Michael Vick: How Do The Giants Stop Him?

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was so good Monday night against the Washington Redskins in a 59-28 victory that he is proceeding directly to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Well, sort of. In honor of Vick's historic achievement against Washington the Hall of Fame has requested the jersey Vick wore Monday night.

What, exactly, did Vick do Monday? He passed for 333 yards and four touchdowns, then ran for 80 yards and two more. He is the first player in NFL history to throw for 300 yards, rush for 50 yards, throw four TD passes and rush for two TDs in one game.

Vick has now been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week in each of the last two weeks. He was also the NFC Offensive Player of the Month in September.

So, what do defensive coordinator Perry Fewell and the Giants do about Vick and the high-flying Eagles when the teams meet Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia with first place in the NFC East at stake.

I have listened to talking heads on the radio discuss this all week and, to be honest, no one has a great answer. I think, maybe, just maybe Giants cornerback Terrell Thomas had the only real answer when he visited with WFAN's Boomer & Carton Wednesday morning.

The solution? Let your offense do it.

"They’re very explosive right now," said Thomas. "I think their weakness is their defense. "

"Our offense has to do a great job of having ball control, not turning the ball over, and keeping their offense off the field."

Not sure that's the confident answer I want from one of the Giants' defensive stalwarts. Probably the truth, though.

Defensively, the Giants need to keep plays in front of them and make the Eagles earn what they get. The best Fewell & Co. can probably hope for is to slow the Eagles down some. Shutting them down is not likely.

Injuries aside, Eli Manning and the Giants offense will have to come up big Sunday night. Sustain drives, control the clock, score points when the opportunity is there and most of all do not turn the ball over or throw away scoring chances.

"When you play the Eagles, you have to play perfect," says Manning. "Everybody has to be on the same page and see things the same way. You can’t afford to make mistakes."

The Giants have an offense capable of trading blows with the Eagles, even with the injuries the unit has suffered. The Giants are second in the league in yards per game at 409.8, and they have gained 480 or more yards in three consecutive games, a pretty amazing accomplishment in its own right.

The biggest issue could be that the Giants are -5 in turnovers, while the Eagles are +12. If that pattern holds true, that is trouble. If the Giants can play a clean game offensively this could look something like a pinball game with both teams zipping up and down the field.