New York Giants: Where Do They Go From Here?

What now for our New York Giants?

In two games, we have seen both sides of this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde team.

Against Carolina we saw the Dr. Jekyll, or good, side of the Giants. Creating turnovers, dominating play from the defensive line, efficient offense in a 31-18 victory.

Against Indianapolis we saw the Mr. Hyde, or bad, side of the Giants emerge. A poor plan. Worse execution. Turnovers. A 38-14 blowout loss.

So, what comes next? Having seen both sides of the Giants split personality, it is not too early to ask which side will ultimately win out.

Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN New York offered what I think is a pretty astute assessment of the Giants earlier this week.

The New York Giants can look impressive in beating up on mediocre teams like the Carolina Panthers. And they can appear completely inferior to an elite offensive team on Sunday night like they did against the Colts in a 38-14 demolition.

So to borrow Dennis Green's famous line: They are who we thought they were. Until the Giants prove otherwise, this team will have people wondering if this year's version is any better than last year's group that started the season 5-0 only to limp to an 8-8 finish.

It is just two games into the season and the Giants are 1-1, which the Dallas Cowboys would die to be at this point. But Sunday night felt a lot like last year. The Giants' defense looked overmatched and surrendered the big-play touchdown with poor safety play when Dallas Clark scored on a 50-yard catch-and-run.

The Giants' running game didn't rise to the occasion again and the offensive line looked under siege.

These were major areas that the Giants needed to improve on and they failed in their first major test of the season.

Ohm (forget the last name, I'm not dealing with it) is on target here. In reality, the Giants are 10-13 in their last 23 regular season games dating back to 2008 when Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg. A mediocre, or maybe even less than mediocre football team.

Is that what they are? Really, it's a question we wanted answered when training camp began. Two games in, and we aren't sure.

The Internet vultures are circling around head coach Tom Coughlin. In some corners, 'The Coughlin Watch' has already begun. I believe it is too early for that stuff, but I will go along with Bill Barnwell of Football Outsiders who tweeted this on Wednesday: "Just because your team won a Super Bowl does not mean you are beyond reproach."

Coughlin has work to do here. If the Giants want to be a good football team we must stop seeing games in which the team is not competitive. There have been way too many of those the past two seasons.

We must stop seeing the locker room disharmony, and the rather loud hint that Antrel Rolle gave this week that maybe not all the Giants are on the same page. Will Rolle's outburst end up being a poison pill, or will it be just the right prescription for the rudderless lethargy that sometimes seems to overtake this team?

Does Coughlin, at 64, still have the stomach for this fight? And are the veteran leaders, the guys who have won with him in the past, still buying what TC is selling?

So many questions, so few answers. Fourteen games from now we will be able to make a judgment.

Until then? Buckle up, this could be a bumpy ride.