AND HE DIDN'T GET HURT. I'm not so sure about the scruffy excuse for a beard, though. Maybe THAT gets a 'Wet Willie.'
• The Starting Defense: They weren't in the game long, but they were flying to the ball. Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Danny Clark in particular.
• Danny Ware: Hopefully, Reuben Droughns has a plan for what to do when his football career is over. The way Ware is playing, that end is coming soon. A 59-yard kickoff return, and 10 carries for a team-leading 97 yards put Ware in serious contention for a roster spot.

Wet Willies to ...

• Kickoff Return Coverage Unit: Umm, guys the idea is to tackle the runner as soon as possible.
  
• Terrell Thomas: I counted at least three one-on-one tackles the Giants' second-round draft choice missed last night. Gotta tackle if you want to play, son.
• Kevin Dockery: Well, dropping an easy interception and basically handing it to a wide receiver for a touchdown will get you a 'Wet Willie' every time.
• Michael Jennings: There is a ton of competition for roster spots at wide receiver, and two drops won't help Jennings' case.
• Brandon Jacobs: Two fumbles, albeit one on an ill-advised attempt at an end around. The big fella needs to do a better job protecting the football.

In sticking with tradition, let's review Thursday night's 13-10 exhibition season-opening loss to the Detroit Lions in 'Kudos & Wet Willies' style.

If you're new here, that's our version of 'thumbs up, thumbs down' or 'heroes & goats,' or whatever you want to call it. I will review every game with 'Kudos & Wet Willies,' often with some commentary spliced in.

Anyway, let's get down to business.

Kudos to ...

• Anthony Wright and David Carr: The two quarterbacks who are battling to be Eli Manning's primary backup were both impressive. Wright was crisp, completing 9-of-13 passes for 116 yards. Carr was also sharp, completing 10-of-13 for 104 yards and one touchdown. If there was a negative, it was the two big penalties Carr took. One was for an illegal forward pass, crossing the line of scrimmage and throwing. The second was an intentional grounding that killed the Giants with about a minute to go.
• Kenny Phillips: The Giants' No. 1 pick looks like the real deal. He led the Giants with eight tackles, including a couple of impressive open-field plays, and was clearly the best athlete on the field in the second half.
• The wide receivers: Take your pick here, it's pretty much impossible to single out one guy. Sinorice Moss (two catches, 55 yards, including a 46-yarder), Domenic Hixon (two catches, 23 yards, and a 14-yard punt return), Brandon London (three catches, 46 yards, including a brilliant 29-yard catch-and-run), Michael Jennings (two catches, 16 yards) and Craphonso Thorpe (a 13-yard touchdown catch) were all impressive. Plaxico who?
• Danny Ware: Maybe Reuben Droughns has competition for the last running back slot on the roster after all. Ware had only 18 yards on six carries, but he ran hard, had a 35-yard kickoff return and caught a pass. He earned a longer look.
• Chase Blackburn: The backup middle linebacker had a solid night. He made seven tackles and played well. With the injury suffered by rookie Jonathan Goff, Blackburn's path to a roster spot just got clearer.
  
• Bryan Kehl: The rookie outside linebacker had five tackles, and showed speed getting off the edge to make tackles up the middle and in the backfield.
  

Wet Willies to ...

• Zak DeOssie: If he keeps playing like that, the Giants will be in the market for a new punt snapper. DeOssie had a rough night at linebacker, missing a couple of tackles and getting chewed out by Steve Spagnuolo after jumping into a pile when a Detroit runner had been stopped and pushing the pile FORWARD to give the Lions a first down.
• Corey Webster: I am not going to worry about him -- yet. Webster did get turned around in coverage a couple of times, though, looking more like the overmatched corner who had been buried on the bench than the playoff hero he became last season.
• Reuben Droughns: Four carries for six yards and a fumble. Reuben needs to do better than that to keep his job.

NOTES:

Bad news for rookie linebacker Jonathan Goff, who suffered a fractured back last night. ... Rookies Robert Henderson and Wallace Gilberry suffered ankle injuries. ... The Giants are admitting to having some interest in Chad Pennington.