Can Anything Make the Giants Lose Miss a Beat?

By JOSH ALPER

Updated 5:29 PM EST, Wed, Nov 26, 2008

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There's no argument that the Giants are better able to deal with adversity than other teams. Osi Umenyiora goes down for the season and Justin Tuck steps up to become an All-Pro. Plaxico Burress is suspended or hurt? Just throw to Domenik Hixon instead. Other than Eli Manning and, perhaps, left tackle David Diehl, there isn't a single Giants player whose absence couldn't be overcome.

At some point, though, even the deepest roster reaches bottom. Would having Burress, Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw on the sideline at the same time accomplish that? The Giants hope they don't have to find out but Tom Rock of Newsday sends word from Wednesday's practice that none of them are participating. Since it is only Wednesday, it's too soon to speculate what that will mean for the game against the Redskins, but it can still be used as a springboard for a discussion about possible pitfalls for the Giants.

Bradshaw and Derrick Ward did a fine job picking up the slack in Arizona while Jacobs recuperated, but it did put the pressure on Manning to play more efficiently than he had in weeks. He cleared that hurdle, but, if Earth, Wind and Fire was reduced to one or two of its elements for a long period of time, the Giants thrive on a balance that wasn't in evidence in the desert. If, and remember that it is still a big if, Jacobs and Bradshaw were to both be out at the same time, the Giants would find it hard to roll down the field.

Of course, they could also turn into the neo-Patriots and just fling the ball all over the field with just as much success. Just when it looked like Manning was reverting to the skittishness that marked his pre-Super Bowl years, he replied with a gem against the Cardinals. It was a year ago today that he threw four picks in a 41-17 loss to the Vikings that had people openly wondering if the Giants would keep him as starter. For a guy who has been in the spotlight forever, there's no end to the surprises Eli offers.