Tiki Barber things quite highly of the post-Tiki Giants so far. Here are a few things he had to say on his Barber Shop show on Sirius Radio last night:
“Very easily, at the halfway point in the NFL season, the New York Giants can be 6-2. And will they be able to hang on? The only thing that matters for the New York Giants is: Can they stay healthy? Because right now they’re playing as good as they’ve ever played and Eli looks as good as he’s ever looked.”
On the schedule: “You look at the remaining schedule for the New York Giants, there is a very good chance the New York Giants are going to win 12 games this season. You look at the NFC, who is better? I can hardly say Dallas now because Dallas’ defense gave up 48 points [to the New England Patriots] and granted it was to the best team in the NFL and, as Cris Collinsworth said, maybe the best team he’s ever seen. But Dallas’ defense, I don’t think, is as good as the New York Giants defense. Aaron Ross has started to play great football. The pass rush and the underneath, especially stopping the run game, the New York Giants have vastly improved in the last couple of weeks. As we talked about, Coach Spagnuolo’s defense has become more familiar [to] the players there.
On the offense: "And then you look at offense, tell me who matches this. Granted, Dallas does probably match offensively in some aspects. You have one of the best possession receivers, a guy who is going to catch any ball that comes his way, in Amani Toomer. You have, potentially, a competitor for league MVP in Plaxico Burress. He’s in the discussion now at 507 [receiving] yards, 17 yards a reception and eight touchdowns.
Keep reading for his take on Eli ...
On Eli: "You have a quarterback who has taken enormous strides in becoming the leader of this team and it shows. His confidence is better. When he makes a bad play as he does every now and then you don’t see the discouragement in his body and that translates over to how the players accept him on the playing field.
On the running backs: "And then you have a running game [in which] you mix it up. Reuben Droughns goes for 90 yards [against the Falcons]. Three weeks ago [against the Redskins] Derrick Ward went for 94 yards. Last week [against the Jets] Brandon Jacobs rushed for a 100 yards. And they have a play-action game plan, a pass-first game plan that keeps everybody off guard. I can’t tell you, other than maybe Dallas, who is better?"