Giants Need Offense to Rush Back to Consistency

Much has been made of the struggles of the New York Giants' offense without star wideout Plaxico Burress. And while it's true that the lack of Plax's presence and production has hindered the effectiveness of the offense, the real culprit has been the lack of a ground game in recent weeks. The absence of Brandon Jacobs to injury has clearly affected the performance of Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw. Both backs have been effective in this offense because of their change-of-pace nature when contrasted against Jacobs. With both being thrust into more prominent roles, defenses have been able to force a lot of unmanageable third downs. Thus, Eli Manning has looked uncomfortable in the pocket and has been forced to scramble because defensive linemen are pinning their ears back and rushing the O-Line with authority in evident passing situations. The return of Jacobs to good health is vital for the offense to have any chance to move on without Plax.

Brett Favre on the AFC Pro Bowl roster and not Chad Pennington? Believe me, the Favre New York story is great, but Pennington--even Philip Rivers, Matt Cassel and Kerry Collins--deserved to go over Favre.

Meanwhile, Tennessee's Albert Haynesworth actually made a lot more money with his Pro Bowl invite, as a clause in his contract allows him to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end with his selection to the game. Haynesworth and Kyle Vanden Bosch, however, must be able to return from injuries if the Titans are to fulfill their Super Bowl aspirations. Having a first-round bye will give the the defensive standouts an extra week to heal.

In the NBA, the Boston Celtics put their 15-game winning streak on the line tonight against the Atlanta Hawks, the team that took the C's to seven games in their first-round playoff series last year. The game is in Atlanta, where the Hawks took all three home games in last year's series and have only one defeat there this season. After stopping the Cleveland Cavaliers' seven-game winning streak on Saturday, can the Hawks do the same to Celts? The streak has to end sometime. Not to make too much of a regular-season NBA game in December, but this is a statement game for the Atlanta Hawks franchise.