The Giants have always done their best to put forth a face of sober stability, but they've never looked more sober or stable than they do right now. Times in the NFC East are a-changing while Big Blue doesn't do much of anything to change their team.
Donovan McNabb's trade to the Redskins is the latest and biggest shoe to drop this offseason. Thanks to a concentrated media blitz, everyone saw the trade coming but not too many people expected to see the Eagles actually drop the face of their franchise onto an Acela bound for D.C.
The McNabb trade is the latest sign that Mike Shanahan's arrival in the NFC East will shake things up for everyone. The fact that Albert Haynesworth was offered to Philly in the trade means that he probably isn't done revamping the Redskins just yet. The big question now is if McNabb and Shanahan are enough to engineer a radical turnaround in fortunes for a team that has been hanging in the gutter.
Well, that's the big 'Skins question. In Philly, the big question is if Kevin Kolb is ready to keep the Eagles in the playoff mix. Kolb takes over a team that most felt was built to compete for big things right now, but a first-year starter can mean a step backward in the short term. There's also the presence of Michael Vick to consider. Does he get a chance to compete for the starting job?
Both situations seem to bode well for the Giants. The Redskins remain a deeply flawed team while the Eagles have now said goodbye to two of their leading Giant killers in McNabb and Brian Westbrook. Seeing as how the Redskins have been collecting vintage running backs -- Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson and Willie Parker -- it's not out of the question that Westbrook could wind up there, but it still seems like a stretch to see them as a contender.
That leaves the Cowboys, a team that spent the weekend cutting their starting left tackle and free safety. No one will mistake Flozell Adams and Ken Hamlin for the league's finest at their positions, but the replacements aren't clear upgrades at two pretty significant spots on the football field.
Even though the Giants haven't done enough to address their own shortcomings this offseason, slow and steady worked for the tortoise. Things look better than they did when April started, and sober stability never sounded like quite so much fun.
Sports
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.
